Triumph Over Evil ~ Part II

...“You have no place here,” I said addressing their leader.

“Why can we not dwell where we choose?”  He asked saucily.  Silfun had been a messenger angel and I knew how he worked.  He was bluffing, stalling for time.  I had no time to loose, I wasn’t sure how long their Carrier had been at work, and so I cut right to the point.

“You cannot dwell where you choose, because you have no authority over the Lord.”

The demon paled, as did the others with him.  Without losing a beat, I motioned for Phineas to take out the

Carrier.  Joran and Marcus moved closer to me.  Rolf and Wes moved into a defensive crouch, never once releasing the tension on their bowstrings.  The showdown was about to begin.... ~ Triumph Over Evil Part I

Triumph Over Evil ~ Part II

The Man

I closed my eyes and put my hands to my head.  The voice I argued with was smooth like a polished kitchen counter, and gentle.  I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, but I didn’t really want it to go away.  It had a soothing affect.

So, what will you do?  Will you give up the chance to eat and likely be beaten again, all for the sake of a dead man?

It was getting harder to fight back and even harder to want to.  Jesus… isn’t… dead.

Really, then why hasn’t He come for you?  Why hasn’t He delivered you from this trial?  Eat the food.  What harm would it bring?

I opened my eyes and picked up the plastic fork next to my plate.  What harm would it bring?  I thought hungrily.  I could see the Afghans grinning and rubbing their hands in pleasure.

Before I could scoop up a bite of steaming rice, a second voice broke through my thoughts.  The voice was strong and powerful, but not as calming as the first.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power forever and ever.  Amen.

Stand firm against, what?  The first voice hissed.  Suffering?  Pain?  What is the point?

The first voice did not answer the questions, but continued to address me.  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong!

I will.  I will!  I thought.

NO!  There is no point!  Eat the food.  Stand up after you have had a chance to rest!

The first voice was sounding desperate, but I was feeling encouraged.  “NO” is right! I will not rest until my work is done!  I am a soldier of Jesus.

You are no soldier of Jesus.  You thought things that Jesus would not approve of.  He will hate you!  The first voice was beginning to sound more like a shriek.

He is right, I acknowledged soberly.

Yes, the first voice said soothingly, I am.  Come, you are hungry.  You cannot think well on an empty stomach.  Your reasoning is disjointed.  Eat.

I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

The second voice spoke with such authority I could almost feel the first voice cringe.  The second voice wasn’t finished.  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.  Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Be strong and courageous!  With those words in mind, I knew what I had to do, and without giving any more thought to the matter I threw the fork onto the floor. “I will never eat your food if I have to deny Jesus to do so.”

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The Being

“NOOOO!” The demon Carrier shrieked in horror.  I smiled with satisfaction, knowing that Kasil probably won that battle.  The cry was cut short as the demon crumpled to the ground.  Phineas had tapped him a little too hard over the head with his hammer.  Enraged, the demons retaliated, immediately engaging Joran and Marcus in combat.

Silfun pulled a black, double-sided ax carelessly from his belt.  As he moved forward, a bloodthirsty gleam entered his eyes.  Instead of lashing out at me as I anticipated, he swung towards Rolf.  Rolf ducked and fumbled with his bow, but Silfun swatted it away.  His blade lacerated Rolf’s arm, leaving a deep gash.  Rolf fell to the ground with a cry, cradling his arm.

The demon drew back his arm to finish Rolf off, but before I could block him, Wes shot an arrow straight into the demon’s eye.  Silfun howled in pain and ripped the arrow from his skull.  Wes moved to comfort his brother.

Silfun threw the arrow at me.  I gingerly avoided it.  I moved towards the unprotected Kasil, who seemed undisturbed by the pandemonium around him.  Silfun’s face was streaming with blood and he had an empty socket where his eye had been.  He raised his ax and brought it down with a tremendous thud, right where my shoulder would have been had I not moved in time.  I thrust my blade into the monster’s unguarded rib cage.  Infuriated and wounded, he roared, swinging his ax at my mid-section.  I plunged my sword into his thigh and he screamed.

Pulling the sword out of his leg, he flung it to the ground and backed up weakly.  He glared furiously at me, then flew away on his bloodstained wings.  The other demons retreated too, taking their unconscious Carrier with them. “You can’t win every time!” Silfun screamed over his shoulder.

