The Why and the What - Mountain Moving Prayer - Part III

“Moving the Mountain of Fear” - Joshua 1:1-9

FBC Canton Sunday am March 15, 2020

Introduction: The mountain in front of us is smaller than the mountain inside of us. What is that

mountain? The Mountain of fear!

You cannot live by fear, you have to live by faith. Romans 1:16-17

Fear will rob you of faith, for it is an emotion that paralyzes your present, chains you to your

past, and resists the future.

Letting the fear of anything control you is not scriptural.

You see,

When a society of people do not fear or have reverential trust in the God of the scriptures, we

fear everything else!

Proverbs 14:26-27 26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,

And His children will have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

To turn one away from the snares of death.

Therefore:

The next time you are in the ocean and you hear the theme of Jaws playing in the background

of your mind, remember, not to fear.

Or the next time the Stock market plunges.

Or the next Weather anomaly.

Or the next Doomsday preppers. Who hoard honey, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.

Remember there is only one way to prep for day of doom:

Matt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Do not listen to Earth worshippers.

Who want us to believe “God so loved the world” means that we must worship the earth.

And most of all do not be controlled by the fear of the Coronavirus sickness.

Started in atheistic, communistic Wuhan China.

Which philosophically believes that people are the problem with the earth. Destroy more

people, especially little girls, abort them or abandon them.

There are more deaths every day from abortions than coronavirus.

There are more deaths every year from alcohol-related traffic fatalities than coronavirus.

There are more deaths from heart disease, and yet you still haven’t worked out in a

decade. Other than to work out more donuts in your day.

There are more deaths from cancer. And you are still living in denial with every puff.

Global governments create crises and then ask us to look to them to solve those crisis by

adding 8.5 billion dollars to our government bureaucracies.

The push toward a global enemy is a push by those who want a global government.

That is exactly what the Anti-Christ wants.

Don’t look to the government to solve your problems, for they want to become your God. Only

God solves your problems. Governments manufacture crisis to then claim they can fix that

same crisis.

My emotions have ruled me for far too long. How about you? Proverbs 3:5-6

But you say that God would never allow suffering for people of faith.

Really? Tell that to Paul who had a thorn in the flesh.

Tell that to peter, who was crucified upside down.

Tell that to Lazarus, who had to die 2 times.

Tell that to the apostle James who was beheaded.

Tell that to Stephen who was stoned, and not because he lived in Colorado.

Tell that to Elisha, who did 2 times as many miracles as Elijah (who was caught

up in the chariots), and yet died of an unknown illness

Tell that to all the lepers who were not healed during Jesus lifetime.

Tell that to all those who died during the ministry of Jesus.

But you say if you name your problem, your stronghold, your illness out loud and then God will

heal…what? Are you suggesting you are in control?

You say it is not part of the Believer’s experience to suffer???

I say you do not know your scripture and you have been listening to the word of faith, new

apostolic reformation, Joel Osteen wanna bes too long!

What did Joshua have to fear?

Moses is dead. He is the new 90-year-old leader. He was an assistant for 40 years and a

leader for 20. Because humility is 2x important in leadership.

The people need to know to follow the leader…there is only one…His name is Jesus,

and He will remove physical leaders to remind His people of the eternal leader!

Wars will be in front of Him. The promised land is not a type of heaven, it is a type of the life of

faith on earth. Heaven is where the wars cease.

Giants are in the land. They were grass hoppers in their sight.

There would be illnesses that would take the life of people. Leprosy.

There would be death that would take the life of other leaders; Joshua

There would be sin in the camp. Sin always brings death and defeat.

There were large walled cities that could not be defeated, but would be defeated by a shout

from the people, Jericho.

They would be facing their enemies and need God to stop the movement of the sun for a

whole day for them to have victory. And God did, Joshua 10.

They are leaving the old way of life: wandering behind for a new way they had never done

before.

The culture of how they would live every day was about to change and never go back to the

way it was before; manna ceased. Would God provide?

We will have to learn to live in a different culture of church life than ever before:

reaching the unchurched.

Let’s stand and read and pray for the Lord to move the mountain of fear from our hearts.

I. How to live without Fear?

a. Live with Jesus. Christianity is not a self-help belief. It is a relationship with Christ!

i. ‘I will be with you.’ 2x.

