End times expert Michael Snyder says there is little doubt that the challenges the world has experienced over the past few months—especially with the coronavirus—are going to get tougher going forward.

But the good news for believers, he says, is that God has not abandoned them, and that His children can lean upon His grace and mercy to endure the tribulations that lie ahead of them.

COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc, and unemployment numbers are skyrocketing. More trials are forthcoming and life as usual may be completely different, he says, but there is reason for hope.

“Things are going to be crazy and not completely back to normal and times will be tough,” Snyder told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Economic activity is going to be down for a long time and we’re going to be in a recession—many believe will be a depression. There’s going to be hard times, but the good news is that some prophetic voices are saying that this pandemic is going to pass and there is going to be a window of opportunity.

“I would encourage everyone to take advantage of that window to say, ‘OK, I wasn’t prepared for coronavirus, but I’m going to get prepared for the worst things that are coming because it’s a perfect storm.’ There’s going to be one crisis after another. If there is a window later this year, take advantage of it. Get prepared. Not because we’re gloom and doom, not because we’re afraid, but because there is hope in getting prepared. There is hope in understanding that God is in control.

“He knew about all of this in advance. He has a plan not only for our nation, not only for the nations, but for you and your family. And God will bring us through this. I believe the greatest hour of the church and the greatest harvest of souls in the history of the world is ahead of us. We’ve got to fix our eyes on Jesus and realize that this is part of what God has for us and seek His grace and mercy. God’s not going to disappear. … He is not going to abandon us. He is still with us. You don’t want to miss out on all the amazing things that are coming.”

For more of Michael Snyder’s thoughts about the state of what’s happening in the world, listen to the entire podcast.

I don’t know about you, but I like normal. It’s not that I am not flexible; I just prefer to be flexible within the limits of normal.

But, as with most of the world, normal has changed and we have all been driven out of our comfort zones, like the proverbial bird being pushed out of its nest. Almost everything we do now is done differently than it was done only a few weeks ago.

Many of us are working from home and if we are not doing so ourselves, then people we are working with are. Weddings and birthdays are being done virtually. Shopping is being done on our computers. Our children are doing their school work on devices. We are even gathering for worship while sitting on our couches watching on our tablets, phones or laptops.

This sudden dramatic and nearly universal upheaval of our normal made me think about the children of Israel after they left Egypt. The Israelites, who complained about the slavery that was their normal before the Exodus, now had a new normal.

Instead of building Egyptian palaces, they were now building the Mishkan. Their diet went from eating leeks and garlic to eating manna. They went from being slaves to being free. They were no longer living according to Egyptian law; they were living according to Torah. They had exchanged the leadership of Pharaoh for the leadership of Moses. They had also exchanged the gods of Egypt for the One True G-D of Israel.

This list can go on and on.

In His wisdom, G-D knew that sudden and dramatic change, while sometimes necessary, can also be traumatic. Just think for a moment about a baby who has been living inside its mother’s womb for nine months. That child is warm, comfortable and well fed. Suddenly, it is forcefully expelled from its home with what can only be described as violent force.

The baby then finds itself out of the darkness and in bright light, no longer surrounded by warm, comfortable fluid. Instead, it is suddenly subjected to the elements. He or she is no longer being fed through the umbilical cord, but now has to find his or her own food, even if finding it only means finding mom. But, if the child was not born, it would not only die, but also cause the death of its mother.

As with the example of the birth of the baby in the last paragraph and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, there are times when G-D brings sudden and even traumatic change into the lives of believers in order to save them from spiritual slavery or even spiritual death. I believe that what the worldwide body of Messiah is going through right now is one of those times.

We have certainly had our lives forcefully and traumatically changed in what seems like a moment. But it isn’t those dramatic changes that I want to focus on. It is our response.

In the book of Exodus, when the children of Israel left Egypt and were being pursued by Pharaoh’s army, G-D placed a cloud between them. This cloud kept the Egyptians from the Israelites and the Israelites from the Egyptians. The text says the purpose of the cloud was to keep them from being near each other.

“Then the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. Also the pillar of cloud moved from in front and stood behind them, and so came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel—there was the cloud and the darkness over here, yet it gave light by night over there—neither one came near the other all night long” (Ex. 14:19-20, TLV).

