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OUR ONLY SAFEGUARD AGAINST THE UNSEEN ENEMY

Three years ago, CNN aired a series on “the unseen enemy,” and they reported that: “There are enemies lurking in our society that could be just as deadly as a terrorist attack. They are known as viruses.” Their prediction was that a pandemic is coming, which will be unconstrained by borders, class, faith, and it will “bring humanity to its knees.”

Interesting language, isn’t it? Whenever I think of people falling to their knees it is either in the presence of God or in the presence of a monarch with a crown on his head. The word “corona” means crown, and it is used in the word coronavirus because it refers to the way the virus looks under a microscope, like there is a crown on top of the virus.

Human coronaviruses were first identified in the mid-1960s, and they have been among viruses responsible for the common cold. However, the mathematical predictions for the spread of COVID-19 have indicated that the infection rate is at least double that of the common cold, and according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’s top infectious disease expert, it is at least “10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DekzGCJhJw). Professor Gabriel Leung, who is the world’s foremost expert on coronavirus and who also led the struggle against SARS (another coronavirus), estimates that up to 45 million people could die from COVID-19.

The scriptures speak about pestilences, or widespread infectious diseases, and Psalm 91 assures God’s people of the Lord’s protection: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (verses 1-3, 5-7).

The Lord desires all of His children to be healthy. 3 John 2 says that God wants you to maintain good health: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” By adhering to the eight natural practices for optimal wellbeing, you will develop a robust immune system, which is your best defense against COVID-19. These eight natural practices are 1) eating nutritious, plant-based food, 2) daily exercise, 3) drinking an abundant supply of uncontaminated water, 4) sunlight, 5) practicing self-control, or temperance, 6) breathing fresh air, 7) eight hours of rest a night, and 8) trust in God.

Canada’s Maclean’s Magazine recently featured what may be a made-in-Canada solution to the coronavirus outbreak. World renowned medical researcher Michel Chrétien, brother of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, is working from his Montreal Lab to assist medical teams in China. His team has experienced success with a derivative of quercetin, a plant compound, which is being used as a broad-spectrum antiviral medication that has proved effective in fighting a range of viruses. Chrétien’s team has been conducting clinical trials, sending samples of quercetin to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan. According to Maclean’s Magazine, quercetin “remains one of the biggest potential leaps in finding a treatment for the deadly coronavirus strain; if it works, it could save thousands of lives” (https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-made-in-canada-solution-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak/). It Is Written Canada has aired a program on CTV featuring Dr. David Sloan, which offers a number of other practical measures for the prevention and treatment of the coronavirus. You can find this program on our website: itiswrittencanada.ca

The Bible identifies another unseen enemy. In Ephesians 6:12, the apostle Paul warns us: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits…” (NLT). These evil spirits from the dark world have one aim: to infect you and me with the virus of selfishness and sin, because that is the virus with which they are infected. Their aim is to bring you and me to our knees in despair, fear and shame. Therefore, in the midst of all the panic, overwhelming worry and anxiety, Jesus speaks these calm, reassuring words to you: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Jesus knows that if you are panic-stricken, such feelings tend to breakdown your immune system. So, He wants you to put your confidence in Him.

At It Is Written Canada, our deep desire is to help people across Canada to put their absolute trust in our kind, compassionate Saviour—ultimately the only One who can safeguard us against the unseen enemy.

Thank you for supporting us with your prayers and financial contributions so that we can continue connecting Canadians to the abundant life found in Jesus in a way that is personal and relevant.

If your heart is feeling troubled and fearful today, Jesus desires to give you peace. I encourage you to stretch out your hand to Him right now in prayer, and He will give you the relief, comfort and assurance you need to keep living “by faith, and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

~ Mike Lemon