1. Does that mean you won’t get sick and die?

a. No, let me tell you; you will die by some method.

i. ii. It does mean that Jesus will be with you especially on the

day of death! Psalm 23

2. That means that no man shall be able to stand against us! Romans

8:31

a. 3. That means every place we place our feet of faith, God will give to us.

a. That means every geographic location belongs to God and God will

give His advancing faith walking church the territory it needs to

expand His kingdom!

b. Let the Word of God Transform. Romans 12:1-2

i. Learn Jesus’ love for you. Ephesians 3:14-21

1. Be strong. 3x. the power of 2 or 3 witnesses.

a. To tie fast, to fasten securely.

2. Possess good courage. 3x

a. ָאַמץ ʼâmats, aw-mats'; a primitive root; to be alert, physically (on

foot) or mentally (in courage):—confirm, be courageous (of good

courage, stedfastly minded, strong, stronger), establish, fortify,

harden, increase, prevail, strengthen (self), make strong (obstinate,

speed).

3. Do not be dismayed. 1x

a. ָחַתת châthath, khaw-thath'; a primitive root; properly, to prostrate;

hence, to break down, either (literally) by violence, or (figuratively)

by confusion and fear:—abolish, affright, be (make) afraid, amaze,

beat down, discourage, (cause to) dismay, go down, scare, terrify.

4. Do not be afraid. 1x

a. ָעַרץ ʻârats, aw-rats'; a primitive root; to awe or (intransitive) to

dread; hence, to harass:—be affrighted (afraid, dread, feared,

terrified), break, dread, fear, oppress, prevail, shake terribly.

5. Do not underestimate what Jesus will say to you in prayer.

a. Remember this entire set of verses is spoken from God to Joshua

in PRAYER!

6. The more we are transformed by God’s love, the less we fear.

a. ii. Do not depart to the right or the left. This may be a political statement, as both

sides of the aisle foment fear, as well as a statement against letting our hearts

wander.

1. This is a protection against fear. For we know how the story of history

ends.

iii. Meditate on God’s Word.

1. God is commissioning Joshua and all His people here.

a. God has already commissioned us now. Matthew 28:16-20. There

is no exception to this command. Not for the coronavirus, not for

the pride virus, and not for only so many viruses.

i. Go and tell.

1. Not come and hear. Don’t expect unchurched to come

to us, cater to us, or wait for us.

2. Not come and see. Unchurched do not exist for us,

we exist to for them.

3. Not come for us, but go to them.

iv. Speak God’s Word. 1. We cannot create God’s word by speaking. We cannot create a desired

outcome by speaking God’s word. We have to share God’s word, trust God’s word above man’s word and man’s reasoning.

v. Obey God’s Word.

1. Go to the land God is giving. Receive the inheritance He has already

secured. Every place you and I will walk by faith in will be given to us.

a. No man can stand against the man who walks by faith.

2. Then we will be prosperous and have good success.

3. Fear only one mountain: The Mountain of the Law that condemns you.

Hebrews 12:18-28

18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”) 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Conclusion: Removing the mountain of fear occurs when you surrender to the love of Mount Calvary.

David Guzik: Study Guide for Joshua 1

← Back to David Guzik's Bio & Resources

Click here to view listing below for Jos 1:1

GOD'S COMMISSION TO JOSHUA

A. Introduction: A survey of the history of Israel from Egypt to Canaan.

1. Israel was delivered from Egypt's degrading bondage.

a. These were historical events, but they were not only historical. God speaks through history to give

an example of our deliverance from the degrading bondage of sin (as Paul makes clear in 1

Corinthians 10:6 and 10:11).

b. The central act of redemption in the New Testament is the work of Jesus on the cross. The central

act of redemption in the Old Testament is the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

2. Israel, led by Moses, wandered in the Sinai wilderness.

a. During that time, Israel experienced supernatural providence such as the supply of manna, water

from rocks, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, and so forth.

b. During that time, they also received Divine revelation - the Mosaic Law. God communicated to

them His holy standard.

3. The land of Canaan represents the destination of God's people after they have been set free from

degrading bondage.

a. Not our ultimate destination, as the famous hymns would have it. Those hymns suggest that

Canaan represents heaven.

i. As the lines to Swing Low, Sweet Chariot go:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see

Comin' for to carry me home?

A band of angels, comin' after me

Comin' for to carry me home.

b. Biblically, the land over the Jordan - the Promised Land - does not speak of heaven. Hebrews 3-4

shows Canaan as a picture of the rest and victory that can be enjoyed by every believer.

i. In this sense, F. B. Meyer connects the Book of Joshua with the Book of Ephesians. Both describe

a spiritual walk of promise, wealth, and victory that are ours with Jesus.

c. This also shows that the deliverance from Egypt was only in preparation for the enjoyment of

Canaan. In our Christian life, we are brought out of sin so that we might be brought in to abundant

life. The wilderness is never God's permanent destination for us.

d. Even as an entire generation of Israel died in the wilderness, so many Christians die in the desert

dryness of spiritual experience, never walking in the fullness of what God has for them.

