Lurk In

The night is when your emotions prey on you and feast on your souls, creating a void of emptiness.



It's easy to let ourselves be affected.

No matter the circumstances, our emotions somehow take over us.

Being emotional is not common.

Because they just dwell within ourselves!

"Lurk in", the drawing with a darker element.

We are not born with fear and anger.

But we ourselves opened a door for them.

They slowly sneak in

They accumulate.

They take our shape and mimic us.



What are you feeding yourself with?

What you feed yourself will become you.

Watching people fight lately?

Laughing at adult jokes?

Consuming negativity?



Do you think murderers and rapists were born to be as they are? No.

It's because they were shaped into what they are.

They were tamed by the beasts they created.

What they do is because what shaped them.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. - [Luke 6:45, NKJV]

We don't get angry and throw stuff around without observing others doing the similar.

We don't taint ourselves before marriage without knowing the forbidden fruit.

These happened because we allowed the minor to occur.

These happened because we had let our guards down over the small things.



All things are permissible but not all are beneficial (ref: [1 Corinthians 10:23])

We can do anything we want because of our free will.

But whether does it help us is another story.



Sugar coating or not,

Little or not,

As long as it is as it is,

Something that can do us harm,

Something that will misguide our path,

We must never lay our hands on it.

It's important to do so because our lives will get strongly influenced.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. - [Proverbs 4:23, NIV]

Or perhaps you think that you are fine.

Being alone and minding your own business.

Getting infused with whatever entertainment you can get.

But maybe you didn't realize that you are in an addiction.

Always seeking for things to fill up your boredom, to rid of the empty feelings.



Researchers say that people are who get into addictions are usually lonelier than others.

To be honest, I am one who can easily get addicted.

I so easily let the void within me consume myself.

But how did it end up like this?

How did the void grow so huge I needed to fill it up with endless entertainments.

Well, it's because I allowed the emptiness to stay.



I remember someone once told me this:

"Every time we pray for forgiveness and God to cleanse us of our sins.

The devil runs away from our hearts because we had chased him out.

But sometimes, we didn't clear out the devils luggage.

So every now and then, the devil returns to our hearts and claims it as it's home."



And here lies a major truth many Christians have trouble grasping on.

Giving our all to Jesus, releasing our locus of control in our own lives.

Yes, I sometimes feel insecure letting some-One take over my future.

I sometimes feel as if I can't fully accept Him as well.



My grip towards other worldly things is strong.

My denial towards submission is strong as well.

I have led selfishness and a cold heart to me without knowing so.

And this is why I'm struggling.



This is depressing, but I know I have a Father in Heaven who still accepts me.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? - [Psalm 139:7, NKJV]

And here's another Bible verse from the same chapter as I end this post:

Something that I would want to meditate on every single day.

Search me, O god, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. - [Psalm 139:23-24]

*Some notes for you who are reading this:

1. This is not a Halloween post.

2. I only drew these creepy things because it's what I can relate to.

3. I'm a Christian who's still learning to "let go and let God".



Blessings

Nic

FIERCE

As you can see, the title "FIERCE" can be related to great courage.

And yes, this post is mainly speaking about courage.

Why courage?

Because as what I mentioned in the last post, courage is required in believing.



Maybe courage had been a common topic among people.

"Man up and talk to your crush!" - When socializing with unfamiliar people.

"Hey, let's try this out!" - When going on an adventure or trying something new.

"Why not...?" - When accepting new suggestions we never thought of.



Courage is an important attribute that we require in our lives.

It doesn't only mean being strong, it also means being capable of trusting.

It happened on a night after I created the artwork "I want to believe".

This Bible verse was given by one of the leaders in church during an altar call at church:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. - [2 Timothy 1:7]

A roaring lion, "FIERCE"

The lion is often viewed as a strong and brave animal.

Being called as the king of the animal kingdom, it brings the meaning of power and authority.

The lion is one of my favorite felines because of it's personality.

As a top predator and a symbol of courage, it had earned my favor.



