Lockdown Day 1 : We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony
This is big. Most of my generation (Y) has never lived through this type of thing before. Most didn’t have forced military service (therefore most including my self didn’t). Most of us haven’t lived through wars in our home territories.
We have lived mostly sheltered lives.
Now we are locked down because of COVID-19. In my country South Africa this means not allowed to leave our houses for except to buy food at the supermarket or go to the doctor. Both we have to prove to police/army otherwise we will be arrested.
It is essentially marshal law — though they are not saying that.
The army is out with the police, and there is a zero tolerance policy. Already a tavern opened this morning in my city, and people were drinking there (before 9am I kid you not) — and they with the tavern owner have already been arrested.
No restaurants or takeaways are allowed to be open. No shops unless they sell essential goods — which is basically groceries, cleaning supplies, and medicine. Even our online stores can only sell that. No alcohol, and no tobacco products may be sold.
The cinemas and theatres are all closed, as are botanical gardens, parks, and all recreational facilities. We aren’t even allowed to go for walks or runs, even if we are alone.
We watched a World War II movie last night on TV, and it seems people had more freedom of movement during that time than we do now.
So what now — what do we make of this ?
“How could God let this happen” some people will say. Surely a God of love couldn’t do this to us ?
We are seeing this from the wrong perspective if we ask those questions. The reality is man is evil — you and me and everyone else. We were born in to sin, and there is nothing we deserve but death:
‘This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ‘
Romans 3:22–24 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.3.22-24
Everything that bad that happens on this is as a result of man’s sin, right from the garden of Eden up to now, for man is sinful.
The only thing that can save us is Jesus. He is the only thing that can overcome this crisis:
‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. ‘
Revelation 12:11 https://my.bible.com/bible/114/REV.12.11
Solomon said, through wisdom given to him by God himself, in scripture:
‘History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.’
Ecclesiastes 1:9–11 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/ECC.1.9-11
The reality is our sin is old news, but Jesus is the Good News by which we break this.
We must turn to Jesus, fall on our knees, and pray. Pray to Jesus — not to all the gods this world does as the pope recently tried to do to “unite us” — what blasphemy from a supposed man of God.
There is only one way to the father:
‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ‘
John 14:6 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.14.6
We lived through a massive drought in Cape Town in the last 2 years, the same time that I was fighting the biggest battle in my life — cancer.
But Cape Town got on knees and prayed, massive gatherings of people turned to Jesus and prayed for the drought to end. And it did, with only 90 days to go before all the useable water would have been finished and we would have been left with nothing.
But we prayed to Jesus, and he answered, and the drought ended.
We also prayed to Jesus and I survived the cancer, almost 2 and 1/2 years on and counting.
We must be a people who believe in Jesus, that we can walk on water, that can do infinitely more than we can even have faith for:
‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
Romans 8:35–39 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.8.35-39
So turn to the Lamb of God Jesus, and overcome this by His blood and the word of our testimony.
Amen!
