March 2020
Have you ever been using the hairdryer to dry your hair and the power just stopped? I have and I had to wait for the dryer to cool down before hitting the “reset button” to finish drying my hair. Many of you had that experience within the last week or so. Everything changed. Many of you could not go to work; your children could not go to school. There was no fast food ready for your instant consumption. Suddenly you became the cook, the house cleaner, the teacher, a real mate and 24-7 entertainment for your children. Life changed seemingly overnight. What happened…God hit the reset button. You may have thought your life was great, but God saw something different. What if you designed something to operate a certain way and it was seldom if ever operating the way you designed it. You’d be pretty upset. That’s not what you designed! Well, God designed you and me and we have not been operating the way He designed; so,…He hit the reset button. Everything stopped…the Whole thing. Our lives may not return to what it used to be. I believe God said, “Let’s try this in a different way.”
Some people are old enough to remember when we actually cooked all our own meals, washed our own clothes, drove to school or work with the kids in the car, talked to our neighbors, picked up the newspaper at the stoop, worked side by side with our coworker and talked about life, had sit-down meals with the family and played games or maybe watched television together. Many of you will be doing similar things now because life has changed almost overnight. You will have a chance to get to know your partner, children or parents better as a result, whether you desired it or not. And let’s try to be loving and patient while we go through this; life has changed.
You might have been satisfied with your life the way it was, but was it going the right way? Today you might be dealing with life and death issues because of the Coronavirus. Are you going to be sick? Do you unknowingly have the virus? What if your mate or children have it and what would you do? What would life be like without them? If you have never prayed before perhaps this will be your first time to call upon the God of the Universe. Every day, whether you knew it or not, life and death were before you. Driving your car, eating food, children at school, your health or your mate’s health were all in God’s hands and He decided between sickness, life or death. Now you are aware of how real that prospect is when you touch another person or a surface or eat food handled by someone else. Perhaps you always took things for granted, that it would always be the same. While God managed your life and kept things running smoothly, you perhaps never considered it or thought to say thanks to the God that watched over you and your family. Perhaps now you realize for the first time that life is not in your hands, but God’s.
God hit the reset button to help us recognize Him and the things that are important. You and your mate walking the dog might be a new experience. Talking and laughing with the children might be new to you if you were a workaholic. Smelling lawn grass and hearing birds sing while you walk might be amazing for the first time. While your mind might wander off and worry but what about the bills or what about work or some other thing; God has it all in His hands just like He always did. You just did not know it. He always wanted you to awake and talk to Him about your day, your concerns and then put it all in His hands. He was always the one controlling everything anyway.
We needed a reset. Life had gotten out of control. Parents spent little time with their children; children were being raised by teachers who were underpaid. Kindergarteners were being taught about homosexuality. Little children in our nation were being caged, killed or sexually abused. What about school shootings? Things were going from bad to worst. Some cities were without clean drinking water, poor housing or no housing and it seemed no one cared. The President of the United States is cussing and using profanity in prime time before your children. It was time to hit the alarm!
When the preachers and priests cannot be trusted around your children, let alone preach a competent sermon, something is majorly wrong. Everyone was asking who can do anything? Who is responsible for this? Everyone was looking to the government but the president is cussing and swearing. We found out how much he cared when he kept saying everything will be alright and it will all just disappear, while people were dying. What do you do when the top person who is supposed to be in charge is freaking out? Who is actually in charge of this thing? Well, the “One Who is in Charge” is responding in a way no one wanted. Judgment is not pretty but that is one of the ways God responds when He is being ignored. We are learning that death can come from a touch, a kiss or sneeze. That is pretty severe. It is the kind of thing that makes one pray, “Lord, keep me.” It was always up to God to keep us, but many people seldom asked or thanked Him for keeping them safe. The “One Who Is In Charge” is now standing up and making His voice heard loud and clear. The president is caught off guard, does not care or will not respond properly because it is out of his control. This is a God-thing. Now, what will we do? It is time to pray, “Father, help us.”
Father God has always wanted to help us with our day and He gave us guidance from the beginning that we have ignored. Our problems have come as a result of ignoring God. There were always consequences for ignoring God and doing wickedly on the earth. Every bill comes due at some point and our bill is now due. Each and every one of us needs to realize we have to respond to God about the status of our life and problems.
Now that God has gotten our attention, is there something you would like to discuss with Him. He is willing to listen, but be sure to approach Him lovingly because we are the ones who messed up. How your life proceeds forward depends on your relationship with God. You can talk to Him like you would a friend, but remember He has infinite power. Talk to Him about your concerns about your family, job, faith, health, etc. These were always areas you needed to address with Him. Now that your whole world is at stake, it might be a good time to thank God for all He has already given you and then ask your desires for the future. Don’t take anything for granted anymore because God controls the future. Realize that what occurs moving forward is really between you and your God.
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deu 4:30-31
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psa 95:7
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Truth and Life Ministries of Christ with Apostle Joyce Reba Payne 