By Bishop Anthony Holt
Over the last couple of years our society has been crippled by a pandemic the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Swine Flu in the early 1900’s. Now pandemic’s, plagues, and other sicknesses are not new to humans; however, the populations and the way they relate to these issues have in some ways changed drastically over the last several decades. Vaccinations once upon a time were the driving force to stopping the spread of certain diseases, i.e., Polio and Rickets, children were required to be vaccinated before attending school. Today the world is a very different place. Today’s society is filled with those who don’t trust the Government, antivaxxer’s, those who come from countries where the health requirements are governed by religious beliefs rather than health needs. This leads us down a slippery slope of where do we go from here?
As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am often approached with the cliché of WWJD (what would Jesus do?). I know that he would have looked up to heaven and thanked his Father then Wala healing. The disciples were given the gift of healing, however many as we read had to ask Jesus why it didn’t work for them. The response revolved around prayer and fasting. With this simple formula Jesus spoke of to his disciples, why then have so many believers in the church who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, saddened by the state of our society and let afraid and vulnerable lose their way; where does that leave faith? The church has been for centuries the voice of reason, the place where the lost could find solace, the sick could get well and the downtrodden could find hope. Today I’m not as optimistic as I once was. God’s Word has not changed it is as clear and as powerful as it has been since it was first spoken. The people of God, well that’s another story. I ask are preachers still preaching with the zeal and conviction as they once did? Or is it more smoke and mirrors of a watered-down gospel full of feel-good messages and hope for overwhelming prosperity,
Sickness is nothing new, the church understood how to lay hands on the sick and pray for healing. The church also knew and stood on faith the “God’s will be done”. Divine healing was not to say we were all going to take up our beds and walk, it was a promise that a believer would be fine no matter what the outcome. Some were healed immediately such as with Peter’s Mother-in Law (Matt 8:13), some later in the day as with those brought to Jesus who were demon possessed (Matt 8:16). Then there was Lazarus who died and was in the grave four days before Jesus raised him from the dead. What am I getting at? Death is a part of life; we all will face it. “It is appointed unto man once to die then come judgement (Heb. 9:27). The church has to understand that the scripture ‘No Weapon formed against us” … clears a path to understanding that we will face adversities, heartbreak and yes even death, but praise be to God the rest of that scripture confesses “Shall prosper” (Isa. 54:17). The church moreover; the believer must come to terms with life as well as death. I am comforted by the words of the Apostle Paul, … “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:6-8). Sickness is a product of sin, healing is a product of God’s love. When we walk in love, stand in faith and trust God even while standing in the fiery furnace remembering he is always with us, “Lo I am with you always…” Matt. 28:20) we can face the life on life’s terms. We can face tomorrow with hope and with confidence. Today my prayer for the church is to get back to prayer and fasting. Get back on the alter, and get back to knowing, really knowing that God is in control. I leave everyone with the comforting and uplifting edification of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39 (amp)where he states “For, I am convinced [and continue to be convince beyond any doubt]that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited]love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
I am also convinced that no matter the state of this World, my God is still in control and in the palm of His hand. God bless you all.
Bishop Anthony Holt ICADC, ICCJP
Restoration Deliverance Ministries
President WV NAACP
District 1 Coordinator Drivers Safety AARP AZ
WNTT Facilitator
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