Purified By Fire

I have always had a big thing for music-- especially harder edge stuff, ( I have come to find out it's a strange manifestation of being a preacher's kid; it's basically sermons set to music hard enough to bash your head in!)There is a problem with this though: When I was a young man, full of anger and rebellion , this type of music was an outlet. Instead of having a healthy way to work through my feelings, I just vented it out to the music. Proverbs says that only a fool gives full vent to his anger; so in my foolishness , I opened up myself to lots of demonic activity (This is something that the Lord has led me recently to overcome. Praise God! after praying for freedom and taking authority in Christ to expel the demons, the Lord led me one night to clean out my collection of music and movies etc.) .

What was the standard? I simply let the Lord speak to me about each thing I put my hand to; if it had any sort of a negative confession or something that was unpleasing to God, I put it in a pile on the burn pit, and let it burn! A few of the things were a little hard to part with, but the more I let Him lead me I felt better for it. After a while, we had quite a blaze going! I said: Lord let is be a pleasing fragrance to you. Even a lot of my so-called Christian music was full of bad confession, and Jesus is the high priest of our confession, and so it was really dangerous to be letting this stuff into my mind and heart--it's just like eating junk food: garbage in garbage out!

I am pleased to say I've had a lot of growth since that night.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

The enemy has totally influenced every segment of our society and even the church with all forms of media, leading MANY astray into darkness. Brothers and sisters! We need to ask the Lord to refine us and rid ourselves of this junk! His holiness is the standard! Anything less, if you don't burn it now, HE WILL BURN IT LATER! It's your choice. you can let him convict you now, or answer to Him for all this garbage when you stand before him in his glory and see the flames lick up everything worthless.



1 Corinthians 3:12 says, "Let each man be careful how he builds,for no one can lay another foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus the Messiah. Some will use Gold , silver and precious stone to build on this foundation; while others will use wood, grass and straw but each one's work will be shown for what it is, the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by FIRE -the fire will test the quality of each one's work. If the work someone has built on the foundation survives, he will be rewarded;if it is burned up , he will suffer the loss;he will escape with his life , but it will be like escaping through a fire.."

I got a clear vision of this scripture one day while talking to the Lord. What a waste to go through all this life , with all it's trials, only to have the very thing you lived for burned up right before your eyes in the presence of a Holy God! I know it is not wise to compare yourself to anybody else, but just thinking of quality of life here, it's either going to be treasure or trash from God's point of view. I prayed at that time that I would not be one of those escaping through the flames, but that I would have something to show from my life here on earth. This life is nothing but a vapor: Here today , gone tomorrow. Eternity is forever. I can't quite wrap my mind around what forever is, but if I'm going to remember my life here, I sure want it to be worth remembering.

Dear Lord, refine us with your fire now!, while were are in these clay tents. Help us to be malleable in your hands, to work us into something beautiful for your kingdom!