4. The leader: Joshua as a type of Jesus.

a. Remember that the Greek name Jesus simply translates the Hebrew name Joshua. Their names

are identical. Whatever Israel received in the Promised Land, they received through the hand of

Joshua; whatever we receive from God we receive through Jesus Christ, our Joshua.

B. God commissions Joshua's work.

1. (Jos 1:1) Moses is dead, and God speaks to Joshua.

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua

the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:

a. After the death of Moses: Moses (who exemplified the law of God) could not lead Israel into the

land of promise and rest. This all happens after the death of Moses.

b. The LORD spoke to Joshua: Joshua - who was not a young man at this time - had spent his

entire career previously as the assistant of Moses, now finds that it is his own time to lead, but only

after God prepared him.

c. Moses' assistant: Joshua was prepared by faithful service in small things, in being Moses'

assistant. Redpath tells of a motto over a kitchen sink: "Divine service is conducted here three times

daily." The motto is true, and great men and women are prepared by faithfulness to the small things.

2. (Jos 1:2-3) Am giving and have given.

"Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the

land which I am giving to them; the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread

upon I have given you, as I said to Moses."

a. Your foot … I have given you: Entrance into the land of Canaan was entrusted to a

representative. Joshua was the trustee of the land for the people. In the same way, our

representative Jesus goes before us and what we have in God we possess in Him.

b. I have given you: The whole land was given, but they could only posses that which they claimed

(every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you). What they took must be

fought for against a determined opposition.

i. God certainly could have simply eliminated all their enemies with a mere thought; but He calls Israel

into partnership with Himself to see His will done.

ii. Because taking the land took effort, the challenge ahead was not for those content with Egypt, but

for those who would press ahead for what God had called them to.

3. (Jos 1:4-5) The promise: victory is assured because Joshua is called by God.

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of

the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man

shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I

will not leave you nor forsake you.

a. From the wilderness … As far as the great river: The precise territory of the land is

described. This was no "pie in the sky" promise. It described real land with real boundaries.

b. I will be with you: Victory is assured not because Joshua is a great leader, or because Israel is a

great nation, but because God is a great God, and He says to Joshua, I will be with you. This is

enough for any man seeking to do God's will.

4. (Jos 1:6-9) The conditions of the promise of victory.

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I

swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do

according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand

or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your

mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is

written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have

I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the

LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

a. Be strong and very courageous: Joshua is called to boldness in God. This exposes Joshua's

weakness; there was a need for such a command, because even a great leader like Joshua needed

such encouragement.

i. This bold courage would not be in Joshua himself, but in God. We can be full of self-confidence

that will take us to ruin, but we should instead be full of a genuine God-confidence.

b. That you may observe to do according to all the law: Joshua must take great care to observe

the law. God's word and Joshua's commitment to it would be the pillars supporting his success.

c. Joshua did not only need to read God's word. It had to be on his lips (shall not depart from your

mouth), in his mind (meditate in it day and night), and he had to do it (observe to do according to

all that is written).

d. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success: God's

Word so lived is a guarantee of Christian success. Not that it promises a life without problems, but it

does insure a life able to deal with anything, because it takes full advantage of God's presence and

promises.

i. And Christian success is not measured by the same standards as the world's success. Even if the

world accounts us as sheep for the slaughter, we are actually more than conquerors through Him who

loved us (Romans 8:36-37).

e. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go: The final encouragement, repeated from

Joshua 1:5, reminds us that Joshua's success did not depend solely on his ability to keep God's

Word. It depended even more on God's presence with him.

Chuck Smith: Sermon Notes for Joshua 1

← Back to Chuck Smith's Bio & Resources "THE MAN GOD USES" Intro: We all desire to be used by God, to be an instrument in His hand, to be called upon by God for some special task. Wrong concept - talented men. I. FIRST QUALIFICATION-FAITHFULNESS VS. 1. (Minister) A. He was Moses' "minister." 1. Word minister - servant. 2. He was content to play second fiddle to Moses. a. Most people are too big for God to use. b. Too full of their own schemes. c. They have their own way of doing things. B. He was a long time in training. 1. 40 yrs. in Egyptian bondage. 2. One of the spies; Endured wilderness, led in defeat of Amelekites.

