In times of uncertainty…
With the Corona Virus “looming” in every news broadcast, life right now feels uncertain and threatening. This time however is not unique, we have had periods as such. During the Cold War where Russia seemed as a looming threat I remember going to bed as a child wondering if the next day we would be bombed, or if there would even be a next day. Then there was Y2K, the computers where going to crash, then we had the Anthrax scare in 2001 and in 2002 we feared the spread of the West Nile Virus followed by SARS in 2003 and then seemingly we had peace until in 2005 when the Bird Flu broke out, then E.Coli in 2006 and then stocks crashed in 2008 and in 2009 the Swine Flu and on it goes with almost each year having an event and one we all remember is 9-11. Now we have the Corona Virus.
These events were major events, people got hurt, people lost their jobs and people died, so the point and the question, especially knowing how our human nature wants things safe and predictable is how should we live in these uncertain times? And the ironicalness of this is as a nation we have printed on our money “In God We Trust.” We should always be living like that, keeping a “light touch,” on everything; even our pass teaches that. Yet in reality we white knuckle everything.
We are like trees rooted deep into the soil of what we perceive will not change. So given the uncertainty of this life, and I’ll repeat the question, how should we live? In the Biblical book of Ezekiel Israel had gone into exile because of their idol worship ( an idol is anything that we put before God. It can be finances, people, passions, a job etc.). While they were in exile they asked God the same question, and God’s answer was one of repentance and seeking Him, putting Him first in their daily lives and decisions.
Ezekiel 33:10-11pp
“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we die away because of them how can we continue to live?” ’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, I have no joy in the sufferings of the unrepentant but that they turn from his/her way and seek Me. Turn, turn from your self seeking ways and follow me! For why should your future be in peril O house of Israel?’ Remember God’s concept of future is not limited to 80 or 90 years.
The message of repentance is never well received.
Ezekiel 33:30-31
Hearing and Not Doing
“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you…, and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.
So the very first step of dealing with the Corona Virus or any uncertainty is first, are you right with God? Is He the priority in your life, or is He second, third, or fourth to other pursuits? If so, this needs to change. It can never be God and something else, that never works. Its all God, or not God at all; He’ll never be second. Here’s how to make Him first.
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world ( you and me) that He gave
His only begotten Son that whoever believes (trusts) in Him should not be lost but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but that the world through Him might be SAVED.
The Cross, which some people find offensive, I find comfort and security in. When anyone sacrifices their very life for you that is someone you can trust; completely.
Jesus lead by example and taught a whole new way to live. It’s found in Matthew 5. It’s titled the Be Attitudes, or the Attitudes To Be. When one entrust their life into God’s care He will not handle our life as we would. We seek residency here, He seeks our residency with Him while we live out our lives here. Can you see the conflict in that? We are like barnacles, once we latch on to our earthly identity and security it’s hard for us to let go. In fact we don’t unless something major happens, like what we are experiencing now. We need something to occur that forces us to reevaluate our goals and decisions. Through hard times we learn that nothing here is permanent. Anything founded here can and does change. When times are good we tend to put God in the back seat, or maybe we even leave Him hitchhiking? Not good. A sense of permanence or true security can only be found in knowing The Lord. Read this next verse, a promise that Jesus makes.
John 14:26-27
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (Jesus) He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives ( gives and takes back) do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We can have peace despite all the uncertainties, why? Because our Eternal Foundation does not change, for its not based here. It’s not reliant on man but on God and His promises. However our goals must become God’s goals, otherwise peace will be hard to find. Remember our life here is passing, maybe eighty to ninety years give or take. However what is that compared to Eternity, but a dot on a continuum that goes on forever. He seeks that are residency to be with Him. That our ambitions, goals and desires line up with His. By spending time in prayer and the scriptures we start becoming more heavenly minded and we start to change. Things here become less important to us.
