When Donald Trump announced that he was running for president, I just laughed and thought the whole idea was ludicrous. “No one will vote for him! He’s ridiculous!”

I shook my head in disgust as he gained more popularity with supporters shouting “Build a wall!” and shoving others who voiced their discontent at his various rallies. But it actually happened–Donald Trump is our president now. A lot of people aren’t ecstatic about it—they’re pissed off, worried, and upset. Can you blame them? When you’ve heard him make insulting comments against minorities and women—“stop and frisk,” “this woman is fat and ugly,” Mexicans are bringing drugs into our country,” etc., you can’t help but wonder what he’ll actually do once he gets in the White House in January. Over the past few days, I’ve heard about minorities experiencing harassment and racial slurs from whites (a white woman snatched the hijab off a Muslim woman’s head, white people were calling Black people the n-word, you name it). I can’t help but wonder if I’ll have to avoid certain neighborhoods for safety reasons. Will the country’s climate turn into the ‘60s all over again? Will they use dogs to attack us and turn water hoses on us?

To make matters worse, there was someone that I was following on social media who I now believe is preying on people’s fears. This person was captivating, relatable, and appeared to be speaking the truth about God’s word, advice for dealing with relationships, friendships, etc. The individual started talking about joining an investment group and investing our money in order to have additional income to prepare for the future. When they started describing how the investment program worked and listed the fees, I realized it sounded like a pyramid scheme and I didn’t want to participate. I even looked up the company they recommended and this company doesn’t have good reviews. Quite of few people stated that that it sounds like a pyramid scheme as well. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit told me that it was a con and a scam. It’s a shame that some people are preying on others’ fears (especially because of our new president) and use that fear to exploit them. I thank God for revealing the truth about this person.

I can understand everyone’s concerns. When I learned that Donald Trump had won the presidential campaign, I was horrified; I felt so anxious, it felt like a huge boulder was in the pit of my stomach. Just because you believe in God doesn’t mean that you feel strong all the time or are invincible from everything (He does help you to become less fearful, but sometimes you will still feel afraid about certain things). If you feel afraid, ask God to help strengthen you and remember how He has got you through other difficult situations; that’s what I’m doing. When I look back at how God has helped me and protected me in different situations, I remember that He is powerful, in control, and will never stop looking out for me. We need to continue to trust God and keep pushing forward. Now trusting God doesn’t mean to become passive, hide ourselves in our homes, and become mute (that’s another post for another time!). It doesn’t mean rolling over and accepting poor treatment from others, either. It doesn’t mean becoming so desperate for a solution where we get taken advantage of. We should continue to be kind to others but also stand up for one another if we see someone being treated unfairly. And last but not least, we also have to be cautious of others trying to take advantage of our kindness or our fears.