HOW TO BEAT THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) OUTBREAK

As fear takes a strong hold and spreads faster than the Coronavirus (Covid-19), contaminating minds and hearts – there’s more we can apply to our lives than face masks and gloves. Yes, let’s heed all the advice but here’s some good news, I call it infallible hope, you can put your trust in, God literally poured this into me whilst I slept the other night, when I woke I knew I needed to share with you…:

[19] How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. [20] You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. [21] Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

Psalm 31:19-21 NLT

What a promise of God’s goodness when your life, family, home, health, finances and even your city may be under attack! Child of God, will you take Him at His word and trust God with your life and family? Will you believe God to bless, prosper and protect you before the eyes of a watching world. His light through you will shine brightest in the darkness leading many to Him and the peace God’s children possess within. There is a reason why God’s word is referred to as ‘the law of the Lord’ – it is God’s legal right for your life, through Jesus Christ.

In the midst of school closures, threats of citywide confinement, business shutdowns, grounded flights, Government warnings that all our lives could change whilst we fight this – our minds and hearts do not have to resemble the Bible story found in Joshua, despite barriers in society going up all around us, where it says of the City of Jericho:

[1] … Now Jericho was securely shut up because of fear of….; none went out, and none came in.

Joshua 6:1-2 NKJV

What are you fearing? The people of Jericho feared the Israelites – the truth is they were nothing compared to the might and defences the people and army of Jericho possessed without their God… what Jericho should’ve feared was who was with the children of Israel. For all the Israelites weaknesses, their only strength was in their trust and obedience to the Lord! The children of Israel too must’ve felt the fear but they followed their God and trusted and obeyed anyway! There’s nothing wrong with feeling the fear, trust God, and turn your fear to faith. Amazingly, when God told them to do the ridiculous they did just that and they saw the miraculous. They marched around those scary walls of fear, not with weapons but with worship… God says:

1. Your weapon is your worship!  Don’t be intimidated by the walls of fear going up everywhere – praise will give place to my presence and in my presence is your provision and within my provision for you is my protection. Watch as those intimidating walls of fear crumble and crash to the ground! 
2. Delay is not Denial! Though the vision tarries (your miracle, answer, breakthrough, healing) is delayed, wait for it, it will surely come… Habbakuk 2:3. Don’t let delay lead to disappointment and despondency but to deliverance. A baby takes 9 months to come to its time of deliverance, waiting time is not wasted time… God is maturing your miracle – trust on, keep your faith strong.

God said to Pharaoh, through Moses:

[15] “By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. [16] But I have spared you for a purpose – to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. [17] But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go”…

Exodus 9:15-17 NLT

If those ‘Pharaohs’ in your life that appear so cruel, stubborn, immovable, intimidating, impossible and obstinate prevail, it’s because God wants you to know, as Moses knew during what appeared ten failed attempts with repeated denials and disappointments, that Pharaoh could only prevail to serve the bigger purposes of God! Greater will be your reward and miracle to the glory of God! Whatever your facing, trust Jesus!

Keep the waters (the worries and ways) of this world out of your boat! Let them in and sink, keep fear out and faith will float your boat!  I believe the strongest thing we can pour into our lives is the word of God, it will drive out fear and steer your ship in a faith-filled rather than fear’full’ direction!

[1] … I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. [2] And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. …

Romans 12:1-2 

You can see in The Bible, in Exodus 9:15-23 to be precise, the terrible plagues bombarding Egypt. During the ten plagues there is the account where God lovingly warns Egypt and the children of God alike against the terrible hailstorm coming! Go ahead and read the miraculous encounter for yourself, where God pours out His wisdom and the opportunity to obey Him and be safe by bringing in all their livestock and workers from the fields. Those who accepted God’s word were safe and those who rejected God’s word, preferring to trust in themselves, thinking they knew best rather than humbly and seemingly foolishly trusting in God’s perfect protection, divine deliverance and divine direction, sadly suffered the consequences! This word still rings true today, so powerfully and beautifully:

[25] It [plague of hailstorms] left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field – people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. [26] THE ONLY PLACE WITHOUT HAIL WAS THE REGION OF GOSHEN, WHERE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL LIVED!

Exodus 9:25-26 NLT

Wow! Did you read that and take the reality in! God set a distinction between the Egyptians who lived in Egypt and the children of God who lived in a region of Egypt called Goshen. We may be in this world but we are not of it, instead we are sons and daughters of God’s Kingdom and our Father looks after, provides for and protects His own! A beautiful picture of those who knew and trusted God and those who didn’t! ‘Goshen’ in Hebrew means ‘drawing near’! What a truth to take into your heart and partner with instead of partnering with fear. For those who will partner with Jesus and His word and draw near to Him in confidence and trust, God Himself will protect His own and preserve and make perfect all that concerns you. God sends out a clear invitation today to dwell with Him at ‘Goshen’ by drawing near to Him and living in the promises and protection of Psalm 91, “In the secret place of the most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. Then you shall say of the Lord, “He is my refuge, and my fortress, my God in Him will I trust…”

3. “If I perish I perish!” As I walked up the stairs and into our bedroom the other day, praying, I felt the Holy Spirit remind me of Esther’s words in the Bible, when she was called to approach the king on behalf of saving her people. She knew this could cost her her life yet her power-packed words and response resounded inside me “If I perish, I perish”! 

