Can we chat for a minute?
I promise it won't be long.
With everything going on in the world right now, with the coronavirus and the doomsday news coverage, I wanted to sit down and talk to you about how fear prevents you (and me) from being the person God is calling you (and me) to be right now in this crisis.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been seeing a lot of people writing blogs and creating content around this pandemic, mostly to distract or bring comfort and hope. I didn’t want to write anything at first because I thought, why would my voice even matter right now. It certainly won’t be the loudest and I don’t really have an audience that is waiting to hear what I have to say on the matter with baited breath.
However, God doesn’t care about the size of my audience or the volume of my voice, just that I use it to speak life and that I’m willing and obedient enough to be His microphone when He needs me to be.
So here we go:
We all have a purpose on this planet.
We, as believers, have a unique and specific purpose on this planet.
We are called to be salt and light and it is during times like this, when that calling is most important.
When people are panicking and reacting out of gut-wrenching fear, it is our job as citizens of heaven as well as citizens of this earth to remind people that there is hope beyond the world they’re experiencing around them right now.
It is our job to be a light in these dark times filled with sickness and death and uncertainty.
It is our destiny to show up for people and show love when anxiety is overwhelming people’s faculties.
This is what we signed up for, this is who we are in Christ. This is who Jesus was, reaching for the sinners and the lepers and the demon possessed no one would touch or go anywhere near.
Unfortunately though, even as those belonging to Christ we are not beyond the reach of those same anxieties and fears people all around the world are experiencing. And that’s exactly how the enemy wants it, He wants God’s greatest warriors and God’s hands and feet on this earth immobilized and distracted by fear, limited by what’s happening around them. He wants us to remain silent and to keep our distance from the suffering and the hurting because it goes against our spiritual nature to do so and it gives him a foothold.
But family, we were born for such a time as this. We were born to be torches in the darkness, stars in the night, wells of life in the valley of the shadow of death.
Although,
before we can do that,
we have to put the fear in ourselves to rest first. Like every flight attendant says before take off, make sure you put on your oxygen mask before you assist anyone else.
(Now, I’m not going to write a long blog post about overcoming fear and anxiety because there are plenty of great Christian bloggers out there who have those resources for you. Right now, I am talking to the people who know where their help comes from and have the greatest resource of all. So, I don’t need to tell you how to deal with fear because you already know.)
We, as those who know better, have to surrender our fears and anxieties to God’s will and trust in His promises.
We need to Confess truth and substance over ourselves and our families and know that this fear is baseless for us.
The enemy has no new weapons in his arsenal just a new hype man and we don’t owe either one a second of our time.
Sickness and disease have always existed and there have always been outbreaks and pandemics throughout history. Yes, some more serious than others. I’m not telling you to forsake wisdom here. As someone suffering from chronic illness already, I am endeavoring to be extra careful and seek out God’s guidance in everything I do.
However, life doesn’t stop. Time keeps ticking by no matter what state the world is in and new people are born and new people are lost.
Our mission doesn’t change just because the world is scared out of their minds.
In fact, we are the ones who are called to step up at times like this because we have the hope and information and comfort and healing that people need most right now. Everything has a time under the sun and right now, it’s time for God’s ambassadors to shine.
What I am trying to say here is:
Do not allow fear or anxiety to kill your purpose because right now, more than anything else, people need what we have to offer, they need Jesus.
They need the healer of leprosy and life-long ailments. The God who raises the dead and was risen from the dead Himself. The God who set a precedence of life and certainty for us, who paved a narrow lighted path in the darkness for His children to walk.
They need hope.
They need love.
They need a savior.
We all do.
But here’s the difference between you and the average Joe/Josephine, you have access to these things in full unconditional measure where they do not. You have the ears to hear God whispering His truths and promises over you as you sleep at night. You have access to that peace. You have the full armor of God, it belongs to you. You have a future guaranteed no matter how the world churns in crisis and so many people around you right now, could use some of that hope that you have in ultimate supply. You have a down payment (The Holy Spirit) they don’t have, a promise they don’t have but they should have and they can have.
So to all of you out there, put on your oxygen mask and soak in the truth of your identity in Christ so you can start walking with purpose towards the people around you.
It’s more important than ever that you embrace these truths so God can use you to minister life to a hurting world.
Trust me when I say, you don’t have to be some theological mastermind or have a pulpit or a soapbox to do all of that, just smile at people when you see them.
(Don’t underestimate the power of something as simple as a comforting smile in a word full of snarls and fear)
Be wise but also, be kind!
Reach for others in love and grace and truth when maybe you can’t reach for them physically.
Send out encouraging messages of hope.
Call the people you love and take this as an opportunity to make sure they know they are loved.
Pray and pray and pray. Pray for yourselves and your friends and family members. Pray for people in other countries who need it. When you see fearful people at your local grocery stores and gas stations, pray for them and their families and if God leads you (and only if He leads you. Again, be wise. Fearful people can react negatively sometimes when they are scared) offer to pray with them.
Don’t stop reaching out mentally, emotionally and spiritually just because you are limited physically.
Don’t stop being a light.
Don’t stop spreading hope.
Don’t let the news and the fear around you intimidate you into silence or into worry.
You are covered.
You have a shelter in this storm.
You have refuge.
Tell people about it! It is your obligation.
Swing the doors open for them.
Be intentional.
Live with purpose even in quarantine, even on lockdown.
God has the last word on everything we face in this life (not sickness, not the enemy, not the rest of the world, God!) and our lives here are not over til He says so.
Until then, march into the world with purpose and confidence body of Christ!
Shining city on a hill, shine!
Let the gospel of Peace be the sandals you walk in, and may it be that everywhere you go Peace goes with you and everywhere you’ve been, Peace remains.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:2-4 ESV
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
Psalms 91 HCSB
1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, 6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. 8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.
14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. 15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation.
(Disclaimer: All scripture is God-breathed and relative and important but in reference to some parts of Psalms 91, like verse 8 where it talks about the wicked being punished, lets be clear: I do not believe that is what is happening right now nor do I believe that people who are sick are “wicked”. Neither did Jesus, though that was a common stigma during His time concerning lepers and others suffering from horrible conditions and diseases. In truth, we are all considered wicked and broken because of our sinful nature but God’s love sees past that even on our worst day. Though some people may disagree, I do not believe that God is the source of sickness or disease and I don’t think He employs it as punishment.)
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