Vanessa speaks: "Who will win this war?"

Vanessa, an Economic and Management graduate from SIM, is a very well balanced woman of God who knows when to have great fun and also deep spiritual times. She's loved and respected by all her brothers and sisters for her down to earth nature.

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:12-13

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Paul wrote these words and warned Timothy of a time where there will be terrible times of sins, ungodliness and corruption of the souls of many. Been reading the Screwtape letters by C. S. Lewis and it really strike me that satan is really working around the clock to invade our souls and corrupt them. He brings our attention to ourselves rather than God. In our worship, he makes us focus on our act of worship rather than God Himself. He feeds our ego, makes us think we are ok; we are great Christians who have prayed enough and loved enough. At the end of the day, it's not the only Almighty God whom we are serving and loving but an imaginary god whom we have created in our minute minds. The works of satan is indeed powerful and it doesn't take him much to defeat us and lure us into his trap.

A day gone by without prayer and bible reading doesn't seem to have much impact but it is a start of the deterioration of our conviction, of our ability to fight this spiritual warfare. Complacency kills our desire for spiritual growth, it makes us proud and lazy, it kills our souls slowly. It irks me to see the deterioration of this world, it leaves me helpless and in despair, I can't comprehend the stupidity of this world and their no lack of ignorance. Perhaps, this is what satan wants us all to feel, we start focusing on what we cannot change (meaning the world) and start moping around. In reality, God wants us to start from looking into our own hearts first, to see what we can change in and help those around us to turn to Him.

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:12b-13

We need to keep working, to keep our hearts burning, to keep our minds sobered, to keep our love flowing, to keep our faith and gratitude to the Lord close to our hearts. Indeed the love of the world will grow cold but we will stand firm till the end.

Tell me, whose side are you fighting on?

And tell me…who will win this war?

With much love,
Vanessa