BEWARE OF SPAM!

I felt so accomplished after spending a great deal of time cleaning out my personal e-mail  account. It had gotten embarrassingly full. Some of the mail was as old as three years or even older. (I know I need an intervention, so pray for me.) It wasn’t just my inbox but my Spam folder was just as full as my inbox. I take ownership for my inbox being so full, but I don’t feel solely responsible for my Spam folder.  It’s really not my fault. No matter what I do to keep it “clean”, the spam just keeps coming. So I have realized that I must do it often to stay on top of it and make sure it doesn’t literally take over. You know what spam is don’t you? It is defined as “the unsolicited e-mail, often of a commercial nature, sent indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or newsgroups; junk e-mail”. It is unsolicited, un-wanted and definitely unnecessary. So what’s its’ purpose? In most cases, the senders are often hoping to get you distracted long enough so that you will “buy-in” to their product.

The enemy often uses this same tactic with us. He wants us to “buy-in” to his [harmful] ways, his [deceptive] tactics, and his [destructive] plan. He sends unwanted thoughts and if we allow them to, it will result in causing our mind to think on things that we shouldn’t. These thoughts cause doubt, fear, unbelief, and ultimately actions that don’t line up with God’s ways. The thoughts consume us and cause us to get our focus off of God. Just as spam in our e-mail does, spam in our lives consumes our thoughts distracting us from our true purpose in life. Before you know it, we get completely off-track going in the wrong direction. 

We must make every effort to guard our thoughts. It is an on-going battle. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, We must control our thought process by taking those thoughts captive (destroying them) that go against what God’s word says. Don’t allow it to stay in your in-box. Cast it down with God’s word! That is our greatest weapon, but we must read it and meditate on it to be able to use it. Don't let the "spam" over take you! Be encouraged today.

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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