Before I was "set free," I bought a used garden chipper from a neighbor. I had been wanting one, but could not justify the cost of buying anything new. My wife saw a classified advertisement in the newspaper stating one was for sale, and the seller was right down the street from where we live! I thought, "Wow! God is providing me with a chipper!" We didn't know how much money the seller wanted, or what kind of chipper it was, because it was being sold at a garage sale, and was one of several things in the brief advertisement.
As I was getting ready to go look at the chipper with my wife, something told me to take $20 with me. When I saw the chipper, it was bigger than I had expected, and was just what I was looking for. They wanted $150 for it and said that they had just used it, so it was in working condition. I trusted them, and had faith that God had organized this for me, so after briefly consulting my wife about how much to offer, I told them I would buy it for $100. They thought for a moment, and then countered with $125. I said $120, and they agreed to sell it. I went back to my wife to get the money, and all she had was $100. I had the rest. Wow, this must be God! We wheeled it down to our house and I was elated.
I had accumulated a significant pile of garden waste, and was eager to chip it all into mulch for our perennial gardens. I wheeled the chipper to the pile and attempted to start it. After one or two pulls of the starter cord, it chugged a few times and then stopped. I pulled the cord a few more times and nothing happened. Soon, I started to smell gasoline, so I figured I had flooded the engine. Then I saw gasoline dripping from the air filter, so I got some tools. Eventually I realized the fuel supply valve needed to be shut each time the engine stopped, or all the gasoline would run onto the ground.
I pulled the spark plug, and it was wet, but looked to be in reasonable condition. I started to worry. Had I made a mistake? Soon, I had looked up appropriate maintenance manuals on the Internet, had my tools spread out around the garden and had the thing in pieces. There was a loose wire, and I could not see how the throttle mechanism grounded the ignition system to shut the machine off. Were parts missing? Did I need to order parts? None of the maintenance manuals on the Internet matched my machine. And on top of all that, the starter kicked back on me once when I pulled the cord and jerked my right arm enough to injure it at the elbow!
Yes, I had been praying all this time, but I was getting hot and frustrated. Eventually, I decided to work on it another day, so I wheeled it back into the garage and arranged all the parts so I could find them again. Then I walked away. In the weeks that followed, an oil stain developed underneath it on the garage floor. Great...
I asked my neighbor if he knew much about small engines, because I thought, "Perhaps God wants me to work with him and witness to him about my faith. Yes, that's probably it. I'm carrying my cross so I can do the Lord's work!"
Then, I went to Jacksonville and learned I had had a number of spiritual friends living inside me. When I returned, I postponed doing anything with the chipper until I had sorted through my situation.
The other day, while mowing the grass, the Holy Spirit told me to get rid of the chipper because I don't need it. By the time I was done with the lawn, I had taken the chipper to the street in front of our house and put a sign on it saying, "Free to good home." Well, I had done that in my spirit.
Yesterday, with a calm mind, I went to the garage and began to reassemble the chipper, since I wasn't going to be able to get rid of it if it was in pieces. While I was at it, I cleaned and gapped the spark plug. Once the chipper was back together, I decided to try running it, so I could tell prospective new owners whether or not it worked. Two pulls, and it fired up. It sounded great. I decided to try chipping some branches, so I wheeled it to the garden and started learning how to use it.
Six hours later, I finally got through my pile of sticks. Much of it required cutting up further in order to get the pieces down the chute, and by the time I was finished I had decided that it would have been far easier to simply drag the branches to the street so the city could pick them up and haul them away in their trucks. Yes, I got some chips for mulch, but I could have probably bought three bags from the store and had as much, and it would have looked nicer. Yep, I don't need this thing. It's a burden and I need to get rid of it.
-------------------
So, why have I told you this story? Because we have to be careful who we are listening to. I thought it was God, creator of the universe, but I think it was actually the god of this world. In fact I'm sure that's who it was, and this is why:
First of all, I know I had been "compromised," that I had spies in me. I have talked about that in other posts, and it is actually very common, although most people don't know it's going on. So, when I think back about it all, it was "lying spirits" that suggested I take $20. They knew how much money my wife had with her, and they knew I wanted this thing because they had been with me all the time and knew my desires.
Secondly, and more importantly, having a chipper is not the will of God. Yes, God provides for our needs, and he wants us to enjoy life, but the life He is talking about is not what we typically think of in this fallen world. We think that physical wealth, and accomplishments and the things of this world will make us happy, but that is our "flesh." God knows that what we really need is spiritual connection with Him. A chipper doesn't get me that, nor does a new car, or accomplishment, or fame or even success in ministry "working for Jesus." If the attention is on me, then I am on the wrong track, and the voices I am hearing are probably not God. I have probably been deceived.
God's will is that we give up the things of this world.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then, come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)God's will is also that we let Him work through his Holy Spirit, but we are often enticed into making it all about us and doing things ourselves. We make it about what we are doing for Jesus, not about what Jesus is doing. Satan went after Jesus' flesh and tempted him in the same way:
The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”We must recognize who is talking to us. Satan owns the world, and we live in enemy territory. We like to think that we know God, and maybe we do, but when we hear from "god," it may not be the one we believe it to be.
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:8-11 NIV)
I still need to get rid of the chipper. It worked well, but I don't need it, and more importantly, I must discard it, and many other things, if I want to experience the Kingdom of Heaven. If you are so moved, please help me by praying that I follow through and do this. Thank you!
Hey! Wanna buy a chipper?
All glory to God!