Fear the Fake?

Surrounded by fake news, spam calls, what can we believe? What should we believe? We have been bombarded by a world gone insane. COVID threw us into a downward spiral. The whole world stopped. Now we’re climbing our way out, but the news keeps scaring us right back into our hiding spot.

I was talking to a friend the other day. He told me they are trying to build a surplus of food for two years. We live in the country. There aren’t grocery stores on every corner. Although there are Dollar Generals within every 5-10 miles in any given direction, if there was snow, a tornado hit, or a flood those aren’t good to anyone.

We were snowed in for five days in 1992, we were happy to be prepared. We had kerosene heaters, canned and frozen food (keep the freezer closed), a Coleman stove, and prayers.

We don’t live in fear. We live in a state of preparedness. In the Old Testament God reminded the Israelites, “let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them.” They had real things to worry about, but God said stop.

Yes, we have real issues in our world today, but instead of inventing new things to fear, we need to remember to trust in God. Jeremiah 29:11-12 tells us that God has plans for our future. We need to call and pray. He will listen to us. Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Does this mean we can do dangerous things without worry? NO! We have to be mindful of our surroundings, situations, and environment. We don’t, however, need to fear every news report. In today’s world, there is so much to filter every day. But if we trust God and lean not on our understanding, He will help us to come out of our hiding places, so we can live the life He has prepared for us.