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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: PROTECT (04/16/20)
Frankly, I don’t see how anyone with spiritual discernment can read Leviticus 26, and then come to any other conclusion but that God has lifted His hand of protection. The details provided in this chapter of Scripture read like the headlines and top stories in media broadcasts since the outbreak of the recent Corona Pandemic.

God was the Creator, and is the sustaining Sovereign Ruler of the universe. God is in charge.

Therefore, nothing good or bad, can take place anywhere in the universe without first having passed through the filters of God's direct, permissive, or over-ruling will.

God is omniscient. He has foreknowledge of all that has ever taken place, is talking place, and ever will take place.

God is omnipotent. He had, has, and always will have the power to take proactive, reactive, and interventional actions when it is His will He to do so.

This raises the inevitable “why” questions when God directs, allows adversity to come our way.

The answer, in part, is that God has given free will to both angelic and human beings. Positive volition results in blessings; negative v!olition results in consequences. Our positive and negative decisions not only impact our own lives, but the lives of those around us, as well.

Thank God, there are times when in His mercy we don’t suffer the full consequences of the negative choices we make.

The second part to the “why” questions is that everything, good or bad, that God directs, allows, or over-rules serves a divine purpose.
The question that we should be asking is not why, but for what reason does God lift His hand of protection.

For thousands of us, this Pandemic will prove to be our appointed time and means of departure. For many more, it will be an experience that God willed for us to encounter, but to recover from and then to move on with the individual plan that He has in mind. What our individual experience will be was written in God’s book *before (1) we were born.
Until time reveals to us what God has in mind for any one of us, we have the *legal (2) and the *moral (3) obligation to do what we can do to protect ourselves and others.

When circumstances warrant it, Christians can *(4) gather together via numerous means of modern-day communication.

I believe that God sent or allowed this Pandemic to take place as divine discipline.

Leviticus 26 was first directed to the ancient Hebrews, assuring them of the certainty of both blessings and discipline, based on the decisions that they, as a nation, would make.

The *rise and the fall (5) of all nations, good and evil, is in God's timing and serves His purposes.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain (Psalms 127: 1 NASB).”

The levels of national discipline that God imposes can include any one or any combination of the following elements:

Terror, disease sickening body and soul, shortage of food supplies, ineffective military, being ruled (controlled) by people who hate you, paranoia, loss of children and live stock, reduced population, violence, pestilence, DESOLATE SANCTUARIES (empty churches), cannibalism, and ultimately being removed from among the international community of nations.


The level of discipline received is determined by the decisions we make.

There comes a time when God has seen enough evil *on the global, national, and personal levels (6) and lifts His hand of protection, opening the door for discipline.

Divine discipline can take place *immediately (7) or in *stages (8).

With a divine purpose in mind, God, “…causes His sun (prosperity) to rise on the evil (people) and the good (alike) and sends rain (adversity) on the righteous (godly) and the unrighteous (Matt. 5: 45 NASB ).”

During periods of national discipline, evil people within the land are disciplined for their disobedience. The (relatively) righteous are disciplined for *not having sounded the alarm (9).

Will we learn our lesson, or will history repeat itself inviting future discipline?

In 1918 200,000 American deaths resulted from a pandemic. The decade soon to follow earned it’s infamous name of the Roaring Twenties.
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(1)Psalms 139: 16 (2) Romans 13 (3) Matt. 7: 12 (4) Heb. 10: 25 (5) Acts 17: 26 (6) Gen. 6: 3 (7) Acts 5 (8) Lev. 26 (9) Ezekiel 33: 6
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This article has been read 379 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Linda Lawrence
04/23/20
Your last paragraph tells an important story all on its own.
Barbara Culler 
04/24/20
It will be interesting to see the aftermath of all this.
Dolores Stohler 
04/24/20
Are you a pastor or a prophet? You had me scrambling for my Bible. There's much information about discipline but I'd rather remember all the times He's shone me and other believers His divine love and protection.
Debra Brand 
04/25/20
I believe God is still in 'our' boat through this storm. Hopefully the church will wake up to be a part of society again. Good Word!
Karen Dick 
04/27/20
I thought this was very interesting. Food for thought.