Lions sometimes survive alone and sometimes survive with their families.

Needing to hunt down prey and to feed itself and perhaps it's offsprings can be hard.

Why do I say that it's hard?

They have to avoid elephants and herds of buffalos that may threaten their lives.

They take a risk to be killed when going out to hunt.



Taking that into history, we learned that humans from prehistorical times hunt animals as well.

And by facing dangerous predators such as tigers, they are gambling with death.

Aren't they afraid to be killed?

I would say yes, yes indeed.

BUT, they have no choice but to overcome that fear for survival.



In psychology, there's one theory that can be used to describe humans' response to fear.

The "fight or flight theory" states that fear triggers our human instincts to either escape or to face fear.

Our ancestors had to overcome that fear of being killed to hunt down animals.

Fear is an essential ingredient for humans to act in courage.



To make things simple, imagine the old fairy tales about princes saving princesses from dragons.

The dragons are fearsome creatures that can create fatalities.

Try putting yourself as the prince using only a sword and a shield to defeat that monstrosity.

Wouldn't you be afraid to be incinerated by the dragon?



But what those folklores never mentioned was the prince being fearful.

Stories described them to only be brave and courageous.

Slaying the dragon and saving the princess without any worries.

Is it logical for one to not have fear? I doubt so.



Being brave does not mean that fear is non-existent.

Being brave means that there's fear being overcome.



The absence of fear is emotionless.

We have emotions.

We are not robots.



In the Biblical context, God had always pushed us to our best potentials.

It only depends on whether we want to beat that limit.

The phrase, "Be strong and courageous" was repeated three times in one incident.

Joshua was to take charge of the people after Moses had left (ref: [Joshua 1:1-9]).



Isn't it a scary thing to lead an angry mob who don't want to listen to you?

Well, God knew that, but He still encouraged Joshua to do it.

We won't understand how exactly did Joshua felt but we do know he was pressured.

He had to do what had to be done.

He took on the challenge, facing the crowd with courage.



Does it have to be things as Joshua encountered that we may have courage?

The answer would surely be a "No".

In fact, we need to be brave every single day.

It drives us to move on, to survive and to thrive.



We need to be brave when we are doing daily tasks.

We need to be brave when we are trying out new things.

We need to be brave when we face challenges.

We need to be brave even when we run away.



Let me bring up something about myself.

I am aquaphobic, a guy who nearly drowned for 3 times.

I am afraid of getting drowned again.

But a few weeks ago, I stepped into the swimming pool.



I cannot swim but I took the courage to get into the water.

I tried to learn how to float but was overtook by the phobia.

My friends who joined me brought me to the center of the pool.

I lay on the surface of the water as they carry my hands and feet there.



I had no control over my body and was still afraid of drowning.

What they told me was a reassurance.

"Don't be afraid, we're here with you."

A reminder that some-One had told us.



It's alright to be afraid, we all can be intimidated sometimes.

Just take on faith.

Roar in front of your fears.

Remember, there's some-One bigger than your fears.



God is love, and His "perfect love casts out all fear" (ref: [1 John 4:18])

He can help you overcome your fears.



Ending this post with the reminder from the book of Joshua:

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ... Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - [Joshua 1:5, 9]

Blessings

Nic

I Want To Believe

I became a Christian at the age of 9.

Surprisingly, I was able to understand many of the Bible concepts as I reached 10 years old.

Although I was still immature, I was able to grasp the concept of belief.



As a young boy, I would pray for a handful of items in my prayer, including some childish thoughts.

Praying for my studies, praying for mom and stepdad, and praying for world peace!

They were all naive prayers uttered from the mouth of a young believer.



One day, I stumbled upon this scripture and felt that it suited me quite well.

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible for him who believes." 

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said in tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" - [Mark 9:23-24]

After that, the last sentence infused into my prayers.

And my prayers as a kid would always contain these:

"Lord, I want to believe, help me in my faith, help my unbelief."

"I want to Believe"

Why did I pray such a prayer?