These changes can be painful, but afterwards they yield to a greater understanding of God, and a greater freedom from the fears and insecurities that plague us. We gain the ability to have peace in the midst of the chaos. Just think, to not be controlled by fear or insecurity, or by anger or lust (etc.) To “manage” these feelings rather than being managed by them is such a relief ! No longer puppets on the string of human emotions, but sons and daughters of a Grace so rich that despite what happens here we can never be separated from Him or His love.
Romans 8:18
From Suffering to Glory
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Aside from the freedom that the hope of Eternal life brings us, being in relationship with the Lord gives peace and promise. There are many promises in the scriptures that bring strength, comfort, protection, and assurance, especially for such a time as this.
Philippians 4:6-7 ( for times of anxiety)
Be anxious (or worried) for nothing, but in everything by prayer with request and WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ( out of your hands and into His).”
Becoming His son or daughter is the starting point. And just like any relationship, the more time we spend with someone the better we get to know them. It is no different with the Lord. It’s hard to trust a stranger, but a good friend can be trusted. The more we spend time with Him through prayer and Bible study we will find that our anxieties will lessen and our faith will grow. As we mature in our faith, it will become easier to trust Him.
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Part III Controlling the negative emotions.
There is a way we deal with anxiety, fear, insecurity, lust etc., we have “armor” that is made up of God’s promises. In Ephesians 6 we have a word picture of the armor of the Christian. I am only sharing two verses of the Christian armor the rest continues in verses 13 and on (I would encourage you to read it).
Ephesians 6:10-12 “ Our Battle “
The Whole Armor of God
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly places…..”
If this is the first time you have read this verse it’s a little scary. Wrestling with the Devil is not my idea of fun. However, since the beginning of time man has had conflict with the Devil. In the Garden of Eden, the master of lies and deception appears as a serpent challenging God’s Word saying “did God say?” And he does the same thing today. In every faucet of life that the Bible addresses Satan says, “ Did God say?”
Genesis 3:1-5i
The Temptation and Fall of Man
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The “serpent’s” job has always been to slander and discredit God making Him out to be liar, but let’s see who the real liar is.
Genesis 3:8-10
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Here are words Adam never used before till now; hid, afraid, and naked. Where as prior to this Adam and Eve looked forward to God’s visits, being naked never bothered them, and fear, what fear? How tragic is that?
Genesis 2:25( prior to sin)
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now with their eyes “opened” shame, fear, blame, distance from God and insecurity come and Adan even blames God and Eve for his sin…
Genesis 3:11-12
And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.
From God being his best friend to God becoming adversarial. So much for this “new freedom,” and it’s always like this and what died was two fold. The intimacy shared between God and man died and was replaced by fear and insecurity and that division extended unto eternal life where now God had to provide a means to redeem man – The Cross. The whole message of Easter is about Redemption, because God so loved that He gave… However from this one act of disobedience sin entered into man and God’s Holy Spirit which clothed man in His Glory left, therefore they truly were naked. They saw themselves in such shame compared to the glory of God that prior clothed them that they hid themselves. Physically though they lived and the devil fully knew what death would occur but he lied ( what a surprise?) Jesus rightly called him the father of lies in John…
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil ( speaking to the Pharisees ) and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The greatest freedom a person could ever have is being in a love relationship with God. There is no greater freedom on planet earth. Not a legalistic relationship based on obeying a set of rules but a relationship were we allow Him the freedom to change us. It’s from love that God has asks us to follow Him. As long as we are trying to earn God’s favor by obeying a set of rules we are on a religious platform. Once we understand that it is impossible to earn His favor, that we already have it because of what Christ did on the Cross, then we become free to really grow in Christ. We become recipients of what Christ did when we believe and receive the gift of salvation. Understanding that His Grace is impossible to earn, that no one is perfect enough to earn it from a Holy God is liberating. Accepting this truth becomes the bridge to our freedom were we can start learning to walk in the Spirit of Grace and not in the letter of the law which is legalism, or a life that follows all the rules but void of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Years ago that use to be me.
In ending I leave you with some instruction
Philippians 4:6-8
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
….and the God of peace will keep your hearts in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philip. 4:7)