Trending News This Week:

• More than 260 people have died in Afghanistan during a magnitude-7.5 earthquake, the third largest to hit the region in the last 40 years.
• A Category 5 hurricane, the strongest land-falling, Pacific hurricane, hit southwest Mexico, with wind gusts exceeding 200 mph.
• Historic, South Carolina flooding killed 17 people.

With severe weather phenomena on the rise, many people are wondering if these are truly the last days. How do we know? What do we do to prepare?

With many, many things to be concerned about these days, we must remember that He Who lives in us is greater than he who lives in the world. We need to know that in these troubled times we can rely on the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and our Guide, and to show us things to come.

Psalm 91:1-2 says:
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

When we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He will protect us, strengthen us, and provide for us. He will neither leave us nor forsake us. This means that He is watching over us, and as long as we hearken unto His voice, we will hear the things that He is saying to us and we will know what to do when trouble strikes.

Matthew 24:6-8 tells us:
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Anyone can see that the world is certainly experiencing all of these troubles right now, but the Lord has told us to worry not.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Psalm 91:5-7

Worry and fear will not serve us or protect us, but it will allow the devil to gain a foothold. In these last days, it is more important than ever to guard ourselves from attacks of the enemy, who would like nothing better than for fear and panic to grip us to the point that we lose faith in God and His promises of protection.

It is so important to be very mindful of everything going on around us and to stay clothed in the full armor of God.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

I Peter 5:8

If we let our guard down for even a moment, the devil will waste no opportunity to attack. Don’t give him that opportunity; stay in the peace of the Lord.

Say this faith declaration out loud: I refuse to fear or worry; I choose to stay in the perfect peace of God, knowing that he loves me and will guide me and protect me. I will listen closely for His voice and I will stay near to Him. I will not allow the devil to pull me off track with fear about things that I cannot control.

Scripture Reading:

I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:10-12

… Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Isaiah 43:1