Author: Dr. Michael Johnson

You have made My holiness hollow
You love ritual more than you love Me
Your faith has become cold and shallow
That is not how I meant it to be

The poor feel they cannot approach
Out of touch, far away, just too clean
Your religion denies rat and roach
When in fact that’s where I have been

I was born in a stable not a palace
There was manure, bed bugs and fleas
My blood in a cup, not a chalice
You have done with my name as you please

You glory in pomp and parade
You dress well, bejeweled, full of shine
My garments were just common grade
I was as human as I was divine

But you have made Me so free of dirt
And you claim that brings glory to Me
When it is I who took on the unholy
So I can set the unholy free

When you dress for praise and for worship
When you stand to adore kneel to pray
Remember I was stripped naked and beaten
Like common folk you see every day

Don’t continue to make my holiness hollow
Holiness is what I always will be
Understand this, then you can follow
I became human so you could touch me

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Isa 1:14 Your new moons and our appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

Mt 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

When I get to heaven
All my socks will have matches
All the lost dogs will be found
My CD’s or records won’t have scratches

My high school suits will still fit
I will still have all of my hair
I will have aced all of my finals
And all my old friends will be there

Oh if heaven had all of this wonder
If I could indeed find all my lost stuff
If Jesus ain’t  there you can have it
Without Him, it’s never enough

He is as intimate and warm
As the vapor from each breath
And as He pulls me closer to Him
I feel comfort from His chest

For my lover knows my weakness
He knows my desires too
He whispers in my ear
‘I want to pleasure you’

I know just where you’re hurting
I have not come here to tease
I know your secret desires
I am here to give joy and please

But at first you must surrender
At first you must let go
Accept that my love is tender
Then true pleasure you will know

This surrender it will cost you
Your free will is lost in mine
You must lose all other lovers
To enjoy this love divine

Lose all those hard habits
Lose all you claim as rights
Lose all of those ‘must haves’
I’ll show you how to spend your nights

For when I’m your only lover
I won’t come close if others are there
I am jealous and yes vengeful
Now draw closer so we can share

De 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Jer 3:1 but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD

I like to watch are the words that ‘she said’
Then she quickly got back into bed
Turned on the T.V.
Then said ‘let’s see’
If it is as good as I’ve read

Is it evil or only for fun
Can’t turn it off once it’s begun
After all we have paid
We will watch the movie as played
Besides it will make us better as one

So goes the thinking today
Go along with whatever they play
After all who can gets hurt
If with evil we flirt
And God forgives so we do as we may

Is it sinful to embrace such warm pleasures
If I do so within tiny, small measures
After all, it’s in private
So should I deprive it
It is one of life’s sweetest treasures

But God uses a standard that’s different
So such value I cannot defend it
Holiness is His aim
And if I am called by His name
I will do nothing that even seems to offend it

Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

You ignore the hungry and homeless
You’d rather spend until deep into debt
Don’t be surprised when it’s you who are lonely
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

There is plague, famine, drought all around you
Rape, molestation, of children and pets
And you won’t turn to Me for counsel
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

Murder, corruption, fornication, adultery
This entertainment your appetite whets
You think praying and worship is for losers
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

Wars begat wars yet you wage them
Ignoring both priest, preachers and even prophets
And you won’t forgive one another
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

You hate, divide, gossip, and backbite
You wound, crush and even bloodlet
Ignore elders, despise parents as stupid
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

Because I have told you I’d return
That is one thing that’s a sure bet
I will call and judge you by name
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

Know Me now, don’t hesitate come freely
If you have breath, you still have time yet
As evil will increase day to day
Things are bad and that’s as good as it gets

Re 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Ho 10:8 and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

Some people reject me as refuse
Another embrace me as pop-art
Neither accept me as Savior
Neither has a true change of heart

To one I’m nothing more than a prophet
To another a profit is a good deal
To some there is nothing to desire
I’ve no value, no price, no appeal

To the Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and others
Shinto, Buddhist, agnostic, just name them all
You don’t realized that you each have acknowledged
That already at my feet you fall

Just to notice the date on your calendar
If you want to eat, buy and sell
Know that I split time in two
And I choose who gets heaven or hell

Ro 14:11
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God.

Php 2:10
That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth;

It is easy to be pure and pious
When everyone is there to see
But the holiness I have in private
It’s called integrity

No big deal to shout hallelujah
And say Jesus has set me free
But the language I use in private
It’s called integrity

I can fool the people that are looking
Bow in prayer, cry on bent knee
But it is who I am before God alone
It’s called integrity

The things I touch, look, and listen
Radio, books, and T.V.
Say a lot about how I love Jesus
It’s called integrity

I must live before every person
As I live when it’s just God and me
Reflect His holiness and his perfection
It’s called integrity

Lord this I pray please do answer
Make it come my character to be
My life as seen by others
To be marked by integrity

Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Mt 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Mt 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do ot sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mt 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Mt 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

I put an IOU in the offering basket
I didn’t want to part with my cash
If dollars they needed why didn’t they ask it
So I did at least what was asked

I put in the best of my good intention
Expecting that God understands
After all, I just want honorable mention
And the congregation did see me stand

Everyone saw that my giving was good
My IOU would put their offerings to shame
I folded it nicely like all offerings should
And made sure I did not sign my name

Such is the sacrifice I offer to God
Lots of pomp, circumstance, and parade
Loud applause, hip hooray surely seems odd
For a man who offers only charade

The paper collected, I’m sure God forgets
At least, it will be hard to find it
Hence, I’ve no reservations, not a single regret
As I said, I made sure not to sign it

Are there promises you have made and then broken
Are there things you told God that you’d do
Don’t use your prayer life as a mere token
God delights most when you follow through

Mt 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Lu 6:38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Le 22:24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.

Mic 6:6  Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?

Mic 6:7 will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Mic 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I could not be called sinless
If I never faced temptation
Women, power, money, fame
Every sensual situation

Don’t take offense in my humanity
I take no offense in yours
I bore the illness you bore
I was covered with your sores

If you only think of my glory
You ignore my broken flesh
And that is not true worship
In fact it wounds afresh

I became just like you
So that you could become like me
I was perfectly sinless
Yet I died on Calvary’s tree

Indeed I am the Savior
The only risen Christ
But to accept my life as perfect
Know I paid the price

I was wounded beaten hard
Spat upon and cursed
I was ridiculed and mocked
They did their absolute worst

Every illness you feel
All of your loneliness too
Every heartache, disappointment
I bore it all for you

Your enemies seem triumphant
They have hurt without rhyme or reason
Even now this very pain you have
I tell you it’s for a season

Trust and know that as you suffer
I know just how you feel
Accept that I became like you
And you’ll begin to heal

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.