Pandemic Faith: 3 things you should be doing with your faith.

We’ve all seen posts, heard commentaries and thought about it often, “Can 2020 be over?”

No one thought that this year would be like it has been.  I am sure you, just like myself, had great plans that never materialized. 

All around us there is heart-ache, brokenness and disappointment.

We’re Christians, this is not supposed to be happening! – right?

Well to be truthful, the Bible doesn’t say that challenging days would not happen to us.  In fact, it tells us they will happen.

The Lord says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble. I’m the one who delivers, rescues, and redeems. And I will do it.” (Psalm 50:15)

But He also gives us a way of escape.  He will help us.

So that brings us to today. 

• How do we deal with all of the changes we have experienced during the pandemic, in our personal life, family life, and ministry?
• How do we teach and minister to kids, on how to cope with the circumstances they face?

We have been teaching on Faith in our kid’s church and there are three things I realized I should be doing, during this pandemic, and I want to share them with you.

1. Guard My Faith

Most of us know the scripture Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The NLT translation says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

If we take a moment to think about it, our heart, or spirit, is precious and vital to us and the Lord. 

• This is where we commune with God. 
• This is where our hopes and dream begin, grow and thrive.
• This is where we hide God’s Word.

Your spirit is the heart of you.  So it is important that we guard our heart and protect it, especially in challenging times. When we do this we are guarding our faith.

I must confess, I realized one day that I had not been guarding my heart. In the morning, after work, before bed, I would turn on the news – out of habit.  Of course, I knew it was negative, but didn’t realized how it was impacting me.  (In Minnesota, not only have we been dealing with all of the news about Covid-19, but also the racial unrest of our city and the nation.) One day, Mark and I were talking, and we decided to simply, turn it off.  We did and have not turned it back on.  What a relief.  I didn’t realize, with the news on all the time, that it was picking away at my faith.  By turning off the news, I began to diligently guard my heart.

2. Build My Faith

We grow our faith by reading God’s Word.  Now more than ever, it is important to continually feed on God’s Word.

When ministering to children, they are being impacted by this pandemic also, sometimes in ways we don’t realize.

School: For many it started in the spring time, with distance learning and now beginning school in the fall may also be distance learning.  If children are going to school, they are being encouraged to “social distance.”  (Most kids don’t know what that is.)

Friends: School, church, sports and activities are places where kids interacted with other kids. This is where friendships develop and grow, but none of these things have happened for a while. 

Health: Obviously the corona virus effects our bodies.  Kids may be concerned they may get sick and give it to a love one.  Why do I say this?  Because that is what the news is saying.

It’s important that we help kids grow their faith.

Here are a few scriptures that I use:

• Proverbs 3:24, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid, but when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.”
• Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• Psalm 18:32, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
• Jeremiah 33:6, “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

3. Hold Fast To My Faith

Everyday there is something that wants to pick away at my faith, pick at my belief system.  Sometimes it is not noticeable.  Then there are other times that there is an outright attack.  Something trying to steal my faith.  There is a battle going on.

When this happens, I have two choices.  Let my belief, my faith, my conviction be taken from me, or hold fast onto it and not let it go. 

Think about this for a moment.  Your grandma is walking down the street.  Her purse is over her shoulder.  She is thinking about what she will be making for dinner.  When all of a sudden, someone grabs her purse and tries to pull it from her arm.

What does she do?  Does she let them take it or does she put up a fight and hold on to it?

If your grandma is like any of the grandma’s I know she will hold on to it and not let it go.

This is what we do when the enemy tries to steal our faith from us. When doubt tries to take our dream away.  When fear tries to crumble our stand.  Don’t let go. Hold on tight.  Don’t give an inch.

When we taught on this last week, we pulled from our archives a pantomime that illustrates this point.

Would you like this pantomime for free? 

==>>Click Here for the HOLD FAST PANTOMIME

So to wrap it up.  During this pandemic, the three things we should be doing with our faith is to:

1. Guard our faith
2. Build our Faith
3. Hold Fast to our Faith