G-D did this because He knew that while sudden change is sometimes necessary, it is difficult. But it wasn’t the difficult part that G-D was trying to protect the Israelites from. Sudden change also caused “new.” Let me explain.

The Israelite’s lives were already difficult in Egypt. Remember, it was their oppression and slavery that caused them to cry out to G-D for deliverance in the first place. Yet, once they had entered their “new” (new in the wilderness), they began to long for their bondage in Egypt.

I believe that this temptation to return to the comforts of Egypt is why Paul wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has taken hold of you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful—He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle. But with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so you will be able to endure it.”

The word translated “take hold” in the verse above carries with it the connotation of having been caught after being chased or pursued. I believe that just as the children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt, G-D has suddenly and dramatically brought us out of our Egypt: our normal, comfortable and too often complacent life.

I believe this near complete adjustment of every aspect of our lives was to provide us an opportunity for us to once again be delivered from our Egypt: this world. I also believe that just as with the Exodus, the armies of our Egypt are hounding after us because G-D knows that sudden “new” can cause us to long for the comfort of our “old,” even if our “old” was bondage and slavery. He has allowed things to separate us from the “old normal” so that we won’t be tempted to return.

In other words, some of the things we feel are so difficult right now are really our “cloud” standing between us and the armies of the enemy of our souls. Or to put it another way: Our “new” is the “way of escape” provided so that we can endure. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is author of With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

Dr. Michael Brown realized quickly that the coronavirus was not an end-times plague from the book of Revelation. But, he says, he realized that it was something to take very seriously, and it stirred him to action.

He began writing articles of hope and biblical wisdom for those affected by COVID-19, and eventually, he quickly cranked out a book about it titled When the World Stops, a book he hopes will help people not only weather the coronavirus, but any other crisis that might come along in the future.

“I really felt that God’s people needed words of encouragement, words of faith and words of wisdom that would speak to them not only just now, but even a year from now or five years from now,” Brown told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “I wanted to write something that was relevant and that wouldn’t be just here today, gone tomorrow.

“I felt it was a book that the Lord wanted me to get out immediately. There was a sense of grace on it. There was a sense of anointing on it. There was clarity, no sense that anything was being rushed.

“We are all obviously in a unique situation, the likes of which none of us have ever lived through before. Yes, there have been crises like world wars and the 9/11 terrorist attack. With everything shut down, from church buildings to movie theaters to synagogues, society has been turned upside down. Sports stadiums have been closed and the Olympics postponed.

“I knew we must seize the moment, a unique one in history where Holy Spirit wants to get our attention. And the first message I heard was, ‘Fear not; this is not the end of the world. Whatever is happening, Jesus is with us. Fear not, but wake up.’ This is a moment where God is speaking to us that this is a divine reset.”

For more about Dr. Brown’s thoughts on the message of COVID-19, listen to the entire podcast. And make sure to listen to Dr. Brown’s podcast, The Line of Fire, on the Charisma Podcast Network.

Are you stretched to the limit? Maybe.

Have we reached our limit? No.

Are you tired of quarantine? Are you beyond tired?

During this COVID-19 crisis, we have been stretched out for sure.

Weight Gain Stretches

Gaining weight is heavy on our emotions. Few of us can stand to gain a few pounds. Most of us need to lose a few, right?

The fear of added pounds during this time reflects the diet culture we live in. We’re terrified of weight gain―even in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic―because we’re constantly flooded with messages that gaining weight or living in a larger body is very, very bad. We’re collectively obsessed with diets, products and intense workout routines that feature before and after photos.

High Emotions Stretches Us

There’s already enough stress right now: Unemployment is skyrocketing, hospitals are on overflow (or preparing for the possibility), many people are struggling to meet basic needs and no one knows when or how this will all end. In a time of such anxiety and uncertainty, of course we cling to these weight-centric obsessions—they’re familiar, which right now makes them feel almost comforting.

Uncertainty Stretches Us

Uncertainty carries its own struggle. Not knowing what’s coming heightens our stress and alarms our nervous system.

Michel Dugas, a professor of psychology at the University of Quebec, compares extreme intolerance of uncertainty to an allergic reaction. “If you’re allergic to nuts, and you have a piece of birthday cake that has a drop of almonds in it, you have a violent physical reaction to it,” he says. “A small amount of a substance that’s not harmful to most people provokes a violent reaction in you. It’s like a psychological allergy.”

