“Finding Peace During a time of Chaos” –R Nelson
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8;
ENCOURAGING WORD:
It is times like these that really make us think. Everyday people that usually do not have any idea of what is taking place in our world are suddenly swarmed with information that is spread throughout the social media. Most of them will believe everything that they hear and in most case what they hear is true. But what we do not hear is the good news that usually follows and how things are being handled behind the scenes. We need to keep a level head and know that things are being dealt with the best that they can. There is no doubt that the Corona Virus is dangerous, and if not dealt with, it can become worse and worse as time goes on but we are instructed by the Word of God that we are not to let fear run our lives. We need to put our trust in God; because only He can keep you truly safe. The Bible is full of verses as to how we should deal with fear during times of chaos. John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The evil that is plaguing our world is not from God, our God is a God of love, not of fear and anguish. With that being said, I do believe that God is allowing this to happen to wake us up as a reminder to us that He is in charge and through this chaos, He will show His love for us through this so that we will all see His mighty hand at work.
All the way through the Bible when Gods people were unfaithful and rebellious toward their faith to God, He would bring upon them plagues and other unpleasant events to bring them back to Him. He even allowed them to go into bondage to Babylon for seventy years, but after the time allotted, He brought them back to their homeland. God will never let His sheep wonder, He will always do what it takes to bring us back to Him if it means a time of chaos such as we are experiencing today. Even now in the days in which we live, God is doing the same thing to us here in America as we saw what happened back on 911, Hurricane Katrina and many other events that happened in Gods perfect timing. 911 brought upon us a time of revival when people started going to church again and praising the Lord, but once again as time went on, that all went by the wayside. We see signs all around us that say, “We will not forget.” The way I see things again today with all the sin that is permeating through America, I would say, we have forgotten and the churches once again are empty. As scary as everything was during 911 and with all the people panicking, God has always brought us through with greater faith than we previously had, but as time goes on, we always seem to fall right back into our sinful ways. It is a shame that God has to continually remind us of who He is and that He is involved in our everyday lives, but being the week humans that we are, it is our nature to fall away whenever we have the chance. We read this interesting verse in 1 Timothy 4:1; “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; This verse I believe is speaking very loud to us today, and many prominent Bible scholars believe that we are in those days in which this verse is referring to. It may well be, I personally lean that way, but only God knows for sure.
I especially believe that this is a time for true believers to step up and be the shining light that we are instructed to be. If we as Christians are running around like chickens with our heads cut off in fear, then where do those with little or no faith have to go to for comfort through these unprecedented (unfamiliar) times? We read in 1 Timothy 1:7; “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” God is speaking to those that claim to be Christians. We need to use that power of love and a sound mind to comfort those that are running in fear! Throughout history God has always declared his intentions through His true believers. I am going to rely on God to use me to bring you comfort and it is up to you whether you accept it as truth or not. First and foremost, The Corona Virus that we are experiencing in our world today is not the pestilence that Revelation is speaks of. As serious as it is though, we will make it through all this chaos because of the power of God. God may be using this as a warning of what is coming. If I am correct and I believe I am, we will get through this just as we have in the past and God will once again bless our country and make us safe and prosperous. And once again as I have said numerous times, this is my opinion and I could be wrong, but because I feel the Holy Spirit is revealing these things to me I have to believe they are true.
Now, if you claim to be a Christian and you are running in fear, let me remind you of a Bible story that we are all familiar with but most of us have no idea how to apply it to our lives. We read in Exodus 12:12-13; “‘for I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Can you imagine being in Egypt with people screaming and crying through the night because of the angel of death that is all around them. But yet, those that trusted in the Spirit of God and had the blood spread on their door posts, were without feat because they knew that God was with them. This is how we as the Body of Christ are supposed to be. If you are a true Christian, and have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it is as if you have the blood of the lamb sprinkled on you and you are safe from whatever evil may be brought about by the world. Just so nobody misunderstands what I am saying, Christians are still subject to death, just as anybody else is, but if you are saved by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and you pass away, you will go directly to heaven where we read in 2 Corinthians 5:8; “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” If God takes us home, then there is a reason as we read in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Now, this should be an extremely comforting verse if you trust in the Word of God.
For those that are not believers in Christ, I believe that God is reaching out to you to remind you once again, that He loves you and wishes that all would repentant and submit to His will as we read in 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning His Promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God has given us warning after warning and yet, still most people are blind to the reality that Jesus Christ is coming back possibly sooner than later.
I’m going to share a few more verses from the scriptures from the Bible. Isaiah 41:10; “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Are you hearing what God is telling us,or are these just a bunch of empty words to you? The Bible is full of promises that God has given us so that we do not live a life in bondage to fear! Philippians 4:6-7; “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This is an understanding that only can be known by believers in Christ! When you give your life to Jesus Christ, all of a sudden you feel that comfort that does pass all human understanding, and when you get there, it feels great. One more verse where we read in Romans 8:15; “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Hopefully you are starting to get the message. Life is so much more enjoyable when you know that Jesus Christ is in charge. The spirit of fear will cease from existing in your life when you make that decision to follow Christ!