3. After eighty years of faithful behind the scenes service God said "Moses my servant is dead" vs.2. 4. Who can know what God is preparing you for? a. We often complain over our present service. b. We think we are capable of more & bigger things. 5. This time of training is essential. a. We must serve before we can reign. b. We must descend before we can ascend. c. God's will never comes through big things. If we will be faithful in the smallest tasks. Hallow them. 6. Jesus an excellent example. a. Thirty years in obscurity. 1. Worked in carpenter's shop. 2. Attended church every Sabbath. (dead) b. One day He stepped forth & was baptized, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am WELL PLEASED." II. THE SECOND - A DISTINCT CALL VS. 5 - 6. A. Joshua knew perils ahead of them. 1. A man who is called is invincible. B. The supreme question for your fulfilling any office or place of service: 1. Not are you qualified. 2. Are you called? C. Are you seeking a place of power & prominence? 1. You better get right with God. (Simon) 2. We need men broken in Spirit whose only desire is to serve for the glory of God. D. If God will give us humble men broken in spirit but assured of their call. 1. Rivers in front of us, God will dry them up. 2. High wall cities, God will bring down the walls. 3. Giants, God will drive them out before us. E. Christ was certain of His call. 1. I came not to do my own will, etc. 2. "I delight to do They will O God." 3. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me. III. THIRD - THE INDWELLING OF THE WORD OF GOD VS. 8. A. Thou shalt meditate therein day & night (no shortcut to holiness). 1. No leader is more effective than when he is alone with God on his knees. 2. More is accomplished behind closed doors than out in open. (more victories won in closet than on the battlefield...) B. Jesus manifested rich knowledge of Word. 1. His life permeated with God's Word. a. Used it to prove arguments. b. To resist temptations. c. To guide the conduct of life. d. To illustrate truth. Do you desire God to use your life? Be faithful, fill yourself with the Word & when He is ready, you will hear a call.

FOX NEWS FLASH

Published 2 days ago

Dr. Drew Pinsky's message to media: Stop fanning the flames of panic on coronavirus

By Julia Musto | Fox News

Dr. Drew Pinsky: Mainstream media fanning the flames of coronavirus panic

Drew Pinsky told 'Fox & Friends' the panic about coronavirus is far worse than the actual virus

and the media is to blame.

The media is fanning the flames of panic surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Drew Pinsky said

Friday.

In an interview on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Jedediah Bila, Pete Hegseth and Steve Doocy, Pinksy

said that the panic surrounding the deadly virus is "far worse than the virus."

"Let the professionals whose job it is to contain pandemic do their job," he exclaimed. "They're doing

an amazing job. Worldwide, the efforts and [effectiveness] of the organizations like the [Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention} CDC and the World Health Organization [WHO] has been remarkable,

and yet the media continue to take every effort to fan the flames of panic.

TRUMP SIGNS $8.3B CORONAVIRUS SPENDING BILL: 'IT'S AN UNFORSEEN PROBLEM'

"Look, the WHO has said there's about a three percent fatality rate on this virus and every time they

say that they always qualify it and say we expect it to drop a lot once we understand the full extent of

the virus. ... It's among us. This is a flu season, everybody, There are 18,000 deaths from the flu," he

continued.

"Why aren't we worried about that?" he asked. "Why isn't the message: get your flu shot? You're much

more likely to die of the flu than the coronavirus."

Video

Pinsky told the "Friends" hosts he believes the media has gone to "great lengths" to keep fear alive in

the hearts of their viewers.

"A local news agency in Los Angeles had...footage of a paramedic being dispatched to a cruise ship

repeatedly all evening...and at the end, they go, 'Oh, by the way, there was a fight on a cruise ship.

Somebody got injured,'" he recalled.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

"And, you then, again, you saw the CDC press conference a couple of days ago where reporters were

like, 'What are poor people supposed to do [with] the price of Purell?'" Pinsky added. "And, somebody

stands up and goes, 'Wash your hands. It's far better.'

"So, wash your hands, disinfect everything, use your Clorox wipes, get your flu shot. Do all the things

you're supposed to do in flu season," he advised.

On Friday, President Trump signed an $8.3 billion coronavirus spending bill to help combat the spread

of the disease. To date, there have been at least 97,993 confirmed cases worldwide with over 3,300

deaths. The United States lays claim to 232 cases of the virus and 11 deaths have been recorded thus

far.

World Health Organization Promotes Cashless Society Over Virus Fears

BY TYLER DURDEN/ACTIVIST POST MARCH 09, 2020

Following reports that Beijing had "quarantined" dirty cash, the WHO warned on Monday that the

virus could survive on banknotes, potentially spreading Covid-19 within communities, and across the

world. To reduce the risk of being infected by money, the NGO advised citizens in countries

struggling with outbreaks to favor digital payments when possible, the Daily Telegraph reported.

