We accept the Bible is God’s inerrant Word, right? We read the accounts in the Bible and we believe they happened as written. But, truthfully, don’t we also take for granted what happened?

It’s easy for us to look at God’s people during many instances in the Bible and think “ye of little faith” and shake our heads that those people way back when were so quick to flee God when uncertain circumstances or difficult circumstances sent them fleeing from God.

Well, what’s our excuse? It’s easy to look back on those stories knowing God was with them because we know how the story ends. Now, we are in the middle of our own story, our own times of uncertainty and difficulty and what is our reaction? Are we running toward God or away from Him?

Many of us are fearful because in the Age of Corona there is reason to be concerned about our health, the health of our loved ones, our friends, our co-workers. But there is a huge difference between having fear (which is a normal response to self-preservation) and living in fear. We have no need to live in fear if we trust in God and in Jesus.

We must recognize where the fear originates and understand the victory we have in Christ.

I have read that statement many times and each time it’s a clear reminder of how we fill our hearts and minds with worry and fear and lose faith in the ONE we belong to. We quickly forget who we are. We forget we are God’s hands and feet on Earth and we have the power to share His hope with others, to be a blessing to others. That has not changed since Jesus issued the Great Commission to the 12.

As I was gathering notes for this month’s newsletter, I began collecting stories that not only touched my heart but stories people shared about how something suddenly happened and out of nowhere their lives and daily routines were turned completely upside down.

With the global impact the Coronavirus has had on our lives and daily routines around the world, it really seems no different than the three stories below in that we can let fear, overwhelm, and chaos take control of us and quickly lose sight of God in turbulent times if we are not careful. We need constant reminders to help us navigate a deeply fallen and broken world, and that is why we need to dig into God’s Word every day… with or without storms so we can stand firm on His promises.

News of the coronavirus (COVID-19) consumes hours of media coverage. It has become a global focus and has gripped many hearts with fear.

While it’s important to be informed, I want to encourage you to keep your focus on the goodness of God. As Christians, we see a bigger picture of life and believe in a great and mighty God who ultimately is in control.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28

Psalm 91:1 reminds us of our position and our relationship with God, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” That’s your promise to stand on every day! David also reminded us where to keep our mindset in troubled times… “where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

On a personal level, we can all do our part to implement best health practices like washing our hands and avoiding large crowds, but this can also be a time when WE can be the Church, walking in faith and with peace to help many who are gripped by fear.

While many churches around the country are closed as they too practice social distancing, we are still gathering, still worshipping, still sharing Jesus with others.

Messages are being spread through social media, streaming through sites like YouTube, being shared via email and text. Always remember what Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Just because we are not assembled in a large building does not mean that Jesus is not at our worship, He is wherever we are so long as we gather in His glorious name! It is in that spirit that I wanted to share the three stories below that I found online on various social channels. Since they are out in the public domain, I don’t have concerns also sharing them with you on our blog. I do hope that if this article touches you, that you will share it by posting the link on your social channels.

As you read the following stories, consider what our friend Bruce Zoeller wrote in an email to us when he had to suddenly cancel a large annual event at our church… “We are in a special position of influence to help others navigate this difficult season. Let us be confident in GOD our Father, the LORD Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who guides us, to share with others of our confidence in eternity and God’s provision for all of us. Let us be wise stewards in this ‘Season of Life’ God has placed us in. Let us be HIS Light into the darkness.”

Story #1 – “Ungrateful Victims Rather Than the Thankful Warriors”

Lee Ann from Double H Canine Training Academy

At the end of summer last year, my husband Rich had an unexpected diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer. It was a tumor that had been misdiagnosed as a benign cyst. Pathology after surgery revealed it to be a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Within a few days, he underwent another surgery to remove a larger margin and to check his lymph nodes.

His surgeon had prepared us for the worst and ordered several scans including his brain because he suspected that the cancer had spread. That’s when we rallied our prayer warriors.

Needless to say, GOD showed up in a big way.

All scans were clear and there was no trace of cancer in his body. Can’t explain it. Can’t deny it. And the doctor is still scratching his head. It was truly a miracle. God healed him. And I’m ashamed to say that our thankfulness faded in less than a month.

The Enemy started coming after us so hard and heavy and we allowed ourselves to be ungrateful victims rather than the thankful warriors that he created us to be. So much that I had almost forgotten that God had performed a miracle in my husband. I have been so caught up in why doesn’t God answer my prayers that I actually had a conversation with Him yesterday and I said, “I don’t know why I even talk to you” (just being real).

Today Rich had his first post-cancer scan and there still is no trace of cancer! The doctor is still scratching his head.

This was an in your face reminder to stop looking at the crap that the Enemy keeps throwing at you and to focus on GOD. What HE is and what HE has done.

 And when we ask Him to show us that HE has not forgotten about us HE will.

