Living Under God’s Protection

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been dominating the world news, economy, stock markets, air travel, and life as we know it. There is fear and panic among people everywhere. But as believers, we can not only survive but also thrive through these turbulent times. 

Living under the protection of God is a big topic in the Scriptures. God has made specific provisions for those who choose to live under His protection. While many people are motivated by fear, the people of God can rest in peace, knowing that He is in control of our lives. He will not let any evil to come near us. We are not ignorant or condescending, but we do not have to let a virus dictate our lives. Let us look at seven things you can know/do during this time!

1. Do not fear. God is in control. He does not do anything random. He has a plan and a purpose. No matter what happens in our world, it must pass through the courts of heaven. God does not bring evil upon us but works through situations that we face. Do not get God mixed up with the devil. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). The affairs of our lives do not catch God by surprise. He is not wringing His hands thinking, “What am I going to do now?” He is not calling on the angels to discuss a bailout plan. No. He already has a solution before the problem began. God said, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10 ESV).

2. You have insurance. Before the various plagues struck the Egyptians, God said, “I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people…” (Exodus 8:23 NLT). One of the benefits of following Christ is that we are immune from the crisis around us. A ship does not drown when it is surrounded by water. A ship’s integrity is compromised only when water gets inside it. In the same way, you may be surrounded by plague but do not let it get inside of you. God promised, “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus 23:25 NKJV). 

 

3. Spend quality time with your loved ones. There is never enough time to spend with the people we love and care for. During this time of limited movement, take the time to bond with your family and loved ones. Sometimes the people who sacrifice the most for us are least appreciated. Why not pick up the slack and start serving your family a little more. Love and assist your family by being available and doing chores together like cooking or cleaning. Spend one-on-one time with your kids and let them know how important they are to you. 

 

4. Protect yourself. We are in the world but not of this world. Just because we’re Christ-followers does not mean we have to throw away our brains. Protect yourself by washing your hands frequently with soap. Avoid physical contact such shaking hands and giving hugs. Keep a distance of four to six feet between you and others. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Take vitamins and supplements to boost your immune system. 

 

5. Have a personal revival. When we are forced to distance ourselves from others and when we cannot even go to church for fellowship, it makes for a great time to experience a personal awakening. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Let us use this time of isolation to grow closer to God. Be still and ask the Holy Spirit if there are areas in your life where you can come up higher. When we are vertically strong, we will be horizontally successful also. 

 

6. Talk about Jesus. Seasons of uncertainty and crisis are some of the best times to share the gospel as many hearts are open, willing, and receptive to the things of God. You do not have to be obnoxious about it. Nor do you have to barge into people’s lives waving a Bible, preaching guilt and condemnation. Be sensitive and on the lookout for those who are distressed and overwhelmed by fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. We are the salt and light of the world. Let us use these opportunities to bring hope, healing, and wholeness through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

7. Declare God’s Word. Step away from the news and social media and tune into God’s promises. Shield yourself and your family by proclaiming Psalm 91 as often as you can. Let me say a prayer of peace, protection, and provision over your life: “Father, I declare that fear and anxiety leave your people immediately. I command the death and destruction of Coronavirus around the world. I proclaim sickness, disease, crisis, calamities, and plagues to flee from us. I thank you for protecting our children and senior citizens from catching anything that would be detrimental to their health. I thank you for strength and speedy recovery over those who have been infected. I declare that the only thing we will catch is the goodness of God, mercy, strength, health, longevity, favor, abundance, and a satisfied life.” You said, “The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 KJV). Lord, we believe and receive your peace and protection in Jesus’ Name Amen.” 

 

“A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you” (Psalm 91:7 NKJV).

 

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5 Lessons from the Church in China

 

As many of you know, I just returned from another mission trip to China. Every time I go there, I’m amazed at the believers. In spite of severe persecution, opposition, and difficulty, they continue to follow Jesus with their whole heart.

 

While it is not fair to compare the Church in China and the Church in the West, we can learn valuable lessons to improve our own spiritual journey. We don’t have to invite persecution or hardship into our lives, however, we all should be New Testament believers. Here are some of the trademarks of Christianity in China.

 

1. Christians in China are joyful. In spite of severe persecution and limited freedom to worship, believers in China exude this fruit of the Spirit. They travel long distances, sometimes up to three hours one way, to get to a meeting where their civil liberties taken away and even thrown in jail. However, instead of complaining about the tiring journey, the inconvenience of walking, or taking multiple modes of public transportation, they jump right into the praise and worship wholeheartedly.

