In the days that we are living in, it can seem so difficult to get up every morning in the middle of what looks and feels like a desert/wilderness kind of place. But as Believers in the midst of this pandemic we must not allow the challenge of what we are facing to tempt us to disconnect from God and each other. God doesn’t send deserts in our lives to destroy us, He uses them to develop us to become spirit-filled, more creative, and more effective for His work of ministry.

After Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and was tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights in the Judaean Desert, Luke 4:1-13 shows us that Jesus walked in spiritual power as the righteous Son of God. Jesus’ example teaches us the importance of trusting in and following God’s wisdom in every situation we may face in life. We should always remind ourselves as Believers that life is never going to be easy, but in the name of Jesus we have the victory.

Chuck Swindoll reminds us that, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” We have to hold on to the truth of the Bible that encourages us to trust that whenever God presses someone, it is to define who we are in Him, while at the same time showing us what He has created for us to do as His church and to be witnesses for His Glory.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

Jesus had to endure the wilderness experience because it would position Him for the road to Calvary and then His Resurrection. We must remind ourselves that we are the CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD and understand that even in the middle of a crisis, God has a plan for His Church. Even in a pandemic, we have to still walk in His power and stay committed to His plan, to continue to follow His Great Commission.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 28:18-20, that He has given the church His authority to seek and save the lost. He tells us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us. In times of uncertainty we must hold firm to the belief in that blessed assurance that Jesus is mine and He is in control.

We have to keep fighting the good fight in faith and never doubt God’s Power to heal, to provide, and to save the lost in this temporary new normal.

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Edward D. Harris, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Christ Power Church & Ministries, an urban church-ministry whose vision is to minister to the real needs of people with the authentic love and power that is found only in Jesus Christ. Pastor Ed has served as a guest speaker at the World Mission Conference and the Association of Christian School International Leadership Conference. He has been a contributing clergy member in the EFCA Today magazine featured story entitled, “Before We Say I Do” discussing the role of premarital counseling. God gave him the vision for his church-ministry in 2006 and he has serve in the work of ministry for 20+ years preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is married to Sheli Harris and they have two sons.

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2 Comments

  1. Woody Miles on April 15, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    I thank God for reconnecting us after 20 years and look forward to many uplifting conversations.

  2. David Hansen on April 15, 2020 at 8:45 am

    Ed:

    Thanks for your Godly insight and encouragement!!

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