Prepping from a Biblical Perspective
As anyone can plainly see, disasters are on the increase. Some folks say, "Don't worry! God won't give us any more to handle than we can bear! He will make the way for us."
Others are convinced, "We won't even be around when things get bad... God's gonna rapture us out of here!"
Personally, I am convicted that, whenever things start falling apart, there's no one better than those who follow Jesus to serve others, meet their needs, pray for and comfort those who are hurting, and shine light in the darkest situations. This is precisely why I felt compelled to take a HAM radio course; in a disaster situation, I want people knocking on MY door in an effort to try and get hold of their loved ones. Afterward, we will pray with them, maybe we'll even feed them. I want them to meet Christ in me, the hope of glory!
Folks, we can sleep peacefully because our heads are in the sand or because we've gotten ourselves prepared. It was about three years ago when my wife and I began prepping. No, we weren't worried about anything Apocalyptic. We simply didn't want to be part of the riotous crowd clearing the shelves at Walmart.
We never want to wind up standing in line waiting for a FEMA hand-out.
We wanted to be part of the SOLUTION, not part of the problem.
How about you?
Let's see what the Bible tell us about Disaster Readiness:
Genesis 6:21
"...be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
This was God speaking to Noah about building the ark and "prepping" for the flood. Noah took 100 years to do the job - and he did NOT have everything given to him!
Genesis 41 describes how Joseph took 7 years to prepare for the Great Famine of Egypt... SEVEN! What a committed Prepper!
Verse 54 says: "Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food."
Leviticus 26:10
"You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest!"
Proverbs 6:5-9
"Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?"
As I can attest, far too many Christians are not being pro-active in preparing for their families. WAKE UP!
Proverbs 21:20
"The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get."
Are you spending like a drunken sailor? Is money burning a hole in your pocket?
"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
Are you being prudent?
Proverbs 30:24-28
These verses describe four creatures who exemplify a great deal of wisdom through prepping:
1) Ants, because they gather food during good times and store it for bad times.
2) Conies or Rock Badgers (a type of rabbit) are weak prey so they make their homes in hard to reach places (i.e. the rocks) and store food all summer.
3) Locusts are independent creatures but they band together for a common cause and for the good of the whole.
4) The spider is wise enough to camouflage itself in the midst of the establishment.
2) Conies or Rock Badgers (a type of rabbit) are weak prey so they make their homes in hard to reach places (i.e. the rocks) and store food all summer.
3) Locusts are independent creatures but they band together for a common cause and for the good of the whole.
4) The spider is wise enough to camouflage itself in the midst of the establishment.
Proverbs 31
This chapter describes the ideal woman of God. It's a standard all women should attempt to measure up to. Read it... she's a Prepper!
Matt.25:1-13
“...the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom."
Luke 22:36
“But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!"
1Timothy 5:8
"But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers."
"But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers."
Revelation 18
"Babylon is fallen! She has become a home for demons... Come away from her, my people."
Many believe 'Babylon' is the world's system - the way of the world. If this is true, Jesus prayed, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” (John 17:15-16).
God doesn't always do things the exact same way. Have you noticed? In Exodus 16, God provided for the Hebrew children in the wilderness for forty years, by giving them manna and quail every day. While He brought them to Egypt where Joseph was storing grain, He brought them out of Egypt by providing for them one day at a time.
In I Kings 17: 1-16, we see how God provided for Elijah in two different ways, but both were at the exact moment he needed food. First, God sent ravens to bring him bread and meat each morning and evening. Later, He sends Elijah to the house of the woman in Zarephath and she makes a bread cake for him each day until the famine is over from a jar of flour and oil that God miraculously kept filled.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sent the disciples out with nothing but the clothes on their back. He instructed them to find those willing to provide for them in return for preaching and healing the sick.
In I Kings 17: 1-16, we see how God provided for Elijah in two different ways, but both were at the exact moment he needed food. First, God sent ravens to bring him bread and meat each morning and evening. Later, He sends Elijah to the house of the woman in Zarephath and she makes a bread cake for him each day until the famine is over from a jar of flour and oil that God miraculously kept filled.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sent the disciples out with nothing but the clothes on their back. He instructed them to find those willing to provide for them in return for preaching and healing the sick.
Are you ready to start getting ready?
For some reason, many people have an aversion to "prepping." Maybe it's because they don't want to get lumped-in with wild-eyed radicals living in the woods in a bunker.
Forget them for a moment.
Forget the end of the world.
Instead, ask yourself: "Do I own a spare tire and a jack?" If so, congratulations - you're prepared for a flat tire!
Ask yourself if you have Band-Aids in the house. If so, you're "prepping" to take care of a cut you might get.
When you go shopping, do you ordinarily buy food? Great! That means you're prepping for when you get hungry!
See where I'm going with this?
Someone MIGHT lose a job. Someone MIGHT get injured. Someone MIGHT die. Someone MIGHT get hit by an ice storm, a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, a terrorist attack. If that 'someone' happens to be YOU, are YOU ready... or will YOU be at the mercy of the Government, the Church, or your neighbors?
Are you ready?
Whether it's for you, your family, your church, or your business, any preparations are better than no preparations. If you are interested in having me do a presentation on "Preparedness Peace," just ask.
If you like, check out my BLOG, "PrepareTodayEverybody.Blogspot.com." The things I post there will be of great help.
Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
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