Stormathon: Overcoming Life's Storms During The Christian Race

By Melissa Mallory Todd

Stormathon took conception on the brink of a pandemic--the COVID-19, a storm that countries around the world will never forget. There are situations that arise in life that may feel like a storm. Tomorrow isn't promised, and if we're fortunate to behold it, we should be prepared, for not only the natural storms we may encounter but also the spiritual warfare and battles we face daily. With God, all things are possible. With him, we can endure and weather any storm we may encounter. As a forecast has been predicted, let us watch and pray. We can learn to prepare for life's storms and brace for the impact. We can stand guard with spiritual armor on and utilize battle strategies to withstand the attack and weather the storm. Even in the aftermath, when we are filled with questions and trying to sort out the next steps, we can have confidence in the Lord who is mightier than any storm we face. We will make it through the storm, whether a pandemic, temptations, or general life stressors. Accepting God and his aid is the best decision one could ever make. Storms have a way of sensitizing us to the struggles of others. Together we can weather life's storms. We are in a race--on your mark, get set, go. Let us continue in this Christian race, our personal stormathon to run.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685268411

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Introduction: Covid-19 and the Storms of Life

Storms of Life

1: A Storm Is Coming

2: Choose a Side

The Decision

Inspiration from Joshua

3: Trust and Obey

Vow to Obey

Trusting God through Circumstances

Alternative Routes

4: Nonexempt Status

You Can Count on it

Master Example

Light Affliction

5: Tailor-Made Attacks

Temptations

Don't Give In

Fixed Race

6: Cyclic Encounters

Questioning the Enemy

The Testing

Questioning God

God Responds

Transition to Guard

7: Brace for Impact

Forecast Predicted

Storm Recognition

Positive Attitude

8: Stand Guard

Heart Posture

Watch

Pray

Without Ceasing

9: Attention to Mindset

Guard Your Thoughts

Remember the Time

In the Knowing

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Weathering the Storm

10: Armor Up

Stand

Truth

Salvation

Shield

Sword

11: Battle Strategies

Confidence in God

Desiring His Will

Peace Amid the Storm

12: Weathering the Storm

Suffering

Finding Joy

Applied Pressure

The Aftermath

13: The Assessment

Response in Crisis

Personal Growth Story

Shine the Light

Hope

14: Change in Perspective

Coexisting

Embracing Sensitivity

Extending Forgiveness

Forgiveness for You

Union Mission

15: Afterword

COVID-19

Sweet Plea

Bibliography

About the Author

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Stormathon

Overcoming Life's Storms During The Christian Race

Melissa Mallory Todd

ISBN 978-1-68526-840-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-841-1 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Melissa Mallory Todd

All rights reserved

First Edition

All scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

I dedicate this book first to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. My life has forever been changed, and I am grateful to you, my hero. Dedicated also in memory of all those whose lives were lost to COVID-19; to the Garners, a mother and her daughter, who lost battle with cancer but won the race of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Also, in loving memory of newborn baby Jekalyn Mallory (born and deceased January 2022).

Acknowledgments

All glory and thanks go to our triune God, who graced me to be called his own through Jesus Christ. To my husband, I can't thank you enough for your friendship. Your inspiration and support while writing this book can never be underrated. I love you so deeply, my friend and brother in the Lord.

Introduction: Covid-19 and the Storms of Life

Covid-19 and the Storms of Life

This book took conception on the brink of COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic. The virus was without respect of person, affecting anyone regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or location. Like other pandemics, it was catastrophic, with fatalities in the millions. It was a storm that countries around the world would never forget. There are situations that arise in life that may feel like a storm. Some storms have a greater impact than others, but no matter the degree, they can have lasting consequences. We are taught during the rise of natural storms to prepare ourselves to weather the storm. Alike natural storms, there are spiritual storms that are inevitable.

Truly an asset when facing a life storm is having made Jesus Christ Saviour and Lord. With God, all things are possible. With him, we can endure and weather any storm we encounter. As a forecast has been predicted, let us watch as well as pray. Brace for impact, stand guard with armor on, and utilize battle strategies to withstand the attack and weather the storm. Prayerfully, we will come out unscathed or with minimal effects, but if we are wounded, there is a rescuer that is mightier than the storm we face. We as children of the true living God must prepare for the storms of life to be most successful. Let's explore God's holy scriptures for insight into handling life circumstances. It may be obvious to point out the first step as having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but this is stressed as being pivotal to our success. Let us continue in this Christian race, our personal stormathon to run.

Part I

Storms of Life

Important is the decision to trust God despite the circumstance. We are not exempt from trouble. Temptations will come, but there is a way of escape. God is sovereign, and we must trust his perfect will and plan.

1

A Storm Is Coming

It is still fresh in memory the moment I realized that the world was in trouble, as we were all coming under susceptibility of a global pandemic. The alarm had sounded: A storm is coming. The coronavirus, also called SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, was without respect of person, affecting anyone regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or geographical location. Like other catastrophic pandemics, fatalities hit the millions, a storm that countries around the world will never forget. I can remember when first hearing about it landing in the US—NC, the Piedmont-Triad area, down to my community and then into my own home. Year 2020 personally was one big storm consisting of many smaller storms with compounding effects. The initial stay-at-home executive order didn't affect much of life initially due to me being mostly a homebody. There was homeschooling of a kindergartener, a short time of telemedicine as a health-care provider, before heading back to various clinics to fight on the front lines alongside brave heroes in health care. All this while trying to keep my family safe, minimize exposure to the coronavirus, and fulfill duties as a wife and mother of two little ones.