There is, however, another side to the fear that a lot of people are feeling through this chaos and that is their bank account. There are so many people that are more worried about Wall Street than those that are dying and losing loved ones. This is another reason why I believe that God has allowed this to happen, so we all can see where our hearts really are. We read this verse in Matthew 6:19-21; “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Is your treasure here on earth or is it being stored up in heaven. This is a great test for us to learn from. This is where we will see those that are true Christians and those that go by word only. If this stings, maybe it would be a good idea to re-evaluate your priorities and get right with the Lord. Are you more concerned about your bank book or are you concerned for those that are losing their lives. Keep this thought in mind as you ponder what is important to you. When someone loses a loved one, that loved one is gone, they are not coming back. If you lose some money on Wall Street, it will come back. We need to stop being so selfish and step up to the plate and watch over those that need help in this time of crisis, even if it is financial help. For those that have lost loved ones, this will affect them for the rest of their lives, those that lose money will recover as if nothing happened. We read in Colossians 3:23-24; “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. God will not let your good deeds go unrewarded. Matthew 25:21 tells us, “His lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. This is the time to use your God given gifts and use them to help others.
We in America are so comfortable with our everyday lives that we forget that we are not invincible, so when something like this happens, we all fall apart. Most of the world in which we live has to deal with these kinds of tragedies every day. We are all a part of this great country that we call America and the reason being that we are a great country is because of our belief in Jesus Christ are our loyalty to our allies, especially Israel! God has His hedge of protection over America and He will continue to protect us until we turn on Him and fall completely into apostasy, (abandonment of a previous loyalty.) Until then, He will be faithful to those that are faithful to Him. So, instead of letting fear run your life, try calling out to Jesus Christ for relief and if you are sincere, you will hear from Him and you will realize that it will be the best decision that you will ever make. So, in the mean item, just stay calm and know that God is in charge and everything will be fine. Do not panic, be wise, protect yourself and if we are told to stay in our homes for a time, do it, and remember, these things have to happen. Will you allow fear and panic to rule your life or with you trust in Jesus. Your answer will dictate how you respond to these things that are happening.
ACTION POINT:
Here is the main point that I want to make. I’m not going to sugar coat what is happening because it is very serious. When even one person dies due to an illness or accident it is always a mournful situation. Many have died and it is possible that many more could die, but this will come to an end. There may be some very rough days in the next couple of weeks, but know this, these things have to happen to bring the Corona Virus to its knees. It will be a very concerning time because of the unknown, but know this, God does know and all this is working out for the good as once again the Bible declares in Romans 8:28. We all need to band together and support the decisions that are being made. Just stay calm and know that God is in charge. If you feel a tug on your heart, it may very well be the Holy Spirit calling you trust in Jesus Christ and accept Him as you Lord and Savior. If you turn to Jesus Christ and are sincere with your conversion, you will feel immediate relief from the fear that has kept you in bondage all these years. Tonight as you lie in bed, just call out to the Lord and tell Him what is on your mind, He is there and He will listen! So keep this thought in mind as you make your way through the day, tomorrow is never promised so we need to make the best of today, so the best thing that you can do today is receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and know for certain that you are in His forever family! There is no better sense of security this side of heaven! “Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!
A Word From our Chaplin – R.Fritz
Finding Peace During a Time of Chaos
Who would have thought, we in the United States would see illness and businesses shutdown all over the country? This is scary to most people and certainly fear has set in by what people see and speak out. Fear is a spirit that is taking over this country. Where fear is, the Lord cannot operate. Fear is where you are in the here and now, but your mind is looking at the future. We cannot cope with a mind projection into the future. We need “Faith” for the Lord to operate because fear and doubt come from the devil. 2 Timothy 1:7 says For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of Love, and of a sound mind.”
I have become an expert and teach people how to overcome fear after asking the Lord for tools to overcome fear. I had fear operate in my life for over 50 years. The Lord gave me 3 bible verses to stop the spirit of fear, the last one I got, stopped fear immediately. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says”(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” What this says is the weapons we use are not in the flesh, but they are mighty through God and through praying in the spirit (through the Holy Spirit) all spiritual things that come against the knowledge of God and every thought has to come to the obedience of Christ. This was a game changer for me. People with mental illness or fear or other thoughts from the devil can now stop thoughts immediately. Fear operates in your mind. Christians are being tested about their faith. We get tested all the time. I am not saying this pandemic is from our God. I would use this to check my “faith.”
Peace comes from focusing on Jesus Christ. When you focus on him fear cannot operate. Romans 14:17 says “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The Holy Ghost is what gives peace and joy in times of trouble. John 14:26-27 says “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus says, The Holy Ghost shall (that’s a promise) teach you all things and bring all things to your memory. Jesus also left peace, not as the world would, but his peace, not fear. If you have the Holy Spirit, you have all you need to overcome this virus and fear. If you don’t go to church because its closed, you still have the Holy Spirit to teach you, you just have to ask the Holy Spirit any question you need answered. We all have choices now, live in the world even though we know Jesus Christ or live in the Spirit with Jesus Christ and have his knowledge at your fingertips and not see things as the world does.