A Biblical Perspective on Preparedness
In the books that I've published in the past, I have made clear my faith and the importance of relying on God through hard times. In this chapter, I would like to discuss the biblical perspective on being prepared. When discussing biblical principles, I realize it can be as contentious an issue as which gun is best suited to a SHTF situation, but I feel it is an important discussion to have. If you are a believer and have a true relationship with Jesus, then I want to make one point overwhelmingly clear: this chapter is MY belief on the subject based on my interpretation of the biblical truths set forth in scripture. I believe the bible is sufficient and inerrant and able to speak to us in today's day and age, guide us through every decision we make, in every aspect of our lives... even preparedness.
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I have had multiple discussions with my pastor on the subject and, as with all aspects of prepping and life, I am always willing to evolve my thinking and stance on the subject as new sound biblical information is put before me. Please feel free to contact me through my website and let me know what you believe on the subject. But before you do, please research and pray about it, read God's revealed Word to come to your own convictions on the subject... and don’t just take a one-sided stance based on your previous presuppositions.
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There are two sides to the biblical discussion on prepping. There are the Christians who will cite stories, like those of Joseph in Egypt, on being prepared for hard times, and there are the Christians who will cite the example of the Israelites fleeing Egypt and how God miraculously supplied their every need during forty years of wandering through the wilderness. So what should we, as Christians, do? Should we make advanced preparations or rely solely on God’s miraculous provisions if hard times were to come about? I believe the answer is actually both.
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However, before I start discussing scripture on the subject, let me first remind you of the three main reasons people (including Christians) don’t prepare for hard times. The first is ignorance, that is to say, not being educated on the subject. The second is the “ostrich head in the sand” syndrome: it’s much more comfortable to hope it will never happen. And the third is (especially for Americans) the assumption that the government will come to their aid.
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Educating yourself takes time and work, and the topic can be depressing (especially if you don’t have faith and a reliance on God to see you through the storm). The mainstream media is NOT a good source and you have to dig for yourself to find any solid information. Remember, in November of 2014, Admiral Rodgers, the Director of Cyber Security for our nation, told Congress that what he fears the most is a cyber attack on our critical infrastructure (the electric grid) that could lead to massive loss of life and industry, that he believes it will happen in the very near future, and that they are completely unable to stop it. That is a huge revelation and said almost ten years ago now! Yet the mainstream media completely ignored that story. Be careful about what the media is feeding you and pray for discernment to see through the spin they put on stories to push their agenda. The information you need is out there, but not on the 6:00 Evening News.
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Just because the media aren’t covering the the various grid down threats does not mean that it won’t affect you and your family once it happens. And just because it is a frightening scenario and you’d rather just not think about it or just pretend it doesn’t exist, it does not lessen the severity of the impending societal breakdown. You can’t just “blink” and miss it. And banking on the military and FEMA to help not only you, but 330+ million additional starving people all at the same time? It’s seriously not even realistic to think that would work, even with full electrical and communication systems working. The threat of EMP and the vulnerability of the electric grid have been widely known in the government since the 1960s. That’s over forty years and ten presidential administrations (Republican and Democrat alike) that have done nothing to harden our critical infrastructure or protect the electric grid. It would only cost around $20-$40 billion to harden the grid, which is less than what we gave Ukraine last year. The politicians don’t care! Voting for this doesn’t buy them any votes come election time because very few people are even aware that a threat exists. It’s hard for me to fathom as all the information is out there, yet no one is talking about it. I think it’s time for Christians to WRESTLE with this topic and be prepared for what may come.
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I feel it is imperative that you educate yourself on the threat. What I mean by this is that if you are putting away tons of food and supplies for no specific reason, then you are a bit crazy. That is why “preppers” have been shown in a bad light by the media. The liberal media think that everything is going wonderfully in our rapidly growing technological society and that there is no threat to our food supply and no one needs a gun to protect himself because the police will protect you (when in truth they will usually show up ten minutes later to clean up the mess and call the coroner’s office for your body). Since the media have no interest in covering the threats, there obviously isn’t one... and you’re crazy for putting some extra food in your basement.
