My internet provider is AOL. For the most part, I’m content with the service that I get—although it is annoying when pop-up ads take over all or part of the screen, just when I am getting ready to read an article or to connect somewhere. I didn’t ask for them and they won’t go away by themselves. Some of the pop-ups have a button that says “No thanks.” With one click, it goes away. I wish some of the pop-ups in my brain would go away as easily.
There is a lot of stuff stored up there! We cruise down the highway, minding our own business, when ZAP … a thought comes zinging by. Maybe it’s just a random thought or an idea; maybe it’s not. Sometimes it’s an intentional interruption by the enemy of our souls to distract us or even to discourage us. What is aggravating is that we just can’t prevent those thoughts from popping up unexpectedly. What we can do is make a concerted effort to direct the thought(s) in the right direction. Obviously, if the Lord is calling, we want to be like Samuel and respond, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” (1 Sam. 3:10, NIV)
The thoughts we entertain and the ones we delete will determine your future and mine. The next time an unexpected idea or thought crosses the screen, determine the sender and take the appropriate action. In the meantime, dive into the Word and prayer, trusting that God has His own spam-blocker and much of what might have gotten through gets stopped before it reaches its intended target. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV).
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By: Glenn Burris Jr., general supervisor