That the WHO is telling the public to avoid cash is hardly a surprise: research has found that

coronaviruses have been found to live on surfaces for as long as 9 days.

During the statement, a WHO spokesman referenced a Bank of England study claiming that

banknotes "can carry bacteria or viruses" and urged people to wash their hands. Other studies have

shown that 90% of US $1 bills had bacteria present, and one Swiss study found that viruses had

survive on the faces of Swiss francs for days. The WHO's warnings follow the People's Bank of China

last month started disinfecting currency deposited at Chinese banks using ultraviolet light, before

quarantining the bills for a week before releasing them back into circulation.

Brits, and their fellow Europeans, should be increasingly careful as the virus spreads across Europe,

the WHO warned, via the Telegraph:

"We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses," a

spokesman told the Telegraph.

"We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face.

When possible, it would also be advisable to use contactless payments to reduce the risk of

transmission."

Of course, that one of the world's major NGOs is seizing the opportunity to proclaim the virtues of

'paperless' money is hardly a surprise: the globalist push toward a 'cashless society' has been

underway for years now, having had its biggest successes in Scandinavia. Sweden has gone virtually

"cashless", and in such a short time, they've already confronted the many drawbacks of relying

exclusively on digital money.

As we noted previously, here is what happens next:

...the virus spreads throughout the US and Europe and governments respond the same way China's

government has; martial law and full blown concentration camp culture. This would lead to civil war in

the US because we are armed and many people will shoot anyone trying to put us into quarantine

camps. Europe is mostly screwed.

The establishment then suggests that paper money be removed from the system because it is a viral

spreader. China is already pushing this solution now.

Magically, we find ourselves in a cashless society in a matter of a year or two; which is what the

globalists have been demanding for years. Everything goes digital, and thus even local economies

become completely centralized as private trade dies.

A viral outbreak is a significant danger to us all, but an even greater threat is the supposed cure.

Trading our economic and social freedom in the name of stopping the coronavirus? No matter how

deadly the bug, it's just not worth it.

Originally published at Activist Post - reposted with permission.

Coronavirus: A Biblical & Practical Perspective by Dr. Andrew Fabich on March 6, 2020 Share: Email Using: Gmail Yahoo! Outlook Other

With all the press on Coronavirus, we are pleased that Dr. Andrew Fabich of Truett McConnell University graciously allowed us to reprint his recent blog as a preliminary scientific response. More papers are to come as the situation unfolds.

As of March 4, 2020, at 11:50AM EST, there have been a total of 94,383 confirmed cases of this novel coronavirus with 3,221 deaths worldwide.1 The virus hit the world by storm when the Chinese began reporting a mysterious virus causing pneumonia-like symptoms infecting many of its citizens. We now know that the novel coronavirus of 2019–2020 (called COVID-19) originated in bats and jumped the species barrier into the human population (probably in a food market located in the Wuhan province).2

When I first heard people talking about this outbreak, I was confused by everyone calling it a coronavirus because that term is a broad term to describe an entire family of viruses. The coronavirus family is known to infect a wide range of animals and humans, including the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s and the MERS outbreak more recently. This family of viruses can cause many different symptoms affecting the lungs, liver, kidneys, GI tract, and nervous tissue. COVID-19 is a respiratory infection spread by aerosol droplets like other diseases we often hear about.

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH COVID-19, WE SHOULD COMPARE IT TO WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ANOTHER VIRUS TRANSMITTED THE SAME WAY: THE FLU.

But to understand what is currently happening with COVID-19, we should compare it to what we know about another virus transmitted the same way: the flu. What most people are unaware of is that the flu has been averaging between 9 and 45 million cases per year with 12,000 to 61,000 deaths per year since 2010.3 But are you as scared about getting the flu or are you more scared about getting COVID-19? When put in proper perspective, you can see that this COVID-19 is not as bad as the headlines are making it. I’m not aware of anyone who buys a surgical mask for the flu every year (on top of that, viruses are smaller than the holes found in those surgical masks . . .).4

What we ought to be asking ourselves is: What can we learn about how the flu is spread each year that we can do to prevent COVID-19?

• First of all, washing your hands. The primary way we make ourselves sick is by touching our face. If you pick up COVID-19 by coming in contact with some contaminated surface, you will likely give it to yourself by touching your face. The CDC recommends washing your hands for 20 seconds (they suggest hand sanitizers work, but I’m skeptical as of today).5

• Second, avoid touching common objects when out in public. When I first got out of graduate school, I got the flu for two years in a row, even though I knew better. After that, I became more vigilant with what I touched when out in public and haven’t gotten the flu since (in combination with handwashing of course).

