Hello My Chickadees,
Who knew that two years later we would still be in a pandemic and dealing with this thing called COVID? I am sure God knew, but He didn’t tell the rest of us. To God be the glory, we do have a vaccine that is supposed to mitigate the effects of the virus (for those who take it), but I still feel like one of the Israelites wandering in the desert trying to get to the Promised Land of COVID free. COVID has changed our way of life and sent us into a mental health, as well as a medical crisis. Everyone feels some level of anxiety about getting COVID, and almost every household has a couple of COVID test kits on hand just in case you feel a chill or fever coming on. There are COVID precautions everywhere you go, and in many places, our vaccination shots record has become our new ID card. Despite all these precautions, it seems like where there are three or more gathered, not only is God in the midst, but so is COVID.
We all long for the ‘good old days’ when you didn’t have to coordinate a mask with your outfit; and the more people that attended an event, the merrier. However, if our current COVID state is any predictor of the future, those days are gone. Talk to anyone and they will tell you about someone they know who has COVID, or had COVID, or is recovering from COVID, or you learn later that you need to get tested because you were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID.
In a COVID world, it is human to feel some level of fear, anxiety, and/or depression as we attempt to create this ’new normal’ given this COVID climate. We all feel it and every mental health therapist in America is overwhelmed with clients as a result of it. Although it is not one of our more popular feelings, the purpose of the feeling of fear, like every other God-given emotion, is to alert us to what is happening within us and around us; but God did not give us a spirit of fear. He said so in 2 Timothy 1:7.
A spirit of fear is when fear moves from a momentary feeling, to a state of being. A spirit of fear happens when you allow fear to dominate and dictate your life. You know it has taken up residence in you when you allow it to have the final say in determining what you will or will not do. I recently read a statement by Gary Selman who said, “Fear is faith in reverse. It’s when you believe your circumstances are bigger than God.” WOW! Now that’s a word for you. Fear happens when we forget who REALLY has control. We fear what we can’t control. Fear is the response to the threat of losing what we cherish. In the moment, we can forget that what we see is controlled by an All-powerful God that we can’t see. We can feel fear but not live in fear. Throughout the Bible, God instructs us during those times we feel fear to “Take Charge” (Joshua 1:6, Daniel 10:19, Matthew 14:27, Psalm 27:14, Deuteronomy 31:6, just to name a few).
Courage is not the absence of fear but the commitment to continue despite how you feel. Rev. Justin Tamlin, pastor of Rosebank Union Church in South Africa, identified four things that fear forgets about God, which can assist us in our battle of faith over fear. They are as follows:
“Fear forgets the Lord’s promises.”
God has given us a book full of promises and He is faithful to every one of them because He cannot lie. He is His Word, and He has to do what He says, but WE have to read them and choose to take God at His word. Sometimes, we want to give up on God when we don’t see something happen, but God’s time is not our time. Although He is a ‘Right Now God’, and He is in this moment with us; His promises may be delayed because His timing, unlike ours, is always perfect. He sees what we don’t see and His charge to us is to trust Him.
“Fear forgets God’s purposes.”
God has a purpose, a plan, and a desire for each of our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us of God’s plan to “Prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” We may not know the details of His plan for us, but like every good parent, we can rest assured that He wants the very best for us. He promised that if we abide in Him, and allow His word to abide in us, whatever we ask will be granted (John 15:7). God created us to worship Him and to represent Him with the gifts and talents He placed in us, in all that we say and do. Hold fast to the fact that God’s purpose for your life is to be happy, productive, successful, and acknowledge Him in all that we do.
“Fear forgets God’s provision.”
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He did it before, He’ll do it again. Fear forgets what God did for you in the past, and how He brought you through. Fear forgets how He gave you a testimony from your test. When we allow the spirit of fear to take over, we forget about God’s power to deliver us, and we focus on the obstacle or the situation, instead of God as our solution. Our attention becomes diverted and causes us to look out instead of up. It distorts our perspective of ourselves and we begin to doubt ourselves, who we are, and most importantly - whose we are. God promised not to deny us any good thing; and when we experience things that snatch the floor from under our feet, He promised to turn it around for our good and His glory.
Last but not least,
“Fear forgets God’s presence and power.”
Fear can grip us and alter our perspective about the truth. We can get so caught up in how we feel that we forget we have a choice about what we are going to believe. We can choose to allow that feeling of fear to morph into a spirit of fear that then takes control of us. Fear causes us to forget what I like to call “The God Factor.” It’s the ‘But God’ that can change our situation suddenly from tragedy to triumph.
We do have this mixed blessing called free will and choice. We can choose to believe in a God who is in us, and with us, and will see us through whatever we go through; or we can choose to allow our feelings to take us down a path of destruction. We may not know what God’s going to do, but we know what He’s able to do; and He is “Able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
When the pandemic initially shut the entire world down, my April 2020 blog was entitled, “Peace In The Midst Of The Virus.” In that blog, I reminded us of Psalm 91, in which God promises to protect us. In verses 10–16, God lays out some specific plans in that promise of protection, which I read every day to feed my spirit-man just in case I forgot.
He promised us:
“No harm will come to you.
No sickness will come near your house.
He will put His angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways.
They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.
You will step on lions and cobras.
You will trample young lions and snakes.
Because you love me, I will rescue you.
I will protect you because you know my name.
When you call me, I will answer you.
I will be with you when you are in trouble.
I will save you and honor you.
I will satisfy you long life. I will save you.”
My challenge to you, My Chickadees, is that you choose to remember that God, who is your spiritual Daddy, is more powerful that any situation, circumstance, dilemma, trial, tribulation, trauma, or pandemic that you or I will encounter. Choose to believe that whatever you go through, it’s ‘Father filtered,’ and if He allowed it, He has a divine purpose for it.
In closing, I leave you with some faith over fear facts complements of Rev. Justin Tambin, to empower you as you choose which voice you will listen to.
“Fear says, I am alone; but God says I am with you.” Isaiah 41:10.
“Fear says, I am too weak; but God says I am your strength, and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” Philippians 4:13.
“Fear says, I’m scared; but God says I am your courage. If God is for you who can be against you.” Romans 8:31.
“Fear says I can’t - but Faith says I can. Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27
My Chickadees, we may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. Whatever scares us does not scare God. He knew it was coming and planned our way of escape so that we can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must continue to be vigilant and seek God’s wisdom in all that we do, so that we can allow faith, not fear, to dictate our destiny.
Peace and Blessings,
Gail
P.S. “Good Morning My Chickadees” is HERE!!! CLICK TO PURCHASE
It’s Here!!!
Good Morning My Chickadees