Letters from Darkness

Merissa Nishijo

Description

The last days are not about being left behind.
What do you really know about the last days? Chasten thought she knew it all…until she started living through it. Join Chasten from her journey through Darkness into Light and how she looks back to discover—every part of her journey prepared her to stand firm and rest in the God who called her out of Darkness—not her knowledge.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• End time
• Christian
• Fiction
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 16 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489748027
• Langue: English

Extrait

LETTERS FROM DARKNESS
 
 
 
 
 
MERISSA NISHIJO
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Merissa Nishijo.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4800-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4799-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4802-7 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909907
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date:   06/14/2023
CONTENTS
PREFACE
LETTER 1
LETTER 2
LETTER 3
LETTER 4
LETTER 5
LETTER 6
LETTER 7
LETTER 8
LETTER 9
LETTER 10
LETTER 11
LETTER 12
LETTER 13
LETTER 14
PREFACE
About the time of our second homeschooling year is when COVID came around. I was a first-generation homeschooler in our family. Our two oldest had previously gone to public school. My own education was from a Christian private school while my husband also had attended a public school. A lot of the homeschool journey was stepping out in faith and constantly trying new methods of learning.
While the Lord brought us through those days (and not easily or without a mess!), I found Him opening my own eyes to ask myself—what do I actually believe about God, life, Scriptures, education, science? The list went on. I quickly realized that instead of being a discerning learner—I had been a box checker. You know, someone that knows all the information and can quickly insert the “right” facts into any adult conversation that brings smiles of pride to your parent’s faces?
That was me. And what I found in that season was there were many people in my generation that were throwing out their beliefs and starting over. It became more well known as deconstruction.
But that wasn’t my conviction. I didn’t believe there was anything wrong with the Christian faith. I just realized there was a lot of people who had maybe copied and pasted their parent’s beliefs and weren’t actually doing a whole lot to make it their own. And this was the same bucket I fell into.
I realized I needed to get into prayer. I realized I needed to start studying the Word of God for myself and making it my cornerstone.
I also realized I had taken a similar action everywhere else in my life. I wasn’t living a true faith. I was doing what I was supposed to do without really knowing why.
What I found in those months and years, and even as the years have continued is that I had so much sin I hadn’t seen before. My cup was clean on the outside…but the me on the inside was so against God. I wasn’t really living the Gospel life. I was living an alternate American Gospel life where I was so thankful Jesus saved me…so long as I can still live in my house with my kids and my healed marriage (another story for another day). I was living life with closed hands and crossed arms waiting for what I wanted. I wasn’t really looking to surrender to God and His purposes.
As I continued along this road, I realized I didn’t really have much of a view of God. I didn’t really look at the Bible as His story—I was coming to the scriptures and to my prayer time with my list of grievances about my life.
No wonder my faith was so hollow! It was all about me. Yuck.
I had to teach my kids to be learners. I had to teach my kids to be objective. And most of all—I had to preach the Gospel. I had to live the Gospel.
It was a tall order. I would need help.
At the time, I still struggled with the Church. I had a lot of pain and hurt from the Church in my back pocket like everyone else. That and COVID kept us all locked down and out of Church by this point. So, I reverted to what I used to do when I would sort through the chaos of life. I started writing.
This book is fiction for a reason. But it is written to prayerfully guide you through your own journey. While it is written for teens, I fully believe anyone can read this and gain something of benefit to the Gospel. Something of benefit to sharpen your faith.
What I found after that season friend is this. I can know a lot. I can research a lot. But all I know is nothing compared to the Gospel. It will not matter how many facts I know if I don’t hold it all loosely in perspective to the main storyline of this life which is—Jesus. All we are trained up to know at home, at school, in social interactions—will all mean nothing if the foundation isn’t Jesus.
So, as I wrote this and prayed for God to change me, my kids, my family—I prayed for you too. I pray that as you open this and delve into the story from my mind’s eye, I pray that your roots will grow down, and your vine will be grafted to the only one worth knowing—Jesus Christ. I prayed this book would awaken in you objective learning, a renewed spirit that would love being a learner! A new spirit that would love God and His story, His Word.
Happy travels reader,
Merissa
LETTER 1
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV)
There is an ongoing battle between light and darkness that has been cleverly disguised under a thick veil of deception. The brilliance of this plan lies in the fact that it was not hastily executed, but rather intentionally carried out over many generations. The human mind requires a significant amount of time to adjust to and accept new information, typically spanning between seven and twenty-five years. Once an entire generation has lived under the effects of this plan, their losses become mere anecdotes shared at holiday gatherings with younger generations. This way, the changes go largely unnoticed outside of word of mouth, although people may have some sense that something has shifted. They can discern from their own review and assessment of history that much has occurred, but it no longer holds the same importance to their place in time.
What we are about to delve into is not for the faint of heart. It is my personal story, the tapestry that God allowed, ordained, and intricately wove together for His glory and my good. However, it has the potential to completely shatter a lifetime of beliefs, plunge you into a pit of despair, and leave you in awe of the sheer brilliance of evil. Yet, it will also lead you to a greater understanding of God and His creation, revealing the reality and truth that may cause you to feel foolish forever doubting. Are you willing to embark on this journey? Are you open to the possibility that everything you once believed may be different from what it actually is?
As you read my letters, you will come across frequent mentions of Light and Darkness, as well as the armies that support each side. It is important to understand that when I refer to these parties, I am speaking of the Most High God and the principalities of Darkness. I will describe my research and experiences to the best of my abilities, with the help of God’s grace. However, I want to make it clear that what I am disclosing is not some new faith or great mystery. It is the truth that has been present all along – the Way, the Truth, and the Light.
Allow me to begin by sharing my current situation. As you read this, you may find that your life seems more peaceful than mine, though I do not discount the possibility that you may also relate to my circumstances. I am writing to you from the darkness of an old school building, where I am currently residing. I have refused to accept the “mark”, and as a result, the power to my living area has been cut off for several weeks now. This is just one of the many methods employed by those who seek to persecute and coerce non-compliant individuals into following their ways.
I lost my entire family: four children and a husband I haven’t seen in months. The military came door-to-door to test and mark each house to show they were cleared of the virus of humanity and could resume normal tasks. They did this by stamping a record on your right hand after inserting a long swab up your nose to check for the virus. Seemingly harmless to many, the science behind how the two worked together to completely change who we were as humans--humans created by the Most High-- was no simple health record or supplement. The information had been released in the media weeks, months, even years prior-- multiple times. The months of experiments had all been conducted over two decades and were neatly tucked away on a public database that housed scientific research. The two pieces of information never crossed paths on the news feed because of laws changed in the dead of night that allowed the government to withhold certain infor