FEAR EXTINGUISHERS – God’s mandate for us at this time! (DAY 1)

Concern, worry, anxiety are all 'really' different synonyms for fear. Yes, one might be with a small "f" and one with a capital "F" - but when we really consider them all, they are all levels of fear. 

And people battle constantly with fear in normal times.  Right now however are not "normal" times. And what we are witnessing globally are not people being minorly 'concerned' about the COVID-19 pandemic; rather it is all-too-often full-blown fear and panic. 

I live in a country that is not basically quarantined itself from the rest of the world - the only airport is not closed and so there is effectively no way into or out of the country.  The two countries that can be accessed by land are now closed as well. So several million people are now locked in for the time being.

As our church community gathered to pray and worship a few nights ago, the Lord really spoke to us that our mandate at this time is to be "Fear Extinguishers" (at first I thought I heard "Fire Extinguisher", but it was clearly FEAR Extinguisher).

At a time when fear is running rampant, and that same fear tragically is gripping many Christians as well, we need to come against it. We need to address it. We need to be imparting hope and peace into anxiety and fear.  We need to be reminding one another of God's promises for protection and healing. 

And the following day, my wife and I went to a large mall (all malls have subsequently closed) and were able to minister to many Christians who were working the stores.  We simply asked them "How are you doing"? and the responses were incredible!  Many were paralyzed by fear and the added stress of not knowing what would happen to their jobs. Some are being put on "unpaid leave" and are worried about not being able to send money to their families back in their home countries.  All churches have canceled their services, and they felt isolated spiritually.

But what did we get to do?  We got to BRING CHURCH TO THEM. We got to pray with many of them. We got to conduct mini-services with them reminding them of what God's Word said about protection and about healing.  We got to remind them that as believers the PERSON that resides in them, the Holy Spirit, is greater than the power of the enemy and of this virus. 

The response was moving.  A number of them cried when they were prayed with.  They were so grateful.  So many were allowing their social media to shape their thinking at this time instead of their identity in Christ and the promises in God's Word.

Extinguishing fear is our mandate!  It has been said that "Fear Not" is a commandment that can be found 365 times in the Bible, one for every day of the year.  Whether that is an actual number, it is the most cited command in God's Word.  We have been given grace to NOT live in fear. To be able to obey what God commands. 

So go and do likewise - first of all, make sure fear isn't taking root in your own life.  At all costs, let us not succumb to fear!  Fear is an open door for the enemy.  And in the natural, when we are full of anxiety, our cortisol levels increase and the ability of our immune systems to resist and to fight off viruses is actually diminished!

And once you are fear-free, go and extinguish the fears of others!  Do what we did! Remind people of what God's Word says about them, about what they have access to and what God can/will do in the midst of these unprecedented days!