Today we are going to be looking at something that is very important and I don't want you to be distracted, I don't want you to lose your attention or your focus, I want you to be attentive as much as you can so that you don't miss any word that God has brought our way today. We are considering: The Law of Distraction and we want to look at something under it which is titled "How To Remain Afloat in Turbulent Times of World Health Crisis Pandemic." You can see how long the subtitle is. But that is to show us what is actually taking place across the world right now. A pouring moment of bad news and sorrows across the nations. But in spite of this, the Lord has a word for you and I, and the bigger word is "Don't be distracted."
Listen To Podcast: THE LAW OF DISTRACTION: HOW TO REMAIN AFLOAT IN TURBULENT TIMES OF WORLD HEALTH CRISIS PANDEMIC
I want us to quickly go to the book of Matthew chapter 14. There is a word there that the Lord want to share with us, learning from what happened and what is happening now. Matthew 14, I will read from verse 22 downward.
"Immediately Jesus [a]made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Now, there are certain things that actually happened some years ago, thousands of years ago in this Scripture that is relevant for everyone of us today. Because what happened to them is like what is happening to us. And what God did with them and to them is what God is doing with us and what He will do to us. Now, the intention was that the disciples should go to the other side. While Jesus sent them to the other side on both, He made the multitudes to go away. And as soon as he was done doing that, He went into the mountain to pray and He was alone. Now, what happened to Jesus is like what many people are going through today. They call it "Self Isolation."
When certain people are not sure whether they are infected with a virus, they are advised to self-isolate themselves to be alone. Now, Jesus was not infected or affected, yet, He self-isolated Himself, not to mourn or to complain, but to pray. And that gives us an example or a pattern for us to follow today. As soon as He was done doing that, He went on a journey to meet with His disciples who were expected to be on the sea sailing to the other side. Even though they had gone well ahead of Him, the Bible says He got to them. Why did He get to them? He got to them simply because they could not make much progress. While they were attempting to cross to the other side, the sea which was supposed to be the platform upon which they sail was taken over by a kind of wind which was not normal, which was contrary to them.
So, the normal thing was that the boat was supposed to float on the sea and so with the right wind, they were supposed to sail to the other side. Now, when the wind became contrary, waves were developed and the sea began to be tossed to and fro and so, they could not have progress and they were at risk of even dying. And I want us to really to look at it. Now for them, moving on the sea, is similar to us living on the land, living on the earth, living in our cities, living in our villages, going to Malls, going to worship centers, doing different things. However, they needed a peaceful wind for them to be able to do that on the sea. But they had a will that was normal, that was contrary and so, the condition of the people on the sea was threatened. Anyone on the sea in any boat at that moment became threatened simply because there was a contrary wind that was making the sea not to be healthy for them.
So, they could not move easily, progress was impacted, what many economists call economic growth; there was something that could be compared with economic depression or recession, at a point, there was no progress for them and they could not move forward. And the reason was due to the contrary wind that was exacting itself upon the sea, making the sea to develop waves and to be unsafe and something that could destroy them, even though their intention was just to cross to the other side. I am sure many of us came into 2020 hoping that we may cross to the other side, and get to 2021. But for many people who came into 2020, the year has been like a sea that is afflicted and infected and affected by a contrary wind called Coronavirus. And for most people, there has been challenges and threat to their lives and certain people have died.
So, even though they got to 2020, they got into the boat, they want to cross to the other side living on the earth, moving on the sea, moving on the earth in their own villages and communities, they are not able to do that simply because a contrary wind called Coronavirus has threatened their existence. Now, what happened to them is what is happening in the world today. Now in the midst of all these, suddenly at a point, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. Now people were supposed to be floating on the sea using a boat. Now Jesus was not in the boat, He was standing in the water and walking on it. It was the sea that was tossed to and fro, the same sea that had become unhealthy for them. Why? There was a contrary wind on it and yet, Jesus was walking on the sea.
Now, what happens usually is when you are on a boat, and there is a contrary wind, there is a chance or possibility of your boat capsizing or the water overwhelming your boat and the boat sinking. And so, when the boat sinks, what happens is that the people on the boat die. Now Jesus was now walking on the water, He was no more in need of boat and therefore He was not in fear of death. And that is very important for us to understand. Now when His disciples saw him, they were afraid. It is not normal, because a normal human being wouldn't be going through what Jesus was going through, would not be able to have safety in the midst of a pandemic health crisis in the world and He is just fine. How come He is healthy when everybody is complaining and shouting.