Never before has there been such an age of self awareness, self preservation and self actualisation, as the age we are living in now.

As a young, single, frightened girl who followed the clear call of God for my life to move to Jerusalem and live in The Middle East years ago, I remember God bringing me to this place of complete surrender! Bus bombs were going off everywhere, I had narrowly missed one, (perfect protection and divine redirection), one day! I walked through the strewn streets with debris and will not recall here the unforgettable, horrific sights that assaulted my eyes and all my senses as I hugged and wept with my Jewish brothers and sisters in the midst of such evil carnage! With tears I went to the Western Wall and I gave Jesus my all. I remember counting the cost and being willing to give my very life for the sake of Christ and reaching those lost in their sin for Jesus. I literally thought God would require my life and thought of the husband I would never meet and children I would never have… Little did I know until I walked away fear free and joy filled that only in giving my life could I fully and freely live! I felt God’s Holy Spirit resound inside me “At last”! Fear had no more hold on me and I could now live effectively!

I sense heavens call going out today, if only more would heed the words of Jesus to die to themselves, lay down their all for the sake of the call of God and rise up with the resurrection response of Queen Esther, “If I perish, I perish but I’m giving my all anyway, I’m approaching the King anyway, like Daniel in the Bible I’m walking into the lions den anyway, like the 3 young Hebrew boys I’m being thrown into the fiery furnace anyway, for my life is far bigger than this natural life in my body anyway”. History still repeats the stories for God’s glory, the outcomes were miraculous every time! That’s fear free, untouchable, transformational living! 

Jesus says to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover, not to shrink back with fear. He also promises that no evil thing shall by any means harm us – great promises for those who will believe!

I was reminded also of Hebrews 11, that incredible faith chapter, and those who ‘died in faith’! I sensed God’s Holy Spirit lovingly, and challengingly speak to me. “In this era of self awareness, self preservation and self actualisation, how many will be like heaven’s hero’s who lived and died by their faith?” Yes, Faith; progressively, proactively and purposefully pursuing a lifestyle of faith in all things – that’s what pleases God! You are not responsible for the outcome but you are responsible for your response… faith or fear!

An excerpt and example from the life of John G. Lake (1870-1935), an incredible man of God and missionary to South Africa in the early 1900s, is a personal favourite of mine from this hero of the faith. In his account, many people in South Africa were dying of disease. While assisting doctors during a bubonic plague outbreak, Lake was asked why he had not contracted the disease, since he used no protection. He said, “It is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” To demonstrate, he had them take live bubonic plague germs still foaming from the lungs of a newly dead person and put them in his hands, and then examine the germs under a microscope. 

The energy and presence of God was invisible to the naked eye but magnified under the microscope’s lens—there proved to be a real formidable, existing power that killed the virus. This is how John G. Lake explained why he did not get sick—he carried the cure in his body and spirit to heal disease through the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus.

In the midst of rising Coronavirus cases, deaths, tanking markets worldwide, quarantine, and political game playing and unrest… there is a rest that remains for the children of God – may our only striving be to enter into His rest. 

[1] God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. [2] For this good news-that God has prepared this rest-has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. [3] For only we who believe can enter his rest. …

Hebrews 4:1-3 NLT

Beat the Coronavirus outbreak and trust the presence of God – divine deliverance, perfect protection and divine direction to breakout and breakthrough for you! Read CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – Protection for you and Your Family here.

“Faith is a winner any day, any time. It never gives up. Faith wins the final round in any and every battle”. 

John G Lake

For everyone reading around the world I would like to pray two prayers with you right now, one for those who may not know Jesus, His love, forgiveness and acceptance into His family available to them and the other a prayer of surrender and trust in Him for perfect protection, divine deliverance and divine direction.

Heavenly Father, 

I come to you now and thank you for sending your only son Jesus to die for me at the cross to pay the price for my separation from you caused by my sin. Please forgive me, I surrender my life to you now, and accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you for your love, forgiveness and making me a child of God. From now on I will live for you and ask that you will fill me with your wonderful Holy Spirit as you promised to. In Jesus name, Amen!

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION, DELIVERANCE AND DIRECTION

Heavenly Father,

I surrender my life to you afresh. I put my trust in you today. Your word says you set before me and my family life and death, I choose life, I choose to obey and believe in you for your gift that I receive right now by faith of perfect protection, divine deliverance and divine direction. I love you Lord! Holy Spirit you are my comforter, teacher, counsellor, wisdom and leader, I honour you as I walk and live in your presence, light and truth. Through you I will live everyday fully, faithfully and not fearfully. According to your word and through the power of the blood of Jesus I root out, pull down and destroy all the works of the devil’s authority. I am a child of God, evil has to flee, no harm shall come near my family or me. In Jesus name. Amen. 

“And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen”

2 Timothy 4:18