We are living in a time many of us are not ready for. After all, every generation is supposed to surpass the quality of life of the previous one, right? Weren't we supposed to be the generation that prospered above and beyond what anyone expected? We're Americans, and nothing can stop our progress; at least that's been our arrogant mindset up until now.
I am blessed that I have lived during the greatest explosion of American ingenuity, inventiveness, and entrepreneurship. None have equaled us. I have enjoyed more creature comforts than my parents or grandparents. I have known the heights of working for a great company, and the even more valuable benefits of working with my husband in our own business. Yes, life in America has been all that anyone in the free world could hope for. But there are storm clouds threatening to rain on our parade, and some of us will be caught without an umbrella.
Lately, my focus has been on spiritual preparation, and I still believe that should be our priority. But I also believe that those of us who are spiritually equipped should also be physically ready, so that we can assist others who are not prepared spiritually OR physically. I believe we will still need to fulfill our commission of serving God and others, even during societal collapse, and therefore it is incumbent upon us to be prepared to survive the aftermath of whatever is coming.
The latest whispers of impending upheaval and disorder center on the vulnerability of our national grid system; or a possible terrorist attack upsetting the normal balance of everyday life. Last week, SHTFPlan had a great article asking the question, "What If You Had A Week To Prepare For the End of the World?" I highly recommend that you read this article -- it asks some pretty serious questions that I think you need to answer for yourself, if you have not done so already. Whether massive mayhem and pandemonium are the result of an extended power outage, or something more devastating and destructive, I want you to ask yourself these basic questions:
How would I get food if the grocery stores are closed? First of all, a grid-down scenario means food in the stores will start spoiling, cash registers won't work, and every shelf will be emptied within hours. You don't know how long you'll be without power. Are you prepared for days or weeks, or even months, without a source for buying food? The food in your own refrigerator will only last so long, and how much do you have on your own shelves? Right now, I have a freezer full of meat, but I'm prepared if we lose power for any length of time. My American Canner will get a good work-out canning all that thawed-out beef, and I'll have quarts of savory meat to last for months. If you don't know how to can food, or bake bread from ground wheat (which I hope you've considered storing), then I suggest you learn those skills soon.
How will you cook food, even if you've got it? Do you know how to start a cook fire? Do you have the necessary tools and cast iron cookware you will need? What about a solar oven or a rocket stove? You will get real tired of eating cold beans out of a can; I promise you that.
Are you prepared for extreme heat and cold if there is no power for months? I know that our grandparents and great-grandparents managed to survive without central air and heat, but this generation of Americans will suffer without their conveniences. You will need to adjust your activities and have a plan for coping with the debilitating effects of extreme temperatures.
Can you cope with no lights? Your scented candles won't last long and won't provide much light when there is no electricity. How is your provision of flashlights and batteries; matches, kerosene for lanterns, etc.? You will be surprised how important a little light can be in the darkness of calamity.
No transportation? How fit are you? If there is no power due to an EMP, your car's computers will be destroyed and the gas pumps won't be working. Do you have a good pair of shoes (think several pairs)? How far can you walk? Our sedentary population will suffer greatly if they are not prepared for physical activity.
What will you do for water? If you live in the city, municipal water facilities will no longer be able to provide you water. And if you live in the country, your water well is run by electricity, so you'll be out of luck. Water, food and shelter are necessary for life, so without water you are in serious trouble. The old-fashioned hand pump is the way to go in the country, and city dwellers will have to find a way to store water, both for cooking and sanitation.
Speaking of sanitation ... Human waste will become a huge problem and a recipe for disease. In the country, an old-fashioned outhouse would be an option; or a product like the Luggable Loo, a portable 5-gallon toilet. Either way, sanitation will be an important issue that must be addressed.
There is so much more that you should have a plan for ... medical needs, self-defense, and how you plan on serving others, yet not putting the health and safety of your own family in jeopardy. I think we all have a sense that something is coming ... and sooner, rather than later. If you have been avoiding taking the necessary steps that will give your family a chance to survive a variety of crises, then I would ask you to first pray ... ask God to give you a sense of peace and calm as He directs you on how to prepare. Ask Him for spiritual strength and knowledge to teach you what you need to do in this physical world. I don't want to unduly scare you, but I urge you to make haste ... I sincerely believe that time is short. You can do this, and you can accomplish it in the shelter of His protective presence.
Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
We see through the mirror so very darkly. 1 Corinthians 13:12. Almighty God sees the bigger picture. Food, water, gas for cars, batteries, fuel for cooking, candles, etc. will only last for so long. Everything will run out in due time.....everything! We'd better be in God's hands now, first and foremost, not the last thing. The first thing. Under His Holy Spirit direction and His guidance.
ReplyDeleteI would say, dear one, take that meat out of the freezer and can it up now. You should have been canning it up all along. When it's too late.... it will be too late. And it's almost there. It's already started and well under way.
Can up beans, Can up lots of soup for the liquid as much as for the nutrients. Can up quarts of water to be sterile for medical purposes when you don't have a full canner of food. Water will be scarce. In many places it already is. You answered you own question about no power. Canning takes much time, money and a lot of effort. A lot of your things will be wasted if your wait until the power goes off to start canning. How long will it take to thaw? Prepare for canning? Pressure canning takes lots of time you may not have. It takes lots of water you may not have. And may all go to hell in a hand basket anyway depending upon God's mercy and man's evil. We are not to put our trust in treasures here on this earthly plane. He gives and He takes away.
