Whatever you do during a pandemic, do it all for the glory of God!

You are home.  You are lonely.  You are bored.

You are tempted.

Flesh still wants what it always has.  Temptation does not disappear just because our interactions with the rest of the world are decreased or vastly altered.  But you might feel stripped of the armor and weapons with which you once waged war against temptation, and had victory, before this pandemic hit.

Meeting a Christian friend for coffee is not an option.
Your roommate is no longer there for accountability.
Your older role model from church is in quarantine because of immunity issues.
Your exercise class isn't able to meet in person.
You have few to no opportunities to help with others' needs... just time to dwell on your own worries.
The daily tasks that give you the feeling of purpose in life are gone -
    the work, the fun, the people = the distraction, the accountability, the meaning...

And perhaps the struggles you have previously had victory over, maybe only recently or even long ago, may start to once again whisper your name...  sins and struggles that can be kept secret or private can run rampant during this pandemic.

Avoiding God's Word.
Letting anxiety rule over you.
Dwelling and feeding fear instead of trusting God.
Pornography and other sexual sins/struggles
Over-eating
Prayerlessness
Laziness
Legalism
Discontentedness

And you feel alone.  And when we are alone the fight gets harder.
Sometimes it doesn't seem worth fighting much at all.

Nothing else better to do - so why not? Just give in.

LIES.

Lies start to creep in.  Preaching truth to ourselves is scarce.
Lies start to feel true.  Much more true than TRUTH itself.

I have no one.
I am useless.
I have to fight this alone.

I get it.  I do.  Maybe not every struggle is the same, but during this pandemic, I am learning that we find out who we really are and what the flesh really wants when there aren't the distractions for people, work, ministry, and purpose.

And as an extrovert who LOVES food and TV and often does not desire to be in God's Word on a daily basis, I see that in order to actively love the Lord with my obedience, I am going to have to spend this time of "sheltering in place" fighting my own flesh.  Fighting the loneliness.  Fighting the fear.  I am going to have to be more diligent about fighting lies.  I am going to have to dig for truth.  Every day.

While these memes, found all over the internet, bring us a little laughter in the middle of a terrible time... there is more truth behind these jokes than I want to admit.  I was overeating and missing my friends and discipleship partners so much, but since I hate talking on the phone I convinced myself I was stuck.

While praying about fighting my feelings with truth, it occurred to me that while I was trying to trust God, I was not willing to also take care of the responsibilities He has given me.  I realized I am going to have to Zoom, and Marco Polo, and text, and call - AND TALK ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS with those who matter to me.  I am going to have to talk to my husband and my friends about what sin struggles I am having, and I need to ask them how they are doing.  Will it be the same as talking in person?  No, it won't be as good.  But it is better than giving into wallowing in my loneliness.  And perhaps this will be a time when my marriage can thrive, learning to better communicate.  I am going to have to think on things above, and that will only happen if I actively pursue things above.  I am going to have to make a list of what I'd like to accomplish each day - including mostly people I want to check in on, scripture I need to read, prayers I need to pray, and projects I am able to do.  God is working, so I should be too.  I am going to have to fight to have a purpose, and so will you.

Fight to have a purpose.  Take initiative.

• Preach to yourself!  Confront lies with truth:

1.  There are many ways through technology to have companionship.
2. Staying home IS useful in this pandemic (that is the point), so is sending notes of encouragement via text or video messages.  Call an elderly relative to say Hi.
3. There are many ways to have accountability for whatever you are struggling with; drop the excuses and utilize the resources available to you.
4. Every earthly comfort is temporary; eating a third cookie only makes you want a fourth.
5. Fighting temptation for the sake of God's glory is ALWAYS worth the fight.

