1. Fear Not! 2. Fear Not! 3. Fear Not!...............................364. Fear Not! 365. Fear Not! (i.e. #COVID-19, #Coronavirus)
Someone has said that you can find the command "Fear Not!" or "Do Not Fear!" 365 times in the Bible. Is that a scientific number? I haven't counted. I don't even know how one would count it. But I think we can all agree that fear must be one of humanity's greatest problems for God to give this command in so many different ways throughout His Word. And of course, the sermon illustration quickly follows - "God's Word says "Do Not Fear" 365 times; once for every day of the year!"
Many Christians are not in touch with their fears. But one great thing that this global pandemic is revealing to us all is if we have any fear. And I have been speaking with and interacting with many who are being forced to face their fears - fear of sickness, fear of death, fear for their families, fear for their finances/job security, etc. etc.
I have for many years been keenly aware that being educated/indoctrinated in the West and our materialistic, scientific, medical worldview, means that my "default" has often been when I hear about a sickness/disease or a cancer diagnosis, my first thought has been, "What treatment is there?" or "What can doctors/surgeons do?" My default has not been "What can God do?" but rather what solution does modern medicine have for a particular problem or issue. Many Christians around the world do not have the same problem because they live in areas where the most advanced treatments aren't even available and/or economically impossible.
But I think that we can see that the ones who are being the MOST SHAKEN at this point in time are those of us who have put our trust in modern medicine and its cures more than we have put our faith or trust in God.
Don't get me wrong - I am not against medicine/doctors AT ALL. But a subtle form of idolatry has clearly crept into the lives of millions of modern-day Christians, especially those in industrialized, so-called 1st World nations. We simply haven't had to trust God for our protection and/or for our healing. Why? Because we have had the miracle of modern medicine available to us.
But in this hour, God is looking to see what the substance of our faith actually is. He is looking to see if we will TRUST Him first and subordinate all other sources of confidence into their proper place. God wants us to believe that His promises to protect us (i.e. Psalm 91/Luke 10) are actually more effective than washing our hands and/or social distancing.
Let us be honest with God and with the communities He has placed us in - I know this, HUMILITY attracts heaven! If we are struggling, let us walk in the light. I am doing this daily. I don't want fear to take root in my life. I want to be the believer who has prioritized my faith in such a way that I do not have any "idols" in my life. I don't want modern medicine to have a place in my life that only God should reside.
So let us spur one another on to obey the commandment that God has given more than any other one - DO NOT FEAR!!! This is undoubtedly a prayer God is willing to answer - "Lord, help me not to live in fear".
#COVID-19, #Coronavirus, #fear, #trust, #Psalm91, #faith, #anxiety, #worry, #pandemic, #protection, #healing, #immunity, #concern, #washing, #socialdistancing, #handwashing
Many Christians are not in touch with their fears. But one great thing that this global pandemic is revealing to us all is if we have any fear. And I have been speaking with and interacting with many who are being forced to face their fears - fear of sickness, fear of death, fear for their families, fear for their finances/job security, etc. etc.
I have for many years been keenly aware that being educated/indoctrinated in the West and our materialistic, scientific, medical worldview, means that my "default" has often been when I hear about a sickness/disease or a cancer diagnosis, my first thought has been, "What treatment is there?" or "What can doctors/surgeons do?" My default has not been "What can God do?" but rather what solution does modern medicine have for a particular problem or issue. Many Christians around the world do not have the same problem because they live in areas where the most advanced treatments aren't even available and/or economically impossible.
But I think that we can see that the ones who are being the MOST SHAKEN at this point in time are those of us who have put our trust in modern medicine and its cures more than we have put our faith or trust in God.
Don't get me wrong - I am not against medicine/doctors AT ALL. But a subtle form of idolatry has clearly crept into the lives of millions of modern-day Christians, especially those in industrialized, so-called 1st World nations. We simply haven't had to trust God for our protection and/or for our healing. Why? Because we have had the miracle of modern medicine available to us.
But in this hour, God is looking to see what the substance of our faith actually is. He is looking to see if we will TRUST Him first and subordinate all other sources of confidence into their proper place. God wants us to believe that His promises to protect us (i.e. Psalm 91/Luke 10) are actually more effective than washing our hands and/or social distancing.
Let us be honest with God and with the communities He has placed us in - I know this, HUMILITY attracts heaven! If we are struggling, let us walk in the light. I am doing this daily. I don't want fear to take root in my life. I want to be the believer who has prioritized my faith in such a way that I do not have any "idols" in my life. I don't want modern medicine to have a place in my life that only God should reside.
So let us spur one another on to obey the commandment that God has given more than any other one - DO NOT FEAR!!! This is undoubtedly a prayer God is willing to answer - "Lord, help me not to live in fear".
#COVID-19, #Coronavirus, #fear, #trust, #Psalm91, #faith, #anxiety, #worry, #pandemic, #protection, #healing, #immunity, #concern, #washing, #socialdistancing, #handwashing
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