Where is the Fearless Army of Faith? – Part 1
“Dread has come to the church. The following verse is a warning to rebels of God, yet it is manifesting among Christians today. Embarrassing.
“‘Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.’ (Deuteronomy 28:66; ESV)
“As Believers, we are promised abundant life and a life free from fear. Those who rebel? Dread has come. Why is the church responding like the lost? Why are so many afraid, anxious and losing hope? We have a problem.
“Dr. Drew Pinsky was quoted by FOX News: ‘Essentially the entire problem we are having is due to panic, not the virus,’ he said. ‘I was saying this six weeks ago. We have six deaths from the coronavirus, 18,000 from the flu. Why isn’t the message, “Get your flu vaccine’”?’
“Pinsky, host of ‘Dr. Drew After Dark,’ said the coronavirus impact has been milder than initially projected.
“‘The entirety of the problem now is that people are being pushed into bankruptcy. Travel is down. The supply chain is being interrupted because of panic,’ he reiterated.
“‘The flu virus is vastly more consequential and nobody is talking about that.’
‘He said that people who are wearing respirator masks are engaged in ‘panic behavior’ rather than preventative measures.
“‘It is a press-induced panic that will have real consequences. It will not be the virus,’ Pinsky said.
“If Dr. Drew is furious that secular society is panicking about coronavirus, I believe we as Christians should be all the more furious.
This fear that’s causing supposed blood-bought followers of the most powerful being in existence to absolutely freak out over a minuscule chance that they might be touched by a flu-like illness is ridiculous when compared to their concerns about eternity.
“If there’s a much greater chance of going to hell, where is the panic, the concern, the preparation? This road is very narrow and few will avoid eternal torment, yet people are stressed over a virus? Yes, some have died, and that should cause heartfelt compassion, but it shouldn’t result in anxiety. While numbers may increase and appropriate health precautions should absolutely be taken, as of the writing of this article, of the 327 million people living in the United States, nine have died from coronavirus. The percentage? 0.0000000275229358%, or approximately 1 in 36 million.
The chances of going to Hell? Much greater than 50%. Some would argue more than 99%. Again, where is the urgent, intense concern?” (To be continued…) (Article by John Burton)1
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13; ESV)
Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:
Worship the Lord. Remind yourself of how great He is and how intimate He is with you.
How are you doing in the fear department? Feeling nervous, anxious, terrified? Ask the Lord why that is? Where do you not trust Him, fear Him, or understand His deep, deep love for you? Let Him minister to that fear with a goal of setting you free.
Read Psalm 46. Declare verses 1-3 and 7 over you and your family, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Now, be brave and consider how concerned or unconcerned you are about souls slipping into hell. Be real with the Lord. Let Him change your perspective and your heart. Intercede passionately for the lost!
A prayer you can pray:
Lord, I worship You. You are the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the creator of all things, and the lover of my soul. You have saved me, healed me, and delivered me. Of whom shall I fear? Why am I feeling fearful over this coronavirus? Is this truly responsible caution, or am I not trusting You somewhere? Show me, Lord, and deliver me. I should be an example to the world of faith and trust in You. Right now, most of the Church appears to be acting just as panicked as the world! Lord, I repent. Heal my heart and mind with a greater revelation of the love of Christ! I declare over myself and my family, “God, You are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. You, Lord Almighty, are with us; You are our fortress.”
Let me fear You above all else. Let me be terrified that anyone I know would slip into eternity without Jesus. Let me cry out with passionate intercession for the lost all around me. Jesus, save them! Use this coronavirus situation to awake a passion in me to tell them about You before it is too late. Amen.
Today’s decree:
We will lay our fear of the coronavirus aside, and cry out to reach the lost slipping into hell in mass numbers worldwide.
1 Excerpted from “Christians Are Being Embarrassed by Coronavirus”, by John Burton. Originally published by The Stream.
Read more about John Burton here.
From “Give Him Fifteen” daily prayer devotional
By Dutch Sheets
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Mike
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