Summary: <br> Are you afraid of what may happen next in this story we all find ourselves in? The best meme I’ve seen says:<br> Does anyone else feel like life is being written by a 4th grader?<br> And there was this virus and everyone was scared.<br> And then the world ran out of toilet paper.<br> Yeah, yeah, yeah, an’ an’ and then there was no school for like a month.<br> And then it snowed!<br> Yeah, it kinda feels like that doesn’t it? Some states are fully shut down now and the rest seem to be not far behind. Who knows what our reality will be come Monday? Will it get worse? Will there be more bad news?<br> These are the thoughts that currently fill our minds. And perhaps more so than ever before it’s time for us to practice 2 Corinthians 10:5 “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”<br> We cannot allow our thoughts to run wild. We must reign them in, take ownership of the things we’re allowing to fill our minds, and make those thoughts get in alignment with our truth.<br> We can face our reality with our truth. Truth that God’s eye is on us. Truth that this is not beyond his reach. Truth that every day of our lives have been accounted for, including this day and all our tomorrows.<br> I began studying Psalm 112: 6-7 this morning. It says “Surely the righteous will never be shaken … They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”<br> Of course, what stood out most to me is “having no fear of bad news”. How can we stop fearing what may happen next? It says the steadfast heart that doesn’t fear bad news and instead trusts in the Lord is found in the RIGHTEOUS.<br> Alrighty then, how do we become righteous?<br> Ecclesiastes 7:20 says “Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”<br> Well if never sinning is the requirement here, I’m counted out … how about you? I’ve fallen short of that mark. I try to do good, but although my intentions are good, sometimes my flesh gets in the way and I screw this thing up. You too?<br> So, does that mean righteousness is unattainable and we will always have to fear bad news with a shaken heart?<br> Not at all.<br> Ya’ll, this is why we have Jesus!!!!!<br> Romans 3:22 says “Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”<br> This isn’t about me and what I’ve done, nor is it about you and what you’ve done. This is about Jesus and what he did for both of us. His sacrifice has covered us. This is where we find righteousness. No other way. Only Jesus.<br> So, it is our faith in Jesus Christ that makes us not fear bad news. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that strengthens us to face this reality and not be shaken. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that keeps our heart steady and our trust placed firmly in God.<br> Righteousness is something we cannot work out on our own. Nor is stability.<br> For this, we need Jesus.<br> And for this, we have Jesus.<br> Many years ago our family was going through a struggle. We were fighting for the life of one of our children. Her mind had been under attack of the enemy and she found herself in a deep darkness without a will to live. Every day was a new struggle I was grossly under-prepared for. I was pretty convinced God had chosen the wrong gal to be her mother. I was not equipped for that battle.<br> And yet I was. Every day the Almighty equipped me. Every day he provided exactly what I needed for that day’s fight. And everyday my answer was Jesus.<br> I began writing it on my hand as a reminder … “For this, I have Jesus.”<br> Whatever happened next, I had Jesus. And he had me.<br> Does it mean everything magically went away? No. Does it mean I handled it all perfectly? Not at all.