• Third, stay away from people coughing to reduce your exposure.

• Fourth, if you are the person coughing, cough into your elbow and minimize how much travels through the air or gets on your hands.

• My fifth point relates to the flu and not COVID-19, get your flu shot this year and sign up for a COVID-19 shot if one is developed. While the flu shot does not work every year, I still get mine because some protection is better than none.

• Sixth, make those around you aware of any international travel you have done since December 2019 (making you potentially a carrier).

• And last but not least, conduct your life as you would any other day because we know that God is sovereign and can handle a simple disease outbreak like this.

What we should learn from this COVID-19 outbreak is that life is short and we’re not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:13–17). While we all live forever, some will spend eternity in heaven and others in a real place called Hell. The difference between heaven and Hell is a relationship with the Creator of the universe: Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about how to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ today.

Originally published as Dr. Andrew Fabich, "How Nervous Am I About The Coronavirus (COVID-19)?" Truett McConnell University blog, March 5, 2020. Reprinted with permission of Dr. Andrew Fabich and Truett McConnell University. Dr. Andrew Fabich is a professor of microbiology at Truett McConnell University, a Creation College in Cleveland, GA.

How Trump Should Combat Virus Terrorism

Mar 9, 2020

RUSH: I’ll tell you something else about this plunge in the oil price that’s causing the stock market to be

down whatever it is. It’s 1,700 now. The White House is talking about targeted stimulus to help businesses

that have been hurt by what we could call “virus terrorism.” Could I give you some contradictory facts on

the coronavirus? You just do with it what you want. You tell me I’m crazy. You tell me I’m not concerned

enough or what have you. But I want to go down the list. You know, every election year has had a disease

as part of it.

Are you aware of this? No, you’re not, because you’re living in the moment and thinking about the future,

which is responsible and reasonable. That’s what everybody does. You just can’t change the past anyway.

In 2004, we were all told about SARS; in 2008, the Avian flu. Remember that? The bird flu! In 2010, it was the

swine flu. In 2012, it was MERS, M-E-R-S. In 2014, it was Ebola — and we’re still hearing about that because

we’re hearing how brilliantly Obama dealt with Ebola.

“Oh, if we only had Obama now,” they’re saying. In 2018, Ebola made a reappearance. In 2016, it was Zika.

Remember the Zika virus? All of these things, now you remember them? Every election year has one of

these. Now two… (interruption) No, no, no. I’m not saying the coronavirus is fake or fraudulent. I’m telling

you it’s a ChiCom disease. You know, all of this stuff with the Italians? Something that you may not know

about the ChiComs and the Italians, folks.

You’ve heard about the massive numbers of cases of coronavirus in Italy. What you may not be aware of…

I’m looking for it right now. Here we go. Ready for this? Italy has seen billions and billions and billions of

dollars invested there by the ChiComs. One example: There’s a professional soccer team in Milan that was

purchased by the ChiComs. I’ve talked to people that were in Italy three years ago. It’s loaded with Chinese

people. The Italians travel to China more than ever now due to the Chinese investment in Italy.

The numbers for Italy and the coronavirus could well be associated with the increase in Chinese investment

in Italy, which has resulted in an increase in the amount of travel between people of the two countries. So

much investment, so much business between Italy and China now and for some years, means a huge

amount of travel between these two countries. Italy is obviously smaller, much more condensed than China.

They got different lifestyles, everybody closer, going out, much smaller country.

But there’s a reason. “Why Italy, Rush?” Ask anybody. Are you asking, “What is it about Italy? Why is Italy

having to quarantine one-fourth of their country? What’s happening?” Well, it’s not hard to figure out. The

ChiComs have been buying up things in Italy like crazy. It’s been spawning all kinds of travel. This is a

virus. In fact, you know what? The real name for this thing instead of coronavirus ought to be the Wuhan

virus.

But you know what happens if you call it the Wuhan virus? The left will come out of the woodwork and

accuse you of being a racist and a xenophobe. They’ll accuse you of trying to tie the virus to the ChiComs.

Well, hell’s bells, folks, that’s where it came from! The coronavirus, COVID-19, came from Wuhan, China.

That’s where it came from. Now, if it’s racist to point that out, then it’s racist to point that out. But it’s

something that’s unavoidable.

