From the onset of the Covid-19 virus outbreak, I had a strong sense that this thing was going to be big. This has proved to be true. As you know, the Covid-19 virus has become a world-wide crisis, affecting the lives of nearly everyone everywhere. Not long ago, many governing authorities and health experts around the world were assuring people that this virus was no worse than the common flu, and that the risk of contracting it was very low. But as Covid-19 began to spread beyond China, and the death toll began to rise, authorities and health experts began to realize the seriousness of this situation. While Covid-19 swiftly spreads, information and advice from health officials keeps changing as they struggle to understand how this virus works. Covid-19 is now dominating the news media. Every day, we are being inundated with alarming reports and statistics, and now many governing authorities are releasing dire forecasts for the possible outcome of this pandemic. The internet is also full of Covid-19 messages and advice from a variety of sources. Some are saying that there is an evil agenda behind this virus outbreak, and some say this plague is the judgement of God. Some are saying that Covid-19 is just a hoax or that media hype has blown it out of proportion, and many of these people are not taking the situation seriously, nor are they obeying the directives set in place to combat the virus. So much conflicting and changing information is being thrown at us that people are not sure what is true and what is false, what to do and what not to do. All of this is causing fear to rise in the hearts of people across the earth, and many Christians are also struggling with fear.
Since the beginning of this crisis, I asked God to speak to me about this situation and lead me in prayer according to His will. A few days ago, the Lord prompted me to share some of the things He has shown me because this is not only a critical time for the world; it is a critical time for the Body of Christ.
First of all, God wants His people to be prudent and take the Covid-19 virus seriously. We need to stay informed and we need to obey the directives that our leaders have implemented in order to fight this virus. However, we must not allow fear to enter our hearts. Fear is the opposite of faith, and it is a primary tool that the devil uses to undermine and destroy faith. Fear leads to death, but faith in God leads to life. The Bible clearly tells us that the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The devil is always looking for an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy. Therefore, we know that the devil will use Covid-19 to cause as much fear and death as he possibly can. Even so, God is in control of everything and He has set boundaries in this situation that the devil cannot go beyond. God did not orchestrate this virus, but He is using it to accomplish His purposes.
God IS with us in this. And as we do our best to obey the governing authorities, we must endeavor to keep our faith and trust in God, not in worldly protection methods. God has given each of us a measure of faith. Faith grows when we exercise it, so we must exercise our faith by standing against fear. Trust is a choice we make, so we must choose to put our trust in God. God wants His people to be fearless and faithful in the midst of this pandemic, so it is vitally important that we spend time with God each day – not to anxiously bombard Him with everything that is going on in the world – but to give Him thanks, to worship Him, and to give Him our love. We also need to spend time in the word of God and allow Him to renew our minds. And we need to be filled with the Spirit of God and allow Him to lead us in prayer. Philippians 4:4-9 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice….do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus….whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things….practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
I have taken this to heart for myself and have been purposing to stay close to God in the midst of this storm. Recently, we heard that some of the residents in the senior’s care home where my mother-in-law lives had tested positive with this virus. When I first heard this report, fear tried to rise up within me, but I recognized it right away and refused to accept it. I reminded myself that God provided this wonderful home for her, and I reminded myself of all the miracles God did to get her into this home and the happiness He has given her there. Suddenly, part of a song began to play over and over in my heart (God often puts a song in my heart and uses it to send me a message). The message playing in my heart was, “You are God alone, from before time began, You were on Your throne, You are God alone.” As I started to sing these words over and over, a peaceful assurance began to settle within me. Then I was led to surrender my mother-in-law and all of our family into God’s hands. As I did this, a strong resolve came into my heart and I said, “We are Yours Lord. Your will be done. No matter what happens, whether in life or in death, I will thank You and worship You.”
