Christian singer-songwriter John Cooper talked about how to get through all the fear-mongering that the media does. He says that being full of God's Spirit and power is the best way to get through it.
CooperStuff Podcast Ep. 88, titled "Omicron and Crime-A-Thon," featured Skillet's lead vocalist and bassist saying the new COVID variant's name "Omicron" as "the best name ever for a virus."
"It sounds a lot like a transformer, which is cool," he said. Adding a dash of humor, Cooper decided to go for "Megatron" as the new variant's name instead of "Omicron."
Cooper began his discussion of COVID measures like masks, lockdowns, and vaccination mandates by setting a disclaimer to his audience that he would not dispute with them but would just seek to meet halfway.
"All right, fine. But you cannot be ruled by a spirit of fear because God has taken that out of you and He has put his Spirit of power--the Holy Spirit-- full of power inside of you," he said.
Cooper next gave a short description of how Christians received the Holy Spirit when they repented and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. He said that this Spirit is the one that enables Christians to confront and resist the devil's schemes.
Citing Psalm 94:19, Cooper reminded Christians that while they are experiencing intense anxiety, they should remember that God's consolation offers joy to the soul. He also gave his own testimony, stating that he had severe anxiety two years ago and that he empathizes with individuals who are going through the same thing.
"But then I go to the Word and I find out, 'It doesn't matter what you feel,' he said. "It doesn't matter what (I) feel when anxiety was great within me. Your consolation brought joy to my soul and if I could add to the Psalm a little bit, it didn't just bring joy to my soul, it brings peace to my soul."
Heading to Philippians 4:6-7, which speaks about not being anxious, Cooper pointed out that many times, a believer would mentally agree with the Scripture, but it does not always translate into their actions that they accept what they read in the Word of God.
Still, he said that coming to that knowledge is a wonderful thing.
"If that's you today, hey don't be condemned," he said. "Just change your mind, not because Cooper have said it, but because the Word of God says, Do not be anxious about anything.' God will change your life if you begin to to put your faith in him," he said.
Returning to the "megatron variant," Cooper emphasized that no matter what measures or news surfaces, Christians should not be among those living their lives in fear.
"Do not live your life in fear," he maintained. "Even the CDC has seen actual statistics, oh actually, fear-related illness and anxiety is the second risk factor for dying from COVID."
Referring to tapping into the spiritual dimension as the Christians' way of seeing every event on the earth, he said that the COVID frenzy all comes down to fearmongering.
"We know that is spiritual.That's not just like a thing. That is a spiritual stronghold in people's lives. We know that because of the Bible," he explained.
