Clear the Clutter!

Clutter.
It's virtually everywhere.
In my garage, desk drawers, closets, atop my desk, in my purse, the backseat of my car...in my mind!
CLUTTER.
No matter what I try it seems a battle that I am losing. Just minutes ago I spent ten minutes cleaning the clutter out of my email box. Over one hundred emails and only three I was truly interested in reading. They were three important emails but amongst the clutter of the spam they were almost impossible to see. I had to move everything to the trash to get to the good stuff! I had to clear the SPAM from my inbox because it was crowding what I needed to view. Did you know that SPAM is short for "stupid pointless annoying message"? There was a lot of pointless to sift through to get to the point today!

While the clutter in all the nooks and crannies of my home and office do drive me up a wall it is the clutter that resides in my heart and mind that bothers me most. That clutter gets in the way most. It creates a blockage that prevents the flow of God's valuable wisdom from reaching the depths of my mind and soul. When my mind is filled with too much information, especially pointless information, I find it difficult to focus on the things of God. The things that keep me grounded. The things that draw me nearer to the cross.
Months ago I noticed that spending time on the computer was interfering with things that  strengthen my relationship with Christ.
My quiet time.
My prayer time.
My bible study time.
While what I do on the computer is not wrong it did tend to clutter my private time with God. I needed to purge something to make room for the purposeful things. Intentionally a decision was made to stay cyber-free on the weekends. Thus, you rarely find me in my email or on facebook on the weekend. Clearing that cyber-clutter left room for extra time to dwell in my Bible. That extra time in my Bible helped me to disperse the mind-clutter that needed to be moved out of my inbox and into my trash file! It's a small thing, but it helps.
As recent as this weekend God demonstrated how this one small change prepared me for His service. After spending time in the book of Daniel Saturday morning I was able to knowledgeably share God's word and wisdom later that Saturday afternoon when a diet book was spotted in the bookstore. The book used Daniel's name in the title and I was able to share Daniel's commitment to God. I was easily able to pull from the well-stocked, clutter-free Bible knowledge stored neatly in my mind. I was able to freely share God's word and love immediately.
Is there clutter in your mind? Is there something you can take away and replace with time in your Bible? We often take a little time to clear out the closets and the garage to ensure they function optimally. Are we doing the same with our heart and mind?
My mind clutter was coming from cyberspace.
Yours may be from TV.
Magazines.
Gossip.
Books.
Music.
Ask God today to search your heart and mind. He knows what is there, but awaits us to call on Him.

Allow God to clear the clutter and make a path that leads you to Him and allows you to share freely with others.
Clearing the clutter with you~ Jodie