Post-COVID Spiritual Evaluation

So now that the quarantine is over, where do you find yourself? We have encouraged you throughout the pandemic to use your time to seek Jesus like never before. Let’s face it, it’s the only way to survive and even flourish in the midst of chaos, confusion and fear. Unfortunately…what I’m hearing from many Christians is that they have spiraled downward, further away from God.

For some, the only time they were fed the Word and experienced the presence of God in any way was in a church service and with that cancelled…well even time watching it online was not prioritized and the little bit of faith they were grasping onto, has now disappeared and all hell has broken loose, both in their minds and lives. As more bad news continues to come from the world around us, fear is gripping their hearts and they can no longer see Jesus in the midst of the fog.

I have news for you…this is just the beginning of the experiences we will have in these last days. It's just a practice run for what the future holds, but for those who remain close to the heart of God…very close…they will not be affected by the turbulence in the world. Remember Stephen…even as he was being bitten and stoned, he didn’t feel the pain because he remained captivated by his Savior!

There’s a place of remaining hidden in Christ…a Secret Place where the enemy’s darts can no longer affect you. That does not mean they are not being thrown, but just that they can no longer penetrate your heart, mind and spirit.

We must understand 1 important truth…faith, peace, rest and security is not based on earthly circumstances. If it were so, we could never be at peace in our spirit, because the enemy is constantly trying to steal it from us. It’s only in Christ that true peace and fulfilment exists…the absence of fear, confusion and anxiety can only be found in HIS PRESENCE! There’s no other way to apprehend it, so stop wasting time trying to find it anywhere else! Relationships, getting lost in television programs, money, sin and self gratification will not produce life changing fruit.

The question is, will you continue to love, trust, seek, worship and serve Him... no matter what? Or is your devotion based on circumstances?

Yes, we are living in perilous times, but that's when God's Children should flourish! As we cling to Him with Holy desperation, we not only find peace, but strength, power and victory! The flock is thinning out, but the ones that remain are drawing close to their Shepherd and He's leading them in the path of righteousness in which no power from hell can divert or stop them! The harder it gets the more strength we draw from His presence and the more people we're determined to save from the enemy's grasp and his destructive forces! He's working overtime to keep you so preoccupied with the world's troubles that your focus is no longer on Jesus. Turn it back on Him, repent and draw closer and watch as He turns impossible situations into testimonies of His power, love and goodness! Prioritize your time with Him! There's no more time to waste!

Luke 18:7-8 (TPT) Don’t you know that God, the true judge, will grant justice to all of his chosen ones who cry out to him night and day? He will pour out his Spirit upon them. He will not delay to answer you and give you what you ask for. God will give swift justice to those who don’t give up. So be ever praying, ever expecting, just like the widow was with the judge. Yet when the Son of Man comes back, will he find this kind of persistent faithfulness in his people?

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Acts 7:54-60 (NKJV) When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.