So, in all of these years — 2004, 2008, ’12, ’10, ’14, ’16, ’18 — there’s been a virus in an election year. Now,

the coronavirus has a contagion factor of two. The SARS contagion virus was four. Measles, for example,

was 18, the contagion factor. I keep talking about the Johns Hopkins University website. The one thing

about coronavirus that nobody trying to stoke panic about it will ever tell you about. You go to the Johns

Hopkins website and look at the number of cases and the number of deaths. The percentage isn’t changing.

In fact, the percentage of death is actually falling in relationship to the overall number of cases. But you

know what number is rising? The numbers of people who recover from it. Well over half of the people who

get it have already reported recovering from it, and they never tell you that. Now, it’s not 75 or 80% yet, but

it’s gonna be at some point. Law of averages. Right now, the coronavirus has a cure rate of 99.7% for those

under 50 that it infects. This virus is really attacking the elderly who already have underlying respiratory

problems.

It’s a respiratory disease. You could even call it a “viral pneumonia” if you wanted to

among those it infects. It is not infecting the real young, but it is devastating people who are over 65 or 70,

who have an underlying respiratory problem. But it apparently is not wiping out healthy people in their

thirties or forties or fifties. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not… I’m just going to tell you facts about it.

I’m not even giving you opinion associated with the fact.

You see what can happen when you offer just a contravening set of facts. (griping) “Well, Limbaugh’s not

taking it seriously! Limbaugh’s being irresponsible.” I’m not being irresponsible at all. I’m telling you the

facts associated with this. Here’s the bottom line: The White House is talking about targeted stimulus to

help businesses hurt by the virus. But look at what’s gonna happen with this plummeting oil price. Do you

know the many industries that could save? Try the airlines. You know what’s gonna happen to jet fuel here?

Jet fuel costs are gonna come down just like gasoline prices are gonna come down. You know what jet fuel

is? It’s Jet A. You see it on the trucks if you’re at the airport, if you’re watching trucks run around to refuel.

Jet A is kerosene. That’s what you smell. There’s no greater smell by the way than Jet A on the ramp at an

airport. It’s one of my all-time favorite smells. It smells like progress. It smells like power. It smells like

speed. It smells like progress.

Robert Duvall loved napalm in the morning in Vietnam.

I love kerosene on the ramp at an airport.

You can’t smell it unless you’re outside. It doesn’t permeate the walls. If you’re in the terminal, you won’t

smell it. You might get a vestige of it. But that’s what it is, and it comes down in price just like the price of

gasoline does. Now, let me expand on this for just a second because the news behind the market whatever

you want to call it today, the market collapse. That’s not the word. The market’s down 1,500 now. This is

because of an action taken by Saudi Arabia against Russia and OPEC.

They’re flooding the market with cheap oil. The market is reacting to the impact on producers. But of

course, when the price of oil comes down dramatically, look what happens. Let me state again: The world —

not just the United States, the world, the world economy — is governed by the free flow of oil at market

prices. And when something happens to interrupt either the flow or the market price, then tumult occurs,

and that’s what we’re seeing here.

But as the price for producers plummets, guess what also comes down? The price to consumers — and

this is a benefit. It’s gonna benefit the airlines because jet fuel’s gonna be cheaper. It’s gonna benefit you,

the consumer, buying gasoline. Whenever your energy costs go down significantly, that’s a huge

percentage of every family’s budget that reduces, and it leaves more disposable income for other things,

including debt reduction or what have you.

There’s any number of positive things for the consumer that are gonna result from this. Now, if I’m right, I

mentioned last week that I actually think the coronavirus has been around for a while and it just hasn’t been

known because it’s not affecting everybody. It isn’t infecting everybody. I think it’s been around for a while.

And, as such, if it has been around for a while then, folks, it isn’t as lethal as we think or fear it is.

If it has been around for a while — and we don’t know that because not everybody that comes in contact

with this is infected by it — then it isn’t gonna end up being more lethal than swine flu or regular old store-

bought influenza A. And if it’s no more lethal than that, then we have a baseline. As the president’s pointed

out, the number of people that die from the flu every year is 18 to 30,000.

Well, we’ve come to accept that without panicking about it, without demanding scalps. We’ve just come to

accept it because we intellectually have accepted what the flu is. So if this virus ends up being no more

lethal than that, then we have a baseline, then we know that it’s not gonna be that much more contagious.

Then when we finally do start testing everybody, we are going to learn that lots of people have been

exposed and test positive who do not have symptoms.

Now, if I’m right about that — and I hope that I am — can you imagine the great news that’s gonna be

perceived as, that all kinds of people test positive for it but don’t have one symptom. Do you realize what

that’s gonna mean for people? It’s gonna be a big deal.

