We are living in very difficult times, where many people have lost everything. They have lost their health, their family, their job, their business, their home. There are people who have never been through what they are going through in this pandemic. Many are getting discouraged in their faith, faced with so many problems and losses. Some are even giving up on their own lives.

It is easy to believe in God when everything is going well, when there are no problems. However, it is during the difficult moments of life that it is of the highest necessity to use faith to get through these moments and overcome them. We must never lose faith, because faith is the only bridge that connects us to God. If that bridge is broken, we lose our connection to Him. That is, we lose everything, including salvation itself.

In 1 Samuel 30, we read the account of when David returned with his men to Ziklag and found the city ransacked and burned by the Amalekites. They had taken women, sons and daughters, captive as well as took everything the inhabitants possessed. They lost everything and, naturally, in the face of that situation, they felt very distressed. They raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength left to cry. The souls of all the people were in bitterness. However, David was strengthened in the Lord his God.

It is natural for human beings to cry when facing the losses that they suffer in life. This is the situation of many people who have lost everything in this pandemic. Nevertheless, it is not normal to live the rest of your life crying, frustrated and depressed by problems. It is necessary to take an action of faith in order to change the situation, otherwise, life will never change.

David also wept, but he acted, by strengthening himself in God and consulted the Lord. It is useless for a person to believe in God if they do not take positive action regarding their life, but allow themselves to be overwhelmed by problems.

It is in the most difficult moments of life that we need to put our faith into action the most, so that we can reverse the situation. That is exactly what David did. He was not only a man of faith. He was a man of action and that made him a great leader.

Many people do the exact opposite during difficult moments in life. They end up abandoning their faith, allowing themselves be overwhelmed by problems, surrender in the battle and throw in the towel. However, in doing so, they will never be able to get ahead in life. That is why we see many fallen believers; many people without a church, who revolt against God when they should be revolting against the devil. Instead of strengthening themselves in God and consulting the Lord, many consult wizards, psychics, horoscopes, and prophets.

Nevertheless, we must strengthen ourselves in the Word of God. Act in faith and consult only the Lord, because He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46.1).

David did not give up. Moved by his faith, he gathered his men and went to battle. Having arrived at the camp of the Amalekites:

“… David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” 1 Samuel 30: 17-20

We can see that the way David reacted to the problem changed the whole situation. He not only recovered what he had lost, but also conquered a great spoil. There was nothing missing, neither small nor great, that he had not recovered. This will happen for all those who become stronger in God and put their faith into action when faced with all their losses and problems. There will be no small or great thing lost. Everything that has been lost will be recovered, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Bishop, I remember the many difficult times the church went through and the way you reacted to those huge problems. We suffered so many losses then, as many people were discouraged from the faith. You, over the phone, went on the radio and started to pass faith onto the people, to all of us. It was a huge battle, but God gave us victory over our enemies and so much more. The decisions we make in the face of problems today, are what will define our future. It is not enough to believe in God and have great faith, if we do not act.