James 4:7-10 NLT
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
(NOTE: This writing was done in the early days of COVID19. I hope that it still has relevance today. Praise God!!)
Where is my faith?
What difference a day makes; we go from moving around to an advisory from the governor to stay in place.
Everything that we knew to be real for us is changing at such a rapid pace.
Incomes reduced or stopped completely, our freedoms to move about restricted beyond what we have known before; everything is changing around us.
There is one thing that is not changing and that is God.
And this is where our focus should be. People around us will need us to be a product of the beliefs we have claimed all this time.
Our focus needs to be on the things we can not see.
Hebrews 11:1 NLT
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
If our focus is on the dwindling supplies of food we see on the grocery store shelves, we can start to worry about where our next meal will come from.
But as Christian, our focus should be on God’s provision for our lives. And our faith should be that God will provide what we need as long as our focus is on His will.
Matthew 6:33 NLT
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Our focus should be on helping those and supporting those around us, our kids and our elderly, and those with weaker faith.
Our Pastor says on occasion, ”Sometimes we have to allow our faith to exceed what we need for ourselves and that it should overflow to those around us.”
Colossians 3:13-15 NLT
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
We need to be sensitive to those around us, allowing for their faith to grow in God’s time, not in the time we think it should take.
The things that we believed while things were relatively normal are now even more vitally important.
Our future is in God’s hands. Every breath that we breathe is from God’s grace.
This circumstance has caused me to live in tighter time frames; this thing is changing things hourly and day today.
Matthew 6:34 NLT
”So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Our focus needs to be on God… Right now!
Not on how we wish it were but on what He wants it to be now.
”Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”
The first step is ours, if we move towards God, God will move towards us.
Heavenly Father, please comfort my heart. Help me to keep you at the center of my heart, with hope, courage, and strength to help me support and encourage those around me.
Help me live out Your will, give me the strength, courage, and faith to Stand Firm in my faith in You and in You alone.
Help me to live these verses out in my life:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
In the loving name of Jesus Christ, with grace and peace, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
