So the Word holds true. When we are abiding in Him God always saves us from genuine, lasting harm, just as He promised.

We need to get a more Heavenly look. We need to set our mind on things above. We need to establish our treasures in Heaven!

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalms 91:4—NIV)

We are entering perilous times, an age of moral horrors. There are deep cultural divisions in our society, and not just along racial or religious lines. The problem has to do with values, with some favoring a licentious life-style while others are more conservative in their viewpoint. So intense are the feelings being generated that civil war, perhaps on a relatively minor scale, is not an impossibility. Demagogues will use the passions to build a following by attempting to force the divisions into the channels of race or religion, creating stereotypes. The media will do the same for the sake of sensationalism in order to sell papers.

Also, because of the prevalence of sin, it is not unlikely that God soon will be visiting us with various catastrophes, such as earthquakes, famine, and economic collapse.

We Americans are not accustomed to war being fought on our soil, or the depths of privation suffered by other nations. But things may change rapidly. By the time this essay appears on the Internet such dangers and distresses may already have taken place.

Then we believers in Christ are going to be very thankful for the covering of God's mighty protection, for the bulwarks He provides against the attacks of the enemy.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, (Psalms 91:5—NIV)

Numerous American people are afflicted with fear, with anxiety, with depression. You would think with all the material blessings we enjoy we would be relatively free from fear. This is not the case.

Clinical anxiety and depression are not dismissed with "Just praise the Lord and have faith!" They are actual sicknesses for which various medicines have been developed.

It is not unusual for dedicated Christians to have emotional problems based in fear. Sometimes professional advice is very helpful and necessary. But again, a consistent trust in the Lord will eventually bring victory over fear.

The "arrow that flies by day" speaks of war. We in America have not experienced war on our land to the extent true of Germany, France, and England, for example. God has seen fit to protect and bless us.

But Christian values are often mocked and despised today by a sizable part of the population. As a result we are losing our strength and Divine protection. It may be true that we are going to be visited with war unless there is wholesale repentance, a turning to God and especially to righteous behavior.

To be continued.