'Be Able to Trust God': Dr. Tony Evans Gives Biblical Advice on Mandates, COVID Variants, and Hearing God Over the Noise

Dr. Tony Evans is encouraging believers to pray and fast when it comes to seeking God about COVID-19 and whether or not to get the vaccine. 

During a January 9 sermon, Evans implored his congregation to participate in a Daniel's Fast to receive answers from God at a "critical time" in history. 

"This is not the time for business as usual," the author and pastor said. "Do something that says to God we need him."

Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, explained that many people are missing their answers to prayer because they are not fasting. 

"What fasting does is raise the antenna, so you can pick up the signal (from heaven) for the information you need to address what you are dealing with down here," he said. 

"Many of our prayers have been answered but we just didn't pick up the signal. So we missed the answer," Evans added.

In the biblical book of Daniel, the prophet abstained from meat, dairy, and other delicacies for 21 days.  According to CBN.com, a Daniel's fast is for anyone who is hungry for a deeper connection with the Lord and who is also willing to make a three-week commitment to pursuing that connection.

Evans told CBN that continual prayer has the power to transform your life. 

"What it has done is it lets me live in a heavenly consciousness. One of the things the Bible says is to pray without ceasing, which means bring God into everything," he shared. "And so, when I'm operating in that consciousness, I'm staying in contact with heaven about anything, whether large or small." 

"It's critical that we do that if we want God involved in everything large and small because things small become large when they go left. So, you want Him on the front end and not on the back end of all issues of life," Evans added.

Pastor Evans suggests that believers should fast and seek God for direction about COVID-19 and its variants. 

"These variants aren't just variants. ... This is God showing medical science, politicians, people – 'I don't care what you come up with. I'm talking now,'" Evans said.

Johns Hopkins University's data show the Omicron variant, although less severe in symptoms, is now infecting about 600,000 Americans per day. 

"This COVID deal is about something bigger," he added. "It's about God showing the whole world: I can shut this mama down whenever I decide to."

Evans told his church that any decision to become vaccinated or not, should be based on faith and trusting God. 

"Yes, vaccines help. Vaccines stop things from being as bad as they could be. And you should have a choice, whether it's natural immunity or whether it's therapeutics. You shouldn't be mandated to put chemicals in your body. But you should be free to if you choose to," he said. "So our issue is against mandates, not against vaccinations – if you choose to, and there are a whole lot of biblical reasons for that."

"Romans 14 says you're free to choose  – the whole chapter says you're free to choose," he explained. "[Paul] comes to verse 23, and he says that whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So whatever decision you make, be able to trust God with it."

"That's the issue. People are going to make different decisions," Evans shared. "So you have to be comfortable – and not be mandated."