COVID-19 and “No Regrets”
By Dean Honeycutt
Mitchell County
I write under the title “No Regrets” because my dad was an alcoholic and for more than 35 years alcohol and poor decisions destroyed my dad’s life. And by the age of 65, we were burying my father. One of the hardest things I had to do is see my dad relive his past before his passing. My dad was saved three years before he went to heaven and all his sin was forgiven. Praise the Lord for the Blood of Jesus. “What can wash away my sin nothing but the Blood of Jesus; what can make me whole again, nothing but the Blood of Jesus, oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.”
Though my dad’s sin was cast as far as the east is from the west and remembered no more by God, my dad could not forgive himself. He relived all his past with many regrets. I want to encourage you today what God has forgiven He has forgotten. There is absolutely no reason for Christians to live with the guilt of past sin. By the grace of God, we have been delivered from the power of sin in our lives and free from the guilt and shame of sin. I am a child of the King and it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ in me that God sees, praise the Lord.
So, I try my best to live a life of “No Regrets” because one day we will all stand before the “Judgement seat of Christ”. I believe one day if the Lord allows us to live, we are going to look back on this time in history and the things surrounding COVID-19 with many regrets. I realize it is better to error on the side of caution. I get it. But have we honestly made the best decisions for our family, schools, church, and our nation? I realize for the most part many of us are doing the best we can. God bless each pastor who has made difficult decisions. It has not been easy.
I really appreciate those who tell me they enjoy reading the “No Regrets” articles. I want to thank you for reading these articles. This allows me to express myself and share God’s word with you. Our nation is starving for the Word of God; however, many people do not want to listen to God. If we as a nation want COVID -19 to go away, we must repent of our sin and turn to God. This birth pain (beginning of sorrows Matthew 24:8) we are experiencing will eventually go away but not until God has fulfilled His purpose. Behind every judgment is a purpose.
Someone may ask why do you think this is a birth pain or “beginning of sorrows”? Because Jesus told us plainly in Matthew 24:7 there shall be diseases or plagues. And something of this nature like the coronavirus definitely “fits the bill.” Think about the plagues God brought on Egypt that literally shut Egypt down. Egypt has never recovered from the plagues God has brought against that nation. Like the plagues of Egypt COVID-19 has put the entire world on shut down. The NFL that drew thousands of fans and millions of viewers every Sunday has been thrown into a tailspin. Think about the size of the United States, far larger than Egypt, and way more advanced and COVID-19 shut our entire nation down, the most powerful nation in the world.
I know God has a purpose in all things. A couple of decisions I am going to make by God’s grace is first, the church must go forward. We need to meet and fellowship and worship. And second, we need to share the Gospel of Jesus. I do not want to get sick, but we must not let fear prevent us from sharing the Gospel with others with or without a mask. The little we may suffer down here is nothing compared to the suffering one would experience in hell.
God is still in control of all things. Do not let this opportunity to share your faith with those living in fear pass you by or one day you may regret it. The church does not stop being the church God has called you to be. The early New Testament church thrived under extreme persecution and tribulation and we will too if we remain faithful.
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Pastor Dean Honeycutt shepherds Snow Hill Baptist Church in Bakersville, NC. He may be reached at 828-385-0213, snowhillbaptist@gmail.com, or visit their website at www.snowhillbaptist.com.
You can read more good news from Dean HERE.
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