3 Ways To Live What You've Been Yapping About - COVID-19 or not

All that fear.

“It’s eerie, you can just feel it in the air can’t you?” My twenty-one year old coworker said as we sat down to postpone our ONE NIGHT OF WORSHIP event planned for the coming weekend.

I could see the uncertainty in her eyes and how she might be looking to me for some reassurance.
Oh …
I’m the grown up here.
Yikes.

The truth is, I am feeling it too.
The eerie,
the uncertainty, all mixed in with my news feed and graphics of the stock market tumble can leave me and you feeling…well…. in the words of the youth in my house…”shook.”

Are we followers of Jesus weak for feeling it?
No. Way.
It has never been like this before.
We have never done this before, all of us together, one globe, in this way.
We’re all in a first together.
All of us.
And that’s really really
weird.

Fear, wants all of us to act…now.
I don’t have to list out how that looks.
We’ve already seen some of how fear wants us to act.
Fear is demanding an immediate response….

But so is love.
We have options still.
Love is an option.

If you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ,
Now is your time.
It’s your moment.
This is your day to live what you’ve been yapping about.
Do not miss it.
It matters today, so much more than all the other days when everything was coming up roses.
Why? Because people need freedom from fear, and you get to lead them in that direction.
You, and I GET TO lead them toward love.
The perfect LOVE (God) who casts out all fear.

So go ahead and feel the eerie…but then let’s get to work.
Here are 3 ways to do this:

1. Choose God over fear
Right now.
Today.
Here is how.
We get to make this simple decision hundreds of times each day…or more if we need to.
Instead of lifting up fear as the highest thing in our mind, lift up God.
Worship Him because He deserves it.
Even if a virus is lurking at our front doors….
Even if we get the virus….
Even if our family does….
Even if we lose our jobs….
Even if we actually get hungry…. for real not just snack hungry…
EVEN IF all hell breaks loose around us.
We can worship HIM because He is our Creator.

2. Obey God over fear
If your fear tells you to worry…disobey it.
Be a rebel.
Don’t do the thing fear may be telling you to do.
Instead, obey God.
God tells us to seek HIM first. (Mathew 6:33)
God tells us to care for the orphans and the widows (James 1:27)
God tells us to love your neighbor AS YOURSELF (Mark 12:30-31)
God tells us to pray all the time. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
God tells us to not complain. (Philippians 2:14)

3. Live God over fear
Notice I didn’t say speak God.
Live God.
Open up His Word (the Bible) and read those words like they are your daily life coach instructional guide (because they should be).
Live out what you read in THOSE WORDS, instead of in the fearful words on your social media feed.
The world is scary today.
It is.
No doubt we can not hold onto those around us who we never thought would shake, because even they may be shaking right now.

But we were made for this moment,
follower of Jesus Christ, hear me now…
we were made to shine when the darkness falls heavy and thick.
We were not made to be brave…save that for the gladiators…
but we were made to shine the light of Jesus that fill us up when we get really,
really, really close to Him.

Let’s do it.