• Schedule times of prayer and reading - and ask a friend to remind you and to ask you about it later.  All those times you complained that you didn't have enough time to study scripture and pray like you wanted to - that is no longer true.
• AWKWARD WARNING:  Take a risk and ask a friend to pray with you over the phone.  Many people do this all the time and don't think anything about it at all.  But if it is your first time, it will feel awkward at first, but SO WORTH IT!!!  At the very least start a prayer-needs thread with a couple of friends and really spend time sharing personal requests.  And then, really pray for each other.
• Keep a journal for your anxiety - write down everything that is looping, and then write out what the Bible says on that subject. Then get busy checking on other people's needs.
• Go through a book of Christian encouragement/doctrine/application with a friend over Facetime or Zoom.  My husband and I are always going through books with other people, so we have decided to take this time to reread our favorite books on godly manhood and womanhood - out loud to each other, and then we discuss.  It has been really awesome to revisit ideas with someone who can encourage me and help me be better, and vice versa.
• Get creative - go walking while talking to a friend on the phone or do what one of the college students did here - she asked if she could walk OUR dog.  She came into our fence, got the dog, and walked her without coming into contact with us or coming into our house!  And she felt like she had more company and joy from serving others.
• Download Covenant Eyes (I get nothing from endorsing them; in fact, we pay them money every month.  I just know my husband uses it and it is helpful for very little!).  This is an accountability program that alerts friends of your choosing when you visit websites that have a pornographic nature.
• Set timers on how long you cruise your Facebook feed.  Download a Bible reading app with a reading plan and scroll that more often than you do social media.
• Try to start a project you have been putting off.  Or start a project from your Pinterest board that you pinned and knew you would never have time for.
• Put on some worship music in the background for all activities that don't have their own sound.
• Google conversation starters and email a question a day to a group of friends - it will give them something to do and will connect you.
• Start a gratitude journal.  What I have been doing in mine is everytime I am sad or feeling sorry for myself or frustrated, I open the journal and try to think of something I am thankful for that God has given me in that moment.
• Call your local school and hospital and ask how you  can help as a normal citizen at home; there is probably something they can think of.  Even if it is only a Sonic run for admin or a shift of people during Happy Hour!
• Get outside and wave to every other person also out and about.  They might be outside because being inside is feeding their depression.  And don't forget, you can still share the Gospel from 6ft or more away. 

So that is the WHAT to do... but it really only matters WHY we do these things.

Why does it matter if I want to find comfort in food, tv, or other things?  It matters, because we were created to find our ultimate comfort in God.  He does not want to be replaced by the things He has given us.  And He isn't sitting in heaven on his tyrannic throne waiting to catch you messing up.  He is waiting for you and me to remember that only He satisfies forever.  Only He is truly good and does not change.  He made us, so He understands that all our comfort-seeking in other places is futile.  He loves you and wants to give you the only comfort that works - Himself.  So we lean into God in all this quiet and waiting, not because we are trying to appease a warden, but because this good and loving God wants to give you, His child, good gifts.  And the greatest gift there ever could be is Himself.

The point of being saved from the punishment of sin, but left in a sinful world with a sinful nature, is not to strive for perfection and fail.  The point is to realize that we are utterly dependent upon God for everything - our life and breath, and even our obedience.  Sanctification is not about sinning less and less (although, hopefully that is a result), being sanctified is the process of God stripping away our self-sufficiency, pride, and self-centeredness to reveal to our hearts an ever-growing awareness and understanding that this amazing God is our only hope.  But He is the greatest hope, and every other hope is false and temporary.

Do not let this time of waiting around allow temptation and vices to slowly grip your heart.  If they already have started, pour your heart out and cry to God.  He loves to forgive, comfort, heal, and strengthen His children.  Whatever you do during this pandemic, let it all be for the glory of the marvelous One who made you.  He made you to find true and lasting comfort and purpose in Him.  Look to Him.  Share Him.  Love Him.  Enjoy Him.

You have all the time you could ever want to do so.

*Some of these ideas are things my friends have come up with; I am thankful for the wisdom and creativity of friends.