Precious sisters, let’s not give in to fear. Our God is still on the throne. His love and promises can absolutely sustain us even in the coming months.
A pandemic like this helps to expose areas in our faith where we are weak. It is a reminder to keep our priorities on eternal things, not earthly things. It is an opportunity to grow spiritually by leaps and bounds. And it is an incredible opportunity for us, as believers, to share the hope of Jesus and His salvation with those who don’t yet know Him.
Jesus told us that pestilences, earthquakes, famines, wars and rumors of wars, etc… would come in increasing frequency and intensity as the rapture draws nearer. He has warned us to prepare us (Matt. 24:4-14). We don’t have to be afraid. God is bringing everything along according to His plan.
This is a wakeup call. It’s time to be alert to spiritual things and listening to the Lord, seeking and loving Him with all our hearts.
This is not the worst pandemic even in the past 120 years. And there will be many plagues worse than this that those who live through the Great Tribulation (who are not raptured with those who know Christ beforehand) will experience.
Most people will not get deathly sick with this virus, if it continues as it has been. For most of us, it will be mostly an inconvenience. But there are some who are more vulnerable—the elderly and those with certain medical conditions. We want to try to take good care of them and protect them from illness, if possible.
It is more dangerous than the flu that we are used to. And hopefully, it can be somewhat contained. Perhaps God will have mercy and stop it before it becomes widespread. But even if many people get sick, we will get through this together and with God’s help.
This is a perfect time to rest in God’s love and to stand on His promises. It is a time to be sure we repent of anything unholy and displeasing to the Lord in our own thoughts, words, and actions. It is time to make our relationships right with our husbands, children, families, coworkers, and everyone else as far as it depends on us.
It is time to come together in prayer and unity in Christ. And it is a time to let our faith in Jesus shine in the darkness.
We don’t have to be afraid of this virus or the fallout. We don’t have to be afraid of death. We know that the Lord has us in His loving hands and that He is able to use all things, good and bad, for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory.
If we know Jesus, we can say along with Paul, “to live is Christ and to die is gain”! Phil. 1:21
People are hungry for truth and for hope and the gospel. This is an incredible opportunity for us to rise boldly and to share hope with those who are afraid and lost.
- Spend time with the Lord.
- Spend time with your family.
- Use this extra time you may have wisely.
- Look for opportunities to share the love and truth of Jesus.
- Look for opportunities to selflessly serve.
- Pray for our leaders to have godly wisdom.
- Pray for God’s mercy on our nation and all nations.
- Pray for God’s provision for our countries, businesses, churches, schools, and families.
- Fast and pray for God to use this virus to bring a spirit of repentance, salvation, and holy regeneration across our land and around the world, that many might put their faith in Jesus and come into His kingdom.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes on Him might not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
The ABC’s of salvation:
A. Admit you are a sinner and you can’t meet God’s holy standard of perfection to have a right relationship with him now or to enter heaven on your own merit. Turn away from wrong thinking, speaking, and acting and humbly turn to God.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23
B. Believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Savior of the world. Believe that He lived the perfect life none of us could live and that He died the awful death we deserved to pay our sin debt to God in full on the cross. Believe that God raised Him from the dead on the third day in victory over sin, death, and hell on your behalf.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31
C. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord of the universe and that He is now your personal Lord from this moment on. Decide that you will put your faith in Him and that He is now in charge of your life, not you.
“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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Rom. 10:9-10
If you are afraid and need prayer, please leave a comment to let us support you. If you have questions about salvation, you are welcome to ask here, or you can also go to www.gotquestions.org and search “salvation” or any question you may have about God, Jesus, the Bible, and God’s love for you.
Much love to each of you! We will get through this because God is with us and we have each other, as well.
https://www.gotquestions.org/plan-of-salvation.html
A RESOURCE TO HELP YOU GROW SPIRITUALLY
If you would like to read a book that can help you develop the spiritual strength and faith you need to have during this pandemic and whatever other chaos may come, I invite you to check out “The Peaceful Mom—Building a Firm Foundation with Christ As Lord” whether you are a mom or not.
I go through all the baby steps in this book that God taught me about how to live in faith, not fear. The first half of the book is about your relationship with God. The second half is about how you relate with others, especially your family.
In Part One, we’ll cover things like:
– Examining the throne of your heart and how to be sure that Jesus is firmly on the throne.
– Putting your spiritual oxygen mask on first so that you have spiritual strength and blessings to give to others.
– How to find any lies in your heart and skewed thinking about God, self, and others that are keeping you spiritually stunted and stuck and how to replace those lies with the truth from God’s Word that can set you free.
– Taking responsibility for your own thoughts, words, and actions.
– Finding God’s victory over your negative emotions, including fear.
In Part Two, we’ll discuss:
– Modeling godly respect for God, people in positions of leadership, and all people.
– Ways we sometimes idolize other people and how when we do this, we can hurt our relationships with people and the Lord.
– Trusting God’s will for our lives and the lives of our loved ones even when trials and difficulties come.
– Developing spiritual vision to see through the lens of eternity as we look at things that are happening in our lives.
