Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit move so much that you just have to listen and I don't mean in the future. I mean now! Well, to be honest, I have not very much at all. However, Friday night it happened and it happened big. You see, for a few days before that I started feeling convicted that I needed to get rid of some things that were not glorifying to God. This was a weird thing because, I have never even remotely thought about any of these things as being bad. In fact, I have always been a huge movie and book lover. I could spend weekends just watching movies and reading books and enjoy every second of it.
So, Friday night I was hanging out with a good friend Jonathan. Every Friday night we have a Bible study. Well, this Friday, Darin couldn't make it. So, it was just Jonathan and me. He came down to my place and we were just talking about our lives and how things were going. We always talk about what we are learning and any struggles from the past week. During the course of the conversation I told him about how I was feeling that it might be time to get rid of some of my stuff.
Not too long after I started going to the Bible study with the guys they told me a story about how when they came to Christ they each built an altar to God and burned things that were not godly and that would be a distraction to them.
Well, these stories came to my mind and I told Jonathan that I was thinking that we should maybe do that next week with Darin. As I was saying this it was almost like I was physically pushed off of the couch and towards the shelf where my dvds and books are. I said, we can't wait, we need to do it tonight, these no longer need to be in my house. After stating this, I became really sick to my stomach, like I might throw up. But I knew what I had to do. So, I grabbed a box and started throwing dvds and books into the box. When it was full, I am ashamed to say, there was still more. Another box later, there was still more. So we loaded the boxes into Jonathan's truck and then I thought of a picture from a movie and another decoration item that needed to be dealt with. In the truck they went and we drove the 40 minutes to Jonathan's house.
On the way up there I was still feeling so sick and it was like this pressure on my chest. The only thing I could think to do was to pray and out loud. I started praying and at first at a whisper and then the next thing I know I am shouting out my prayers and thanking God for his moving and for victory over sin and the devil's foothold in my life. For the rest of the time it was just like the Spirit was filling my car and I just began to sing praises to him. It was so amazing. And the feeling lasted the rest of the night.
After stacking the boxes and other things together I doused it with gasoline. With a lighter, I started to light the corners of one of the boxes. I was a little nervous with it being doused in gasoline so Jonathan says, don't worry it's not going to just flame up like in the movies. As he said that, it did flame up, it was awesome! The things just caught and the fire was about 6 feet in the air and the heat was immense. We just kind of stood there for a few moments in awe, enjoying the amazing presense of God. After a few minutes a thought hit me that this was the most appropriate way to do this, by burning it. It made me think of the sacrifices that you read about in the Old Testament. I was sacrificing my selfish and sinful desires to the Lord. Also, I thought of how these desires are burned away from us through the Holy Spirit and meditation on the Word. It takes time of dedicating ourselves to that before it can really make a big difference. Well, the fire burned from the time we lit it, about 8:30 until the time I left, which was about midnight, and it was still going strong. We figured that the fire was in God's hands and trusted that he would not let it harm anything, so we let it burn after, so I am not sure how long it burned after that, but it was still going strong when I left.
This was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had. To feel God's presense so prevalently and powerfully was just amazing! And to fully give over my things and my time to God. Some may say I am crazy and I that that was unneccesary and that is okay. But for me it was definitely the right thing to do and I am glad that I followed the Spirit's leading.
you go man! that's awesome :)
ReplyDeleteIt was good to read your entry about the Holy Spirit. I remember a time a few months ago that I was convicted about the same time and shared with you and others about what I had done. I am glad that you choose to dispose of the items the way you did, as I put my movies in the trash they were disposed of and not passed on to people. I was asked why did you not pass them on, and I said "if I was not going to watch them I would not give them to anyone else to watch." It is amazing though how we as Christian's at times in our life are convicted of ungodly things in our life and when we are we have two choices to give it up or keep it up. Serve God or serve Satan. I remember a children's song we have all sung "Be careful little eyes, ears, mouth, and feet", and Casting Crowns sings a song around this "Slow Fade". If you have ever really listened to the words of the song it is so true. This is how Satan can enter our lives and do a lot of damage, just a little at a time until he has won the battle, but he has not won the war and I am so glad that you have had victory over these things in your life at this time. God will use you mightily and you will have an awesome story to tell to others that are struggling. Praise God for you being sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting on growing more into the image of Christ. You are in my prayers.
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