So, when they saw Him, they shouted "it must be a ghost." Jesus said to them, It is I, don't be afraid, be of good cheer. In the midst of crisis, in the midst of Coronavirus, don't be afraid. That is what Jesus was saying to them. How can you be of good cheer when you know that death was close to you, people are dying in your community, people are dying in your country, in your continent, how can you be of good cheer? But that was what Jesus told His disciples. Now, if there were other people on the sea at that time, they could be afraid. But for His disciples, those who have chosen to follow Him, He said to them, your experience is supposed to be different from others. Why? Because you are my disciples. So, be of good cheer, don't be afraid.
When they heard that word from Jesus, many of them began to have some hope. But one man out of them called Peter got excited, and he wish what Jesus was going through could become his personal experience. He wanted to taste it and he requested from Jesus to give him the grace to do it. And Jesus beckoned on Peter and said to him, "Come." And as soon as He did that, Peter began to walk and that is very important for us. He began to have good testimony. He began to go to places; he was not infected by the virus. He began to do things, he was not affected by the virus. Don't forget as soon as he began to walk on water, he was coming towards Jesus, meaning, he was having progress. When others were complaining of stagnation and difficult times, Peter was saying there is a lifting up for him. Why? Because Jesus told him to come. Jesus beckoned on him, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ was released to him. He began to walk on water, he began to live on the water healthy, in spite of Coronavirus, Lasser fever, in spite of Ebola virus, in spite of any kind of virus or disease on the earth, he began to make progress. He began to live healthy and live long.
However something happened to him in verse 30 and I want us to note it. The Bible says "But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid;.." So, until he saw, of course, the wind was boisterous before he came out of the boat. Why? At the time he came out of the boat, his mind was not on the wind, his mind was not on the virus, he was not thinking about the Coronavirus, he was not thinking whether if he goes out, he will be infected or affected by the virus. God has commanded him, the word of the Lord has encouraged him. He is charged up in the Spirit at the word of the Lord. However, on the journey, while he was prospering, something happened to him. He got hooked, he got distracted, he got enticed. The news got his attention, things happening around him he took notice of. And because of the news, because of the bad news he was hearing, the statistics, Bible says he became afraid.
It is important that you see the sequence. He saw the wind that it was boisterous which means he heard the news and because of that, fear came upon him. If he had not seen, he would not become afraid and because fear came Bible says he began to sink. So it means he became affected. The same thing that affected every other person began to have impact upon his life. So, he became infected. Why? He was distracted. And so you must understand that the foundation of anyone of us becoming infected by Coronavirus is distraction. If you can allow yourself to be distracted by the news all around you, each time you go to Twitter, you go to Facebook, your Whatsapp page, and you allow the information to become a heavy matter in your heart, what happens? You become afraid. Fear will come.
No wonder Jesus told His disciples when He saw them first. He said be of good cheer, don't be afraid. If fear does not come into you, you will not actually fall for the threat around you. One of the things I noted actually is this. Until you feel sick, fall sick. So if you can avoid the feeling of sickness, you will not fall to it. And you see, when you are afraid, what happens is that you begin to feel. I am sure many of us have experienced before, sometimes we just feel sick. You feel like you are having malaria. It is not that you are having malaria or headache or fever. And before you know it, because you felt and you allowed it and accepted it, you start lying down on your bed covering yourself with cloth, before you know it, after few hours, your temperature start rising. And because you remain on the bed, you get hospitalized. And that is it. Until you feel it, you don't fall for it. Until Peter became afraid, he did not begin to sink. And when he was sinking, he did not lose hope, like many people are losing hope in the world today thinking that there is no help for them in God.
You see, God who has commanded you to come into 2020 is able to take you through 2020. God who told you to come over is able to help you through the storm, the contrary wind that is blowing in 2020. And so, see what happened. Bible says "he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” I don't know who you are calling at today. Perhaps you are calling unto the World Health Organization or you are calling to Donald Trump or Emmanuel Macron or you are calling to any world leader; Vladimir Putin and different people to help you. They could try, but at this point, I believe this contrary wind is beyond them. Imagine Peter looking back at his other disciples and calling unto them to help him. Do you think he would have really been rescued? No! He said "Lord save me!" He knew who has commanded him to get to 2020 and he called unto the Lord and Bible says in verse 31 "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
So with distraction comes doubt. When you doubt, you become vulnerable. When you doubt the capacity of God to preserve you, in the midst of all the prevalence of diseases across the world, then you become vulnerable to the impact of the virus. So, if you can take confidence in the word of the Lord, God has commanded you to come over to 2020, if you believe his word, if God has said to you that you will not have any sickness, that you will not die but live, if all these things are missing in your mind, if the only thing present in your mind is the news you have and you receive from CNN, Channels, BBC and any other news network across the world, if those are the things that preoccupy your heart; then fear will dominate your heart and you will doubt. Why? Because you are simply distracted.