Story #2 – “Until the Whole World Hears”

Mark from Casting Crowns

I just celebrated five years cancer-free and looking back on that season, I remember wondering, where in the world did this come from? Cancer was a storm that came out of nowhere into my life. I was busy and had so much going on and all of a sudden it was as though my life stopped on a dime. It was like God hit the pause button. At first, I was scared I didn’t understand where I was headed or why it was happening. God showed me that He works all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. I had time with my family that I would never have had.

So, although this is a frightening season, God can still use this for so many good things. How are you going to let God use this pause in your world? Who can you love better? Who can you serve? How can you point others to the God who holds us when everything else seems so out of control? Look for where God is working and join Him.

Story #3 – “Who Am I?”

Jason from Building 429

Hey guys. Hanging out here [home] this week. Getting started on another week and continuing to hear about more and more shutdowns and stuff that are going on all over the country, listening to the President say that now it’s like groups of 10 and they’re saying it could potentially be eight weeks before large groups are allowed to gather together. I’ve got to be honest, that’s some scary stuff for a guy who requires people to gather together for him to be able to go out and do what he does, to share the good news of the Gospel. And yet at the same time, I’m focused on finding the blessings of every single day and I want to share the scripture with you that jumped out at me. It says this, “But blessed is the one who trusts the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. For they will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when He comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and it never fails to bear fruit.” That’s Jeremiah 17:7-8.

That scripture has kind of jumped at me today and honestly, another question has been the thing that’s been on my mind and that question is “Who am I?” Like who am I when everything else gets taken away? Like if everything in my world was gone. Right? Like if the house was gone, if the ability to pay my bills was gone, if all those things, like the question is who, like who would I be? Right? And that’s I think a question that I think we should all be thinking about because I do feel like in some small way what we’re dealing with here is a moment of reset, a moment where we get to look at ourselves in the mirror and go like, all of our prosperity and are we shaken to our core when the prosperity is shaken. And I think the truth is yeah we’re a little worried about that. But I also think that if you ask the question “Who am I?” and by the way that’s the question I’m asking myself, I feel like I’ve always been a provider. I’ve been a father, I’ve been a husband. I’ve always done everything I could to take care of my family but ultimately who I am and who you are out there is a child of the Living God. Right? Like we are loved. We are not abandoned.

And I think that one of the things that give me great confidence even as I’m sitting here with like literally nothing, nothing on the horizon. Right? Like everything is shutting down. Guys, Nashville is shutting down. Everywhere. There’s no, it’s a scary time. Right? But the reality is that if my house was gone and what money I have saved up was gone and if they came and took all the stuff that’s inside of my house the Lord has blessed me with an incredible wife and with two incredible and godly children. And ultimately, I’m a child of God and I know that I’m going to be okay.

God didn’t give us a spirit of fear but of love power and a sound mind. We in our daily lives – coronavirus or not – to live in faith and hope. When we are in Christ we are never hopeless. In the midst of difficult circumstances, our hope should grow, not shrink…and it’s part of our job as followers of Christ to ensure as best we can that hope spreads farther and faster than fear.

But always be mindful that we are never guaranteed to be unscathed or unchanged by the circumstances. God uses good and not so good circumstances to teach us the lessons He needs us to learn and to grow as He needs us to grow. And, admittedly, sometimes that is not fun and certainly not easy. However, it provides us to be the church, it provides us an opportunity to church differently until we can gather in person once more, and it provides us with the opportunity to still connect with people – to check in on people – and have conversations “normal” life might not avail us to those opportunities.

Tony and I want to encourage you out there, wherever you are, maybe this is the opportunity that you have to look in the mirror and go, “Now if everything were gone, if I got devastating news that completely changed the direction of my life, would I be okay?” Hopefully, your answer is yes because you have faith and trust in God. Mind you, everything would not be pleasant or comfortable, no. But God never promised comfortable.

It is our desire that our words here today are encouraging and have you focused on what we should always be focused upon – God – no matter what is going on in the world. Every generation experiences difficult times and ours is no different, it’s just the situations are different. How we react to them and what we can do for God’s glory is the most important thing.

You should have confidence in God and not trust in the things that you’ve built and the things that you’ve saved. I hope that your trust is in the Lord because that scripture tells us in Jeremiah 17 verse 7 and 8. It says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. For they will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and it never fails to bear fruit.”

Trust in the Lord, brothers and sisters. Find the blessings of every single day, of every day. But remember this, if everything in this world were gone you’d still be a child of God and He never leaves or forsakes his children.

Priscilla Shirer posted on Instagram and it is SO worth repeating, “You don’t need a crowd to be in ministry. Keep serving. Keep honoring God. Keep loving people. The most effective discipleship has always happened one on one.”

There’s a difference between living in fear and being wise. Tony and I are praying for you, your families and loved ones as we all slow down for a season.

It’s a time to be on our knees in prayer

2 Chronicles 7:13-15 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”