One Lovers' Quarrel

If you are using Yahoo Messenger, you have probably seen the red "angry" emoticon with wisps of smoke coming from its ears.  Well, I could pass as its live version last night.  Not only did I feel smoke blowing out of my ears, I could also feel it pushing out from my nose.

You see David and I had to meet some friends by 7:00pm.  He told me he'd be leaving the house before six to pick me up.  So by 6pm, I was fully packed and ready to go... only to find that I'd be sitting and wasting my time away in the next hour and fifteen minutes.

When he had arrived, I was fuming.  I closed the door, locked the car, and remained silent for some excruciating number minutes.  He apologized, "I'm sorry that I was late.  It's because I had to think through and plan..."  I was still fuming; I could feel smoke puffing out of my face.

"Are you going to treat me like this for the rest of the night?"  He was pertaining to my silent treatment. My silence meant yes.

I was thinking to myself, "Why did it take him so long?!" and.. "How could it take him that long?!"

A few stoplights later, the Lord started to convict me, "Don't you remember that earlier this week, you were also late for another meeting?"

Yes, I was late for 40 minutes, "But Lord, it was not my fault!  I didn't know it would take me two hours to enroll in school."

Then He seemed to reply right into my heart, "That is not the point Mitzi.  When you were late in that meeting, your teammates had shown you grace by pardoning you.  They even took time to share with you what you had missed.  Shouldn't you impart grace to David as well?  Shouldn't you forgive him just as how your teammates had forgiven you?  Shouldn't you forgive him, just as how I had forgiven you?"

"Okay, Lord. I get the point."

I then told David, "I forgive you."  It was indeed the Lord's work to take away my anger and replace it with forgiveness.  It was almost like in an instant.. way before we reached the meeting place.  I couldn't do that on my own.  Neither could I talk to myself and gain wisdom from an odd schizophrenic dialogue.  If it were up to me, and my sinful state, I'd probably remain angry a lot longer.

God helped me realize that my anger was out of proportion.  I was like the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:23-34.  This unmerciful servant was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents (millions of dollars), but he was unwilling to forgive a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii (a few dollars).  I, like this servant, owe a BIG debt to God... I cannot pay off my debts, my sins, even if I were to live another lifetime.  Yet, through the blood Jesus Christ and in the name of Jesus Christ, He has forgiven me.. erased off my debts.. and even adopted me as His princess.  Shouldn't I be more than glad to impart His grace to other people as well?

Please forgive me, Father.  I thank You for your patience in teaching me.

 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

~ Matthew 6:14-15

Five Whispers of Satan to Writers

"We are not only forewarned, but we are also forearmed," I heard a preacher say.

What do we --believers in Christ-- have to be warned from and armed for? Isn't the Christian life supposed to be a great life since we have already been saved from sin? I guess not, the Christian life is a far cry from a walk in the park. Once we enter the Christian life, we all need to be forewarned and forearmed, because we are entering a battle in the spiritual realms.

All the mumu, the monsters, the demonic thoughts, the serpent, the exorcism, they are all real. This battle is definitely SERIOUS because Satan and the demons are real. That's why as Paul says in Ephesians 6, we need to wear the full armor of God daily.

"How can you fight the enemy if you don't know your enemy and if you are not even aware of your weapons?" The preacher continued with his preaching, "There are two mistakes we make against the enemy:

a. We magnify him.

b. We underestimate him."

We should acknowledge that Satan is a powerful being, but he can be overcome in Jesus' name!

My quiet time today brought me to the wilderness where Jesus was tempted. Satan is indeed the most cruel and cunning creature in the whole universe. Talk about provoking Jesus when he was at his hungriest, thirstiest and perhaps physically weakest point in time.. right on his 40th day of fasting.

Satan did not think of giving up. He touched on the physical need of Jesus by tempting him to use his powers and turn the stones into bread. When Jesus declined with a powerful verse, Satan shifted to the human's emotional need for security by suggesting that Jesus jump off the mountain and have God the Father save him. Again, Jesus who was well-versed with the Scripture responded well. Satan persevered and banked on the human's psychological need for achievement and esteem, when he asked Jesus to bow before him and he would give Jesus all the kingdoms under his rule. Jesus sited from Scripture, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only."

What beautiful ways to shut Satan up, don't you think? This made me reflect.. what are my needs? What thoughts have Satan been feeding me? What are he tempting me to do? What can I do to rebut him?

There are several ways Satan is tempting me as a writer. I started writing last year with a message in mind. I just wanted (and still want to) tell the world about my God. But Satan has been playing a very big role in distracting me.

Let me share with you FIVE whispers of Satan (based on my experience as a writer) that can pull you from obeying God, as well as FIVE biblical comebacks (BC) lifted from the Bible to resist Satan.

1. "You are not a good writer. There are a lot of better writers than you." This can pull you back to your shell, blur your faith in God, and make you feel incapable and ineffective in doing God's work.

Biblical Comeback (BC): "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20)

2. "Why write? Nobody reads Christian literature much." Satan is so good in discouraging us from letting other people know about God. Tsk. Tsk.

BC: "But my child, let me give you some final advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much story wears you out." (Ecclesiastes 12:12). It is not wrong to study about arts, culture, food, life, philosophies, etc. But because our time here is limited, it is better to prioritize lessons that would affect both life and eternity.

3. "Look at how many people read your piece. You are doing good!" The "you" here means you and not God is good. Satan here is feeding your needs for achievement and esteem.

BC: "As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Galatians 6:14)

4. "Avoid writing topics that can run so deep and touch some painful roots. Don't write honestly, people might not accept you."

BC: "Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man." (Luke 6:22)

5. "Why write? Writing won't feed you."

BC: "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?" (Matthew 5:26). I believe when God blesses you with a gift, and instill in you a passion, use it and do it no matter what it takes, because God has a purpose to be fulfilled through you.

Satan is moving about without you knowing it. He is real. He is cunning. He is fierce. So do keep yourselves armed everyday. Let your strength rest not on your own might and power, but on the Spirit of our magnificent, great God!

You have been warned! God bless you!