Click on this for peace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrKIUzoXDJY
Perseverance #2
We are walking down a new path in our lives. Presently as I write we find ourselves in a worldwide flu epidemic known as the COVID-19 or Coronavirus. The pestilence is the cause for the masses around the world to be quarantined at home or in hospitals. The media reports employees laid off, businesses closing their doors and a panic run for food at the grocery stores leaving shelves emptied. Wall street’s flurry of fear plummets stocks. What is next? A depression/recession? Spiritually speaking, we are experiencing a spirit of fear shaking men’s hearts all around the globe.
Although we’ve had more serious past epidemics, we have only read about, some are listed below.
https://www.healthline.com/health/worst-disease-outbreaks-history#1
Before our heart stops beating, let’s first look at what we still have before we give into fear. Most of us still have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, dishes to wash with hot and cold water, some of us have family and good neighbors around to help. Because of all this goodness, we should have a thankful heart.
Our prayers begin with “Lord have mercy on us.” We ask for mercy, yet; we have been walking and living in a time of mercy. Think for just a moment, if we have too much mercy, we will not learn how to love or be thankful, we will take things for granted, nor will we use our faith and persevere. When we persevere we become strong and gain strength. The combination of mercy and justice makes for fine dining. For example, if I boil a pot of water and pour it into my glass it will break. If I pour some ice water into my glass it too could shatter into pieces. This is the difference between boiling hot or ice cold water. Just using one will never achieve our desired affect. Yet, if we pour a little bit of both into the same glass we then have a good usable mixture. Mercy and justice. This can be invisible love given to us, that few can see. Too much mercy can breed permissiveness and an unthankful heart. Mercy will continue to pardon and forgive. Why worry if you sin? God will give mercy, right? We learn by both mercy and justice. How many of us could stand with continual Justice? Justice comes because:
- We have a just God. This is part of His character.
- Because it is His will.
- Because it is written and prophesied it will come, in His timing.
- Because many of us have prayed for it and God always hears our prayers.
We have been walking in times of mercy, yet do not give back mercy and now, justice has been arriving in our land. Justice sifts all complacency out of a believer.
The world has literally been getting away with murder:
https://www.worldometers.info/abortions/.
Have we gotten use to business as usual? And, why are men’s hearts filled with fear, violence, anger, lies and blame-shifting, even unbelief and hatred towards God. Upon every side of depravity imaginable, we hear what Jesus once said, “we are as in the days of Noah.” We are here.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37-39 niv
The Son of Man is Jesus Christ who is coming back for His people.
“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all of the time.” Genesis 6:5 niv
But, what does the Bible say about pestilence? Jesus said, “ Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” Luke 21:10-11 niv
You might think: “We’ve had earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, famines and disease and plagues ever since I can remember.” I cannot help but agree with you, but have you noticed how quickly they are coming? One on top of each other, to the degree of barely being reported by the media? One side of the world is wrestling with pestilence but also Locusts. Another area is experiencing floods and the other side is being burnt up with fires! In one single day there were 5 earthquakes in the same area.
You might ask: “What does it have to do with me, and what can I do about it?”
Others might ask: “ I am really frightened, I do not know what to do?”
Your very first step is to humble yourselves. Be open to what the Bible says.
Believe in Jesus Christ the son of God who was sent to be a blood sacrifice, upon the cross for you and me, so we could have forgiveness. Think about this for just a moment. During the times of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Priest would take a lamb or a different animal and place it on the altar and offer it up to God for their sins. They tried to live up to all their Levitical laws as given in the book of Leviticus. For every type of sin, there was a specialized animal for a sacrificial blood offering. Come to find out, this did not work. People still sinned. What did God have to say about all this?
“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” Matthew 12:7
Jesus was sacrificed because His Father God loved us [the world] even in the very midst of our sins He calls us to Him. Our Father God, had to come down to our level of understanding and use His son as the final and once and for all sacrifice to take away all of our sins.
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father,
You’ve given us another day to hear your will and understand the depth of your love. You tell us we can persevere and even have peace during the storm. We need this peace. Right now I choose to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and I firmly believe that you raised Him up on the third day. I ask that you would forgive all my sins. Confess them__________. I choose to turn from them in repentance and ask your Holy Spirit to help me and give me strength to be strong, endure and persevere in Your truth. In Jesus I ask, amen.
If you have humbly prayed this prayer from your heart, the Bible tells us that you have been given a new heart and am a new person in Christ. This is called being Born Again. Now, you must grow in this truth by reading the Bible. Write things down, ask those who are believers questions to help you get through the trials and learn how to persevere. Start listening to good gospel music, you will be filled up with joy and peace! We are all in this together because we are “The Body of Christ.”
Next: Perseverance #3
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