Let me say first of all that as believers in Jesus Christ,
God has lavished upon us many blessings such as forgiveness, redemption, unity
and communion with Him. That unity and communion are granted to such an extent
that, according to the Father’s plan, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to comfort,
guide, embolden and give us wisdom. Jesus told His disciples that it was better
for them that He return to the Father so that the Spirit would come to them (John 16:7 ). The Holy Spirit
indwells all who believe in Christ as Saviour and over time conforms us to
Jesus’ image. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brethren.” It is the Spirit’s work in us that sanctifies us, changing us to be
the people He predestined us to be, doing the things He prepared before that we
should do. Ephesians 2:10
tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
So then, as recipients of His grace and not of our own
power, will, or goodness, God lavishes His blessing upon those who believe in
His Son Jesus. For Jesus died in our place and rose again that we may have life
in Him. We have absolutely no reason to fear, not even covid 19 or the related
fallout. As Romans 8:31-32
point out, based upon what God has already done, how can we expect any less
than His continued provision; those verses say, “What then shall we say to
these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?” These statements from Romans 8 do not ensure us that life will be luxurious or
even comfortable with regard to possessions. Rather, they speak of spiritual
things. God tells us elsewhere that He will provide for our basic needs; for
instance, Jesus said in Matthew
10:29-31 , “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not
one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows.” Romans 8 ,
however, is talking about having no fear because God will provide every
spiritual need and when we do pass from this life, and we all will eventually
unless Jesus returns first, we will enter into our inheritance, reserved in
Heaven for those who believe (see 1
Peter 1:3-5 ). For a believer in Jesus Christ, there is no reason
to fear, not even physical death, because, “we are confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 ).
That brings me to 2
Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power and of love and of a sound mind.” As we move toward reopening, there will
be plenty of opportunities to fear because there are many who tell you to fear.
God however, tells us to say with boldness, “The Lord is my helper, I will not
fear” (Hebrews 13:6 ).
God has given us power, love and a sound mind. So stop believing everything you
hear because much of what you hear from various “experts” contradicts what
other “experts” are saying. The world right now is full of confusion and
contradiction, and there is plenty of that right here in the County as well. I
am not saying that when God says not to fear, that we can walk around oblivious
to health dangers; you cannot walk out in front of a bus because you’re not
supposed to fear. You’re not supposed to be foolish either. We should not fear
when we are doing God’s will.
The only thing you can trust without question is the Word of
God. Everything else needs to be filtered through His Truth by minds led by His
Spirit. As believers yielded to the Holy Spirit we “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 ) meaning we can reason and
think clearly through chaotic situations because the Spirit ministers truth to
us. We just need to be sure we are listening to Him and not our own fear, or
worldly foolishness, or the Enemy’s lies.
In order to “fear not” while dealing with life’s
difficulties and chaos, you and I must allow God to clear our minds and infuse
us with Truth from His Word all the time. It is as important as ever that we
soak up the Word of God so that we will recognize the truth from foolishness
and lies. If you’ve been faithfully in the Word, fantastic, stay at
it. If not, get started immediately. You can either join us with the 2020
reading plan or you can do something else, just as long as you are reading the
Scriptures. If you haven’t read for a long time, I would suggest starting in 1
John.
May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and fill your
heart and mind with peace as you yield to Him.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Mark
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