Take It To The King
The Battle Rages On
This awful virus has taken a toll.
People everywhere are suffering or have suffered.
Lives have been lost – just what the devil wants.
People have left the church – just want the devil wants.
The media and certain politicians driving division between people – just what the devil wants.
Brothers and sisters in Christ – This spiritual battle that we’re in is way bigger than we could ever possibly imagine.
10 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12, (NASB).1
In this well-known verse, Paul warned the Ephesians that satanic influences were coming against any who professed their faith in Jesus Christ.
Why do we think the devil is fighting so hard, even now? Because he knows his time is eternally short.
It can be hard to encourage people not to fear when there are so many evil influences all around us.
Worry and anxiety set in and can take hold, affecting all ages.
This virus caused a mental health crisis.
Check out these sobering statistics from a Barna study,
When respondents had an opportunity to provide a portrait of their emotions, the image is one of a generation gripped by worry. Anxiety about important decisions is widespread (40%), as well as uncertainty about the future (40%), a fear of failure (40%) and a pressure to be successful (36%). Though this study alone can’t speak to actual diagnoses of mental illness, nearly three in 10 overall (28%) call themselves sad or depressed. – Barna Group Study.2
So What Can We Do About It?
There’s only one answer, and He is Jesus.
JESUS
Thankfully, our upcoming eternal victory over evil is based on what He did, not on what we can do.
We have to lay these spiritual problems at the throne, because we can’t solve this.
What we can do is love and support each other through all of these challenges, and most importantly, pray.
Ultimately, we must lay all of our troubles at the cross of Jesus Christ and take it to the King.
Take It To The King
I thought of many recent conversations with friends of mine.
Right now, they have teenagers who are agonizing over their futures in the wake of this terrible plague going on.
These teenagers should be looking forward to bright futures, but instead they are seeing businesses close and many large companies making crazy demands just for their employees to go to work every day.
It’s overwhelming.
Recently at church, we sang a song that, I believe, is comforting during these dark times.
It’s called “Take Me to the Cross,” here performed by the talented Northwest Choralons.
No matter what difficult circumstance you are going through – keep looking towards the Cross, and take it to the King.
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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
2 Quotation from Barna Group, courtesy of online study, “Only One-Third of Young Adults Feels Cared for by Others?” Accessed July 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/global-connection-isolation/
