Not of COVID!

While watching an online Faith Life Church service, I once again saw how overly protective God really is. The Pastor, Keith Moore, said that during the pandemic we needed to remember Mark 16:18 which says, “…they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them…’ He said based on that verse, our daily confession should be, “If we eat, drink, touch, or breathe any deadly thing, it will not hurt us.” From that moment on, I decided that would be my daily confession. But when I seriously considered the gravity of it, I couldn’t help but think about John 17:16 when Jesus said, “They are not of the world just as I am not of the world.” I realized that even though we are IN THE WORLD, where SARS-nCOV-2 also known as COVID-19 exists, that we are NOT OF THE WORLD. Meaning, we are not subject to the sicknesses that plague it.

Jesus prayed that we not be taken, “…out of the world’, where COVID-19 exists, ‘…but that [God would] keep [us] from the evil one.” Keep is an interesting word because it means ‘to protect, guard, and to block’. Therefore, the Lord not only prayed that you and I would be protected and guarded from the Rona but that its ability to infiltrate anything we eat, drink, breathe, or touch would be blocked as well. And because we are not of this world, we are not subject to the evil one who has temporary rule over it which means we don’t have to obey, give place to or contract the Coronavirus he sent into this world. That also means that we can travel safely and do what’s necessary – in the midst of COVID-19. Am I saying that we should go out without masks and not social distance? In my Damon Wayans voice..."Uhhhh no!" You should absolutely do both, but you should do both – by faith. Meaning use your faith – in God – for your PPE to protect and guard you while you go about your business.

With that in mind, how can we be so sure that we are protected? Because Jesus was. There are several instances where the Lord encountered contagious situations. Back in His day, leprosy was considered contagious. In fact, those who’d contracted the disease had to live on the outskirts of town in what was known as leper colonies. This would be similar to the separate wards, tents and/or other facilities such hotels and arenas, that serve as pop up hospitals or places to treat COVID-19 patients. In Matthew 8, we find Jesus encountering such a patient to which ‘…Jesus put out His hand and touched him….and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.’ In Luke 4:36, 37 we also find the Lord visiting Peter, whose mother-in-law, ‘…was sick with a high fever’. Fevers are usually the result of an infection. Usually those infections are viral which means once again Jesus was in the presence of a highly contagious person and was not infected.

How is this possible? Because again Mark 16:18 says that if we “take up serpents…it will by no means hurt [us].’ In the same way it’s possible to be bitten and injected with a snake’s deadly venom, it’s also possible to take up or touch something or someone infected with the Coronavirus and walk away uninfected. But as with anything in the Bible, uninfected-ness isn’t automatic. Meaning, you're not automatically protected just because you're a Christian. You’re going to have to use your faith in order for it to happen. How do you do that? By confessing God’s protection daily. You’re going to have to open your mouth and say, “If I eat, drink, breathe, or touch any deadly thing it will not hurt or infect me and my loved ones.” By doing so, you’re lining your words up with Jesus’ and because you do, ‘the Lord [will] work with you and confirm His word’ by way of keeping you well (Mk. 16:20). And by all means, please wear your PPE and don't forget to social distance. But do it with the assurance that even if you do come in contact with an infected surface or person, COVID-19 will by no means infect you.

Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for keeping, guarding, and protecting me during this pandemic. Lord, You said that if I come in contact with anything deadly that it would not harm me. So Lord, this will be my daily confession and I’m so thankful that each day that I do, You will confirm Your word by keeping me well. In Jesus’ name.

Confess this daily: “If I eat, drink, breathe, or touch any deadly thing it will not infect me and my loved ones.”