JUNK

Today while cleaning out emails, I got to thinking about the JUNK folder.  Ya know, the place where strange, unwanted email goes...the stuff we DON'T want to see.  Well about once a week, I usually  skim through these to see if something important went there by mistake which happens occasionally.
I am appalled at the items I see in my junk folder!  Sometimes just advertisements of someone wanting you to buy something, but also a lot of sinful things.  Things placed there to tempt us.  Here's where the lightbulb went off...
The HEART is similar to the INBOX and the JUNK folder is a lot like SIN.  Sin sometimes seeps in and tries to ruin our lives.  We try to avoid it so we put it in a folder and try to forget it but we're human and sometimes we foolishly open and entertain it.  The junk [hate, lust, gossip, unforgiveness etc] then gets inside us and contaminates our hearts much like a virus does to a computer. 
Just like sin, junk is inevitable. We are not immune to sin, however, we are in control of what we allow into our lives.  Temptations will come, sometimes looking so appealing we don't even recognize what's happening.  That's where JESUS comes in.  He died for our sins...He represents the DELETE button and erases all the junk/sin so our email/hearts can be free again! 
So don't let the junk hold you back from the life God has for you.  Forget the past and let Jesus heal your heart!  Lean onto Him when things just don't make sense and He will see you through the storms.
Proverbs 3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

God Speaks

There was a time when I actually thought that people who say they heard from God actually heard His voice appear from out of the sky.  This made me think for the longest time that I was inadequate because I couldn't hear Him or worse that maybe He didn't want or care to talk to me.  Of course, that is a lie. God speaks in many ways, I am not at all surprised by this as He can hear all of our prayers whether we speak them aloud or not.
Some of the stories I am about to share have already been told to friends in person or via other social media forums, so bare with me as I gather them all here.  I feel someone needed to read this today.
God has been speaking to me, I guess, all along.  My heart/mind/spirit just wasn't open to it.  I say "I guess" because I can't exactly pinpoint the time when I heard Him for the 1st time.  All I know is, He is talking to me more and more everyday. 

I am a very visual person and God knows that...so most of my experiences are visual, however, He has surprised me other times as well. There's a verse that found me (Ecclesiastes 3:11) once while helping a friend move some things.  It was inscribed on a trinket I found in her car that she ended up giving to me because she didn't remember buying it nor where it came from.  That same verse was shown to me AGAIN on a random (wrapped) gift I opened at a bridal shower not that long ago.  The kicker if those 2 times weren't enough is, my birthday is 3/11!!  So God definitely wanted me to hear those words!  
Last year, I was vacuuming my car at the car wash and while I was doing that, my mind was racing with thoughts, depressing thoughts...to be honest, I was having a horribly bad day.  I was just sad about a lot of stuff and feeling like God wasn't listening.  As I was vacuuming I noticed something behind one of my tires on the ground.  It was one of those round  pendant buttons that people pin to their jackets to show what band they love or some quote they like. (think of the movie Office Space and those buttons or "flare" Jennifer Aniston wore on her suspenders).  Anyways, I picked it up because I didn't want it to pop someone's tire and when I flipped it over, I just smiled because in that moment God spoke to me through it.  The button said "I am loved."  It was as if God was hugging me right then and there, telling me I was loved.  I wish I would have kept it, unfortunately I threw it in the trash...but do you get what I am saying?  GOD SPEAKS!!

Just like today, I was sitting behind this vehicle and the license plate said "SEEK HM."  Sure someone could argue and say it's just a coincidence, but for these things to always happen precisely WHEN and WHERE I need them most?  I'm sorry, buddy...I am going to have to disagree with you...those are not coincidence at all!!  That's God!!

He has spoken to me in dreams, He has guided me through songs...my point, God speaks if you listen and open your eyes!  I trust Him completely, not saying that it's always easy...but the closer I get to Him and the more I trust Him...He has shown me specific plans for my life.  Crazy plans that I never could imagine!  Unfortunately that also means the enemy has and will use whatever he can to turn me away and make me doubt God's promises and trust me, the enemy is very clever.  But after everything God has showed me thus far...why on earth would I doubt Him? 

I encourage if you haven't ask God into your heart that you do that right now!  I also encourage everybody to get involved in a church ministry and surround yourself with believers who will stand with you.  Be open and let God do the rest!!  Blessings!