Father, I'm here?
Many people wake up in the morning and say a prayer before going to bed but what about the time in-between? Today, the world is filled with so many distractions. You have the virus on one side, murders on the other, and all the other stresses of life in the middle. What shall I eat? What shall I wear? Should I stock up on food? Should I buy gold?
Let me remind you of a few scriptures. Let's begin in Matthew 6:33-34, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
We all can agree that evil is running rampant every day. Every day there is something new. But as a believer, we are told to not focus on the things of the world but on heavenly things. Colossians 3:2 tell us this, Set your affection on the things above, not on things on the earth."
When we focus on the things of the world, death and destruction are soon to follow. Because that is the job of the enemy. The enemy's main objectives are to kill, steal and destroy. How many of you have had a conversation with your friends or loved ones regarding the Covid vaccine? And in the midst of that discussion, how many of you became agitated or even hostile at the other person's decision? How many of you truly believed that the other person should see it your way based on what the news has reported or what you have read or heard either first or second-hand?
This division that we see today, is clearly a sign of the times. Houses are divided, family members aren't speaking to one another and people are afraid. Even though God has not given us the spirit of fear, many people are running scared.
2 Timothy 1:7-8, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
We can't forget this verse. It is very important with our walk with God. Now does this mean that we go into the world haphazardly and don't exercise wisdom? No, it does not. We take the necessary precautions that we believe to be true to the best of our knowledge and faith. And we all exercise a different amount of faith.
Romans 12:3, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us..."
During this past year, I have heard some others say, "I don't need a vaccine, I have faith in Jesus." And shortly thereafter, I have heard them scorned, ridiculed with laughter. I think it is very dangerous to ridicule another person's faith or gifts. I believe it is a dangerous line bordering blasphemy but these are the times in which we live. Jesus said, that the belief in him would bring about divisions in households in Luke 12. The Father shall be divided against the son and the mother against the daughter and vise versa. This is the time that is among us now.
We are a nation and household divided.
I am a firm believer as to why we are not to set our minds on the things of the earth. Where your mind is, your heart will follow. If your mind is on the things of the world, your heart is not on the things of God, and if your mind is on the things of the world, you certainly can not uphold the mind of Christ.
I will ask the question, how much time are you spending on the ways of the world? When you receive a call, is the first bit of conversation about the news? Have you gotten so accustomed to hearing the news that you in fact are the news? And the only topics that you can muster up are about death, dying, and destruction?
I was listening to a sermon about twenty years ago, and the pastor revealed that she never watched the news because the only thing that was reported was bad news. She was a firm believer that good news was happening around the world but it wasn't getting reported. So she changed the structure of her ministry and began to report the good news about Jesus and his ministry.
This is what the world needs today, good news. We know that trials and tribulations are going to happen in this world. That is the enemy's job, to kill, steal and destroy. Where the enemy is, destruction and death are soon to follow.
We are reminded in James 3:16-17, For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Grace and peace to you all.
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