But it’s also gonna mean more panic because the agents of panic are gonna see that and they’re gonna try

to ratchet up the panic, “You mean that people don’t even know they’ve got it? Oh my God, that’s horrible.”

No, no. Wrong way to look at it. But the panic, more panic will be ginned up as testing reflects not a big

increase in the spread, but rather a big increase in the number of confirmed cases, or rather our knowledge

of what’s been going on in the prior weeks.

In other words, if a lot of people test positive but don’t have a symptom, well, reasonable people, “That’s

good, that’s positive.” But others, “Oh, my God. It’s incubating. Oh, my God. It’s gonna be worse than

ever.” So you’re gonna be faced with the agents of viral, virus terrorism even more than we have them now.

But I believe that there is an upside here for Trump if he can admit to the public the dangers of short term

panic, that they’re real, but then reassure people that the rebound and upsurge is going to follow because

this is going to pass, it’s gonna end as it always does. If people are panicking, if people have a short-term

panic, acknowledge it. Don’t tell ’em they’re wrong for feeling it. It’s a lost cause.

And that’s not who Trump is anyway. Trump relates to people. Trump understands. If people are panicked,

they’re panicked. Don’t tell ’em they’re nuts. That’s the wrong way to go about it. Not that he is. He’s not

doing anything of the sort. I’m just saying resist the temptation. Because at the end of the day the real

danger here is economic damage, but only for a brief period of time. We have low oil prices. We have low

interest rates. And that’s gonna cause some people to panic, and the people that panic produce the charts

in media that make it look like the bottom’s falling out.

Like today the stock market down 1800, down 17, “Oh, my God. It’s horrible.” No, actually for you the

behind the scenes news is good. Your gasoline price is gonna be coming down. “Well, I don’t want to look

at it and be that selfish.” Well, you can’t. It’s not selfish. Markets are like that. Good news for some is bad

news for others. It’s always been that way. There’s no utopia out there.

The question is, my friends, can we get over this hump before the fall, the season, before fall hits? ‘Cause

there’s gonna be a big rebound from this. This is only human nature. This is one of the easiest predictions

I’ve ever made. The day is gonna come where this is gonna be over. The day is gonna come where people

are gonna feel safe again. And whenever that day is, whenever that week is, there’s gonna be a rebound like

you can’t believe.

People leaving homes, people going back to cruise ships, people getting on airplanes, people going to the

movies, whatever they’re gonna do, it’s gonna end. The question is, can that end before the fall and the

election cycle at that time. Or does it happen close to the election, Trump gets blamed, the upswing comes

in November, too late. I mean, these are things, if you’re gonna look at this politically — and the Democrats

are forcing us to — then this is one of the ways that we look at it.

But Trump has got to anticipate this. He’s gotta anticipate the Democrats are gonna plan to blame him for

this. They’re gonna try to prolong this. They’re gonna try to extend this. Even when the rebound happens

the Democrats are gonna try to make people believe there isn’t one, it’s premature. They politicize

everything. They are politicizing this. As such it’s going to have to be responded to just like the Trump-

Russia collusion crap was dealt with, the phone call to Ukraine.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Brainerd, Minnesota. This is Trent. Trent, great to have you, sir. Hi.

CALLER: Rush, absolute honor to talk with you, man. I’ve been listening to you since I was about 9, 10

years old. My mom and dad introduced me to you and just a huge fan.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: So thank you for taking my call. And I hope you don’t think I’m crazy right away with this theory

here. But getting back to the coronavirus, you know, many are probably gonna think this is a conspiracy,

but, you know, what I wholeheartedly believe is that the ChiComs put this out. You had mentioned earlier

that it was affecting only the elderly. And it kind of made me think about it.

And, you know, was this put out by the ChiComs and engineered to hurt the

elderly, the nonworking class citizens in order to scare the overall general population off the street, you

know, the thousands of freedom protesters that were out there. Did the ChiComs want them off the streets?

And was this engineered to attack the elderly, the nonworking class citizens and not necessarily hurt the

overall general working class citizens? You know, it might seem kind of crazy, but —

RUSH: Well, if that was the purpose, you’d have to say they lost control of it, right?

CALLER: Right. Right. Yeah, there would obviously be some collateral damage around the world affecting,

you know, the —

RUSH: I’ll tell you why. Because there’s video in Wuhan of ChiCom authorities storming into people’s

apartments and just wrapping ’em up and taking ’em out of there, young people, not elderly. If your theory

is a way to rid the elderly and keep the young from going out in public, the video I’ve seen, it’s not nearly

representative of enough, but…