COVID-19 RESET AND LESSONS LEARNED

by Gloria Godson

AMERICA IS REOPENING!!! We thank God for keeping us and our families safe, strong, and healthy during the quarantine. We pray for grace and wisdom for government officials and all leaders, as they reopen the nation, states, and local communities. I pray that we will step back into community with faith over fear. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Our safety is of the Lord!

As I pondered my time in quarantine, I realized that this is a gigantic reset and set up. God did a great work in the midst of the COVID-19 shut down! He has taught us many lessons, chief among which is that “normal” does not mean good. God is doing a new thing! He is resetting priorities, attitudes, values, and the hearts and minds of people. Have you seen God at work? I have! Here are some examples:

  1. Sanctity of Life: God has reaffirmed the sanctity of human life in America! Though terrifying, it was such a blessing to see New York and California labor so hard to save the lives of the elderly. Prior to COVID-19, these states were leading the nation down a path of disregard for life that were deemed inconvenient. God values ALL human life, from conception through old age. Today, New York and CA are working feverishly to save the lives of the elderly. Only God!
  1. The Tyranny of Worry: God has proven once and for all that worry is completely useless! You worrywarts out there, how many of you had worried about a worldwide virus that would kill hundreds of thousands of people, shut down commerce, and literally quarantine the world for months? You didn’t. None of the things you worried about happened, and something this big happened and you didn’t even know to worry about it! And guess what? You are still here! The worst happened and God still took care of you! That right there is God working to put an end to the tyranny of worry.
  1. Stronger Families: God is at work in the midst of the COVID-19 shut down to strengthen families. He is returning the heart of the parents to their children and vice versa. Kids who used to spend 12 hours every day at the day care are now at home. Parents are getting to know their kids, some for the first time. Families are spending more time together, caring for one another, and eating meals together. Parents who thought they were woefully incapable of homeschooling their kids have learned that they completely underestimated themselves! They truly can do all things through Christ. COVID-19 is forcing a family rethink. Grown children who did not visit their aging parents in the nursing home because they didn’t have time, are facing a different reality. They want to visit, but can’t! God is reworking our priorities for sure. We are coming out of this stronger and better.
  1. Weaned of Sports: America is a nation of sports lovers. If it rolls, glides or bounces, we can’t get enough! We love everything sports, and we would cheer, yell, hoop, and holler! We idolize sports and sports figures. We paint our bodies to proclaim our allegiance, shout on top of our lungs in praise of our favorite teams, and shell out a ton of money to go to ball games. By contrast we are dignified, reserved, and barely audible at church during worship, and begrudge giving any money to those preachers – afterall, all they want is your money. Today, thanks to COVID-19, we have learned that we can live without sports events, and that those preachers really do care about us!
  1. Situational Awareness: COVID-19 has given a tremendous boost to situational awareness. America is a nation distracted by cellphones, tablets, and multiple devices. Most Americans are so poor, they couldn’t pay attention. Lack of situational awareness has been a major and longstanding cause of accidents and death on our roads, at home, and in the workplace. Well, COVID-19 is a game changer. For the first time, we are tuned in, listening, fully present, and aware of our surroundings.
  1. Technology Takeover: COVID-19 has moved life online! Today, we live in a virtual world. Daily commerce moved from brick and mortar stores to electronic platforms and devices. We found that we can eat, drink, shop, exercise, school, church, work, concert, play, and live online! Zoom, Skype, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Whatsapp, Hangouts, and other electronic platforms have become the new hubs. More than that, the word of God has had an unprecedented level of penetration as people “attend” church services, bible studies, prayer meetings and worship services online. Thanks to COVID-19, individuals who would never darken the door of a church, have been introduced to the God of the Bible online.
  1. Spick and Span: COVID-19 gave cleanliness and personal hygiene a whole new meaning. Washing hands is literally a matter of life or death, so of course we washed our hands. Several times a day, we wipe, wash, clean and repeat! Thanks to COVID-19, we are a much cleaner, healthier America and world!
  1. Personal Transformation: COVID-19 has brought personal transformation in the lives of so many. People are reading the Bible and listening to God a whole lot more; and the Bible is doing what it does best, change the hearts, minds, and lives of people! Many people have completely relocated in the spirit. When this is all over and their old pal, the devil, comes looking for them at their old address, he will find them gone! They have relocated without leaving a forwarding address. Hallelujah!
  1. Back to the Beginning: COVID-19 has brought us back to the beginning of the New Testament church, when the disciples met in homes, preached from house to house, and “broke bread” with glad and sincere hearts. Prior to the quarantine, most people went to church to meet with God. Today, the church has left the building! Many people are, for the first time, hosting the presence of God in their homes. A powerful, dispersed, worshipping church changed the world in the first century, and is poised to do the same for our world today.
  1. The Return of Christ: COVID-19 has set the stage for the return of Christ and the end of the world. The Bible states that in earth’s last days, a one world dictator would arise who would tell people how to worship, not to worship, whether they can buy or sell, and require them to have an authorization mark to be able to transact. Prior to COVID-19, this sounded so far-fetched, but not anymore. Today, we are being told by our government, where to go, when to shop, when to go or not go to work, who to associate with, at what distance, how to dress, and so on. And we all obey without a whimper! Contact tracing takes that to a whole new level, and will enable an unprecedented type of government tracking, tracing and potential erosion of rights. We even have a bill No. 6666 proposed in the United States Congress. Can you see it now, the scenario in Revelation being played out? Billy Graham said, the news tells you what is happening in the world, but the Bible tells you what it means. COVID-19 is a test case. Now the stage is set for the Anti-Christ to emerge on the world dais.

I have seen God at work in so many other areas, but I will stop here. Now it’s your turn. Have you seen God at work? Do tell!

PRAYER: Powerful two minute prayer for God’s protection as we reopen the nation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYX9gg4h4g&t=6s

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