Because what was inside of me was fear.

The fear to be separated with hope; with love; with God.

I was afraid of my own disbelief, the urge to stop believing.



It was until something happened in my family that I lost the interest in prayers.

My family eventually left the church.

I too became doubtful as I age.

But having a soft heart and friends who cared to get me back to church was a miracle.



Several years had passed since that was in my prayers.

I had forgotten of the childlike faith I once had.

I started to think of the consequences rather than just going "by faith".



Two years ago, I moved away from home for my studies.

I set foot in a church where I never thought that I would serve in.

Something there triggered me to return to my younger self - the kid who believes in miracles.



Throughout my time away from home, I felt more bonded to the church and the God I believe in.

My faith was being challenged over and over again.

Having prayers unanswered and incidents that would separate me from trusting God.



However, those were unable to stop me.

A few weeks ago, I had witnessed the unexpected just by believing.

Although not all the prayers were fulfilled, I was able to believe and share them with a close friend.



On one morning, I was preparing for class and this childhood verse of mine struck me.

It came back to me reminding me of my doubts and how I prayed for faith.

And this disbelief was with the friend whom I mentioned earlier.

It gave me another opportunity to share my experiences deeply with this friend.



On that Sunday, the message shared was based on the book of Luke.

The centurion (ref: [Luke 7:1-10]) written in the Bible had an enormous faith.

He believed in something that did not happen before to be done.

And that faith was what me and my friend needed.



For those who have not tried to, faith is something hard to grasp on.

It can lead one to an endless adventure of the unexpected.

It can guide one to take a brave step.

It can strengthen bonds.



To believe, it would take huge courage.

To trust, it would require certain faith.

To see great things, is to first believe.



Ending this post with a quote from a stranger:

"Faith isn't believing God can do things, it's believing God will do things."

Blessings

Nic

The Prologue

The Beginning...

Some time ago, a young man had a bright idea... a thought of pouring out words.

It was a trend to have a blog and to write online.

He was overwhelmed by what his classmates were capable of composing.

And he too began writing...

It was a diary, filled with darkness and horror.

Every single passage immersed within the pool of negativity.

It was hungry, longing to grab more wanderers into its shallows.

The diary contained the forces of evil, growing as the feeder continues the dark creations.

The author became exhausted.

He no longer wanted to continue.

He then stopped writing and pursued the abyss, the empty life.

--------------- A few years later ---------------

The desire to write returned.

But the young man was still in denial.

He refused to compose due to his lack of words.

He refused to write for he had no strength to do so.

He refused to continue what he had once longed for, to shed his light.

Within the few years of overcoming the darkness in him, he grew bold.

He was learning, adapting, trying, and mending.

But fear prevailed as it consumed him once again.

His thoughts were punctured, deformed.

It was until this new hope came in.

A drastic change came.

Though unable to fully clear the disaster.

The author slowly regained his grasp.

Struggling and shaking was what he can only do.

But the hope within struck him, providing him strength.

And now, he starts his long forsaken journey in the write.



--------------- To be continued ---------------

Such drama, but I won't be continuing on this kind of writing style.

Yes, the story above was my background on blogging.

I used to blog items that are depressing.

And a few years ago I regained this desire to blog again.

The content would be focusing on stories and elaborations from my art pieces.

As some of my friends know, I do art - typography, to be specific.

One of my first favorites: BELIEVE

This blog would be used for bringing hope and inspirations, which is also the reason I draw.

Despite my friends knowing that I draw, they don't know why I draw.

"Aren't what I do only drawings?"

I wouldn't say that they're just normal drawings.

I infuse my own experiences with God and my understandings of Him into them.

"Let it be known" - Let God's Word be known through my works.

It's not easy to understand one's art piece without any explanation.

Every artwork is the representation of their artist's thoughts and interpretations.

And here it is, where I can bring along others onto my trail of art.



I pray for you who are reading this blog to be blessed with what's going to come out.

Your blessings POUR OVER, Lord. :)

Blessings,

Nic