If you value your peace of mind, and your sanity, social media (particularly Twitter) isn’t the place for you. And that’s on any regular day. On a day wrought with panic over the potential of a “global outbreak”, it’s unbearable.
“Trust in the Lord, all you who worship Him. He helps you and protects you.” – Psalm 115:11
I won’t get into all the semantics of the situation. Is it overblown, is there fear-mongering, is it biological warfare? No sense heading down that highway. I also won’t worry about the critics who may accuse me of avoiding reality.
I only know one reality, and that’s what God says.
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who honor Him, and he rescues them.” – Psalm 34:7
I’ve heard people accuse Christians of living in denial, and using the Bible as a comfort to try and avoid what’s actually going on around them. There was even a time where I would look for verses to make me feel better about what I was going through.
But the Bible isn’t a tissue box; it’s a book of power.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24
The Bible isn’t here to help us feel better about our fear. It’s meant to combat and defeat our fear. In His word from start to finish, God instructs us, no He commands us, to trust in Him. To not be afraid. To take refuge in Him. To be courageous and confident.
If you’ve known me for a long time, you might think that me writing this is ironic. But don’t let my good sense of hygiene fool you.
When the Bible tells us about the trials and tribulations we face (also known as temptation and persecution), make no mistake: It does not include sickness and disease.
“If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” – Exodus 15:26
So I’m not the least bit worried about a coronavirus or whatever they’re calling it. Why? Because I serve a God who promises to protect all those who serve Him, and promises to keep plagues far from us. And those aren’t empty promises.
“For in You, I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” – Psalm 18:29-30
Come on, now. That is powerful!
You can’t be filled with the Spirit and filled with fear at the same time. You have to unlock God’s power, and the anointing in you, not only to dismantle fear, but to put a holy barricade around you. Nothing is getting through.
Now isn’t the time to read news headlines and become afraid. It’s the time to pray, to pray in the Spirit, to declare the promises of God over your life, and over your household.
I live on Psalm 91. And that’s on any regular day. But even more so today, get that scripture into your Spirit and hold onto it.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91.
This isn’t some false sense of security. This is the powerful Word of God. It never fails, it never returns void. God is bigger than fear, bigger than disease, bigger than any giant and any evil thing.
Don’t cower in fear. The disciples were afraid of the storm, but Jesus stood up and rebuked it.
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children.” – Romans 8:15
