Panic, Presumption, or Peace During a Plague

Yes, there is much in the world to cause panic, if we look at things from the world’s point of view. There’s a plague, which could infect us, our families, or other loved ones. Then there’s lack. Lack of money due to less employment. Lack of food due to shortages. Lack of necessities due to quarantine. Even more terrifying is our lack of control in the situation. With the uncertainty of what we are even dealing with, we really don’t even know what we don’t know. All these reasons and more may cause us to panic and feel fear. Yet, according to Dr. Caroline Leaf, “Toxic, fearful thinking shifts our bodies into toxic stress, which can cause the blood vessels around the heart to constrict, and this means there will be less blood flow and oxygen to the brain, and 1400 neurophysiological responses can work against us instead of for us, potentially making us more vulnerable to viruses.” (Click here for a link to her article on this situation.) Although anxiety is one of the most unhealthy things we can possibly do during a time when we need a strong immune system, here we are feeling fear, anxiety, and mental distress when we look at things from the world’s point of view.

So, is the alternative to live presumptuously, imagining that we are immune to diseases? One of the normal characteristics of teenagers (and why their car insurance is so expensive) is a belief that nothing bad will happen to them, which is why they often try dangerous stunts. Obviously, that is not living wisely. We cannot ignore problems, deny danger, or refuse to listen to reasoning. Closing our eyes to situations around us does not mean we are living in faith in God. If we never face danger, we never need saving. If we never have sickness, we never need healing. If we never experience hardship, we never need relief. Avoiding admitting problems doesn’t mean we have faith; it means we are living in presumption.

Panic is not from God. Presumption is not faith in God.

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The issue is; What are we speaking? Because often, what we find coming out of our mouth, reveals what’s in our heart. As Proverbs 18:21 warns us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” What are we saying during this dark time in our world?

“We’re going to get sick!”

“I’m going to run out of money!”

“My business is going to fail!”

“I’m going to run out of medicine!”

What if instead we speak life?

“God is my healer!”

“God is my provider!”

What we need is peace – God’s peace – “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) Since there is such power in our words, we should look at what it is we should be saying. Where do we get confidence to proclaim health and provision? From the Word of God. In the past, as I was dealing with depressions, I would proclaim over myself 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” I suggest finding a Scripture that applies to your unique situation. If you don’t know of one, check Google. Type in “Scriptures on…” (Ignore the world’s answers and go straight to the expert – the Bible). Look in the thesaurus. Text or call a pastor or friend. Additionally, there is power in the name of Jesus. Last night my teenage son woke up with a nightmare. He immediately spoke the name “Jesus.” The fear faded and my son was left with what he described as a feeling that the presence of God was with him. He spent the next 45 minutes praying. He had peace.

So, did I just reveal the cure for all diseases? While I cannot promise you will never be sick, I can promise that God will never leave you. I can promise that, with God, you will accomplish your purpose.

Alright, I want to hear from you! What truth and Scriptures have you proclaimed over yourself in the past or are currently proclaiming? Please share because what you’ve found helpful may help others. Let’s help each other proclaim the peace of God over our life!

Names vs. Labels

Wow! 2020 has certainly taken an interesting swing. Hope you are well. Hopefully you are gaining personal clarity this year. As we’ve been discussing, labels will keep us from seeing clearly. Labels cause us to see ourselves according to a title given to us. Whether the label is true or not, it is not the compete picture of who we are, thus more harmful than good. Instead of seeing ourselves through the lens of a label, let’s ask God what He says about us. What God says should influence how we see ourselves more than anything else.

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It is important to know that there is a difference between a label and a name. Labels limit. If we label ourselves according to culture’s standards, we may feel we need to stay within the limits of the expectations of that title. For example, a blue-collar worker may feel there is no time or need for additional education, while a white-collar worker may feel ashamed to do mechanical work on his own car. While labels limit us, names build us.