We are scampering around to be sure we are "prepared"...for what??? Anything and everything has already happened and the final "tipping point" that will happen will be in a quick New York minute. As I see it, we still want to have the "niceties" of our current way of life we have now. What about all our brothers and sisters in Christ fleeing for their very lives, or dying a tortuous death at the hands of those led by evil in the Sudan, Syria, and so many other places around the world. And taking only what they can carry on their backs, if even that! We ought to thank God that He is giving us time to do anything at all. His hand of judgment is quickly being removed from this heathen Babylonion nation with it's fake Christ churches! We must not place any stock in our "stuff". It soon becomes idol worship.
The battle has already started long ago. It is a spiritual battle and we'd better be sure to know what side we are on. We cannot fight this spiritual battle with carnal weapons. Starting now is already too late. The only thing we need to do now, as from the start, is being on our faces before God groaning for His mercy and to be counted as worthy to be in His "little flock". We do not deserve to even tie His sandals.
If we sincerely repent of our sin of our gross disobedience to Almighty God we will be saved for His kingdom to one day come. If we still continue in our sin, we still put Him up on that cross. We are in His crosshairs, the crossroads of time. He has us here in this time for His purpose. We'd better know what His purpose for us is at this time. We'd better be certain we are following the Christ of the Holy Scriptures not the fake Christ of man's traditions. When God says "Come out of her My people." Revelation 18:4 He means come out of the traditions made by man come out of the papacy led apostate, idol worshipping churches of which most are as they are not Holy Spirit led to be obedient to His eternal Commandments written in stone and spoken with His Voice.
There are people at all different stages of preparation ... people like me who have been canning for the last several years, and are well prepared ... first spiritually, then physically. There are those who have procrastinated and must constantly be reminded (hence the purpose of this post); and those who are too afraid to think about it, or think that God does not call them to prepare ... to rely on Him only. It is my hope that this post ,.. and comments like yours ... will reach the broad spectrum of Believers and Unbelievers alike, and make them pause to either 1) contemplate it for the first time or 2) to reassess where they are in their own prep plans. I do not believe it is ever too late to take steps to prepare for what is coming upon the earth. We must continue to edify and encourage!
DeleteI'm not anywhere near as prepared as I should be due to ongoing battles with chronic fatigue. Would you look at my comment here, left on another site, and give me your thoughts? You can write them here, not there :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://preparedchristian.net/are-you-willing-to-be-an-ark/#comment-85695
Chris, the very first thing I thought of as I was reading your comment on the other site was this (and I hope you do not think I am crazy or insensitive) ... As I was reading your comments, I could discern your heart and your faith, all positive and genuine. But I also saw something that I see in myself too often. I read a lot of negative comments about yourself, i.e. "I'm short on skills... I'm afraid I would be a burden... my health is holding me back, etc." I am in no way demeaning your physical condition and fatigue, but I strongly feel you are under spiritual attack.
DeleteI recently attended a spiritual warfare gathering, where we were told that every time you voice out loud something negative about yourself, the Devil uses that against you and perpetuates it. I, too, have a physical condition with my eyes that is concerning me, but I have learned to say (again out loud). "Lord, in the matter of my eyes, I am trusting You. Your word says that if you are in me, I am a child of God, and I am an overcomer. For He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world." Try saying that (substituting "in the matter of my chronic fatigue") every time you have doubts about preparing for the future or taking care of your family. DO NOT speak again of your negative doubts and the devil will flee you. I believe your faith is strong and you can be healed, and I predict that you will find your spiritual battle is being won.
As far as preparing, I would advise that you take one small step at a time. Store food, water, and medical supplies. If you are a member of a church, approach like-minded people to get together and plan together ... finding out what skills the group has, and how you can help each other. It sounds to me like you and your family have a lot to offer... don't let the devil tell you otherwise, by voicing doubts and insecurities. I will be praying for you, and please stay in touch!
That's encouraging. Yes, I do feel as though I am under attack. A few days after I wrote that comment, I wrote this, which was much more positive:
Deletehttp://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=6873351&postcount=1
Can you explain where the Bible teaches "every time you voice out loud something negative about yourself, the Devil uses that against you and perpetuates it"?
Chris,
DeleteThe Word says in Matthew 12:37, "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Throughout the Bible we are told how powerful the Word is, and "to confess with our mouth" (Romans 10:9, Psalms 89:1 for example). And remember that part of our "full armor" in Ephesians 6 is the "Sword of the Spirit" which is the Word.
There is a great website that might help you and includes these thoughts and much more. Please read it and go on the attack!
http://deeptruths.com/daily-bread/how_to_go_on_attack.html
Looks the same as the Word of Faith doctrine as taught by people such as Kenneth Hagin, Charles Capps, and Joyce Meyer, right?
DeleteI'm not familiar with their teachings on this subject. I just know that the Word is powerful and our words that we speak have consequences. I try never to give the Enemy words he can use against me. I try to affirm the trust I have in my Lord and my authority through His power.
Delete