Rip 'em Up! Tear 'um Up! Bring 'um Down!

II Kings 23:6-7
The king removed he Asherah pole from the Lord's Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the pole to dust and threw the dust in the public cemetery. He also tore down the houses of the shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.

Sounds like King Josiah had a mad on doesn't it?
Tearing down religious shrines and idols.
Tearing down houses and places of worship, and what's more..........he did it with a vengeance. There was an anger and purpose behind his actions.
He realized that the state of the country, sad as it had been, was directly tied to the worship of the people.
The people had turned their backs on the one true God and had set about to worship the false gods of the neighboring countries. Oh, I don't think everyone got up one morning and collectively said to themselves, "Hey! This is a good day to become a pagan." It was a process of drifting away from worship of the real deal God. A little compromise here..........a little turning away there..........voila' you've moved into a dark and dangerous world of false worship.

Josiah,  now king, had been given a book containing the Law of God. He read it and was brought under conviction. Josiah knew that the fate of the nation lay in turning back to God. To continue on in their present condition would only bring about retribution from God.  Josiah took it upon himself to start the cleansing process by destroying anything that even slightly resembled false worship.
Radical isn't it?
Dude goes on a rampage, cutting down shrines, tearing down altars and places where incense was offered to these false gods.
It is radical...
In fact I heard a phrase used to describe what Josiah was doing......
The phrase?
RADICAL AMPUTATION
The removal of anything, anyone, or any place(Not to mention any thoughts or beliefs)  that would draw someone away from true worship and service unto God to go back into a life of addiction.

In recovery, the thoughts of radical amputation is not well received at first.
The idea of removing anything from our lives that would draw us back into addiction is not a pleasing thought. Mainly because most people are really not wanting to go that far with recovery.
Their idea is simply to not do drugs or alcohol any more.
We cannot let those places of worship exists around us. Now before you go all hyper on me, let me explain.
I am not talking about taking axes and machete's down to the ABC store or the nearest crack house and go all Rambo on it.
I'm talking about allowing God to remove the love for such things from our hearts and minds. Then, making sure I do not go around people, places or things that would lure me back into my old lifestyle. I radically amputate people, places and things from my life and replace them with the good things of God.

We replace love for the things of this age, with a love for God.
Sounds corny doesn't it....this "loving God" business.
Let me tell you something, partner....
It's the only way.
Once you experience the life and love God has to offer you, you won't go back to your old ways.

I like the way the Apostle Paul describes this trading of the old life for the new one.
Philippians 3:7-8 - I once thought all these things (his old lifestyle) were so very important, but now I consider them to be worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded (radically amputated) everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ.
Those words speak to me.
Every day is another opportunity to grow in Jesus.
To learn more about myself so I can surrender all the cruddy places that are still there.
I'm in the trading business, as God's Holy Spirit shows me what I need to discard (attitudes, mindsets, behaviors) so I can pick up a new way of living.
That is good stuff!

God on you.....
mb