Interesting. It’s like a “psychological allergy.”

Many of us are having a reaction. Are we in shock?

The shock resembles being pulled in several directions-stretched beyond our limits.

Conflicting Information Stretches Us

The news in conflicting. The reports are conflicting. Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Team are not on the same page. They seem stretched to the max.

Everyone is trying to please everyone. The political rhetoric is obvious.

The Democrats and Republicans are not in unity. The rest of the news media and Fox News are not in unity. But they all tell us to unite. That is stretching.

Let’s stretch out.

Yes, it’s the seventh inning of your favorite MLB game. The game is tied, and we are not sure who will win. That is a good tension.

Remember good tension? A tied score in the late innings makes a great game.

We do not know when we will win the coronavirus challenge. But we will.

The stretch is vital. It’s the seventh inning. These are good ways to stretch yourself out:

—Take a walk.

—Eat healthy.

—Remain in quarantine.

—Commit to the long haul.

—Control your thoughts.

Here is a bonus tip from Christine Bradstreet:

“While you’re at it, turn down your own annoying meter. Examine your actions and behavior. Err on the side of being gentle and flexible. You don’t have to utter every thought that pops into your head. You don’t have to control and direct every action. You don’t have to offer every opinion. You don’t have to correct everything that you think is wrong.”

Stretching Has Benefits

It increases your range of motion. We need this. Stretch yourself into new motions. Move around more. Get off the couch. Motion is lotion.

—Stretching reduces stress.

—Stretch your trust muscle.

—Stretch your hope muscle.

—Trust God with your outcomes, security and future.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11, NKJV)

We can do more than we believe. We can take more than we think we can. Allow this season to stretch you.

We only have three innings to go. {eoa}

Thomas McDaniels is a pastor/writer and the guy behind thomasmcdaniels.com. He has written for ChurchLeaders.com and currently is a contributing writer for Fox News. He is also the founder of LifeBridge.tv and the Longview Dream Center in Longview, Texas. Thomas can be found on social media, Instagram and Twitter.

Is it always the will of God to heal? Should we accept sickness? How do faith and the Word of God work together?

Join Dr. Candice and healing missionary and teacher Audrey Mack as they discuss the real truth on healing today.

What do you do when the storm persists?

You shelter in place. You trust Jesus alone as your Savior, comforter and refuge from the storm. You keep your eyes steadfast on Him.

When the storms of life persist, you take comfort and refuge in God alone. Jesus, our Prince of Peace, promises His comfort and security through every circumstance. His peace transcends the chaos of the moment; in His everlasting arms, we are secure.

Our generation is being challenged in an unprecedented manner. COVID-19 is inflicting havoc. Many are asking, “When will the suffering and distress of this virus end? When will things get back to normal?”

None of us know for sure, but as we pray fervently, follow the guidance of health experts and government leaders, this storm will eventually end. Remember, Jesus promises despite the trials and circumstances of life, we can be at rest in Him—always.

David wrote of this type of trust when he fled from Saul to hide in a wilderness cave,

“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me! For my soul seeks refuge in You; in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until the ruinous storm passes by” (Ps. 57:1).

David was in a hard place—wrongly accused, persecuted and fearing for his life. Through this severe trial, he learned how to trust God in difficulty. David learned, through the trials and battles he faced, that he could trust God always.

David declared assertively, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that will I seek after—for me to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:4a, b).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom will I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom will I be afraid” (Ps. 27:1).

Jesus Is our Peace

Before I continue, you should know that this article is adapted from my book, Fulfill Your Dreams, Chapter 7, “Worry-Free Living.” More about this book on my website, bobsawvelle.com.

The foundation for peace is Jesus—He is our peace. Peter encourages us to “Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you” (1 Pet. 5:7, CEB). The first principle to live free of worry and fear is to understand God never intended for you and me to “carry” these emotions. As Peter stated, we are to throw or cast them, upon the Lord.

Author John L. Mason, in his book An Enemy Called Average, wrote, “Fear and worry are interest paid in advance on something you may never own.” Truth.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus shared the Passover meal with His 12 disciples. He knew Judas was about to betray Him and that soon He would return to His Father. In John 14, Jesus discussed His departure with the disciples to prepare and empower them to walk in His peace.

