Be Not Afraid

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Be Not Afraid | In the face of this pandemic, we must "be not afraid," and realize that all of this is not a surprise to God. How are we acting? | #podcast #christianpodcast #christian #fear #worryBe Not Afraid ~ Episode 134

In the face of this pandemic, we must “be not afraid,” and realize that all of this is not a surprise to God. How are we acting? If we as Christians are not setting the example then who will? In this episode, Felice shares how God is showing her through the events of this current time that is still in control.

Wow, what the difference a week makes. I had planned for a work-friends retreat for over six months and was set to leave on Monday when I heard the news about an outbreak in the US of the Coronavirus (more information here). One person had died and there were other cases of people who were on cruise ships and in quarantine.

Within a few days, the news was filled with more and more cases, we heard of countries where the virus had taken over it seemed in Italy among other places. I quickly sent a message to cousins who live in Sicily to learn they were healthy yet staying at home to avoid others. By the time I was heading home on Saturday I worried at the wisdom of leaving home in the first place. You can imagine my surprise when I attended church to learn that the doors would remain open but social distancing was recommended and no handshaking. The ushers greeted us at the door wearing plastic gloves.

Watching the news increased my anxiety but then being uninformed is not helpful either. So, what are we to do? The first words that came to mind were “be not afraid.” I looked in the scriptures and found so many!

Scriptures that discuss why we as Christians should not fear!

Genesis 15:1
Deuteronomy 20:3
Isaiah 41:10 
1 Samuel 22:23
In this time of confusion, misinformation, and alarm we must keep our eyes on the Lord. We will never look at our world the same – but the bigger question is, will we ever look at ourselves the same way?
This time is a challenging time for everyone in the world. Not just in my home or yours but the entire world. Is this an accident, is this something that has been known since the beginning of time. I don’t have answers however what I do know is that it is a time for us, as Christian believers to set our sights on the Lord and what is important in our lives. The only precedent we have is a world war – and it has been so many years since that happened that I believe we became complacent as believers.
Today I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Catholic priest and he shared that I should read the scriptures beginning in Isaiah about how the Lord deals with the unfaithful. We need to use this as our guide to repent (we all sin) and to rejoice that we at least have our faith and the Lord. Fr. David shared that he believed this was a judgment of all humankind. Our world has become pagan and I believe now is a time for self-examination. It is a springtime of re-evaluation, not to point fingers out but to point fingers inward, to ourselves. I hope to do a podcast with him soon on the topic of Spiritual imperfection and how, to be honest with ourselves and to look at our weaknesses and repent. He explained it was similar to the 12-step program to get free from addiction and in this case, it is the addiction from sin. So many things we consider not that bad – now is the time to look at those things and wash the window of our souls so that instead of spottiness there is a clean surface that can only happen by the mercy of God.
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord, please send your mercy and provisions for us all – as you said in the scriptures over and over again, “Be not afraid,” or do not fear, do not lose heart. In this time of need, we do not want to despair but we want to take the time to examine ourselves, our souls and our outlook on life, the life we have known and the life we hope to lead in the future one that rejoices in the Lord. Dear Lord, we lift up the following intentions… and we pray this in Jesus, Name. Amen.
Scripture verses that discuss why God says we should not fear!
Genesis 21:17
Genesis 26:24
Genesis 26:24
Genesis 35:17
Genesis 43:23
Genesis 46:3
Genesis 50:19
Exodus 14:13
exodus 20:20
Numbers 12:18
Numbers 21:24
Deuteronomy 7:18
Deuteronomy 20:1
Joshua 10:25
Joshua 11:6
Ruth 3:11
1 Samuel 4:20

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