Ok, if you're wondering, I've decided to start a series of "sermons" from my own life. I used to wonder about a lot of things, but as time has gone on, I see so many spiritual lessons from everyday situations. This series is indefinite, and could very easily go on forever if I feel led to continue it.
As it stands, there are no deviation categories for something like this. I don't feel that just because it is very religious in nature, that this is considered any less of a form of art. I don't expect anything out of these, you don't need to read them, you don't need to acknowledge them. In fact, if it helps you in any way, you can completely ignore the fact that I'm a Christian and move on to the rest of my dA. All I ask is that you respect this fact and don't insult my life views if you disagree with them. Just common respect really.
I don't bash you, you don't bash me. Cool?
In days gone by, I'd entitled myself the Ephemeral Philosopher, because I felt it suits me. The word ephemeral means "short lived" or "fleeting". I take it to describe my own philosophical outlook in that everything we say won't last forever, so we should listen to every bit of wisdom we can before we miss our chance. If that doesn't make sense, don't worry about it too much. It's a somewhat personal (possibly incorrect) definition and probably won't carry over to anyone beyond myself.
I will start this series off with, "Complete Spiritual Deforestation".
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[Scroll to the bottom if you're lazy and just want the tl;dr version]
Ok so a few months ago I was driving to the airport. For those who've never been to the Fort Meyers' airport, the highway leading to it is mostly surrounded by trees. Now that you can paint a mental picture, I'll continue. Anyway, I'm driving along, just chillin' out... When I look to the right and see a construction site. It was the future site of ... something. Let's make it something fun, ok?
Ok so it was the future site of an upcoming library... Wait, I can do better than that. Um, ok so it was the future site of an upcoming mall/movie theatre. When I was passing it, it was no where near done. In fact, they weren't even building anything yet. Instead, they were cutting down the trees and leveling everything to start building whatever "the mall" really was. They weren't done clearing and preparing the area just yet.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, I'm glad you asked. If you didn't ask, just pretend you did. Anyway, since you asked (Yes, you
did ask) I'll tell you.
It got me to thinking about our lives. If you look, every little thing can be an analogy for life and how to live it. In this case, there's no way they could start building or do any work at all until the ground is leveled and the trees are cleared. It's very similar to what God can and can't do in your life based on what's available to him. What would happen if the company handling the tree removal decided to quit halfway through and left a bunch of trees in the middle of everything? Even just a few? It'd be awkward for everyone else, that's for sure. You can't build a mall with a group of trees where the food court's supposed to be. (Well, you
could, but who'd want to go there?) In the same way, God can't build or use you to fulfill His entire plan for you if you've got a bunch of trees in the way.
Leaving a single patch of sin (That's the trees, keep up with me here) in your life can ruin everything.
Even if it seems great for a while, pretty soon the trees will cause a problem. A mall without its food court is hardly a mall at all. Let's say that the builders went ahead and built the mall anyway, maybe just building around the trees. Well, that'd be a serious detour from the original plans, most likely. It'd probably take longer to be operational, and even once it was, there might not be enough room for the Abercrombie store or that Build-A-Bear I know you just can't live without. Or even if they compromise, and find a way to make everything fit, there's still a giant hole in their building!
Just like a building with a hole in it couldn't be used by its customers, God can't use you with trees in the way. If you want to see change, and see it to the full extent, you've got to clear everything that was there before and completely remove it. Doing it halfway is just as bad as not even beginning the project. God can use anyone, don't misunderstand, but He'd much rather see you fully obedient to Him. The mall that God wants to make of you has no room for trees.
Clearing them out is easier said than done. In the same way that it takes time, effort, and work to clear the land for construction, you'll have to really want to see change to make it happen. It's as simple as controlling your thoughts. Which if you've ever tried, is actually quite hard to do. You can't just say "Brain, stop thinking of that!!" If you can, then you've got it truly, very, very easy.
Why are thoughts bad? When's the last time you did something you weren't thinking about? If I'm not focusing on how great drinking might be, I won't even care to try. Spiritual deforestation starts in the mind. Stop thinking about sin and you'll find it much easier to stop doing that sin.
The mind is a tricky beast to tame. The occasional random thought is expected. It's just part of the human experience. But maintaining that thought is where the trouble begins. If I think of robbing the 7-11, I'll think it's dumb. If I
keep thinking about robbing a 7-11, my chances of wanting to at least try it are greatly increased.
This was a bit long winded, and I apologize for that. But hopefully it means something to someone out there. I also want to say that anyone who's written a message like this and hasn't lived it or is still living it is rare. "Sermons" are almost never written without having been there or done that already. I'm no better than anyone else, I've had the same problem. Which is why I felt the need to share with you all. By no means is this an excuse for me to act holier than thou. It's an excuse to share my experiences and help others learn from my mistakes.
-Troy
tl;dr version:
Trees can ruin plans. Sin can ruin
God's plans. Allowing yourself to continue thinking about sin increases your chances of
wanting to sin.
Minor Update
None of my films would ever meet dA's quality standards, so you may not see them here. In addition to that, I don't expect to make them regularly, yadayadayadaboringshutupandgettothepointalready. If I make one that I like, I'll post the Youtube link to it. Otherwise, they don't exist to you guys. 
Pirate
Screwed
Lazy
Compassion
Pestered