Jesus said to them, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1a, MEV).

The English word “troubled” in this verse is translated from the Greek word tarassō, which means “distressed” or “agitated.” It can also mean “to cause acute emotional distress or turbulence—to cause great mental distress.”

The Greek word tarassō describes a severe inner distress and agitation, and the root cause of this distress is worry and fear about circumstances.

In the case of the disciples in John 14, their emotional distress was caused by worry and fear of the departure of Jesus. They did not understand it was better for Jesus to depart. Once crucified, resurrected and ascended, Jesus would send the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in and with them—and likewise in and with all who believe (John 14:16-18).

In John 14:6, Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Notice Jesus is the way, but the destination is the Father. Jesus’ ultimate mission is to bring us to the bosom of the Father, and it will be enough for us—“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us'” (John 14:8, NASB).

The English word “enough” is from the Greek arkéō, “meaning to be content or satisfied, filled with unfailing strength.” It also means to ward off negative things from the world, such as fear and worry—which are the opposite of faith and peace.

Philip and the other disciples wanted assurance of what Jesus taught and said to them. Let us see Father God, and we will be confident and strengthened. They still didn’t grasp that Jesus and the Father were one, nor did they understand the Holy Spirit would come to fill all who believe with God’s presence and strength.

The revelation of the Father’s love for you will strengthen and sustain you against worry and fear—He is enough. As you gaze upon the face of God, circumstances look different, and you reflect His presence and peace.

Jesus declared to the disciples, “Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge]” (John 14:27, AMPCE).

Jesus told the disciples not to worry, and He assured them He would care for and give them His peace. What happened? They worried and became fearful.

We do the same. Like those first disciples, we often allow worry and fear to dominate our thinking and emotions when circumstances seem contrary to God’s promises. The coronavirus is refining and defining us. Through the crisis, we have an opportunity to grow stronger—more radiant in Christ!

The Effects of Stress and Worry

Worry causes stress and fear. Your body can process small amounts of stress; however, excessive stress—whether real or perceived—can create emotional, mental and physical problems.

Proverbs tells us, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body” (Prov. 14:30a, NLT). Conversely, a heart filled with worry and fear can open the door to health issues.

Prolonged stress depletes your immune system. Stress hinders your ability to emotionally process the demands of life and weakens your body. Stress can create unhealthy fear and phobias. Fear can cause you to panic and freeze in crisis! Unresolved stress and fear hinder you from living in God’s peace.

In her book Who Switched Off My Brain?, Dr. Caroline Leaf, cognitive neuroscience researcher, states that 87% of the illnesses plaguing people today are a direct result of their negative thought life.

Her research indicates “toxic emotions can cause migraines, hypertension, strokes, cancer, skin problems, diabetes, infections and allergies.”

She concludes that our thoughts affect us physically and emotionally. Her studies indicate fear triggers 1,400 known physical and chemical responses and activates 30 different hormones and neurotransmitters.

Proverbs describes the effects of unresolved anxiety or worry in your life, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” (Prov. 12:25, NKJV).

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines anxiety as a “painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind usually over an impending or anticipated ill. A fearful concern or interest.” No surprise then that the writer of Proverbs indicated anxiety can lead to depression.

Of course, not all depression is caused by anxiety, worry and fear. Some forms are a result of physiological and brain chemical disorders. However, many struggle with depression due to dominating issues of worry and anxiety.

Allowing worry to rule in your heart can lead to stress, fear and, as just stated, forms of depression. Remember, you have a choice: trust God or live in worry. For the Christian, worry is a characteristic of unbelief, a manifestation of a lack of faith in God’s promises. Persistent anxiety breeds fear.

Did you know that 40% of what you worry about will never happen? Alternatively, are you aware that 30% of what concerns you are things from the past that cannot be changed? Likewise, do you realize that only 10% of what you worry about are considered significant issues? Did you know that 12% are about health-related issues that will never happen?

This means that an overwhelming 92% of what you—and everyone else—spend so much time worrying over will never take place. Based on these percentages, only 8% of worry can be considered legitimate. Regarding these legitimate concerns, we can trust in God’s provision for peace and joy during life’s challenges.