“NO, but God can!” I shouted back.

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The Man

The three men stopped smiling.  As they looked from the fallen fork to me, then back to the fork, I could tell that these guys weren’t happy, and I figured I wouldn’t be either when they were done with me. Shorty was the first to break out of his trance.  He bent over and picked up the fork, nearly stabbing me in the eye with it.

“Won’t eat? Still love Jesus?” he spat.

“Yes.  I still love Jesus,” I replied, knowing I had made the right choice.

But when the Cheshire Cat Man drew a gun and pointed it at my chest, I wasn’t quite so sure.

“Deny Jesus, or he shoot you,” Tall Guy threatened.

“I won’t deny Jesus.” I said strongly and soberly.  I had just resigned to die, but I didn’t feel afraid.

Cheshire Cat Man started his obnoxious grinning again as he came closer and closer to me, changing the aim of the gun to my face.  He kept coming until he was inches from me.  I looked into the barrel of the gun, and closed my eyes.

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The Being

Joran and Marcus both had minor scratches from their skirmish.  Phineas was unscathed, so he carried Rolf.  Wes wouldn’t leave his side.  Rolf’s arm was severely wounded, but he would survive.  Kasil had his arms folded across his chest again.  I didn’t understand how he could always stay so calm.

Suddenly, a loud popping noise shattered the silence.  The Veil burst and we were suddenly standing outside John Morton’s door.

“Captain, what happened?” Joran asked.

I didn’t really know, but I stated the obvious, just to sound smart. “Something broke the Veil.”

“How?” Wes queried, without looking away from his brother.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, shaking my head.

“Look.” Kasil said softly.  His voice had changed, but it was still full of authority.  We all turned to see where Kasil was pointing.

The door that led to John Morton’s Veil was gone.  In its place was a purple cross.

Lord God, why did you let John die? I prayed in horror as I flew down the corridor. I was commissioned to help him, but I failed.  All I accomplished was getting my men wounded. Please give me a glimpse of your will!

I was silent.  The Lord answered in His own timing, so I waited.  It wasn’t long before I heard the voice of my Maker, my King.  His voice made me feel small, yet at the same time, great, because I had the ability to speak with the King of the Universe with an intimacy that startled most humans.

Daric, you did not fail.  You did exactly what I intended.

But how, Lord?

My way is the best way.  John was being tested.  I wanted him to make his own decision, as I want for all of my people.  Had you not done as I wished, John would have suffered.

Did he make the right choice?

Daric, what did you see on the wall in place of the door?

A cross, my King.

John Morton died for my sake.  So, did he make the right choice?

Anything done for your sake is the best choice anyone can make.

You are correct, Daric.  Remember, all things work together for good for those who love me. Nothing I am a part of happens in vain.  Do you believe this?

I do, Lord.

When I was finished, I felt better.  I no longer felt tired from my fight, and I was filled with a sense of peace and contentment.  I kept that feeling all the way back to heaven, even when I went through the portal.  I no longer felt frustrated that I had wasted my time when the Lord already knew John was going to die anyway.  I felt glad that I had gone.  If we hadn’t, John Morton might still have been alive, but he would have rejected the Lord to do so.  I was glad I could be part of such a life-changing moment. 

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The Man

I had heard the gun go off, and everything around me went black.  I could hear the men talking in Arabic, but it soon grew muddled and a single Voice rang out above the din.

Well done, good and faithful servant.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven!

A pinpoint of light shattered the darkness.  It was small, but it gradually became bigger as it came towards me.  No, I realized, I am going towards it.

Home is where the heart is, people always said.  Well, my heart belonged to Jesus, and as the light shone brighter, I knew that I was going home.

"Well done, good and faithful servant..."

Triumph Over Evil ~ Part I

I wrote this story back in 2012.  It was supposed to be a supernatural genre with a theme.  It was one of the best stories I had written and I read it to a lot of people.  I forgot about this tale, and on re-reading, I found it worthy of sharing with very minor edits.  So this is the first part of my angels versus demons story. 

Let me know what you think.  Comment below and start the discussion.  Do you believe that Angels and Demons can affect the way we think?  Do you believe that God lets bad things happen to good people?  What other questions do you have?  I'd love to hear from you.