After that, I was led to pray for our family, for the Body of Christ and for people all over the world. I prayed that God would send out His light and His truth as a sword to cut through the darkness and bring a great awaking in the earth. I prayed that the truth would penetrate the hearts of people everywhere, and that they would choose to give their lives to God. The Lord also led me to call every believer to bow in full surrender to God. Then a vision I received many years ago came to my mind in which I saw a massive valley that was filled with trenches like those used in World War II. Lying in these trenches were many Christians who were sound asleep. The Lord then led me to pray that Christians everywhere would hear the call of God that is going forth right now and that they would wake up. I prayed that they would rise up and look up toward the standard of Jesus Christ that is waving high upon His holy hill. And I prayed that they would let go of the positions they had dug themselves into and leave their trenches behind, and that they would come together around the standard of Jesus Christ as one Church, bowing their knees and pledging their lives in allegiance to the King of Kings. (To read the complete vision, click on “Visions” in the navigation panel and scroll down to the post called, “Down in the Trenches”)
The next day, another part of the same song came into my heart and I began to sing the song again, adding those words to it. I sang, “You are God alone, from before time began, You were on Your throne, You are God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne, You are God alone.” This poured from my heart as a declaration over and over again. Then the Lord began to show me some things regarding Passover and Resurrection Day. In Exodus 12, the first Passover was instituted to save the Israelites and set them free from slavery to Egypt. In preparation for Passover, God instructed the Israelites to rid their homes of leaven. God instructed the Israelites to prepare to leave everything behind and follow Him. God instructed the Israelites to kill a lamb and apply the blood of the lamb on the lintel and door posts of their houses. Then He instructed them to stay inside their houses, and He told them to roast the lamb and eat all of it. God spoke to the through Moses and said, “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”
This year, Passover begins at sundown on April 8th and ends at sundown on April 16th. Resurrection Day is on April 12th – right in the middle of Passover. It is no coincidence that the Covid-19 virus is ramping up in the Western world as Passover and Resurrection Day approach. Right now, God is allowing this plague to shake everyone and everything in the world, including the Church. The Lord showed me that this time of Passover and Resurrection Day is an important, God appointed time for Christians around the world. This is a pivotal time for the Church. It is a time for a divine reset. As we are hunkered down inside our houses during Passover and Resurrection Sunday, it is not a time for celebration. It is a time for repentance and preparation. It is a time for Christians to repent and rid our hearts and homes of leaven. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 and Galatians 5:7-8, Paul uses leaven to represent sin and evil influences that had crept into the Church and were corrupting the truth. In Matthew 16:11-12, Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the leaven (the teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This leaven has gradually crept into the Western Christian Church causing many to be more in love with the world than they are with God. This grieves the heart of God. He loves us too much to leave us in this state, so He is allowing everything to be shaken. God wants us to be willing to let go of everything that has kept us from intimate relationship with Him. He wants to deliver His people from bondage to the world. God wants us to humble ourselves before Him and prepare our hearts for what He is about to do.
In the midst of this pandemic, during the time of Passover, God wants to give us a revelation of Jesus Christ as our Passover Lamb. He wants us to know the reality of what Jesus suffered. He wants the suffering and death of Jesus and the power of His resurrection to penetrate our hearts and bring us to our knees. He wants us to surrender our hearts and lives completely to Him. John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:24). It is time for us to behold the Lamb of God. It is time for us to let go of the world and fix our eyes on Jesus – the Lamb of God who gave His life for us!
Oh Church, let us bow our knees in full surrender to God. Let us repent and apply the precious blood of Jesus over the doorway of our hearts. Let us open our hearts wide to God that He may grant us a divine revelation of Jesus as our Passover Lamb. I pray that we would behold the Lamb and it would change our hearts and transform our lives! I pray that we will appropriate the precious blood of Jesus and rise up in the power of the resurrected King of Kings! I pray that God will fill us with His perfect love that casts out fear so that we will become fearless and faithful! I pray that we will become a living testimony of the love and power of God, so that the pure love and light of God can shine through us with a message of hope to this lost and dying world that God is on His throne and Jesus is alive!
Subscribe
Automatically receive new articles by email. You can unsubscribe anytime.