In the article I posted recently called Why Do You Really Prepare?, there were some great comments and questions. As a rule, if two people ask a similar question, I assume more might have it and don’t ask. I have covered many of these topics in the past, so I will give a quick opinion, and then provide links to past articles.
Faith First
As it is with anything, our faith needs to come first. We build other areas of our lives on that foundation, knowing who we are in Him, and who He is in us. If you want a deeper relationship with God, you have to put effort into it; reading the Bible often, prayer, praise and worship are great ways to do this.
Read this to see more of my thoughts on spiritual preparedness and being anchored in Christ.
Faith in Preparations, or in God?
A question was raised that essentially said, “By preparing, am I putting my faith in my own preparations instead of the Lord?”
The answer to this is that it is possible, but doesn’t have to be the case. There are tens of thousands of other Prepared Christians that God has called to prepare, who visit this site each month. I’m sure that there are some who are acting out of their flesh, so how do you know for sure?
In the beginning days of my prepping, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going against His will, so I kept bringing the decision to Him, and was fully willing to walk away if I felt convicted to do so. When that didn’t happen after a time, I quit asking.
“If God gives you a watch, are you honoring Him more by asking Him what time it is or by simply consulting the watch?” ~ A.W. Tozer
He gave you the common sense to see the need to prepare. If you feel led to prepare, have brought it to Him in prayer and are willing to give it up if He asks you to, then I think you’re being obedient and your faith is in Him.
How Much Time, Energy and Money Should I Spend?
This, like everything else, is relative. To me, researching preparedness has always been a passion and a hobby. I think spending more time researching it is far more productive than, say, watching tv or playing PC games.
I think that as long as you’re not putting prepping before your familial activities and duties, have at it. The same can be said for money. Let’s face it, it can be expensive to “get ready”, but I don’t think anyone should go into debt to do it. One of the things we did was use the tax return to buy one big item every year, and spend as we could afford it for other smaller tag items.
How Prepared Do I Need to Be
In You Don’t have to Outrun the Bear, I explain that the big events that many blogs hype, are probably not going to happen. If they do, it is not likely to affect the entire country, so help will eventually show up. I have no problem with folks who want to put up enough food to feed their families for a year or more. However, that simply isn’t possible for everyone. I do think everyone should try and get enough cash on hand, enough food and other supplies to batten down at home for 90 days. If things do get even moderately bad, this will ensure you’re not out and about with people frantic because they’re not prepared. The longer the event, the more frantic and dangerous people become.
If 90 days isn’t possible, then get as prepared as you can be and know you’ve done what you can, and trust in the Lord.
Helping Neighbors
I have covered this from a few angles; first, in Why Should Christians, Specifically, Be Preparing?, I explain that I believe many of us were called to prepare so that we can act as His hands and feet in dark times. In Christian Hospitality and Preparedness, I point out that while we should be hospitable, we, by no means, have to rescue everyone.
Proverbs 27:12 says
“A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”
Those who don’t prepare, if they are aware of the potential dangers, then fall into the second group. If God sees fit to let them face their consequences, should we really intervene? I’m not heartless. I will help those I can, who are in need, especially those who were unable to prepare. But as I found, the Bible recommends that we give in secret.
When we give in secret, it allows us to give on our terms, without risk of people finding out when we would rather they not know. One option is to give to a local church and let them decide who gets it. Another is to leave a care package in the middle of the night.
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