Triumph Over Evil
Theme: The Darkness will not overcome the Light

The Being

“Captain Darick, Sir?”

“What is it, Rogan?” I asked.

“You have orders to help John Morton, Sir.”

I glanced up at the angel in the doorway. “Send word that I will need six men.”

“Yes, Sir!” Rogan flew off, his wings carrying him faster than the speed of light.  I instantly grabbed a heavy, leather-bound book from my desk, and began leafing through the pages.

“Where is it?” I asked no one in particular.  Finally, I found what I was looking for, John Morton. I looked at the page summarizing the life of John Morton and found that he was a missionary in Afghanistan.  He’ll need all the help we can give, I thought.

I closed the book tenderly, returned it to my desk, and grabbed my belt from its hook on the wall.  I fastened my belt around my waist as I flew through the hallway leading to the portal.  My belt had everything I needed to fight the enemy, and without it, I would be in big trouble.

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The Man

            I rolled over and groaned.  My body ached and my eyes felt like lead.  I worked hard to get them open; I couldn’t see anything when I did.  Slowly, I shifted into a sitting position while my eyes tried to adjust.  Nothing happened. I was surrounded by darkness, without one ray of light.

            I was hungry.  I hadn’t eaten for a long time, and my body knew it.  It felt like the stomach acid was eating away at my insides, since it had nothing else to digest.  I opened my mouth slowly, trying to massage my sore jaw.

            I leaned my head back against the cold stone wall.  I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.  The darkness, a suffocating blanket, completely consumed me, and I was terrified.  I was engulfed in nothingness.

            I remembered why I was here.  I had been preaching the gospel to friends in Afghanistan.  Well, perhaps they weren’t my friends; they had double-crossed me.  I had been betrayed and handed over to a group of men known as “The Watch.”

            The Watch hated Christians, or anyone having anything to do with Christianity.  They had blindfolded me and driven me to an abandoned hospital, where they made their headquarters.  They had questioned me, asking me things that I had no idea about.  I think they finally believed me, because they brought me here.

            I didn’t know how long I had been in here.  I no longer had my wristwatch; they had taken everything I owned, except my clothing, so I had no clue as to what time it was.  I wondered if anybody knew where I was, or if anyone even cared.

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The Being

            The portal room was a massive maze of colorful doorways, each leading to a different country.  Fortunately for me, they were in alphabetical order so I didn’t have too far to go.  I was already late.

Joran, Phineas, Marcus, Rolf, Wes, and Kasil were waiting next to the Afghanistan portal.  Joran, a battle-scarred warrior with thick, dark sideburns, had fought more battles than I could imagine.  The huge muscular being towering over me was Phineas.  He had smashed many demons with his fists alone.  Marcus was a quick, flexible angel; his reflexes were faster than lightning.  The brown-headed twins, Rolf and Wes, were two angels who did almost everything identically.  The angel with his arms crossed over his chest was Kasil, the Carrier.  He was one of the most vital ranks in our forces.  Everyone, except Kasil, wore a belt matching to mine.

“Alright, let’s go.” I opened the door.  The lighting was different in that room.  It was darker and more muted.  I took a deep breath and walked through the blue haze covering the wall.

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The Man

I woke up again.  The stiffness in my body seemed to intensify every time I woke up and I still couldn’t see.  It scared me every time.  I had never been scared of the dark, but the feeling of being engulfed in pitch-blackness was a bit frightening.

Suddenly, a dim light flooded the room.  My eyes watered as I looked toward the light.  Through my tearing eyes I could make out three figures entering a door in the opposite wall.  As my eyes cleared, I could see where I had been kept for what seemed like forever.  I was in a cell, with rusty, iron bars barricading my way to freedom.  On the other side of the bars, I could see a folding table and a wall full of cabinets.

I struggled to my feet as the men came closer to me.  I nearly fell down again when I saw the malicious gleam in their dark eyes.  The men looked at me and smiled, treacherously.

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The Being

The thrill of being shot through a portal was exhilarating.  All the breath seemed sucked out of me and I couldn’t clearly see.  The world whizzing by was blurry and out of focus.  I loved that feeling, but what I didn’t love, was coming out of the portal.  I couldn’t bear to be out of the warm, bright presence of the Lord, and being in the cold, dark world that the Enemy had claimed as its own.