Benjamin Franklin said simply, “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” Good advice, as most of what we worry about will never happen.

When worry and fear control you, you rob yourself of the authority God has given you as His child and as a citizen of heaven. John states, “Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God” (John 1:12a, MEV). In Christ, you have been given the right to be God’s adopted child with the authority of His name!

But, unchecked negative thinking, emotions and words create ungodly beliefs in the mind that can empower demonic forces against you (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Jesus has stripped the devil of his authority and commissioned you with His authority; however, the enemy regains power over you through your unbelief and agreement with his falsehoods. When you agree with the enemy’s lies, you relinquish the authority Jesus has entrusted to you and by default, you empower the enemy.

Learning to live out of your relationship with God and the truth of His Word empowers you to live free of worry and fear. Further, you will be confident, when battles rage around you!

The prophet Isaiah wrote,

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3).

The English word steadfast is from the Hebrew sā·mǎḵ meaning to lean upon, to take hold of, and it means to do whatever is necessary to sustain an active focus.

The word “peace” is from the Hebrew šā·lôm meaning peace, prosperity, that is, an intact state of favorable circumstance (1 Sam. 1:17); 2. LN 59.23–59.34 completeness, i.e., the state of a totality of a collection (Jer. 13:19); 3. LN 21.9–21.13 safeness, salvation, i.e., a state of being free from danger (Gen. 28:21); 4. LN 23.129–23.141 health, i.e., a state of lack of disease and a wholeness or well-being (Ps. 38:4[EB 3]); 5. LN 25.80–25.84 satisfaction, contentment, that is, the state of having one’s basic needs or more being met and so being content (Ex, 18:23).

Concentrating upon the truth of God’s promises will create peace (šā·lôm) in your life. An abiding relationship with Jesus grows your confidence that God will keep His promises.

Most of us are aware of God’s promises in His Word to protect, deliver and provide for us, but few act in faith upon them.

However, during challenging circumstances, many see God as a distant friend, a harsh judge or an unloving Father. God is none of these; He is a good Father. Lack of relationship and intimacy with God creates underdeveloped faith and trust. Sometimes, the dysfunction of parents or other authority figures distorts our view of God.

But as you spend time with God through prayer, worship and His Word, your relationship deepens, faith and trust grow, and worry flees. Learning to trust God and His promises despite present circumstances is vital to remaining in God’s peace, growing in faith and living victoriously in life.

The cautions Jesus gave the 12 disciples still hold true for us today. Peace is to be the standard characteristic for the follower of Christ. Unfortunately, many remain tormented by worry and fear instead of abiding in God’s peace because of a lack of trust in His promises.

Final Thoughts

As a believer, you have been united with Christ and adopted into God’s family. You are no longer an orphan or a fearful slave, but a beloved child of God, a citizen of His kingdom with all of God’s rights and privileges.

As Jesus is, so are you now, completely accepted and loved by the Father, an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. The fact that He defeated the powers of darkness and ascended to the throne empowers you to walk in His authority. The basis of your peace is the reality that Jesus has overcome the world.

You can live in Christ and His victory, free from fear and worry. Do not allow your present circumstances to rob you of your security in Christ. Jesus is the essence of your existence—your peace flows from Him. Your security and success are found in God, and He has empowered you to do the impossible in your generation because He is with you.

Keep your heart at peace by staying focused on Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Sow life to your body by staying in agreement with Him. Let His peace guard your heart so you can be equipped to live the abundant life He has promised to you. {eoa}

Bob Sawvelle is the founding and senior leader of Passion Church in Tucson, Arizona. Passion Church is a vibrant, kingdom-minded church in the heart of Tucson that values God’s love and presence. He is a Doctor of Ministry doctoral mentor for the Randy Clark Scholars cohort at United Theological Seminary (UTS), an adjunct professor teaching master’s-level classes in evangelism, discipleship and church planting with the Global Awakening Theological Seminary (GATS) and an online course facilitator for Global Awakening’s Christian Healing Certification Program (CHCP) and Christian Prophetic Certification Program (CPCP).

With a ministry of helping to restore wounded souls, Katie Souza isn’t surprised Satan sent the angel of death to kill her. He didn’t want Souza on the front lines because he knew of the damage she would do to his evil plan for the world.

