by Sally B.

Even though I stopped watching TV and film in 2001, and stopped listening to all secular music a few years ago, I’ve had thousands of CDs and DVDs hanging out here, taking up space. That wasn’t the problem, though. 

Coz the truth was, I would have whooped the trash out of anyone who attempted to divest moi of these inaccessible treasures. (I haven’t had a working cd or dvd player in a while, tho by choice.)

Some of these discs cost me over $100, and some weren’t available in the USA or to more than 100 people. Some of these songs have never been heard of by YouTube even. (Much less Napster Et Al.) 

The thing is, God Told me this weekend that all the CDs and imports and bootlegs of a particular band—reasonably tame, stylistically—had to go. 

It wasn’t enough to not listen to them or speak their name, not anymore. Coz even though I had stopped listening to them, they still occupied a soft and dreamy section of my heart. And… despite being confirmed and dedicated “atheists,” they did use symbols and artwork that I once “wondered about” and can now confirm WERE, in fact, occult-related. 

Jokes had surrounded them for years about having sold their souls to demonic forces in order to “make it big.” 

When I look at their lyrics now, it’s so clear to me that their songs—and I’m talking HUNDREDS, btw—contained lyrics that promoted or at least ”displayed a savage intrigue in” occult themes. So much spiritual warfare in a single music video of theirs. I can’t believe I didn’t see it until now. 

Sigh. 

So away they went. 

While I was there, Holy Spirit’s All “um, about this Asana thing?” Bill Laswell’s lovely EP which had cost me 34 POUNDS in London. “It sounds kinda like EDM Yoga, Lovey. Say Namaste and let’s give it the old heave hey!” 

And then “so many CDs vampires, Hon. You do realise that you’ve had a thing for the Hollywood caricature of demons, hmm?” 

Chuck, chuck, chuck. 

Type O Neg and the Sisters and all my goth children.  “I mean, what’s with all this dark stuff? Hast thou forgotten that MY JOY IS YOUR STRENGTH, babe? Let’s go!” 

Anything that promoted a lifestyle that I wasn’t interested in anyway. (I don’t plan to drink blood or have a girlfriend who has a boyfriend or even spend another 25 years grieving (or dressing as though I am. Because I am choosing LIFE With I AM!) 

But there were some DVDs too. 

Rom coms made me mad coz guys irl never seemed to say pickup lines (which, like puns, are WAY underrated, lol), scary stuff reminded me of my anger prob from college, and “dramas” were like… (I mean I get enough of that in my daily life, n’est-ce pas? Heh.) 

He-Man had been cool but “by the power of greyskull??” Or whatever he said? NAY, friends, methinks not. I ain’t interested In anything but The Power Of PARAKLETOS aka HOLY SPIRIT, yo. 

Video games? 

He didn’t Say I had to go on a search and destroy mission—at the moment—but He Did Tell me to stop playing video games a year ago. (I was a pro, and I have the 22 hour private streams to prove it.) 

BUt I did throw in my Final Fantasy 8 as a show of good faith. 

Last and SUPER not least came the young adult novels I discovered at 14ish. In wal mart. Which immediately threw me into several years of obsession with the occult. (Crowley and Lavey were just the beginning. And all from a single author’s imaginative tale! I literally took notes on spells from a YOUNG ADULT NOVEL from like HARPER-COLLINS, y’all. Lol. And I’m every bit as impressionable today, 30 something years later. 

Which is why it had to go. 

Because I was having such a hard time letting go of the items physically. I felt bound. 

And to give you more fun details than you may have bargained for, May I share this? (Too late, hehe :)) 

As I was removing the bags from the house and loading them into position for industrial destroyingness (no reason to injure the poor and beleaguered planet wjth such harmful relics of 80s fun and games), I literally started to HURL. Like I’m not even exaggerating. It may have been from the

Exertion or temperature but it may also have been a spiritual thing or a symbolic thing. I have no idea and frankly it doesn’t matter, does it? 

No. 

Coz it’s all gone now. 

Would I have gone to hell for keeping them? 

No. 

Would I have gone to hell if I still listened to or watched that stuff? No. 

But could I have lived with myself if I Heard The Voice Of God Telling me to get rid of things that didn’t glorify Him? 

Not a chance. 

“Wow, your religion is so harsh, grrl! You’re always throwing away stuff and doing stuff For God!” 

That’s not the case at all; I don’t follow religion, I have a Relationship With Jesus. 

I am madly in love With The GREAT I AM. 

And it’s not that I’m doing stuff FOR Him, I’m doing stuff WITH Him. 

I’m not giving up stuff FOR Him, I’m getting rid of anything I’d PUT beFORE Him. 

“That takes lots of strength to live like that, though! You’re so good!” 

Not at all. I’m not being GOOD by getting rid of bad things, I’m taking action to make right the BAD things I did when I chose to give myself To Him and yet live as though I belonged to the world. 

We should be visibly different, you know. 

Not just loving where others aren’t (and how many of you know that there are sooo many people claiming Christ who come across as the ones who most-NEED Him! Especially when compared with denizens of belief systems whose, erm, beliefs be ASKING for an express ticket to hell). 

But different in our hobbies, and in the forms of diversion we consider “entertainment.” 

Not just to avoid depression or anxiety or panic or nightmares or demonic torment.  

Not just to be more productive and creative than passive and consumption-ness. (And yes, i be creative as all get out, as well, and I understand the need to stop creating and rest sometimes, but that’s easier said than done, too, and that’s also another story for another day.) 

But so as not to Grieve The  Precious Holy Spirit Of God (He Be SO Fun to hang out With that you can literally throw away your tv and stereo and still have a field day at all times! He Gets Sad if you don’t spend enough time With Him every day :((( 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Love In HIM,

sallySALL