 

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Jesus had a disciple named Simon. Simon was a fisherman with a big mouth. In the world of labels, he would probably have been labeled poor, white trash, loudmouth, classless. Once he became a disciple of Jesus, he might have been labeled a religious fanatic. One day Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” The disciples answered that the people thought He might be a prophet or something. Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Recognizing that Simon had been shown this by God and not by natural observation, Jesus told him, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it…” The name Peter means “rock.” Peter was given a new name by Jesus – the rock, the rock that would build the church.

 
While the world gives labels that limit, Jesus gives names that build. While the world says we are poor, God names us prosperous. While the world says we are white trash, God names us jewels. While the world says we are loudmouth, God names us witnesses. While the world labels us as classless, God names us His children. While the world labels us religious fanatics, God names us world changers. What name has God given you? Have you asked him? In order to receive the name that God has given you, you have to reject the labels that the world has given you. Allow God to name you and you’ll be blown away by your potential. We were created with a purpose, and the name God gives us builds us. As Rick Warren wrote, “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.”  If you have not been given a name by God, ask him. He’ll show you. He loves you!

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Reject Labels-Embrace Who God Made You to Be

We’ve been exploring the role that labels have in our lives. We’ve discussed how labels alter our behavior. They bring feelings of hopelessness or defeat. They give us a distorted view of ourselves. They keep us from reaching our potential. Today we are going to investigate more harm in labels.

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When we are given a label, sometimes we feel forced to live to the expectation of that label. For instance, if we are labeled as popular, we may feel pressured to live and act as we perceive a popular person should act. However, not being given a certain label may also alter our behavior as we avoid activities associated with the not-given label. So, if we have not been labeled as popular, we may avoid situations we feel unpopular people do not belong. Believing labels determine our action may cause us to lose initiative, creativity, resourcefulness, and many good ideas.

Recently my husband, the pastor of our church, got a bad cold. There was no way he would have been able to preach that Sunday morning without coughing into the microphone every few minutes. Would have been annoying to listen to! I knew I needed to do something to help him out, but what? There is one thing I know. I am not a public speaker! Did you see what I just did? I labeled myself by not labeling myself. I altered my behavior because I have never been given the label public speaker. Because of all my label blogging, I realized that I needed to break out of my non-label and meet a need that my husband had. So I preached. No, I wasn’t as good as my husband, but that is an important point too.

If I thought my choice was to be a good public speaker or not to be a good public speaker, I would have done the best I could and just gotten through it. But I would have lost the ability to be creative. Instead, I looked at myself honestly and realized that what I was lacking in talent and ability, I could make up for by using a visual aid. So, I brought in a big ladder and climbed up and down the ladder all throughout the sermon (It actually had something to do with the sermon; I didn’t just climb up and down for no reason.) Besides illustrating my point, it kept people interested in the visual aid so much that it distracted them from my unseasoned speaking ability. Most people even stayed awake! By rejecting the idea that I could not do something because I didn’t have the label, I chose to honestly look at my strengths and weaknesses and come up with a creative solution. Here is a link to my message. (Punishment Zone) As you listen, perhaps you can imagine my climbing up and down a ladder.

The problem is not that we have never been given the label, the problem is that we feel we need it. When we feel we need a label in order to do, we cannot honestly look at our strengths and weaknesses and evaluate our best activity. We feel we either can or we cannot. We have the power though. We can choose to reject the idea of labels and that we need them in order to be someone.

What non-labels have you not been given that has kept you from doing things? Perhaps you have not been labeled as popular and have become shy, reclusive, and lonely. Maybe you’ve not been labeled as intelligent, so you have decided not to pursue education. Possibly no one has ever called you compassionate, so you feel you cannot sympathetically deal with those around you. How many of us have felt unworthy because we have never received a label – athlete, devout Christian, leader, fiscally responsible…. It’s time to reject labels and embrace who God made us to be!

This is NOT an actual picture of me climbing up and down the ladder, but it would have made my sermon interesting if I had climbed like this.

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