Scared or Secured?
Do they want to scare us?
If you are “hooked” on news, of late, you’re hearing that “The worst is yet to come”, “A second wave is coming this fall”, “Life will never be the same”, “No vaccine will be available for years”. Death, destruction, the loss of an entire way of living is inevitable, it appears. That is, if you believe all the our leaders and the experts are espousing.
But we know that our elected leaders quite often mistaken and the media seems to almost deliberately report it the wrong way. I am certainly not suggesting that I have a crystal ball or that I am clairvoyant about where we will end up after this virus is spent, but I have read American and European history fairly thoroughly, I am familiar with the Bible and I know a little about the annals of Christendom. And again, I am aware that there are experts out there far more learned than me; but I get the idea that most of TV commentators and editors, along with the movie stars and millionaire athletes that became overnight “authorities”, are not as familiar as they should be with these matters as they think.
When we are scared, we do, say and think stupid things—-at least I do! But when I am familiar with the dangers and challenges, and I am certain about what I am doing, I tend to be more circumspect and helpful in keeping the flames of fear down or leading others from turning a challenge into pandemonium. Perfect loves casts out fear, and that’s what you and I have access to—-the bulletproof perfect love that comes from God and also produces unshakeable courage. We do not have to live in fear because of His all encompassing love—-a love that leaves us totally certainty that the One “who knows the number of hairs on our heads” cares for us.
We’ve all made mistakes over the past, and our country, and other nations that were once devotedly Christian, have left the narrow path. But we need not throw up our hands and give in to fear. Now is the time to lift up our hands and, in my mind, do five things:
Confess our sins
Remove anything doubtful from our lives
Give ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit
Speak and to do all He requires of us
Publicly confess Christ
A Scottish pastor preached these tenets over 100 years ago and a great revival broke out. We are going to see a world-wide revival if God’s people get serious turning away from fear and looking into the face of the One that loves us. You cannot behold God and be the same….
Warmly,
Dean Barley
1945 Vineyard Road
Westfield, NC 27053
336 351 2070
www.vineyardcamp.com