Friday, March 20, 2020

Coronavirus: Stopping the Pandemic

This epidemic does not come from God. It is not a punishment from heaven.
It is an attack from the prince of darkness who is desperate to prevent the coming worldwide revival.

 

Countless millions are isolated and intimidated. There is panic everywhere. If this continues, many will die of poverty and hunger, even if they don't die from the virus.

Our economic system will collapse and powerful people with sinister intentions will take power worldwide.

Jesus told us to go out into the world and win people over to Jesus, but now faithful Christians have to sit at home.

But when the devil attacks, God wants to call us to stand up with Jesus and win a great victory.

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle-- Psalm 144:1 (NKJV)

We are in a terrible war against a cruel enemy. God can destroy the enemy with one finger, but God has given us humans the task of resisting the devil.

The enemy is much stronger than mortal humans, but our calling is to trust God in faith and in partnership with God to tear down the strongholds of the enemy.

We have to learn to fight, but we can only learn that in a real battle.

When a strong enemy invades, the warfare can be hard.

First, our own weaknesses are exposed. Then God can help us overcome our sins and weaknesses so that the enemy does not overwhelm us.

For example, if you live a good life, but mostly on a natural level, at cancer diagnosis can be a terrible challenge. The cancer doesn't come from God, of course, but you have to learn to fight with supernatural trust in God.

The devil's attacks are a challenge to get closer to God so that we can overcome the Devil with God’s power.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)
 

Cancer comes from the devil. This epidemic also comes from our enemy.
 

Our own sins can make us vulnerable to such attacks because sins are an invitation for the devil to extend his power.

If abortion becomes commonplace, if a lot of Christians watch porn, if sex before marriage is accepted as normal among many Christians, we become very susceptible to evil attacks.

Then when the enemy invades, we have to fight, but how can you fight on God's side if you accept sin as normal?

Sin is always against God. We have to turn from sin.
 

We must also know where the attack comes from.

If the devil attacks with illness, we cannot win the battle if we think that the illness comes from God.

As a man on earth, Jesus was the complete revelation of God's character and intentions. 


He never tolerated illness, never spoke a positive word about sickness. Those who sought healing from Jesus were never turned away.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT2)

We have to repent and pray, but how can we fight with strong faith when we are passive Christians?

So many Christians rely on preachers and pastors instead of building a close personal relationship with Jesus.

When the enemy attacks, and we need God's help, our idolatry is exposed. The pastor cannot save you from an epidemic, only Jesus himself.

If your Christian life is focused on your pastor or church and not on Jesus himself, how can you win a tough battle in faith? Of course, I don’t deny that God often hears the prayers of faithful pastors for weak believers.

I believe the pandemic that is now prevailing everywhere must give way if we turn to God and pray together in faith.

A worldwide war of intercession is already underway. God is calling us all to pray.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Corona Virus and Your Faith

If I walk into the thick of danger, You will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend Your hand; Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7 (HCSB)
 

Are you rather anxious right now? That’s a normal reaction.

We're threatened on all sides. Even if you're not infected with the virus, your job could still be in jeopardy.

The devil is cruel, and he is desperately angry now because he sees his end is near. Jesus is coming back.

But if you are a son or daughter of God, you are on God's side. When the enemy attacks with sickness, fear and death, you have God's authority to release the healing power of Jesus.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)

Peter summarised the ministry of Jesus in this way.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT2)

Jesus had sent Peter and the first apostles as his representatives to continue his own ministry on earth.

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:21 (NKJV)
 

But this great commission was not given only to the first apostles or the first Christians.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Mt 28:19 (NLT2)

The apostles only reached some nations but Jesus spoke of all nations. There are still many people and many tribes who need Jesus.

Many Christians in China have given their lives to save others in times of intense persecution. 

We have the same truth as the faithful disciples in the bible time and also in our own time. We have the same Holy Spirit as Paul, the same healing love as Peter.

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:5 (NLT2)

The devil wants to torment and torture people, but we have a good God who wants to heal and restore us.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Psalm 91:5-7 (NLT2)

Do we pray for revival? Wake up! Let God Himself move in your own life to release His healing love and power.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Jesus Feels Your Pain

True compassion is an intense mixture of love and hate. Jesus had that kind of compassion. He loved people with an incomparable love and at the same time He hated the circumstances in which they were trapped.
Hunter, Joan. Healing the Whole Person


If you truly love people, you will really hate disease. If you truly hate sickness as Jesus did, you will believe in God's healing power.

God really loves you. So how does He feel about you when you are sick?
 

People have different theories about it.

(The love of God) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13:7 (NKJV)


How are we to understand this?

``The love of God endures and tolerates illness. 
or
``The love of God believes in healing because God loves us and therefore hates our sickness.``

Jesus is our role model. What do we learn from Jesus in his ministry before the cross?

Jesus did not tell any sick person: ``I do not want to heal you because you have to learn holy patience in your illness.``

Jesus never said: ``God has chosen only some sick people to get healed and you are not one of the chosen ones.``

When we study the ministry of Jesus, we see that Jesus never rejected a sick or handicapped person seeking healing.

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
 

This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." Mt 8:16 (NIV)
Jesus took our weaknesses upon Himself by renouncing His eternal divine omnipotence for a while. He became a weak baby and took our human limitations upon himself.
 

He took our illnesses upon himself by feeling such painful compassion.

But Mt 8:17 is a quotation from the Old Testament.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
 

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV)
These verses in Isaiah prophetically point to the cross, where Jesus took our sins upon Himself and suffered our punishment in our place.

If we look closely at the text, we see that Jesus took on not only our sins but also our sicknesses on the cross.

Why did Jesus take away not only our sins but also our sicknesses on the cross?

Because sickness came into the world through sin.
 

Therefore, Jesus wanted to abolish not only sin, but everything that is connected with sin: shame, guilt, inferiority, blindness, all kinds of handicaps and all kinds of diseases.

When Peter first proclaimed the non-Jew, he summarised Jesus' ministry with these words:

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT2)

Here we see that God not only hates disease. Disease here is equated with oppression by the devil.

If you are depressed, mentally disturbed or ill, God himself feels your pain.

God sent his son into the world to give you a new life.

He carried your sin, your shame, your guilt, your pain and your sickness on the cross.