Fear has overtaken us. And it\u2019s legitimate. The threat of corona virus is real. The virus has interrupted our lives. Of course, we\u2019re afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life has changed. For how long? No one knows. For this\nperiod, we will avoid large gatherings and self-isolate as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who would\u2019ve thought our world would come to a near\nstandstill? Airline flights cancelled. Sports stadiums vacated. Broadway\nsilenced. Stock market plummeted. Schools dismissed. Grocery shelves emptied.\nPeople panicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We just don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming tomorrow. But did we ever?\nCertainly not. But we expected normal. The sun would rise and we\u2019d live our\nday, going to work or school or wherever. We\u2019d attend church, dine at fancy\nrestaurants, fly to distant cities. Normal stuff. Not now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Normal has been put on hold. We\u2019re making adjustments\u2026new plans. We\u2019re being cautious like never before. This thing has disrupted life. This wicked thing sneers in our face, bullies and terrorizes us, boasting of its power to bring death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Normal has been put on hold. We\u2019re making adjustments\u2026new plans. We\u2019re being cautious like never before. This thing has disrupted life. This wicked thing sneers in our face, bullies and terrorizes us, boasting of its power to bring\u2026 <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n We must take it seriously. It\u2019s too risky not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The chaos reminds me of book one in the bestselling Left Behind<\/em> series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. The long-awaited Rapture occurs, turning the world upside-down. What happens is a portrayal of Matthew 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and\nthe other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,\nand the other left\u201d (verses 40-41). In the book, planes crash after pilots\ndisappear from the cockpits. Cars pile up as drivers exit this world. Husbands\ncome home to empty houses after wives and children are caught up in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a scary scene. I don\u2019t expect to be here for the\naftermath. The teaching I accept is that believers will be taken up to be with\nthe Lord and miss the chaos of the Great Tribulation. I\u2019m not a biblical\nscholar qualified to discuss all the details, but I can tell you this. I\u2019ve\nmade preparation. Long ago I settled my eternity by claiming Romans 10:13. \u201cFor\nwhosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of that decision, I don\u2019t live in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do wonder\u2026could our present circumstance be a dress rehearsal?\nI don\u2019t know. I only know nothing like this has happened before in my lifetime\nspanning several decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Webster defines fear as \u201can unpleasant often strong emotion\ncaused by anticipation or awareness of danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re wise to be aware of danger, but no one needs to be choked by fear and paralyzed by panic\u2026unless you haven\u2019t settled your eternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019re wise to be aware of danger, but no one needs to be choked by fear and paralyzed by panic\u2026unless you haven\u2019t settled your eternity. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n If you need help with that, contact me via email (see contact page) or private message me on FaceBook. Meanwhile, combat fear with God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat time I am afraid, I will trust in thee\u201d (Psalm 56:3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou,\nLord, only makest me dwell in safety\u201d (Psalm 4:8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous\nrunneth into it, and is safe\u201d (Proverbs 18:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear\nhim, and delivereth them\u201d (Psalm 34:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the\neverlasting arms\u2026\u201d (Deuteronomy 33:27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power,\nand of love, and of a sound mind\u201d (2 Timothy 1:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall\nabide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge\nand my fortress: my God, in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from\nthe snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with\nhis feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy\nshield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for\nthe arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness;\nnor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A tthousand shall fall at thy\nside, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only\nwith thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because\nthou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;\nThere shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy\ndwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all\nthy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot\nagainst a stone\u201d (Psalm 91:1-12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leave a comment about how you\u2019re coping in these uncertain days. And please share this article with your friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fear has overtaken us. And it\u2019s legitimate. The threat of corona virus is real. The virus has interrupted our lives. Of course, we\u2019re afraid. Life has changed. For how long? No one knows. For this period, we will avoid large gatherings and self-isolate as much as possible. Who would\u2019ve thought our world would come to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[506,505,9,42,503,507,438],"class_list":["post-1280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-broadway","tag-corona-virus","tag-dianne-barker","tag-fear","tag-fear-could-this-be-our-dress-rehearsal","tag-left-behind","tag-living-the-maximum-life"],"yoast_head":"\n