Toy Story
I have raised six children in the last thirty years. I say raised, the last one is halfway there anyway. The fifteen-year-old, the baby, has been somewhat harder to allow to grow up and venture away from the nest. Until last week, in his closet, packed in metal trunks, shoe boxes, bags, and backpacks, remained enough toys to entertain two or three hundred kids for four or five years. With a week off with nothing to do, I decided the time had come to do something with the last toys that I had purchased for my last baby.
I worked all day, discarding the hopeless ones, saving the special ones, and considering giving some way. I packed them in huge plastic containers and moved them into a room I use for storage. The toys happily joined the other toys that I couldn't part with, packed to the ceiling, which belonged to the first five children.
About four days passed and the toy packing was soon forgotten. At about 11;38, or should I say at exactly 11:38, three nights ago, I was awakened by a strange voice. "I'm Randy Savage, Macho Man, don't challenge me again, Ding Ding Ding!!!!" It had been at least five years since I had heard that voice, but I soon recognized it. It came from a toy wrestler. Randy Savage wasn't really at my house. Thank God for that. I got up, went and banged on the boxes of toys, Randy shut up, I went back to sleep. The next day I didn't really think of the incident anymore until 11:38 PM when Mr. Savage decided to talk again. This time at 11:38, I got up, went through five boxes until I found his home, removed him, took him to another room, and shut the door. He continued to talk all night. The next morning, I searched for a battery compartment. There wasn't a power source I could see. I gave up.
Once again on the third night, this time at 1:28, he began to talk louder than the first two nights. I picked him up and no matter what sentimental value had been placed on this toy, I threw him out my front door. It rained some that night and now the toys are completely silent. He no longer tells me not to challenge him again.
Ding Ding Ding !!!!!!!
My son thought the whole thing was kind of weird. My grandson said Macho Man just didn't want to be discarded like the toys on the movie Toy Story. I, of course, came up with my own theory.
(Here comes the sermon)
I wondered if this was God trying to speak something to me, which may sound silly to some, but He did speak out of a burning bush one time. At first, I wondered had I challenged God in some way? Was He angry with me? Had I challenged His sovereign authority in my life? I prayed about it two of those nights that Randy woke me from a sound sleep. I finally decided it was God speaking, but He was telling me I should speak those words to someone who challenges me. I should be bold and tell them, " I am a child of God. I will win. How dare you come against me?" I decided in my life the devil is who I should speak these words to.
The next time the devil is whispering in my ear, asking me, just who do I think I am, what makes me think I could possibly do anything to help win this great battle we are fighting every day for God, I will open my mouth and boldly speak. "I am a CHILD OF GOD, FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. I WILL DO EXPLOITS. DON'T CHALLENGE ME AGAIN. DING DING DING!!!!!!!"
I won't tap him just a little to shut him up for a while. I won't put him in another room to silence him for a few hours. I won't check to see if there is anything I can take from him to take his power, to shut him up, and just give up on finding that power source. No matter what value I have placed on something coming from him that I feel I need to hold on to, I will kick him out my door, let him get all wet, and make sure he has no power left to bother me.
The time has come. I will not entertain him anymore.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.