GP Works

In my part of Canada now we are being warned about the West Nile Virus. It is spread to human beings by a mosquito that has traveled from a bird that has the West Nile Virus to a human – injecting its stinger into both bodies.

According to Wikipedia…
West Nile virus (or WNV) is a virus of the family Flaviviridae; part of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, and domestic rabbits. The main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito.

When you do some reading on this miserable disease you may never go out of doors again. It is extremely serious for many people. Death has occurred in some cases – but for the most part it is a long and disabling disease.

One small bite, from one extremely small proboscis of a mosquito being inserted into the body of a bird...that becomes host for the “amplification” of the virus – which is then transferred by the next mosquito to a human.

Wikipedia again says…
Transmission - The virus is transmitted through mosquito vectors, which bite and infect birds. The birds are amplifying hosts, developing sufficient viral levels to transmit the infection to other biting mosquitoes which go on to infect other birds (in the Western hemisphere the American robin and the American crow are the most common carriers) and also humans. The infected mosquito species vary according to geographical area; in the US Culex pipiens (Eastern US), Culex tarsalis (Midwest and West), and Culex quinquefasciatus (Southeast) are the main sources.

In mammals the virus does not multiply as readily (i.e. does not develop high viremia during infection), and it is believed that mosquitoes biting infected mammals do not ingest sufficient virus to become infected, making mammals so-called dead-end infections.

So what…
The reason I point to the WNV today is to get your attention about an even more serious V. It can show up at the same time that WMV is present in the community. But it is evident when mosquitoes are not there and there is no WNV. It is even more deadly than WMV in that the person that it attacks is at risk of very serious debilitating actions.

This very ancient virus affects the brain. It causes untold heart ache and family damage. It is the FV…or the “Fear Virus”.

Wikipedia states of Fear…
Fear is an emotional response to tangible and realistic dangers. Fear should be distinguished from anxiety, an emotion that often arises out of proportion to the actual threat or danger involved, and can be subjectively experienced without any specific attention to the threatening object.

Most fear is usually connected to pain (i.e., some fear heights because if they fall, they may suffer severe injury or even die upon landing). Behavioral theorists, like Watson and Ekman, have suggested that fear is one of several very basic emotions (e.g., joy and anger). Fear is a survival mechanism, and usually occurs in response to a specific negative stimulus.

Did you catch the last sentence in the above description? “…usually occurs in response to a specific negative stimulus.”

None of us will avoid the FV. A few of us will be exposed to the WNV – but 100% will be exposed to the FV at one of many points in our life.

As a minister I see more people that are taking down by FV than any other problems that people encounter. Worse yet – real problems that they encounter are almost always added to when the FV sets in. As you can see it is “an emotional response to tangible and realistic dangers”

Every single one of us have this FV in one shape or another. No one escapes this – EVER!

I have only been in one setting where there is only one person in the room that does not have the FV. This is guaranteed to be true every time. Can you guess where that might be?

It is at a Funeral – and the person is in the casket. You know dead people don’t worry any longer. Dead people don not have Fear. They are dead!

That simple revelation should help us to understand that everyone of us will experience FV in our life time. Sometimes it will be so great that it will paralyze our whole being.

Can anything be done for FV?

Yes…I believe there can be something done.

The Bible makes this clear with Paul’s words…in his letter to the Roman people…Romans 8:15
15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Or in my language…when I asked God to become my father and recognized that he was in charge… I became his son…then all the stuff that took me down before and produced FEAR – are gone.

But Pastor Murray… I am a follower of God and I still FEAR. Yes I know you do…BUT WHY BOTHER. Give it up. Let God take over.

Unlike the WNV that cannot be stopped…FV can be…when God steps in.

I am normal – I FEAR. In fact at times I am scared silly. I am not normal in that I stand still and with all the power that I have in me I give it over to God.

I think that I pray one of the shortest prayers ever at that moment, “HELP! God HELP!” Then I sit still and wait a few seconds, concentrating on what HE is about to do…not what I can’t…and then something happens. FV lifts and GP descends. GP? Oh I forgot to tell you… that is God’s Power.

Try GP as an antidote to FV and WNV and any other plague of problems you might catch today. GP works!
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

Resources:
WNV - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Nile_virus
FV - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear