Viral posts claiming that governments around the world are warning citizens to prepare for catastrophe have racked up tens of millions of views this week. A new Daily Wire piece tries to separate genuine risks from what it calls “doom-slop,” and it lands on a conclusion intercessors should take to heart: prepare within reason, then refuse to live in fear.

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From The Daily Wire:

The problem is that, since we’re all buried in constant slop and propaganda, it’s very difficult to separate the signal from the noise. How do you identify which threats are real — if any of them are — and which threats are fabricated or exaggerated? Is there a possibility that all of this hysteria is a psy-op, designed to demoralize voters (particularly conservatives) right before an election? Your challenge is to separate real risk from doom-slop, paranoia-driven panic, and social contagion.

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The story of humanity is a series of disasters and calamities, spaced out by periods of relative stability. That pattern hasn’t changed and never will. The best thing you can do is accept that fact for what it is, don’t let it take up an inordinate amount of mental and emotional real estate, and stay prepared within reason.

So it is reasonable — and smart, and responsible — to take enough precautions and make enough preparations that you could survive — perhaps not comfortably, or as comfortably, but survive nonetheless — in a scenario where these things are severed or inaccessible for a time. That’s just a good idea in general. Even without any wars overseas, nuclear-armed adversaries, or rogue AI agents prowling the internet.

The article shows how quickly ordinary news becomes panic once context is stripped away. One post, viewed more than 20 million times, presented a Japanese minister’s “emergency request” as an ominous warning. In reality, Japan is launching a new Disaster Prevention Agency on November 2, focused mainly on earthquakes, and the nation has issued this kind of guidance for decades. Likewise, a hacking attempt that forced the Federal Election Commission to shut down its public-facing services led many to conclude the election was compromised. As the article points out, the FEC mostly tracks campaign donations. It doesn’t count ballots.

Some of the warnings, though, are real. The British government has launched a three-year “Be Ready” campaign urging households to keep three days of water, food, and emergency supplies on hand, and some stores have sold out of bottled water and batteries. The article also cites a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. has told Gulf allies to prepare for a short, intense military campaign against Iran after the midterms, and it describes growing concerns about AI-driven cyberattacks on banks and websites.

The article doesn’t dismiss these threats or inflate them. Its point is that the algorithm profits from anxiety, and those who engage with fearful content are fed more of it until reasonable concern turns into panic. With the midterms days away, that dynamic matters. IFA has been tracking efforts to shape the election through fear and narrative, from the confidential “Deceive. Disrupt. Deny.” playbook to anonymous reports built on hypothetical fears. A frightened, demoralized public is easier to manipulate.

Scripture offers a better way than either panic or denial. Joseph stored grain for seven years because God had shown him a famine was coming, and Proverbs 22:3 commends the prudent person who sees danger and takes refuge. Yet Jesus also told His followers not to be anxious about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Wise preparation and settled peace belong together.

Let’s pray that God would expose every lie and manipulative narrative designed to stir fear in these final days before the election. Let’s pray for wisdom for families to prepare sensibly, without hoarding or panic, and for discernment to recognize content engineered to steal our peace. Let’s pray for President Trump and military leaders as they weigh decisions about Iran, and for protection of our nation’s power grid, financial systems, and networks from cyberattack. And let’s pray that believers would be a steady, hopeful presence in their communities, remembering that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

How are you guarding your heart against fear while staying prepared? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments.

(Excerpt from The Daily Wire. Photo Credit: Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash)