Fear. Satan loves to instill fear in people as a weapon. It is so easy for him to do. He is sly and tricky and seeks to devour us with any weapon at his disposal. Worry and anxiety combined with fear can bring a person down quickly into a darkness that causes them to think there is no way out.
In the world we live in today we all wonder what is around the next corner. As for me, I am glad God wants us to live one day at a time, not being concerned about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I would not want to know the exact date of my death here on earth. I would not want to know all the troubles I will face in my lifetime way before they happened. Most people do not.
God does not want us to live our lives in “what if’s.” Truthfully, most of those never happen and we all know that. Please don’t live your life in fear! If the Israelites can go through 40 years in the dessert being provided for by the one who brought them out of Egypt, then we too will make it through any trouble this world or Satan throws at us.
COVID did not pack up its bags and run away when people started getting vaccinated. We gave it a “one, two punch” through the vaccines. No doubt, cases started dropping. People suddenly felt safer than they had for a year. COVID continues to be a threat to the lives of the unvaccinated and in some cases even the vaccinated.
We have the greatest weapon of all at our immediate disposal every moment of every day to battle the fear that Satan wants us to live in. Prayer. Do we use it effectively? I would say most don’t. Most of us use it as a last-minute desperate attempt to save the life of someone who is close to dying. That is sad for God to see that we turn to Him, the creator of the universe, as a last resort. How this must make Him feel is beyond what I can fathom.
We must turn to God first and begin praying for His help to battle this virus. Pray for His protection over the hundreds of thousands of children going back to school. Pray for the employees of schools. Pray for the first responders who are right there on the front lines. I could go on with a long list of who to pray for, but you already know who.
My challenge to you is to pray every day, throughout the day when you think about it. It does not have to be a five-minute prayer. It can be a breath prayer as you are walking to a different place in your home or work. Maybe it sounds like this, “God please protect everyone against this virus, in Jesus’ name, amen.” God hears that prayer! I also challenge you to read His Word more. There is Power in the knowledge of His Word. He will speak to your heart through His word. Use it against this virus.
To recap, pray fervently for all. Don’t wait until someone tells you that so and so is on a ventilator in a hospital and may not make it. Pray for all now. By doing so you are telling God “I am coming to You first, you created us, you know how the human body works, you are the great physician, you can heal anyone, you can prevent anything, I am turning to you first and asking for your help first before my thoughts and fears attempt to overwhelm me, please give me your peace.”
I am not in control, and I am thankful for that. But I do know who is in control and I am very thankful to know that it is God.
Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Now start praying!