So, if you also will be like Peter, and call on Jesus today, I believe you will be rescued. He will save you, He will redeem you, He will not allow you to sick in the midst of world health and global health challenge. You will not become a victim of Coronavirus or any kind of virus. You will not become a victim of Ebola, Lasser Fever or any other kind of disease in the world. Why? You are not going to be distracted, you are not going to doubt, you are going to believe in the Lord. Now, in Exodus chapter 23, there is a word from the Lord to us. Exodus 23:24 and this is an instruction. If you can take heed to this word and follow this instruction, you will be exempted and rescued.
You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
Now you can continue the verses. But let us pause from here and something is important. Verse 25 says "“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you." So it means sickness can come, but God will take them away. Coronavirus could come to the world, but God would take them away from your midst. And this is very important. If you believe God, this would be your experience. Of course, it could be in your city or your country, but God says if you can avoid serving these gods that the other nations, other tribes are worshipping; if you can avoid bowing down to these gods, idols, demons these demonic beings, if you can serve the Lord your God, the true God and the Most High God, he said He bless your bread and your water, you will not experience scarcity in the midst of economic depression or recession, he said he will bless your bread and water and He will take away sickness from you. Why? Because you have refused to serve the idols, to bow down to strange gods, you have refused to burn strange fire on strange altars. And if you can do this; the Lord will visit you with His healing.
His healing hands will be upon you. The Lord will visit your land, the Lord will visit your family, the Lord will visit everything that concerns your organization with His healing hands. You shall serve the Lord your God, He will bless your bread and water, and He will take away sickness from the midst of you. What the Lord has said is what I am saying now. If anyone will turn away from his or herself, enriching pursuit and focus on God and serve him truly, such a person will not be affected or infected with or by this plague, says the Spirit of the Living God. That is what the Lord has released upon my spirit. Anyone, irrespective of tribe, your religion, if anyone would turn away from his or herself enriching pursuit and focus unto the Lord; focus on the living God, on the Lord God Almighty and serve Him truly, such a person will not be affected or infected with or by this plague.
So the Spirit of the Lord has referred to Coronavirus as a plague and it says "shall not be infected or afflicted by this plague, says the Spirit of the Lord." This is the word of the Lord that has been released in my spirit. The Law of Distraction: How You and I Can Remain Afloat In The Turbulent Times of Global or World Health Crisis. I pray that the grace of the Lord will be sufficient for us, I pray that the covering of God will be sure over us, the banner of the Lord will be upon us, the mark of touch not mine anointed and do my prophet no harm shall be upon us. The power of God shall rest upon each and every one of us, we shall be exempted from every evil. Our household shall be exempted in the name of Jesus, only with our eyes shall we see the rod of the wicked, only with our ears shall we hear what happens to the wicked.
Thousands shall fall at our side, ten thousand at our right side. Nothing shall befall us, no evil shall come near our dwelling place because we belong to the Lord. We are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we serve the Lord, we worship Him, Him only we worship, Him only we serve and therefore, no sickness is permitted around us in the name of Jesus. As many people as are reading this word, where ever you are reading from; in any nation or in any country, in any town or village, under the oppression of the power of darkness in whatever disguise or whatever guise, in whatever name, Bible says He has given Him a name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee must bow.
Anyone suffering from any affliction that is not even Coronavirus, affliction that is not even Lasser Fever and the ones we are even aware of, I command in the name of Jesus that such people should be liberated right now, the healing virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ flows directly into your body and into the body of everyone afflicted in the name of Jesus. The power of God rests upon you and upon your household. No sickness will be permitted in your house in the name of Jesus, nothing evil, nothing destructive shall be permitted in your house in the name of Jesus, you shall not be afflicted by this plague in the name of Jesus, the plague of Coronavirus and any other plague afflicting the children of men across the nations shall not afflict you and your family members in the name of Jesus. The fire of God encircles you and you are covered by the blood of Jesus.
The hosts of heaven shall encircle you and your household. The Lord shall make an hedge all over you, encircling you, preventing evil from penetrating into your household, into your life in the name of Jesus. You shall share your testimony when this Coronavirus evil, when the wind ceases as it ceased when Jesus was dealing with His disciples on the sea. As soon as He got to the boat, He met with His disciples and the Bible says "the wind ceased." As soon as this Coronavirus ceases on the earth, you shall be alive to testify of the goodness of the Lord and you shall not return back to your vomit. You will remain with the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only you will serve; Him only you will follow and glorify on the earth, and the nations shall serve your God and glorify His name.
In Jesus' Mighty name we have prayed.
