How do you handle pressure to move forward in life? How do you face the day-to-day challenges that threaten to push you back into your place of shelter and keep you from achieving success?

It is hard for me to be kind of others who have treated me unfairly, but I choose to do so. Because if I do not continue in kindness towards them, then my heart hardens against them. The pain that festers in my heart because of the sense of wrongdoing overcomes my joy of servanthood. I thrive on helping others. That is my life's goal and the reason I wake up every morning. If I let the injustices affect the way I care about someone, then Satan wins another foothold in my life.

Do I ignore the injustice has? No! However, I learn how to work around them or eliminate the underlying problem. I grow. I adapt. I persevere.

GOD helps us endure these obstacles because HE wants us to grow closer to HIM, to strengthen our faith, and to mature our wisdom and reliance on HIM. Rejoice in the challenges Satan throws into your life, because when you rely on your faith in GOD and seek HIS guidance to overcome them, you will learn to persevere and grow stronger.

The last commandment that Jesus gave all of His followers has transcended generations from the time of His resurrection until He comes again to call us Home. It is the responsibility of every living Christian to share all that He taught to those that will listen. The Plan of Salvation will not be withheld from anyone who believes upon hearing, and we do not have the right to choose to whom the Holy Spirit draws to us with the Light that shines from an obedient heart. The Holy Spirit will convict and change the heart of the lost to leave what has defiled them behind so that they too can enjoy the fellowship of other believers.

Why do Christians even celebrate this day? We celebrate because it is the day that GOD provided humanity with the way to reconnect with him. As we will learn from the next three sections of Bible study, there were many things that GOD needed to put into place in order for the repentant heart to turn back to HIM. Humanity has sinned. these passages will come from the new king James version of the Bible, and I challenge you to read along with me in your favorite translation.

The answer is never. GOD created us out of love. HE established the relationship at the very beginning of creation. There was a time when HE walked in the Garden with us. When we disobeyed HIM and committed the first sin, we stepped away from GOD. HE has never walked away from us.

That is our legacy as humans. We are weak, even when we profess to be strong and independent. There are those of us who pride ourselves upon the ability to sustain that independence under our own volition. That is a lie that we are telling ourselves, especially if we rely upon our own means and remain blind to the true source of our strength. GOD is the one who gives us our strength and helps us deal with the problems that catch up with all of us.

This is the invitation to the LORD’s salvation.

I don't have to tell you that we are in the fight for our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation. Humanity has faced an enemy like COVID-19 many times before. Many of us will survive and learn from the mistakes we have made.

So how do we all fight this enemy together?

The first thing we must do is give it to GOD and let HIM heal us. We do that through prayer and reading HIS Word at home. The next thing to do is what the government, the CDC, and WHO have been recommending all along.

Each and every one of us, who is not an essential employee, must stay home. If you need to go out in public to get something from the grocery store, do not take your whole family with you. That is just multiplying your risk for one of your household to come in contact with the virus.

If you are under a 14-day #self-#quarantine due to travel from a known #Coronavirus hotspot, that quarantine includes the family that lives with you. One doctor has noted that viral particles can travel up to 27 ft in a gaseous cloud around a person who has coughed. That is why it is important to wear a #cloth #mask and #gloves when you are out in public. That 14 day quarantine begins the day the last person in your household has become ill with the Coronavirus. Do not be a typhoid Mary and risk spreading the disease any further.

Where does your faith stand right now? Do you have expectations that GOD will make things better for you; safer and more enjoyable? We want this coronavirus to go away. We want God to end it immediately.

We may not be able to meet together for a traditional Easter Service this year, but that does not prohibit us from celebrating the resurrection that is in our hearts. Easter is more than hunting for eggs or putting on a new set of clothes, however. It is about renewing your heart to have a love for GOD. It is about making a choice to leave love for a sinful life behind you; doing a complete turn in the opposite direction, and making it your purpose to live a life filled with a desire to do the right things GOD inspires you to do. 

Most importantly, though, Easter is about celebrating the beginning of a new life through Jesus Christ, believing and admitting that He is the Son of GOD; that He is the only way that we can reconcile our sinful lives to GOD; that He was crucified and died for our sins; and that on the third day He resurrected from the tomb, conquering death and enabling those of us who admit a belief in all that I just described about Him to become children of GOD and inherit eternal life.

We are facing uncertain times right now, but our reliance upon GOD helps us to get through each day with the hope that the next one will be better. The 23rd psalm is a good passage of the Bible to commit to heart, not only during this time that we are dealing with the Coronavirus but throughout our entire life. We need to realize that GOD is there to take care of us, that HIS love for us endures forever, and that HE protects us from the evils of the world around us. God has provided us a Shepherd to look after us through his son Jesus Christ. Put your trust in him and follow him all the days of your life.

David acknowledges and describes the position that GOD has in his life. Because he had grown up a shepherd himself, David knew the importance that person had who was given the responsibility of taking care of sheep. They knew their shepherd. The flock trusted in their shepherd wholeheartedly. They knew their shepherd would lead them to places where they could eat and find shelter. They would not follow just anyone out of the sheepfold. David was not following just anyone. He was following the ONE he trusted to take care of him. He did not need to question where his SHEPHERD was going to lead him.

sometimes we need to take a rest but we are not willing to stop our busy schedules. There are times when we want to keep going to complete a task. However, sometimes God steps in and makes us take a break. Sometimes if the sheep keep going because they are driven by their own wants, they do not think of stopping until it is too late. They can wear themselves out very quickly and become more susceptible to the dangers that surround them. Sometimes, we have to take a moment to step back from our busy lives, sit down, and spend time reflecting on how GOD much loves us and cares for us. There are other times that GOD has to tap us on the shoulder and make us lie down in a green pasture.

I do not think there is anyone out there who has not been affected in some way by the coronavirus, or COVID – 19, as others would call it. Many of us are going through uncharted territory at this moment. I want to assure you, though, that GOD is watching over us. These are very uncertain times, and I know that many of you are afraid. I think it is very important that we trust GOD enough to carry us through this dark time and continue to study HIS Word. Now more than ever we need to depend upon HIM to see us through.

The time is at hand when all people of Earth should turn their hearts back to GOD and come together to recognize who HE is and the awesome power that HE has. We must worship HIM for the love HE has for us and trust in HIM for the care HE provides.

It is up to each and every Christian to tell their children of GOD's greatness and imbue upon their hearts so that they may experience the mysteries of HIS workings and the wonder of HIS love. I am afraid that our children are growing up in a time when their relationship with GOD is no longer important to them.

COVID-19 is a physical virus in this natural world. It has no power over our spiritual lives or our relationship with GOD. It cannot keep those of us redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ from receiving our spiritual reward. It cannot stop us from acting with compassion toward the lost and suffering. If I understand correctly, once the symptoms are present, those with compromised health have a much lower chance of survival. THAT is all the more reason for Christian warriors to rise up to the challenge and pray without ceasing, act with boundless mercy, and speak words of comfort before the lost are taken from GOD's presence.

Are you one of those Christians who gets worried over your students because you feel like you are not able to reach them effectively?

Sometimes we Christians get caught up in so much of our mission in life that we often overlook many of the small blessings around us every day. Half a lifetime ago, GOD placed upon my heart the need to teach HIS word to a group of kids from a rough neighborhood around a local church. Since then I have not stopped teaching, though the groups have changed over the decades. I have taught a senior men's class for a time and even preached to a congregation once. I cannot count the many blessings GOD has granted me, but I am sure there are many more that I either took for granted or foolishly overlooked.