 

2. They love and care for each other. Unlike our churches in the West, the believers in China are connected with each other. If one doesn’t show up, they all go to that person’s home to make sure they’re ok. When believers come with concerns in their hearts, they’re not hastily sent away by the leaders. They take the time to pray and minister to their needs, both spiritually and physically. We had one sister crying bitterly for the healing of her four-year-old son. I was so touched by the way the whole church responded. They cried with her, hugged her, and made her feel like it was their own child who was sick. Wow, what empathy and compassion! People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

 

3. They are a giving church. While China continues to prosper, most people in China are poor. The Christians have even less because of discrimination in the workplace. We went to many homes where they fed us their best, even when it cost them half a month of their salary or more. One lady, with a little cell phone shop, came to us twice and put a substantial amount of cash in our hands. It wasn’t much in American money but to her it was a huge sacrifice. We found that churches often eat together after the service even though it was just rice and wild vegetables and mushrooms from the village. They don’t get hammered every Sunday to bring their tithes and offerings but they give far more than 10% of their income to the church.

 

4. They are grateful. The church in China is quick to give thanks to God for everything. When we gave them your Bibles, they acted like we gave them a brick of gold. Of course, the Word of God is that precious to a believer but they were so thankful that many were kissing the Bibles. One of our teams was intercepted and thankfully everyone was released by the authorities without much hassle. Now the family/church has to relocate because it is not safe anymore. They’re grateful that they’re not in jail! We heard no complaints, only praise.

 

5. They pray. The Church in China doesn’t just talk about prayer but they actually pray. You cannot fall asleep during prayer because after every sentence the whole congregation agrees in unison saying, “Amen.” Often for security, we’d ask the believers to keep their voice down. We’d start off softly but within minutes they were praying at the top of their lungs. It’s wonderful to see their fearless petitions to God and He hears them.

 

While it is not wise to compare cultures and congregations, it is good for us to learn from each other. All these qualities in the Church of China are actually from the Book of Acts. When we love and serve God with our whole heart, our lives and church should reflect the New Testament Church. Today, instead of saying, “Oh that’s good for China,” I want to encourage you to have a closer relationship with our Lord. Let us not just seek His Hand but also His Face. Jesus said, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” When we do, like the Church in China, His blessings will overtake our lives.

 

“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed” (Jeremiah 29:13 MSG).

 

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Health is Wealth

God created us in different shape, size and form. We’re not supposed to look like Barbie doll but we’re all supposed to live healthy. Our body is not only where we live but it is also where God lives. We’re responsible to take care of our health.

We’re all made up of body, mind, spirit and soul. Therefore, it is not just enough to focus on physical exercise we need to also pay attention to our mental and spiritual health. Today, let’s discuss some of the major areas we can improve our health.

Get active. There’s a tremendous awareness in our society about the benefit of staying fit. Many of you my friends are shining example of staying fit. Facebook is full of entries of exercise triumphs. I love it! Some of my friends are exercising both for them and me. Most of us however need to make an effort for it. I’m not greatly motivated to exercise but I’ve realized this, if I don’t do what’s needed now, I’ll live shorter and unproductive life. Here’s the simple key. Exercise! No matter what you do, how long and how often – get active. Anything you do is better than nothing.

Don’t worry! Worry and stress will send you early to grave. We’re all tempted to worry about something every day. When we worry, we change nothing. A Nepalese proverb says, “The tiger in our mind is bigger than the tiger in the jungle.” We often worry about things that have no basis for it.

Yesterday, I had lunch with an old friend. I had brought my laptop with me to show him some pictures of what God was doing on the mission field. I had put my computer down by my chair and when we got done visiting, I completely forgot about my laptop. I drove almost fifteen minutes before I remembered my laptop. I start to worry. I took a sharp U-turn but I was distraught. I had all my important documents in my laptop. Negative stories of my friends loosing stuff began to flood my mind. The tigers in my mind were becoming bigger and bigger. Finally, I remembered what I often advise people to do – prayer! I prayed briefly and asked God to protect my laptop. When I returned to the restaurant, I looked under my table and there was no computer. I panicked! When I asked the staff at the counter, she said, “What color is your computer?” I said, “It’s an HP, gray color.” Immediately, she handed me my computer. I was so relieved! I thanked God and walked away happy. The point of this story is: we can worry or we can pray. Prayer brings results worry destroys our health.

Watch your intake. A great emphasis has been put on our eating intake. It’s important that we eat and drink healthy. A lot more sinister enemy is what we feed our minds. When we watch negative news reports over and over, when we indulge in trash TV and internet we damage ourselves much greater than bad choices of food. It’s ok to stay current with news and world affairs but don’t get addicted to negative media or attitude. Keep a positive picture of yourself and the world. Protect your mental health by guarding what you read, listen and watch. The movies that play in your mind most frequently will be the reality you’ll live in life. Turn off the negative feeds.

Serve others. One of the most selfish things you can do for yourself is to serve others. When you help others, you release a happy hormone called endorphin. A sense of purpose, self-worth and significance will rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. Reach out to at least one person every day. When you’re a blessing to others, God Himself will bless you. Friends, let’s take care of our body. Our health is our wealth!

“Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you” (Exodus 23:25 NIV).

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Be a God Chaser

Human nature is to want more. We’re all pursuing something. It is not bad in itself to pursue our family, career, business, name and fame. However, nothing we do to advance ourselves will have its full impact unless we first become God-chaser.

Too many people today are spinning their wheels without success. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). In my experience, most people want to pursue God but they don’t know how. Today we’ll discuss becoming a God-chaser.

The first thing we have to do to become a God-chaser is to make a decision. Until we make a quality commitment to put God first in our lives, we’ll not be living up to our full potential. You may not be anything right now but when you become God-chaser, you’ll have everything in Him. God has been on your side all your life now it’s time for you to form an alliance with God.

Jacob in the Bible is a perfect example for us to learn from. He was a cunning man. He didn’t consider anyone as long as he had his way. Integrity was not his strength. He cheated his own brother out of his inheritance over a bowl a soup. One day Jacob had an encounter with God. He repented from his troubled past and then he wrestled with an angel until daybreak. Jacob became a God-chaser! The angel blessed Jacob; gave him a new name (Israel) and a new nature. Everything in his life began to change from that point. He became the Father of the nation of Israel.

One of the characters of a God-chaser is humility. This is so simple yet it is so hard. Humility means dying to our flesh and self-will. A true God-chaser doesn’t try to control his/her own life but one who surrenders to God. Humility will make you bow before God and rise before men. Moses was a self-made man growing up in the house of Pharaoh. He thought he was something until he killed a man. Like most of us men, he had a lot of ego. It took God forty years in the wilderness to humble Moses. But when God was through He made Moses to be the savior of a nation!

Friend, today you may be going through your wilderness. Don’t be anxious if it’s taking you longer than you expected. I assure you, it won’t take you forty years. Life may be uncomfortable now. Don’t try to hurry the process. The good news is when God is through molding you, you too will make history. He will not only change your destiny but of your family and generations to come down your bloodline. When you put on humility and become God-chaser, He will promote you beyond your wildest dream.

Raised in a Buddhist family in Korea, Cho was dying of tuberculosis at the age of seventeen. A girl came to visit him daily to share Christ with Cho. He couldn’t resist God’s love for him and Cho became a God-chaser. He was healed of tuberculosis completely. Cho started a small church with only three people. Today, Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho has the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea with a membership of over one million people! God-chasers are history makers. God wants to make history with you!

Friend, no matter what you’re facing today, God is waiting for you to return to Him. God is not mad with you; He’s madly in love with you. He wants you to surrender your life to Him. If you give Him the broken pieces of your life, you’ll rise from your ashes. He will take nothing from you without giving you something far better. If God’s love could reach a cheater like Jacob and a murderer like Moses, He can certainly reach you. Make a decision today. Become a God-chaser. I guarantee your life will never be the same again. I’m praying for you!

“Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself” (Luke 10:27 The Message).

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How to Hear God's Voice

Does God speak to us today? Some think it is impossible. Others would love to hear God’s voice but they never have. Then there are others who hear God’s voice regularly. Is there really a secret to hearing God’s voice? Does God talk to humans?

God does and wants to speak to us. In fact God wants to speak to us more than we want to hear. God often speaks to us in unexpected time, place and circumstances. God spoke to Moses in the burning bush when he wasn’t expecting it but he was receptive. Instead of blowing it off, Moses took time to stop, think and look into it. He was in sync with God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”

One of the greatest hindrances to hearing God’s voice today is our busy-ness. When we are running around like a chicken with its head cut off, we cannot hear God. If our lives are full of “noises” it will hinder us from hearing God. In order to hear God we have to have a quite spirit. Let’s discuss a few common ways God speaks to us today.

The most common ways God speaks to us is through His Word. The Bible contains God’s thoughts inspired by the Holy Spirit. If you want to hear God’s voice, just read your Bible. As you read the Word of God (logos) suddenly a particular word, phrase or sentence will jump out at you. It will grab your attention. This is your “aha” moment and instruction that you need. That’s called the “rhema” Word of God. It means this Word is now custom made for your specific situation.

God speaks to us through other people. We all have heard about God using prophets to speak to His people. He still does. But God also speaks to us through common men and women. The Bible says that in the multitude of counselors there’s safety. In other words, when we allow people to speak into our lives, we’re hearing God. One word of caution here! God will speak to you the loudest about your life than any other person. Don’t be deceived into believing that you need a personal prophet in your back pocket who will dictate the course of your life. God is in speaking terms with you. God will confirm through other people what He has already spoken to your heart first.

God speaks to us in unusual ways. This can include dreams, visions, audible voices and or any other uncommon circumstances. This is prevalent in Arab nations where it is a huge offense to share the Gospel. People are having dreams and visions of Jesus and coming to know the Lord. There have been reports of whole mosque filled with believers where Jesus has revealed Himself to the people. Like Moses’ encounter with God, these are usually initiated by God.

God speaks to us through everyday life. Next to the Bible, this is the most common way God speaks to me. He doesn’t usually give me an essay but He gives me a word, a phrase or an idea that relates to my circumstances. I like to say, “God twits” to me. You may laugh but I hear God through TV commercials, billboards, books, casual conversations and oh yea – when I’m taking a shower. I know it’s weird! Normally this happens through a quite impression on my heart. When God speaks, I always try to write down the thought. I keep notepad by my bed, in my car, and I write down thoughts on my phone also. Often the Holy Spirit suddenly reminds me about a specific friend while I’m driving or doing whatever. That’s when I call to check on them and pray for them.

Friend, God wants to speak to you more than you want to hear Him. Get the mind of Christ by putting God’s Word in your spirit. God will speak to you through people you know and trust. Stay open to hearing God’s voice in unusual ways. Be sensitive throughout the day to hear God speak to you in a small voice down in your spirit. The more you practice hearing His voice the better you’ll become at it. He loves you and He wants to talk to you.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV).

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Three Habits of Jesus

Many try to portray Jesus as mystical figure who cannot be understood. Religion calls Him sacred, philosophers portrays Him to be wise, sinners called Him a friend and scholars doubted His divinity. Who is Jesus that changed the world and what can we learn from Him?

Over the centuries, many have tried to explain Jesus and the secrets to His success. There are lessons we can learn from the life of Jesus. If we give heed to these habits, we too can become successful in the game of life.

One of the major habits in Jesus’ life was prayer. He prayed all sorts of prayers. He prayed in all sorts of places. He prayed different length of prayer. Sometime He prayed all nights. Other times he said a quick prayer in the passing. Prayer is a standout activity in the life of Jesus. He not only prayed in solitary but He prayed in public as well. His approach toward prayer was to communicate with God. He didn’t just pray in times of a crisis but also took time to acknowledge and converse with His heavenly Father. His habit was to set aside times for prayer. Praying early morning and late at night were hallmarks of Jesus’ life.

As Christians, we too must pray. Prayer has been reduced to boring, endless chants and many find it hard to participate in. In reality, prayer is a vibrant communication with our Father in heaven. Every revival is birthed in prayer. In China, when people pray, they pray until they sweat! Only one person maybe praying but after each sentence the whole church will say “Aamun.” They’re all active participants in prayer. The excitement, zeal and intensity of prayer are contagious. Prayer isn’t certainly a contest of loud voices but when we express our thoughts in prayers out loud we also influence those who are around us.

                                                                                                         
An unpopular habit of Jesus was fasting. Fasting is not something we do to gain God’s favor, but it has a two-fold impact. Fasting gets God’s attention like nothing else. Fasting also is a good way to exercise self-control and keeping our fleshly desires on check. Fasting requires high degree of discipline. In today’s culture most of us are not willing to pay the price for a power-filled life. If we want to be “Super-Christians” we have to start keeping our bodies under control through fasting. Fasting is not a very popular message but it’s a very effective tool to live a victorious life. Paul said, “I buffet my body and keep it under subjection.” Many Christians misinterpret it as going to the buffet and eat all they can! A little bit of fasting on a regular basis will do us all good in many different levels. Most people think that fasting is just giving up food for a meal or a few days, but it is really giving up anything so you can spend more time with God. Try fasting; it will super-charge your spiritual life.

Another noticeable habit of Jesus was His public life. He spent all night and early mornings talking to His Father but during the day, He was all about people. He spent time with kids. He went to dinner, wedding and social gatherings. He was with the sinners, the down and outs and the rich. Jesus hung around with all types of people. We too should do the same without compromising our character. He was a people person. If we want to please God with our lives, we must love God and love people. Part of the secrets to your success is how good you can relate to other people. When we take genuine interest in people, we too can win them over to the Kingdom of God. Fellowship and hospitality are lost words in Christian communities today but they’re the building blocks of our Christian life. Let’s spend time with God and with each other!

Religion has taught us that Jesus was the Son of God that’s why He could live a sinless life and do the impossible things. But the Bible teaches us that Jesus was both God and man on earth. That means we too can live and do the things He did if we take time to deny our flesh and build healthy spiritual habits. I challenge you to do at least one of the three things we talked about today and I can assure you that your spiritual life will launch into the orbits.

Pray. Fast. Take genuine interest in people!

“Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night” (Luke 6:12 NLT).

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