– Avoiding some common mistakes like being controlling, loving with strings attached, playing the martyr, and people-pleasing.
– Counting trials as joy and learning to find God’s blessings and goodness in the midst of painful things.
– Living out forgiveness, mercy, and grace in our own lives and setting a godly example for others as we let God’s Spirit fill us and have control.
These next few weeks could be the perfect time to really dig in and grow spiritually in your faith in Jesus and to let God transform you and conform you more and more into the image of Christ. You can use this time to let God help you grow and help strengthen all your important relationships with those you love.
Much love to each of you!
May the Lord richly bless you all! <3
SHARE
How is God encouraging you during this time? Do you have any godly wisdom you would like to share?
Do you need prayers or encouragement? Please share in the comments.
Keeping the proper perspective is also important when facing something like this—
1. Feb 15, 2019 · Between 184,000 and 221,000 people have been hospitalized with the FLU so far this season. The CDC said the flu typically kills 12,000 to 56,000 people in the U.S. in a year.
2. So far the corona virus has killed about a dozen or so in the US and most of those were in a nursing home —anyone old, infirm, compromised immune systems are always at higher risk of succumbing to any virus.
3. Closing schools is silly as kids seem to NOT get this virus
4. The media’s business is to make money—and they are doing a great job spreading panic of a disease that has just a small percentage of death and a little worse than a cold and a whole lot less deadly than the flu.
Note – If anyone would rather not read about potential coronavirus statistics, you may want to skip this comment. Thanks! <3
Susan's Saddle Stands,
Yes the flu kills tens of thousands each year. As a pharmacist for 24 years, I always got my flu shot because I wanted to protect myself but also other people who may be even more vulnerable. I actually gave a lot of flu shots. Just a few years ago, we had about 80,000 deaths in the US from a very rough flu season. It was awful!
The flu's mortality rate is usually about 0.1%.
For healthy people under the age of 60, it is my understanding that the COVID-19's mortality rate is about 0.2%, so twice as deadly as the flu. But for people over 60 and people with other medical conditions, the mortality rate can be much, much higher depending on age and health. So it is something that we want to protect the most vulnerable people among us from if at all possible.
Overall, the death rate seems to be 2.5-3.5%. Although we will probably have more accurate numbers eventually. So let's imagine that 80% of 320 million people get sick. That would be about 256 million people who get sick. 80% of those would have mild illness. The other 20% may need medical care. That's 64 million people. Some decent percentage of them may need hospitalization. We don't have the capacity to handle that number of severe illnesses right now.
If the mortality rate overall is 3%, we would be looking at over 7 million deaths. Of course, we hope not to have 80% of the population get sick. We want to minimize the number of severe illnesses and deaths. I have seen the CDC estimate that we could expect 1 million deaths from the COVID-19 virus. Even that would be off the charts. We certainly want to try to prevent something so tragic from happening.
Even if only half of our population gets sick, that is 160 million people. And even if only 1% of them die, that is 1.6 million people.
Kids actually do get the virus, but they don't seem to die from it and tend to have more mild illness. Praise God they seem to have some kind of protection from the really bad effects. The main issue with kids is that they can easily be vectors of the virus, so that means they can spread it to other people, and then those who are vulnerable to succumbing to this virus can end up catching it.
If we did nothing and just let this virus run its' course, we would be dealing with significantly higher death rates than with the seasonal flu. And this virus is much more contagious than the flu. That is why they are taking so many precautions and trying to stop it from spreading.
I am super thankful this isn't the Spanish flu from 1918 or SARS that had a 35% mortality rate. And I am also grateful it isn't ebola.
The media is contributing, at times, to some hysteria. I think we need to use caution what we watch and how much we watch, especially if we are becoming fearful or anxious.
But there is also some great information being given that can save a lot of lives if we cooperate with sound medical advice.
And, of course, we can turn to the Lord and invite Him to intervene and help us all, as well.
Much love!
i understand where you are coming from being a pharmacist–and i agree with your advice about prayer and precautions but we live in times when the anti-conservative anti-christian media is not to be trusted and causing more of a problem than the actual virus… i looked up statistics that still show the flu to be more deadly https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/the-flu-has-already-killed-10000-across-us-as-world-frets-over-coronavirus.html
Susan,
Yes, we do need to be careful with information from the media.
And you are right that the flu has killed a greater number of people total so far. It is the percentages that are concerning. The percentage of people killed by the COVID-19 virus seem to be much higher. Of course, it is hard to know if we are getting accurate numbers. Only the Lord knows the true numbers.
Thanks for sharing.
Much love!
Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you for so beautifully putting into words what I’ve been thinking this whole time!
KarenE,
What a blessing that we can meet together online and encourage one another and pray together for our country and the world.
Much love!
Thank you so much for this. I appreciate everything you have said and your well thought out and worded responses. There is a lot of misinformation out there, as well as conspiracy theories. Relying on these theories won’t bring peace; just turmoil, confusion, and panic. We can rest assured that the One we can rely on will “keep us in perfect peace” when our mind is stayed on Him.
Tanya,
Yes! When we keep our eyes on Christ, there is peace. Even in the midst of a raging storm. Thanks for sharing! <3
Hi April,
Thanks for your post. It is full of wisdom as always.
