Here is a great note of encouragement from a brother (Frank Mceleny) on facebook:



This has been quite a remarkable week dont you agree? In many ways an exhausting week for the mind. A thousand different scenarios bombarding us from every conceivable angle. Fear openly stalking the streets of our hearts. Fears of disease, fears for our loved ones, fears for our jobs and financial futures. Every second of ever day the news telling us how bad it is. A running total of reported cases. I expect if they could, they would put a little box in the corner with each death recorded as it comes in, like the stock market box that runs constantly and tells us that its all plunging. Now do not get me wrong, I am very sympathetic to those who are taken with fear. For countless years I lived with many fears.
People who knew me would be astonished to know that because my persona was the exact opposite of that, but inside fears abounded. It is a horrific way to live life and indeed I did not live life in that sense because for the most part I drugged myself with alcohol and drugs. I had other sins to distract myself as well but for the most part, drunk or stoned every single night from my teenage years to the day that I met the Lord Jesus Christ. Over a decade in a stupor and of course night time was always the worse, a time when you were left with your thoughts which is the last thing you wanted.

One of the most wonderful aspects of coming to the Lord Jesus was freedom from fear and the ability to live not just an ordinary life, but an abundant life. And by abundant I do not mean material wealth although the Lord has richly blessed me in that as well. So as I wrote this I am thankful to the Lord that He is my harbor in the midst of the storm. I have not lost any sleep this week. I sleep in the peace of Jesus. Just like many people, I have lost a lot of money from our 401 and if we had plans to retire next week that would change.

I also had to cancel my trip to Scotland to see my elderly parents who, because of their age and health are in the front lines of this outbreak. My wife has an underlying lung condition, three times last year she was in the emergency room with pneumonia. If she were to get this virus it would devastate her. So, I am far from immune to everything that is going on around us. Yet, the circumstances of my life are not the foundation upon which I stand. They are not where my peace comes from. Jesus is my foundation and my peace. He is my joy and my all in all. It is because of Him that I sleep well at night.

You see something remarkable happens when you know Jesus, He shares His mind with us. That's right, we have, according to the Scriptures, the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) Praise Jesus. He deemed to share His mind with me! Imagine that, glory to God. We are a favored people above and beyond all that we can think or even imagine. If you do not have that peace then I want you to know that it is available. When the world begins to spin out of control it is then that we truly understand the value of the treasures that we have from heaven.

Peace and joy and contentment, and not because our circumstance are good, no no, that is something the world already has in measure. No, in the very depths of turbulent and traumatic circumstances we saints stand as a lighthouse and a beacon of light into the darkness and savagery of brutal storms. There can be no greater storms that we face than the storms that assault our hearts and minds. Jesus says that He has left us peace and His peace He has given to us, not as the world knows and understand peace, but a peace that surpasses understanding.
If you are caught up in a storm and hanging onto some piece of driftwood for dear life, then you see that Hand and hear these words "take my hand," then in order to be safe you have to let go of whatever you are holding onto. Let go today, take a hold of Jesus and allow His peace to flood your soul. Imagine being overwhelmed by love and peace and joy as opposed to being overwhelmed by fear and dread and terror. It is the difference between life and death. We are called to the abundant life.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon