Dealing with the pandemic – be safe not brave

We pause our series on faith to talk about the Coronavirus (Covid-9) pandemic. We shall continue with the series next week.

Matthew 2:19-21

“But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,  [20] Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. [21] And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”

PROTECTED FOR YOUR DESTINY

The fulfilment of our destiny is of great importance to God. Think about it for a moment, what would have happened if Jesus was killed as an infant! The whole world would have perished in darkness. Your destiny is of no less importance to God. You are here for a reason determined by God. He protected Jesus for His destiny. Yes, he came to die by not as an infant. Details matter to God. He planned and timed everything.

He protected Joseph from being killed by his brothers so he could fulfil his destiny.

He has and will continue to preserve you for your divine assignment.

He will not allow anything to cancel His plan for you.

Many plans are disrupted but everything will work together for our good at the end of the day.

Coronavirus cannot and will not terminate your life.

No circumstance has the ability to terminate your life.

No witch or wizard can touch your life.

Two ways to hide

There are two ways to hide and both must be put in place. One does not take the place of the other. You must hide physically and spiritually.

Firstly, you must stay at home. You must take precaution. You have a part to play in safeguarding your life. That was the reason why God told Joseph to take Jesus and flee to Egypt. It was not that God didn’t have faith or power to protect His Son. He will always have faith but every miracle on earth will always require man’s participation, man’s faith. At this point, God knew that Joseph and Mary did not have enough faith to protect Jesus while remaining in Israel so, He told them to flee to Egypt.

Another fact this confirms is that though Jesus was the very Son of God, He lived on earth as the Son of man. He lived as a perfect man under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He had to first grow up to believe anything and make His own decisions. And at this point, as an infant, He couldn’t possibly exercise any faith Himself. So, the logical thing to do was for His parents to take Him away temporarily.

Moses ran away from Egypt to hide from Pharaoh. In Exodus 2:15, “Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian…” This same Moses came back forty years later to boldly confront Pharaoh for the release of his people from over four hundred years of slavery. He did not try to be brave, he focused on being safe.

Jacob’s story also illustrates the need to take temporary refuge from danger and threat to life. Let’s read it in Genesis 27:41-45, “So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob. [42] And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. [43] Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. [44] And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, [45] until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there…”

Jacob had to run to Haran to hide from his angry brother. He had earlier taken the birthright blessing that was meant for his brother Esau. He needed to hide until the danger was over. This plague will pass but you have to play safe and not become a victim.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing to do is to run. You must know when to run and when to stand and fight.

The coronavirus is here. God will protect you, but you must take precautions. Hide in the safety of your home until this storm is over. Don’t try to be brave, be safe, be wise.

Secondly, take refuge in God through prayer. His presence is the best place to hide. Read Psalm 91 and stand on it.

God will protect this nation. God will take this scourge away from the world. This plague will pass. We will recover and bounce back. It is not yet the end of the world.

In summary

Do the following things:

1. Obey the authorities. Stay home. Stay safe.
2. Follow medical advice. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds as often as you can. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands where you have no immediate access to water. Wife all surfaces you touch with same. Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc, with your hands. Keep a safe distance of ate least 3 feet away from anyone sneezing or coughing. Practice social distancing.
3. Watch and pray. This is the time to pick up out intercessory priesthood and ask God for mercy upon the world. Pray for Health workers. Pray for those who are infected with the virus. Pray that God will mitigate the economic effect of this pandemic.
4. Trust God to supernaturally protect you and your loved ones.
5. Support those who are suffering but do it in a safe way. This is the time to pray. This is the time to give hope to our neighbours. This is the time to give whatever assistance we can to anyone suffering.

Your destiny will not be wasted. It will not be terminated. It will be fully fulfilled, in the name of Jesus! God will protect you for your dream, in the name of Jesus.

I cover you and your family with the blood of Jesus. This virus will not touch you. It will not touch your loved ones. It will not come near you wherever you may be at any time, in the name of Jesus.

Bishop Dr. Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. Website: www.dayspringcmi.org e-mail: [email protected] Help line: 08035150515