Do you have any posts on how a woman can trust in God and also trust her husband when she is surrounded by broken marriages? I have several friends who got married shortly before I did or shortly after I did and many of them are getting divorced due to infidelity or other issues. It has gotten me nervous. Because of all the broken marriages around me, I find myself feeling suspicious of my husband of being unfaithful or lying to me and wanting to check his phone. It’s very toxic and it’s making both me and my husband uncomfortable. I would greatly appreciate any posts you can point me to.
Nikki,
There were times when I found out that men I had respected and trusted were unfaithful to their wives. I can remember being thrown way off balance by that, at times.
It is natural to start to think you can’t trust any man and to begin to be skeptical about everyone.
But the truth is that there is no human we can really trust. Not even ourselves. We all need Jesus.
What I have decided to do is put all of my faith and trust in Christ to know that no matter what happens, He’s got me and He will get me through whatever may come. And then I seek to be the wife He calls me to be and to act in His Spirit, not my toxic flesh. If something were to happen, I believe He will help me to see it at the right time and that He will direct my steps. I don’t expect something to happen. And I seek to treat my husband well and not drive him crazy with all my old toxic habits that tend to create self-fulfilling prophecies. Whenever I act in fear, I tend to move toward the very thing I am most afraid of.
It could be wise to distance yourself from some of these friends if it is causing you to stumble in your own marriage. At least for a time. Seek God with all your heart. He will sustain you and give you clear vision and wisdom.
Praying that God will empower you to walk in His peace and joy and that you won’t allow the failures of some other marriages to discourage you. But that you will cling to the Lord all the more, realizing we are all weak apart from Jesus, and invite Him to work in your life and in your marriage for His glory.
My post, “Becoming Fearless” may be a blessing. I also have a number of posts about jealousy that address some sinful type of jealousy and suspicion.
<3
Nikki,
PS
I believe transparency between spouses is a good thing. It builds trust. I do think trust is very possible in marriage. But absolute trust, I reserve for God alone.
Do I trust my husband? Yes. He is transparent with me and gives me no reason not to trust him. If I believed he was being really secretive or suspicious, I would have to change my approach.
But if your husband is being transparent and you have no known reason not to trust him, and you feel nervous because of things other husbands have done, that doesn’t mean your husband is guilty. He may be totally innocent and faithful.
Praying for God’s wisdom and discernment for you to see clearly. First in your thinking and then in your husband’s life.
❤️????❤️
You have such a great outlook on life.
I have felt sad pretty persistently during this quarantine…3 weeks now in the house. My preschooler seems sad and cries a lot and I feel like it is my fault. I love Jesus so why don’t have i more joy and peace? I feel like I can’t tell my friends about my struggles with this and I am having a hard time with my husband. I don’t have a loving heart towards him and I feel ashamed of that too.
Please pray for me, girl. I have read your books many times and I know you have a heart for Jesus. I want to have a better heart for him too.
Brittany,
This is a pretty significant stressor, I would say. And if you can’t go outside at all, that is even more challenging.
However, let’s step back a bit.
It is normal for a preschooler to be sad when he/she can’t go outside, can’t see friends, can’t do all the normal things they usually do. This is not your fault!
It is also normal for a mama to feel sad when there is so much turmoil going on in the world and so much uncertainty.
Thankfully, we can take these things to God. He can help us get rid of any toxic thinking and He can restore the joy of our salvation. He can give us new eyes. He can fill us with His joy and peace, even in the midst of this great trial.
How has your time with the Lord been going? What are you doing to feed your soul?
Are you sleeping? Are you eating well? Are you and your little one getting some play time and exercise in?
Invite God to teach you in this. Quite honestly, most of us don’t learn and grow without pain. This is an incredible opportunity to open your heart to allow God to purify and refine your faith and to help you grow spiritually. And it is a wonderful opportunity to set a godly example for your child and husband.
Confess any sin to God. Invite Him to change you and heal you.
Nourish your soul. Sing praises to God with your child. Write down the blessings you have right now. Focus on anything good you can find. Think about the good things about your husband. Invite God to help you take your thoughts captive for Christ.
Praying for God to help you bring your wounds to Him and find His loving comfort totally available to you. He can carry you through this time. You can’t do it in your strength. But He is with you. You are not alone. Stand on His promises, His truth, and His unfathomable love for you.
Much love!
Brittany,
Ooh! PS…
One thing that can also be helpful for me, at least, is to write down all the icky things and sad things I am thinking first. Then I invite God to help me change my thinking and begin focusing on the good things. And I ask Him to help me see anything I am thinking that is not in line with His truth.
Thank you for all your suggestions. I will try these things, especially writing stuff down, I hadn’t thought of that. I definitely want to grow in my faith while this is going on. It is such a crazy time.
Brittany,
Somehow writing things down and getting my thoughts out in the open really helps me get clarity. Especially as I lay it all before God and invite Him to see what I am thinking and then help me move toward His way of thinking.
It is super crazy right now!
Time to put our seat belts on and hang on tightly to Jesus!
Much love!
I’m here if you want to talk some more or need more support or prayer. <3