As we continue to progress in this pandemic with no end in sight, I'm beginning to understand better what is happening here. While I'm not willing to talk about COVID-19 in great detail, I do want to address how it is affecting the world. Therefore, I want to help others understand what they are going through, and what they can do about it. This is a message of hope, and expresses my faith in Christ.
Please be aware that I'm not trying to offend anyone, but I felt lead to leave this here, so therefore I encourage anyone who doesn't like this post to not leave any disrespectful comments. Also, please forgive the TL;DR format, but if you want to live a life without fear, do read this in its entirety.
Is It True That Fear is a Liar?
We are living in a world of fear. Fear of a virus. Fear of our government. Fear of life. I am led to believe that this is a demonic attack on the world, and measuring it based on my beliefs and my devotion to God, it makes sense. The following is a copy of an article from GotQuestions.com (read it in full here) which I hope will help others understand.
Governments Around the World - Invoking UnGodly Fear?
Amending that a bit, understand that there are two types of fear here. Fear in God is not the same thing as fear caused by Satan and his minions (there's another GotQuestions article about that: What does it mean to have the fear in God?).
Also, while it is important to not be foolish and risk your life just because you can, we should not be afraid to die if we are in a life-threatening situation we can not escape from. Even if COVID-19 is as serious as the media is reporting, that does not worry me, for I know that I will be eternally in heaven with my Savior and my Christian brothers and sisters if I was to get the disease and become terminally ill. Of course, I don't want to kiss a sick person just to find out! However, these drastic measures of safety are not necessary if you truly trust in God. You trust in him no matter what; he can heal you and allow you to continue doing good in this world, or take you home to escape the evils of this world. Either way, God is in control, and we should not be afraid of COVID-19 as much as we are now.
That is why OCD is considered a mental disorder! If you have a phobia of germs, you will obsess about them, and be taking drastic measures to not get them. Touching things with clean cloths or gloves, staying away from everyone for fear of being contaminated by something, constantly cleaning off everything before touching it - these are signs of OCD. Yet this is what our government wants us to do! The governments, run by humans of which most of them are not basing their guidelines on the word of God, seem like they want us all to have OCD! Now, I'm not saying to become anarchists and overthrow all forms of government, for having no rules is worse than having some. However, while there are many laws that restrict us, remember that Jesus freed us from the laws set by God himself, so that we will not be judged for our sins if we accept the gift of Grace (Romans 7:6). Since many of our laws are based on old laws set by God, the governments of this world are guilty of not abiding by the grace of Jesus and the new guidelines of living a Christian life.
While I still believe that the virus is not as serious as it is being reported, what I find serious is how this has caused people to be anti-social and afraid. If we are going to withstand viruses, we need to do what we can to research them, understand their impact and how we can combat it properly for ourselves, and not merely rely on what is being told by the common media and following everything the governments tell us to do. In the United States in particular, the government was made to serve the people, and not the other way around. Therefore, if those of us who live in the U.S. truly are an independent, free-thinking body of people, then we should do what we can to convince the government to keep our freedoms, or what is considered our God-given rights, without there being anarchy or mass violence. These mandates and rules that are about COVID-19 are against the First and Fourth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Any rules that restrict our freedoms, even if it is meant for good, is against the Constitution and should be abolished, because our Constitution was based on Godly principals, and these modern laws which go against the Constitution also go against the grace of Jesus and our freedoms as individuals!
Of course, this is my own interpretation on the matter, but I hope it will make sense to others. I am not here to cause discord among members of GBAtemp, only to help in a crisis.
A Word to the Hecklers, Trolls, and Disbelievers (The "Un-Christians")
To anyone who disagrees with any part of this message, I am not posting this here to try to sway your minds. Rather, I am trying as best as I can, in my own way, to help in this situation. I realize that I have posted things which have caused arguments in times past, but I will not go quietly if it is about my faith. What you say will not directly change my mind, and I am not here to beat the Bible on your heads and threaten you to "Come to Christ - OR ELSE!" Rather, I would hope that even if you do not accept my words about Jesus that you would find a logical, rational explanation on why you shouldn't be afraid of COVID-19 or anything else for that matter.
So, don't be afraid, even if this situation was to return in the near future. Live a life without fear!