Are you worried? Perhaps you are not concerned about Covid-19, but the consequences worry you. You are healthy, and none of your immediate family members are at risk, but the financial implications of a lockdown concern you. Or perhaps you are worried about Covid-19 and what could happen to you or your loved ones if you get infected.
No matter the reason, it is ok to be worried when we are faced with chaos and an uncertain future. It is ok to be concerned, but it is not ok to stay worried if you are a Christian. If you allow yourself to stay worried, feelings of concern and worrying will soon morph into doubt and unbelief. Doubt and unbelief is a sin.
So how do you, as a Christian, handle all of this that is happening right now?
First of all, are you sure you are a Christian? How can you know?
The Bible says all humans have sinned. What is sin? 1. John says sin is breaking God’s law; God’s law is the law of Moses. So because you are a lawbreaker and a criminal in the eyes of Yehovah (God), you are guilty. If you died right now, Yehovah (God) would hold you accountable for all the times in the past when you decide to disobey Him. Yehovah has a prison where He sends all those who are criminals; the prison is hell, and hell is forever. You will never be released from hell.
The Bible also says Yehovah does not want anyone to end up in hell. So for a time, He has chosen to forgive all those who accept His offer on His terms.
His terms are that you stop living as a criminal and start living as a law-abiding citizen of His Kingdom. Acts 15:20-21 says you do not need to be circumcised (if you are a man) right away. Your salvation begins with a decision never again to worship idols, never again to eat meat with blood or coming from strangled animals, never again committing immoral sexual acts. Then you have to accept what happened on the cross where Yeshua (Jesus), the Son of God, died for your crimes. He took upon Himself the punishment you deserve for all the times you broke God’s law. Now, Yehovah expects you to learn how to live as a law-abiding citizen of His Kingdom by learning what the law of Moses says. (Acts 15:20-21)
If this is how you became a Christian, then you can know for sure you are saved. If this is not how you became a Christian, then you need to become one first. What I am going to share with you today, from the Bible, only applies to Christians. So if you are not a Christian, the way the Bible just described it, the following will not apply to you.
How do you, as a Christian, handle everything that is happening right now?
If you are a Canadian citizen in a foreign country, your citizenship guarantees you the help of your government. As a citizen of Canada, you can go to any consulate or embassy abroad and seek their help and assistance. The support offered by a Canadian embassy or consulate only applies to Canadian citizens; if you are not a Canadian citizen, it will not apply to you.
Knowing you have the backing and support of your government when traveling abroad is excellent comfort for any Canadian. If a situation should arise, you can’t resolve yourself; you can, at any moment, go to the nearest consulate or embassy to get help.
If you are a citizen of Yehovah’s Kingdom, your citizenship guarantees you the help of your God. As a citizen of His Kingdom, you can, at any moment, call on Him in prayer and ask for His help. The support offered by Yehovah only applies to those who are His people (Ex 19, Matt 7:21-23, John 3, 1.John 1-3). If you are not a citizen of His Kingdom, it will not apply to you.
Knowing you have the backing and support of God Himself when living on this earth is excellent comfort for all of us. If a situation arises, you cant handle yourself, you can at any moment call upon Yehovah in prayer, and because you are a Christian on His terms, you know He will answer.
At the same time, when a Canadian travels abroad, things can happen that make us worried. We know we have the backing of our consulate or embassy, but when the nation we are visiting at the moment is in chaos, it is very understandable we feel fear, worry, and anxiety.
Even though we know, as people of Yehovah, He has our backs in everything we do, it is only natural we feel fear, worry, and anxiety when everything around us in chaos. Feeling fear, being worried, and anxious is not a sin in itself. It is a natural reaction to the things happening all around us meant to motivate us to seek Yehovah in prayer and call upon Him for help.
I dont know if you are worried about Covid-19 or the consequences of Covid-19, or perhaps both. It is ok to be worried, it is even ok to be fearful and stressed out, but dont stay that way. Use what you feel as a motivation to call upon your God Yehovah in prayer and ask His help.
And how do you do this? We as Christians know how to call upon Jesus for help, but the Bible says we are not to call upon Jesus. We are to call upon His Father, and His Father’s name is Yehovah.
In the Bible, in Prov 18:10, we read, “the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it, and they are safe.” When Prov 18:10 was written, Jesus was not born yet on this earth. He has always existed because He is God, one with His Father, but at that moment, He had not been born in Bethlehem.
If we read Prov 18:10, the way it was meant to be read, it says, “the name of Yehovah is a strong tower, the righteous run to it, and they are safe.” Throughout the Old Testament, we see countless promises on how Yehovahs name is the refuge, the strong tower, our help in time of need, our strength, our healer, our provider our peace. And in John, the Gospel of John, we never see Jesus glorifying His name; instead, we see Jesus telling His disciples to glorify, trust in and take shelter in the name of Yehovah. (John 17:6)
But most important of all, if we believe the Bible, then we believe Yehovah never changes (Mal 3:6). If Yehovah never changes, then the first commandment in the ten commandments still applies to us. It reads I am Yehovah, your God; you shall have no other Gods before me.
Prov 18:10 still applies today, if you are a Christian the way the Bible describes how to become a Christian, you are righteous. If you are righteous, you have the authority to take shelter in the name of Yehovah from whatever is causing you to fear, worrying, or discomfort right now.
So how do you, as a Christian, handle everything that is happening right now?
It is difficult not to be fearful when reading the news these days. We hear about marshal laws and unknown economic consequences of a virus. We dont know how the world will look one year from now, it could be very different from what we are used to.
We, as Christians, need to stay informed so that we can remain prepared. At the same time, we need to protect ourselves from the fear-mongering and all the media storms trying to induce fear into people. How do we do this?
Fear originates from the mind, and it always starts with a thought or an idea. This is why we need to take Prov 18:10 literally and run to the name of Yehovah when we feel afraid. Instead of being caught up by the fear-mongering, we need to make a deliberate decision to focus our mind, will, and emotions on the name of Yehovah. The Bible says this will protect us from fear so we can live in peace and, at the same time, be prepared for everything.
If you are not a Christian, this will not apply to you. You have no protection from fear if you are not a Christian. The Bible does not say the name of Jesus protects from fear; the Bible says the name of Yehovah protects you.
Become a Christian today, the way the Bible describes it, and take shelter in the name of Yehovah, so you can be prepared but live in peace at the same time.