But with God’s grace, Souza has overcome the enemy, and Katie Souza Ministries continues to thrive. Her newest book, Be Revived: Defeat the Spirit of Death with the Power of Life, will help you walk in God’s promises of long-lasting health and supernaturally restore your youth.

Souza survived the enemy’s assault and is now teaching others how to equip themselves to defeat him.

“I had a visitation from death himself who came in on assignment to kill me,” Souza told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Once he came in, he came in, he went after the ministry. He took out many of our financial pipelines. He took out four of my top employees. He killed four people very close to me and attacked my body physically.

“I immediately went into menopause. I gained all kinds of belly fat and my skin began to sag. I started to see rapid aging. My hair went crazy and dry. It seemed like I gained 10 years practically overnight.

“That’s when the Lord began to lead me into this word about restored youth and about defeating death. The Bible is full of promises of restored youth, but very few people are actually walking in them in their fullness. … When we break God’s laws, which we do every day … it gives Satan and the spirit of death the right to bear fruit in our bodily organs.

“So, I began to say, well God, what can we do about that? You first need to know that Jesus defeated death on your behalf. I began to read about Jesus even more and how He would say, ‘I am the living bread. I am the light which is life, and I came to bring abundance to life.’ The Bible says grace trumps law. And so, I realized that a lot of people are abusing grace.”

For more of Souza’s thoughts on how to defeat the spirit of death and restore your youth, listen to this entire podcast.

Kimberly Jones, aka Real Talk Kim, refers to herself as an “Energizer Bunny for Jesus.” She travels 51 weeks of the year preaching the gospel, a calling she has embraced and enjoys thoroughly.

So, when the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States and prohibited her from hitting the road each week, it became a major disruption for her. She admits she didn’t handle it well at first, but then God showed her how to deal with it in a Christlike manner and discover other ways to impact the kingdom in the interim.

“All of a sudden they said I had to stay home, and I said, what? No way,” Jones told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “That first week, I had a meltdown, and I had a little talk with Jesus.

“And then all of a sudden I just had an attitude check. I’m always preaching that if you can’t change your situation, then change your attitude. So, I changed my attitude and I started hustling for Jesus. I went back to the basics. I started doing car videos again. I started getting on everybody’s lines that were inviting me. You know, things that I would never have time to do. I started my mentorship program, which just rocked. I got to invest in them, something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I had been on the road.

“And I really started investing in my church. Man, I’m telling you, one of the greatest gifts to me has been this quarantine reset. That’s what God really started showing me. This has also been a time of rest and reset. I’ve let go of some people that weren’t really benefiting my life or my ministry. God has really been dealing with me and revealing some things to me. This has been a phenomenal blessing. That’s one thing that I’m preaching every day. Don’t waste the reset. Don’t waste the quarantine. We’re never again going to have this.”

For more of how Real Talk Kim says you can use this time of quarantine for God’s glory, listen to the entire podcast.

I don’t know about you, but every morning as I begin to wake up, the first thing I do is think, What day is today?

Once I recognize the day, the next thing I do is mentally prepare myself for my day. This is because I am a creature of habit, or maybe it is because I have a little bit of OCD in me.

You see, barring an emergency, I know exactly what I am going to do on each day of the week. I know which days I go to my office early, so I can finish certain tasks before others arrive. I know which days I go to my coffee shop and visit with the regulars. I know which days I will prepare for studies and which days I will be visiting the members of our congregation.

Each day of my schedule is organized; it is not written down anywhere other than in the imprint of my mind. I have always been a pre-thinker/pre-planner who starts out my days by thinking through the whole day from morning to evening. Then after prayer (one of the daily scheduled events), I rise up and begin to complete those items as close to my mental schedule as possible.

I don’t mind when circumstances cause nominal changes, but major changes in my day can frustrate me because then I have to mentally reschedule the entire day and sometimes my whole week. There is an old Jewish proverb that says, “Man plans and G-D laughs,” which I have spent my life trying my best to disprove.

Then came COVID-19 and with it, everything in my schedule changed. It wasn’t so much that my entire schedule changed that bothered me the most. It was those first few minutes of conscious awareness when I would recognize the day and find my places in my world were robbed from me.