For a short time, life adjustment was simple and a breeze; however, it gradually became as sand slipping through my fingers. I found myself being faced with some questions: Have I lost focus? Is my mind primarily on my problems, or has it remained on the problem-solver, God? Have I forgotten in who I have placed my faith and trust? Am I as grounded as I was pre-pandemic? I found myself in a place where, like countless other people, into my feelings and emotions which are unpredictable, rather than looking to the one person who is consistent, ever-present, and trustworthy. Though life may be challenging, primarily with its various temptations and troubling times, I can truly say that I wouldn't have made it to this point of stability in life if I hadn't first trusted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I'm very fortunate and blessed to have his aid in each situation I encounter and along this journey called life.

You can probably recall natural disasters and plagues that have occurred during your lifetime. Even during the time when the coronavirus was at its peak or wave in uptick in positive cases, especially with several variants. There were many other concerning alarms sounding off around the globe, some that hit more personally those it directly affected. For instance, in 2020, there was mention of a record-breaking number of storms. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2020), who reported the National Hurricane Center's Tropical Cyclone Report for 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, that 2020 produced thirty named storms, the most storms on record. Also, during the same time as the coronavirus was gaining steam, East Africa had a surge in desert locusts, which plagued them and wreaked havoc on their crops. The effect spread to other countries and across the Persian Gulf and Asia—an ongoing battle as there are waves occurring in severity of the swarm of locusts.

In an article by the American Lung Association (2020) titled When the Dust Settles: How Does the Saharan Dust Storm Affect Lung Health, it reported that from the COVID-19 pandemic to murder hornets to protests that awakened the nation, a Saharan dust of historic proportions crossed the Atlantic Ocean and is impacting the United States. The article noted that viral exposure to COVID-19 alongside breathing air pollution can cause harm. Not to get into too much detail about natural storms, I want to simply make the point that there are situations that arise in life that may feel like a storm. Whether a coronavirus arising from China, insects or dust from Africa, or natural disasters that can take place anywhere and affect surrounding nations, some storms have greater impact than others, even effecting food supply or causing destruction for our loved ones and the area we personally reside. But no matter the degree of impact, it can have lasting consequences. We are taught during the rise of natural storms to prepare ourselves to weather the storm. Alike natural storms, there are spiritual storms that are inevitable. We're in a race consisting of storms great and small, predictable and those that catch us off guard. We as children of the true living God must prepare for these storms of life to be most successful.

2

Choose a Side

The Decision

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, I know you can agree that choosing Jesus remains to be the best and most important decision ever made. You may also agree that the decision to follow Christ has come with its share of trials, and at times when tested, we must remind ourselves that we are to follow in his ways and behave in such a way as to be a good representation of Jesus Christ. It's tough at times, especially when storms of life arise, but I hope and pray that you're holding on to his hand and that you'll never let go. There may be days you feel like giving up in this Christian race—don't! Keep pushing! Stick with the decision and press your way through!

If you're someone who feels as though you're being punished by God for some reason or another, just know we don't choose the trials or tests, but I do know that Jesus is rooting for all of us. God loves us, and as we would train and chasten our children, he does the same for us out of love. Hebrews 12:6 states, For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son he receiveth.

If he chooses so, God chastises us because he loves us. He allows things to happen in our lives, though we may not understand why, because he is sovereign. Regardless of what comes your way, hold fast to the most important decision of giving your heart to God. Regardless of how tough life gets, with all the tests and trials, heartaches and pain, loss, and grief, don't become lukewarm. You must make the decision to either be hot or cold, live in the light or dark, in or out. You are in a race, so decide whose side you are on. Are you on God's side or the enemy's side? Ask yourself, have I given my heart and life to God? Is my claim to Christianity merely due to church membership or being raised in a Christian home, or growing up attending a church or sanctuary? Church attendance or a religious background doesn't validate whether you are a Christian or not. Most importantly, you want your name written in the Lamb's book of life which clears you for life eternally with the Lord, as opposed to a church membership book. So you may be wondering why this invitation to accept or clarify your relationship with Christ is in this book. The simple response is that while reading Stormathon, you'll notice that the information provided is primarily for the Christian reader; however, in hopes of a nonbeliever reading for insight into practical ways to handle life's storms, I want to take advantage of every opportunity to witness the truth of the gospel—also, to make you aware that the decision you make verbally needs to be practiced or lived out. God urges us to be obedient to his commands and not just hear them only. James 1:22 states, but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

We may deceive ourselves or even others into believing our confession made as a Christian, but God is our sovereign creator who knows us inside and out. He said that we can know if a person is of God by looking at their actions, and even then, God is the judge and judges our heart. You may read further about the fruits that are evidence of the changed life, also those fruits that are contrary, in Matthew 7:16–18 and Galatians 5:19–25. God has a standard, and it's very clear. Outside of God's standards are those that are unset and go against him. What John said was from the heart of God; being lukewarm makes God upset. Revelation 3:15–16 states, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. It's as if being lukewarm or straddling the fence makes God sick on his stomach. It disgusts God for us to have one foot in the world and one foot in the church; we should be the body of Christ. It is impossible for us to serve two masters: whether God and ourselves, God and the devil, or even God and material possessions. Matthew 6:24 states, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other. It's worth a moment of time to think about your life and level of devotion to God; gauge whether your life reflects Jesus Christ, and most importantly, choose today who you are going to serve. I hope and pray you will say, God, I will serve you. You are my God, my master, and I am your servant. I hope and pray that you are on the winning side, the Lord's side. Choosing the Lord's side places you in the right position