An Exhortation in Light of the Coronavirus
God has put this on my heart. My concussion is still quite severe and I am not able to cut and paste a bunch of Scriptures, nor am I able to edit or organize my thoughts thoroughly.
This passage is going around a lot these days, but it is always mentioned in respect to increasing our prayer efforts. I have not heard anyone address the far more important aspects, that of humbling ourselves and repenting! Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us that the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, but our sins have hidden His face from us, our iniquities have made it so He does not hear our prayers (paraphrase from my memory). Prayer without repentance will be to no avail!
In Daniel chapter 9, we have an incredible example of Daniel humbling himself before the Lord. Daniel is one of the few Biblical characters of whom nothing negative is said, yet he humbled himself before the Lord over the sins of his people, and he included himself as being guilty! Let us learn from him about what it means to humble ourselves before the Lord!
Secondly, let's just take Jesus' greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength.
How are you doing with that? Seriously? They say your priorities can be seen best in two places, your calendar and your pocketbook. How much time do you spend in God's Word compared to watching TV or Netflicks? We have brothers and sisters in persecuted nations who attend congregations that do not even have a single copy of God's Word. What they would give to have a single copy to share among hundreds or thousands! We have numerous copies in our homes and barely open them! We rely on 5 minute devotionals where we let someone else tell us what it says. We have a mindset of a few verses a day will keep the devil away, rather than loving God with all our MIND. I want to challenge us to return to our first love, and love Jesus and His Word with all our heart, soul, mind and strength!
Many of us have more time on our hands during this crisis, we should be arming ourselves with the Word of God, equipping ourselves for perhaps harder times ahead. Regardless of how this current situation pans out, Jesus promised that all who follow Him would have trouble in this world. We are told that all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Is there even enough evidence of being a Christian in our lives that we would ever face persecution? If so, do we have enough of God's Word hidden in our hearts to carry us through? When communism swept over China and Russia, Christians were brutally persecuted. Many were not prepared. Now, Christianity is exploding in China, in spite of horrible persecution. While in North America, where we worship comfort and ease, churches are closing every day!
God has given us a wake-up call. Are we just going to continue to focus on the encouraging passages, or prayers for God to take away our troubles, and ignore the call to repentance, to love God with everything we have and are? Jesus said that anyone who does not deny himself and pick up his cross daily is not worthy of HIm! (Lk 9:23) It is time for us to truly follow The One who denied comfort and died on a brutal Roman cross that we might have life in Him! The gods of North America are comfort, leisure, and SELF. We are all guilty to one degree or another of idolatry -- putting something in our life as more important than God. Jesus didn't die for us to just live a life of comfort, He died that we would die to ourselves and live for Him! I once heard a preacher say, "It is time for a bunch of funerals!" Let us die to ourselves and live for Jesus!
I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me! (Gal 2:20)
A missionary friend, who used to smuggle Bibles across the Iron Curtain recommended the series on Revelation by David Pawson. I strongly encourage you to listen to it, and any of his other sermons.
I have been doing a read through the Bible plan by audio. When I had a question about something in Leviticus, I looked up a resource and came across another great preacher. He works through the Bible verse by verse.
I have been collecting videos on evidence for the truth of God's Word. I encourage you to strengthen your faith with these great resources. they are in no order.
Let us repent and put God back on the throne of our lives, that God will then hear our prayers!
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