Suddenly, getting up early on Monday and driving into my office to write my blog before the other people began to arrive changed to walking from my bedroom to my dining room table. Instead of having dinner on Tuesday evening with my congregation before Bible study, I was having dinner with my wife and then clearing the dining room table in time to livestream the study from my dining room.

On Wednesday, when I would normally drive to the Drowsy Poet Coffee house before my Torah study group, I was instead having coffee at my dining room table before logging in to GoToMeeting for the Torah study. On Saturday mornings, instead of getting up and having breakfast before synagogue service with my congregational family, I am sitting at my dining room table preparing my last-minute notes for my message before driving to my synagogue to livestream the service with a team of 10 (or less) people.

My dining room table has, in just a few weeks, transitioned to the central hub of my life and almost every activity that I do in service to my congregation in some way or other involves that table.

The truth is that we have a beautiful, antique dining room table we inherited from my grandparents. It is nearly 100 years old and was amazingly handcrafted. It was designed to seat from six people to 14 people.

We have had that table for years, but up until the past few weeks, we probably only used the table three to four times a year, mostly for special events like our Passover Seder, where we would have company. Most of our meals are normally eaten out because of our schedule. When we eat at home, it is usually at our kitchen table or on TV trays in our living room (don’t judge us).

But somehow, when the world changed, something in my mind shifted and the dining room table seemed to become the central hub of our home. It wasn’t until our Passover Seder meal last week that I realized why that dining room table so quickly changed its function and role in our lives.

It is because that dining room table belonged to my grandparents. It is because it was the place where my family would gather for dinners, for birthdays and for anniversaries. It was at this dining room table that my grandfather would lead our family through our Seder as he retold the story of our ancestors’ exodus from Egypt. It was at this dining room table that I first heard both about plagues and G-D’s deliverance of His people.

It was at this dining room table that I first understood that when we cry out to G-D, He will hear our prayers. But more than learning that G-D heard our prayers, I learned while sitting around that dining room table that our G-D answered our prayers.

You see, I realized that it wasn’t the dining room table that became so important and central in our lives. It was the heritage and legacy of my people Israel that the table represented in my heart. On Passover evening as I sat around my dining room table, I was reminded how to obey the words from Philippians 4:11 (TLV): “I am not saying this because I am in need—for whatever circumstance I am in, I have learned to be content.”

My antique dining room table reminded me of the value and strength of a legacy of faith; a legacy we all have that is found within the pages of a book that, like my dining room table, was handed down to us by our ancestors.

It’s a book that, even more than my dining room table, provides testimonies of those who went before us and endured hardships and tribulations. They understood that no matter where we are or what is happening in the world, if we allow G-D’s Word to affect us like my dining room table did for me, it will remind us that we are not alone.

Or, as Hebrews 12:1 reminds us, “Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us.” {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is author of With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

When Ken and Lesa Henderson’s 16-year-old son became mired in an addiction to drugs, the only thing they knew to do was trust God for His deliverance. They knew if they partnered with God’s promise to redeem Brandon’s life, God would come through.

He did, and after much prayer and patience, God not only broke the addiction off Brandon’s life, but David eventually became a worship leader at his parents’ church, Salt Life Church in Merritt Island, Florida. Brandon also leads the church’s inner healing ministry.

“God walked us through all of that. We just decided that if Satan was going to come after us, we were going after him,” Ken Henderson told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “So, we just started attacking on the street. We opened up a street ministry where we were feeding people in Jacksonville, Florida. We were going into nursing homes, into prisons and those kinds of places where sometimes people are forgotten.

“In that, we were encouraged and we just knew that we were taking back that ground that we had lost. And as we did, as the Bible says, David encouraged himself in the Lord. So, when you encourage yourself and you hold on, that’s where faith works. You have to hold on with a tenacity and just hang on with faith and fight the good fight.

“Sometimes your destiny can start to look hopeless, as it is currently doing with this virus. The enemy starts convincing us that it’s hopeless, that God’s promises are never going to happen. And then, we start to doubt God’s Word. But the Bible tells us to guard our heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.”

Ken and Lesa Henderson know that faith indeed works. Listen to their podcast, Faith Works, on the Charisma Podcast Network. And, for more of their story, listen to this entire Greenelines podcast.