Another tropical storm, Dorian, is barreling across the Antlantic towards the windward islands.
On Tuesday when I wrote this post it had a maximum sustained wind of 50 mph. It is not considered a hurricane as yet.
The storm is moving west- north west at 13 mph with tropical storm force wind extending outward up to 45 miles from the center.
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico.
The center of the storm will past near the western and central part of the island dumping heavy rain and stong winds of approximately 74mph.
Even though this storm is nowhere as powerful of Hurricane Maria that was packing winds of up to 165mph, many people have gone into panic mode.
The memory of the beasts – hurricane Maria and Irma – is still fresh in the minds of the people and they are not taking any chances.
Consequently, there was a rushed on the supermarkets and gas stations as crowd of people were buying food and water.
Most of the shelves in the stores were empty. The governor of Puerto Rico – Wanda Vazquez – has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency.
Some of the other islands such as St Lucia, Dominca, Martinique and Grenda are on storm watches.
They are preparing for the worst and expecting the worst.
Panic! Panic! Panic! This is our worst enemy.
The caribbean is situated in a hurricane zone so every year we can expect a storm or hurricane.
The hurricane season begins in June and ends in November.
It is, therefore, imperative that we prepared by stocking up on food and water before a storm threatened.
In spite of this, most people do not prepare so when a storm threatened there is a mad rush on the grocery stores.
It is also understandable that any storm threat irrespective of its magnitude will cause fear because many of the islands are still struggling to recover from hurricane Irma and Maria.
However, panicking will cause you to overspend and increase your stress.
As I watched the scene on TV, I began to reflect on our spiritual life, wondering how prepare are we for the return of Christ?
Are we trimming our lamps and stocking up on oil?
How prepared are we for the occasional storms of life that suddenly popped up on us?
Should we be preparing for the worst and expecting the worst?
I can just imagine the comotion that will occur if suddenly the night turns into day as a bright piercing light illuminates in the sky.
People will be screaming and running around trying to find a hiding place.
Some people will even be calling on the rocks to cover them.
While trying to hide from the burning light, people will be falling on their knees trying to repent.
All the evil that occurs in the dark will suddenly be exposed for all to see.
All the secrets that take place behind closed doors will be revealed because the light will penetrate through even the thickest brick building.
When Christ appears in the sky, the first thing that He will do is to call you,
“Adam, where are you?”
What will your answer be?
“I heard your voice, but I am afraid because I am naked so I am hiding myself.”
“Who told you that you are naked?”
Or will your answer be: “Here am I, Lord, I am ready!”
I know for a fact that the bride of Christ – the oil and wine – will not be hiding because we will be caught up to meet our bridgroom in the clouds.
Hallelujah!
There is a saying that said “prevention is better than cure!”
Therefore, we should not be so unprepared that when calamity strikes we panic and hide.
The best thing to do is to prepare for a storm before it develop.
Every caribbean island has a hurricane disaster plan.
The basic instructions are to plan, stock up and protect.
Plan with your family your route of escape if you need to evacuate, stock up on food and water and protect your life and property.
Preparing for the coming of the Lord and the spiritual storms of life.
1. Prepare your hearts and mind by comitting your life totally to God.
2. Watch and pray.
3. Spend quality time in the Word of God.
4. Fasting. Jesus said that we need to fast when the bride groom is away. (See Luke 5:34-35)
5. Do not be deceived by all the drama that is going on in the world. Remain steadfast in faith and be firmly attached to the vine.
6. Ensure that you do not invest in earthly treasures where moth and rust will corrupt; not to mention the thieves that can break into your homes.
Instead, store your treasures in heaven where they are safe and the investments guaranteed.
7. Be patient and establish your heart. Wait until you receive the early and latter rain.
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)
Are you ready for the storms of life? Are you ready for the return of the Lord?
Additional reading: Genesis 3; 2 Thessalonians 2; James 5; Matthew 6:19-20
Becoming the Oil and Wine 
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