You can personally thrive during COVID.
Now would you say that COVID is ideal Pastor Shelley?
No, it's not ideal, it's not fun.
I hate it, it sucks.
I hate everything about masks, okay.
I never thought I would hate masks
as much as I do right now, okay, but I hate it.
I hate how our society is acting.
I mean, they seem more brainwashed
than I've ever believed in my life.
People are freaking out.
This world is going crazy.
People are losing their jobs.
Businesses are shutting down.
I mean, we have all this turmoil about the election
that's just frustrating beyond all degree.
I mean, life is not as idyllic as it could be
and really it's first world problems
for all of us in America, okay.
Because some people live in a country
where they don't get food and water and a shower, you know.
Then you can start really complaining.
But you know what, complaining is relative
and in reality, for some people, COVID's bad.
I mean, they may have lost a family member.
They may have lost their job.
They may, you know, just be feeling a lot of pressure
and fear and anxiety or bad things could be happening to you
but no matter what bad things are happening,
even to you specifically,
you can still personally thrive during COVID.
You can still be righteous during COVID
and you can still improve yourself during COVID, okay.
Now, let me give you a person in mind, Elijah,
he was personally thriving
through one of the worst economic downturns of his time.
I mean, there was no rain, no water, nobody has food.
It's by miracles.
God's feeding him with bird food, okay.
Ravens are coming and feeding Elijah.
That's how bad the economy is, okay.
But he's still getting food.
He knows bird food, okay.
You can complain when you're eating bird food, okay.
Actually, you can never complain but here's the thing.
Elijah is personally thriving
even though it's the worst situation going on.
And look at Romans chapter eight, verse 35.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine
or nakedness or peril or sword?
God does not promise that you'll never go through famine.
God does not promise that you'll not go through dearth.
God does not promise, but you know what?
God's people can strengthen themselves through famine.
God's people can strengthen themselves through dearth.
God's people can strengthen themselves through COVID, okay.
But you could waste all this time during COVID
and get further away from God rather than getting closer.
Well, now I'm going to church less.
Well, now I'm reading my Bible less.
Well, now I'm memorizing scripture less.
Now I'm going soul winning less.
Now I'm serving God less.
Hey, why don't you serve God more
when you're going through something difficult,
when you're going through something pressuring on you, okay.
And to the most of your ability.
Some people, even church is limited, but you know what?
You just watch church resources from home
or you read the Bible more.
You have church with your family.
Hey, you figure out a way to serve God
because you know what?
You can be righteous and you can serve God
wherever you're at.
I don't care what's going on.
You know, there's some people that say,
well, my church isn't meeting.
Okay, well, how much Bible have you been reading since then?
Is there a church that is open that you could have tried?
You know, hey, is there other options
that you can seek out?
Hey, where there's a will, there's a way.
And God can allow people to personally thrive
even through difficulty, even through struggle.
Go to Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter number five.
In fact, adversity will make you a better person anyways,
okay, because if it's just all blessings
and rainbows and unicorns and candy canes,
people don't appreciate that anyways.
People appreciate God whenever they're down and out.
That's why you have chapters of the Bible
where Jesus' preaching is like this.
Verse three, blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
You know what comes to church on Sunday night?
Those that are hungry for the word of God.
Those that aren't filled on the cares of this world
and the deceitfulness of riches
and all the pleasures of this life.
I mean, hey, what do you got better to do
than serve God on Sunday night?
Hey, what do you got better to do
than go out and preach the gospel on a weekly basis?
Hey, what's better to read, the newspaper or the word of God?
Because you know what, the newspaper sucks, all right?
The newspaper is literal lies.
This is literal truth.
I mean, why would I want to read such filth and trash?
And you know, I pay attention to things that go on,
but I want my daily reading to come from this.
I don't want to get filled up on junk
so that I'm not hungry from the word of God.
You should be, hey, bless God for famines
because then it'll make me hungry enough to want God's word.
You know, there's so many people, they're way too full.
Hey, can I invite you to church?
Not interested in church.
Not gonna go to church.
Not interested in the word of God.
I don't have time for that.
Hey, it sounds like you're too full.
Sounds like you need a little bit of famine in your life.
Sounds like you need a little distress.
Sounds like you need a little bit of poverty in your life.
And in fact, blessed are the poor.