            I stepped out of the portal and into another network of doorways.  These doorways opened up into more portals that, this time, led to people who were in Afghanistan.  Whenever someone left the country so did his or her door. The sporadic blinking of the doors, the shifting of doors taking another’s place, the hissing sound of their movement, it was all mesmerizing, but I had an impending mission, and couldn’t afford distraction. 

I flew down the hallway to the “M” section and quickly located the green door with John Morton printed above it.  Green has always been the color of life, even for humans.  Green was on very few doors I passed, and it grieved me.  Most of the doors were covered in black, the color of death.  Those who had a blood red color around their doors were inhabited by demons, and there were way too many of those.  I would have liked to enter any of these doors and fight the sin and darkness away, but they were locked to me unless my Maker called me to open one.

I took a deep breath as I stood in front of the one green door in sight.  If it was cold and dark in that room, entering a Veil was even more so.  The Veil was like a bubble, surrounding a human.  From inside, we could ward off demons, deliver messages, protect the human, etc. but we could not enter the minds or hearts of the human.  The Veil was invisible to humans, unless by our King’s will, He chose to make us visible.

I opened a pocket on my belt and withdrew a long, slender sword.  I waved it in the air as I waited for my comrades to join me.  We had work to do.

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The Man

“You love man named Jesus?” One of the men said, in halting English.

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to speak about how strongly I loved him, but I was forgetful of my aching jaw.  The pain shot through my ears and into my skull.  I groaned and nodded my head, yes, instead.

The men laughed at me and I felt foolish.  I wished I could say something intelligent, possibly persuasive.  My eyes were beginning to make out the details of my captors.  They were all wearing the same colored clothing, black.  The one who spoke to me was tall, taller than my cousin, a professional basketball player.  The man pulling items out of the cabinets was of medium height, closer to my size.  And the man coming towards me with a ring of keys in his hands was short, very short.

He wasn’t intimidating while he unlocked my cell, and he wasn’t intimidating while I stepped out.  But the second I was outside the cell, he kicked the back of my knee, and sent me sprawling to the stone floor.  Very intimidated now, I stayed on the floor.  Blood was pooling on my lip and I could almost feel the goose egg growing on my forehead.

Suddenly, Shorty’s face was level with mine and he gruffly asked, in barely comprehensible English, “Still love Jesus?”

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The Being

With my sword in hand, I reached for the handle of the door.  Thick smoke surged through the doorway.  The black cloud undulated in a serpentine motion towards me with alarming speed.  I swung my sword through the haze and it quickly dissipated, turning into dust.

My men rounded the corner.  Joran and Marcus drew swords from their belts.  Rolf and Wes produced quivers of arrows and long bows.  Phineas had a great hammer, which he swung uncomfortably close to my head.

Kasil did not have a weapon.  The title of Carrier seemed like an oxymoron to me, since Kasil carried nothing visible.  He merely folded his arms across his chest and waited patiently for us to move through the doorway.

Reluctantly, I moved forward.  The oppressive smoke made it painfully obvious that demons had entered the Veil.  We shone brightly as we pushed through the darkness.  We could see where we were going, but there was no hope for a surprise ambush.  The demons could also see where we were going.

 “Kasil,” I called as loudly as I dared. “It is time.”

Rolf and Wes sprang into action.  The twins nocked arrows to their bowstrings and drew them back.  Kasil silently stepped between them.  Joran and Marcus joined me at my sides, and I could feel Phineas’ breath behind me.  We were ready.

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The Man

 “Yes,” I said slowly and weakly, forcing my puffy lip and obstinate jaw to move. “I love Jesus.” Every word seemed easier as I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees.

The dwarf-man kicked me in the stomach and my arms gave way, sending me back to the floor.  I felt my body being lifted from the floor and Tall Guy placed me in a folding chair next to the table.  The medium-sized man put a plate of food in front of me.  I was wary of him, especially because of the way he smiled at me, like the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland.

“If you don’t love Jesus, you eat all food you want,” Shorty said.  I knew exactly what he meant.  I had to deny Jesus to eat this food.  I didn’t look at the plate, but the smell of it made my mouth water.  My stomach rumbled and I wanted to eat.

You could say that you don’t love him and get to eat, but still love him, right?  A voice seemed to ask me.

