I think every family has that one grandparent whose phone is basically a digital junk drawer. You pick it up and there are 47 apps on it, half of which they have never opened. There’s 15 random, loud, and micro-transaction infested games, an app that turns pictures into cartoons, three different weather apps, and somehow a flashlight app even though the phone already has a flashlight. And when you ask, “Grandma, why do you have all these apps?” she says, “I don't know. The grandkids put them on there.”

And the phone is running like it's pulling a horse and buggy. Storage is full. Battery is dying. Everything takes forever to load. You open one app and it crashes because the phone is just flat out stuffed with digital JUNK!

Some of us remember doing the same thing to our computers. Back in the Napster and LimeWire days, we were downloading free music like we had discovered the greatest financial loophole in human history. Well, in reality I guess we were all digital pirates sailing the worldwide web seas. And all it costs you is your computer, your privacy, and possibly the entire electrical grid. You'd download one song and somehow end up with three viruses, a screensaver you didn't ask for, and a computer that sounded like it was preparing for takeoff.

The problem wasn't that the computer was bad. The problem was that we had filled it with an overload of stuff, and much of it was unhealthy for the operating system.

Sometimes… Well, many times, that's exactly what happens in our spiritual lives.

We love the idea of being filled with the Spirit of God, but we don't stop to ask what else we've allowed to fill the space. Here’s a list of things that clutter our operating systems:

Resentment.

Distraction.

Worry.

Bitterness.

Pride.

Comparison.

Entertainment.

Busyness.

The opinions of everybody around us.

Things we haven't dealt with.

Things we haven't forgiven.

Things we've allowed to become more important than they were ever supposed to be.

Things that steal our time. 

These are just a few things off the top of my head that take a ton of room in our hearts and minds, and eventually, our soul starts running like that old computer. Everything feels harder. Prayer feels harder. Hearing God feels harder. Serving feels harder. Our joy gets sluggish. Our focus gets scattered. We know something isn't right, but we don't always know what it is.

That's why David gives us one of the most honest prayers in Scripture in Psalm 139. Reread that now.

In the verses before David is lamenting the evil people that are opposing the Lord. Yet, notice David doesn't say, “God, search everybody else.” He doesn’t ask why these situations are happening or the bad guys seem like they just keep prospering!  He says, “Search me.”

That's where spiritual renewal begins. Not with pointing fingers. Not with blaming the culture. Not with making a list of everything wrong with everybody else. It starts with letting God look inside of us to bring us and that's not something we should be afraid of. God already knows what's there. He's not searching because He doesn't know. He's searching because He wants us to see what He sees. 

Today begins Week 2 of our Fully Charged journey. Last week was about getting plugged into the Source. This week is about clearing out the junk that's taking up space. So, don't rush past the prayer time this week.

Today’s prayer

God, search me. 

I don't want to simply assume that everything is okay on the inside. Bring to my mind the things that are cluttering my heart, distracting my mind, or hindering my spiritual walk with You. Show me the attitudes, habits, distractions, relationships, fears, or priorities that have taken up space that belongs to You. Give me the courage to be honest about what You reveal and the willingness to surrender it to You. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. I don't want anything competing with Your presence or keeping me from experiencing the fullness of what You have for me. 

Search me, show me, cleanse me, and lead me. In Jesus' name, amen.