Yielding My Rights

This morning I pulled out an old set of cassette tapes produced by The Institute in Basic Life Principles. The series is called The Pineapple Story featuring the testimony of Otto Koning’s missionary years in New Guinea. The twelve tapes share Mr. Koning’s powerful witness to yielding one’s rights to God and what a tremendous change that can bring to your life and to those lives around you.

I had listened to this series several years ago when I was away from God. A friend had stopped by one day with a delicious meal and the first tape of this series. I fought listening to the tape because I knew I was away from the Lord ~ this friend knew I was away from the Lord ~ and I wasn’t interested in being preached to. When I finally surrendered to listen to it ~ needless to say ~ it was life changing.

It had been many years since the waters had been stirred in my soul by the Holy Spirit. For way too long I had practiced quenching the Holy Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19 - Quench not the Spirit). That day after listening to the tape, the flood gates opened and would not close. I cried and cried for hours mingled with prayer ~ confessing years of sin ~ begging God to forgive me. The sobs were so intense I thought at times I would stop breathing. It was such a magnificent time of cleansing. I do not believe I will ever forget it. That was over 11 years ago. Indeed, God used Mr. Koning’s testimony to bring a dramatic change in my life.

This morning when I began to listen to that "first tape" in the series I heard things that I had not heard when I listened to it in the past ~ kind of like when we read the Bible ~ you can read a verse many times and each time get something different out of it according to how the Holy Spirit is leading.

To spare you reading such a lengthy post I will continue tomorrow with how Mr. Koning’s testimony inspired me today ~ an inspiration I was desperately in need of ~ thank you Lord. See you tomorrow blog friends.