NO! What am I thinking? I can’t do that to Jesus.  I thought.

But why not?  You are hungry.  Doesn’t Jesus want what is best for you?  Does He want you to starve?  The voice asked.

I… I can’t betray Jesus; just look how much He suffered for me.

Yeah, well where is He now?  Why hasn’t He come to rescue you?

Where was Jesus now?  The unknown voice inside my head had a point.  Where was Jesus now?

Is Jesus worth the pain you are suffering?

YES, no, well, maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know.

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The Being

 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Kasil said.  His voice rang out through the Veil.  The way he spoke gave me the chills.  His resonant, reverberating voice, spoke words from the Lord Himself.  Carriers were mouthpieces of the King.  The black smoke began to evaporate from bottom to top.

Humans have always demons portrayed as monsters, red creatures with pitchforks and horns; but I knew otherwise.  Little did the Lord’s sheep know that these fallen angels were as beautiful as the angels who had not sinned.  Some were even more so, to make their deceptions more attractive.

The smoke cleared.   The absence of the dark cloud enabled us to see everything, including the demons.  I was unnerved by how close they were without our knowing.  Three beings stood before us. Nearly everything about them was the same as us, except the robes they wore were blood red, as apposed to our green, and they were smiling.  It sickened me to know the names of one of the demons; he used to be my friend.

Behind them, I could see another fallen angel, a Carrier.  His arms were outstretched; his golden hair covered his handsome face.  His mouth moved, but no words came out.  With a quick glance to my right, I noticed that Kasil too, had his arms extended and his head bowed.

“You have no place here,” I said addressing their leader.

“Why can we not dwell where we choose?”  He asked saucily.  Silfun had been a messenger angel and I knew how he worked.  He was bluffing, stalling for time.  I had no time to loose, I wasn’t sure how long their Carrier had been at work, and so I cut right to the point.

“You cannot dwell where you choose, because you have no authority over the Lord.”

The demon paled, as did the others with him.  Without losing a beat, I motioned for Phineas to take out the Carrier.  Joran and Marcus moved closer to me.  Rolf and Wes moved into a defensive crouch, never once releasing the tension on their bowstrings.  The showdown was about to begin...

Forever Loved

Once upon a time, there was a boy...

He was tired of living under his parents' rules and orders.  Like most young men, he felt restless, and wanted to get away.  He asked for his inheritance and, though unwilling, his father gave him the money he had saved for his son's life.

And the boy set out to live his own life.

He was rich, with the money he'd been given, and money has a subtle influence on those around it.  The young man made a lot of friends and they wanted to have fun.  Party led to party, and each extravaganza led to more and more spending.  As fast as he had taken it, he had spent the entire sum of money. 

And the boy, on his own, was destitute. 

He looked for a job, but he could find nothing he wanted to do.  His friends had left him, because parties were no longer an option.  He was alone, on the streets, without a thing to call his own. But eventually, after searching for something, he was given a lowly, miserable job.  He was paid hardly enough to eat. 

So, in utter despair, he slunk back to his father.  He staggered up the hill, slowly and reluctantly, knowing that his father could never be proud of the actions he had performed so willingly. But though he was a long way off, he could see a man running towards him.  In an awkward embrace, his father clung to his son, hugging him and calling him, 'Son.'

And the boy was no longer on his own.

His father held a party, nothing in comparison to the son's.  Everyone around came to celebrate the return of the lost son.  He was honored and loved.  Regardless of the thoughtless actions he had committed, the son was accepted and know amount of misdeeds could shake the bonds of love his father had for him.

And the boy was returned to his family, and he was loved.

Have you ever run away?  Have you ever left the paths you had always tread, thinking you could forge your own path better?  Have you ever felt so outcast that no one could love you or accept you again?  Have hope, dear heart, for there is an answer to the worst of these problems.  "The boy returned, and he was loved."

My own father directed a feature film about this story; this story of rebellion, of pride, this story of forgiveness and of love.  We want to share it with the world, because the world has run away.  Maybe, if they hear the distant call of a Father's embracing love, they can have the courage and humility to come back. 

"And the boy was forever loved by his Father, despite what he had done.  And the boy was forgiven of all his past deeds, and as the Father placed his robe about his son, he was made clean.  And the boy was forever loved."