Friends, Trust this finds you well. We are living in tumultuous and perilous times as prophesied by our beloved LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. In the next several years, we may well be in for some nasty storm in our lives. Therefore, it behooves us to begin to prepare ourselves for the storms ahead before they get here. The Almighty is asking the Church to get ready and prepare for what is coming in the near future. Eventually, it could very well come down to the situation that Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego faced in Babylon when they said to Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon: Daniel 3:16-18 "...O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up." There are some foundational things that will anchor us to God despite what may come our way. Prophet Jeremiah suffered many things in his life, yet he stayed firm and faithful to his God. Something held him together. What was it that anchored this man? Let's take a look at some of the things that held prophet Jeremiah together through the difficult seasons in his life. 1. HE WAS POSSESSED BY THE WORD OF GOD Jeremiah 1:4 "Then the Word of the LORD came unto me, saying..." Jeremiah's thinking, his attitude, his way of life was possessed by the Word of God. The Word of the LORD will come to you when you spend time in His Word and in His Presence. Revelation will come when you spend time in His Word and His Presence. How much time do you spend alone with Him? How much time do you spend in silence before Him? We live in a very 'busy' world, where so many voices are competing for our attention. However, the Eternal One will not compete with all the other voices in your life. If you are ever going to hear His voice, you have to learn how to listen; turn off everything else in your life and listen to His still small voice. If you give Him your undivided attention, His Presence will come. 2. HE KNEW HE WAS APPREHENDED BY THE ALMIGHTY Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations." There is no accidental birth in the Kingdom of God. We were known before we were born in the womb of our mother. We were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world. Having a revelation of this deep truths in our lives will anchor our faith, strengthen us and help us to become firm in our belief as we stand firm in the faith keeping our eyes on Jesus. Revelation 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world..." Ephesians 1:4-5 "According as He has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." 2 Thessalonians 2:13 "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." 3. HE WAS HONEST ABOUT HIS INADEQUACY Jeremiah 1:6 "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." You can't exalt Jesus and yourself at the same time. We need to have an honest opinion of ourselves, and remember that we are dust. Whenever you forget that, there is a tendency in the flesh to become puffed up and to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. It is always good to check ourselves to make sure that we are in the faith. 2 Corinthians 12:6-7 "For though I would desire to boast, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he sees me to be, or that he hears of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." We must remember that we carry this treasure in earthen vessels; pots of clay. Our lives are held as if by a thread that the Creator holds in His hand, and He can snap it without warning. We exist by His grace, live by His grace, minister by His grace. We are anchored whenever we realize how weak and frail our life is, and how much we depend upon Him. Selah!