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Information and education on the subject is paramount before making decision. Researching the philosophy behind “prepping” is completely irrelevant if you don’t believe there are hard times ahead for our country. I strongly challenge you to spend AT LEAST a full day’s worth of time (over time if need be) looking at the evidence I put forth on the likelihood of a national grid-down scenario. That does not mean just read through what I wrote. Even though I put a lot of information on my website, it is literally the tip of the iceberg of evidence towards a grid-down scenario. Do your own research! Click on the hundreds of links I supply to government reports, news articles, and videos on the subject. Do your homework and pray about it before deciding if preparing for hard times makes sense for you and your family. I believe that the amount of evidence I put forth is irrefutable and if you don’t bury your head in the sand in fear, you will come to the same conclusions that I have about the undeniable threats that face this country in the near future. Once you have done that or if you are already convinced that hard times lay ahead for other reasons, then continue.
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I have a close friend that I graduated high school with, whom I respect enormously and I know that he loves the Lord immensely. During a discussion a while back about my profession as an emergency preparedness consultant, he mentioned that his stance is not to worry about the future and he is going to just trust in God when the time comes. He also mentioned the story of the Israelites escaping Egypt in Exodus and how God supplied their every need. That challenged me a bit, and made me second guess myself. It forced me to research that story to pray and deliberate on it. Did I not have enough faith? Was I not trusting God to miraculously supply my family’s needs should the worst come to pass?
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Here is what I’ve come to personally believe. First, God took the Israelites out of Egypt and into a “wilderness” to wander for 40 years. This area is essentially a desert. To this day it would be near impossible to grow crops or raise livestock in this area of the Middle East, not to mention that there were approximately 3 million Israelites to be fed and watered each day. This is not a situation where the Israelites WERE capable of taking care of themselves. This was a situation where God led them to that place and only a miracle by God (manna) could sustain them and keep them alive, forcing them to wholly put their trust and faith in Him. I believe this is a great example of how God can supply mans' needs miraculously "when" he chooses to do so.
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If I were to go for a week-long backpacking trip in the dry desert of Arizona, I would take supplies for myself to make sure I would have enough food and water. I wouldn’t just head out with the shirt on my back and expect God to miraculously save me and feed me. I am not insinuating that he couldn’t, I am just saying that it would not be a wise decision on my part to test Him. I think God expects us to be smart and responsible in our daily decision-making processes. This leads to the preparedness side of the story. The Israelites were slaves and had no way to, or even enough time to prepare for their quick departure out of Egypt. They didn’t have time to grow large crops and store away food to take with them or raise large quantities of livestock for their journey (not that the Egyptians would have let them do that anyway). This is an instance where God used many miracles to harden Pharaoh’s heart and let them escape the oppression of the Egyptians. God miraculously brought them out of the land of Egypt and miraculously provided for their needs. This is a wonderful story about God’s ability to do miraculous things to save His people. There is nothing in this story that I could find “against” preparing for hard times today.
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Another common example I hear against prepping is the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 where God directed ravens to come down and miraculously feed him during a famine: 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 1 Kings 17:2-4 (NIV)
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This is not an example where Elijah chose to go there and forgot to take food with him. This is an example where God specifically spoke to Elijah and instructed him to go somewhere while telling him that “He” would supply his needs while there. This is an instance where God specifically told Elijah to go somewhere and “rely on His provision.” There is nothing in this story against preparing for hard times. It is a story about a prophet trusting God. Ask any missionary who has ever sold their home and moved to a third world country, and they will tell you that if you are obedient to God, he can take care of your needs.
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Last, there is the following passage which some Christians will use against prepping:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34
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I think some people misinterpret these verses. These verses are specifically about worrying, NOT seeking after worldly pleasures, and making sure that you seek God first in hard times. It does not tell you not to buy clothes for your children, or food for tomorrow evening’s dinner. It is telling you not to worry about those things; that if you trust in Him, God will provide for you regardless of your financial circumstances. Do you sit at your table each night waiting for birds to drop food on your plate like Elijah? No, that’s silly. You go to the grocery store and buy all the food that your family will need for the upcoming week planning out each evening’s meal and making sure that you buy all the ingredients to cook them. You probably even make a list of the food (supplies) you will need. Why? Because if you didn’t do this then you would have a hard time feeding your family next week and they would go hungry. Why is this so different than making a list of supplies you may need next year if there were food shortages? Where do you draw the line? What is the exact amount of food you are allowed to “store up”? Is it biblical to buy food for next week, but not next month? How about next year? Think about it.
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By some people’s logic, those who want to be legalistic about these verses, it would mean that it is unbiblical to buy food for tomorrow’s dinner because you’re not supposed to worry about tomorrow. We all know that is silly and, in my opinion, taking the scriptures out of context. In the same way, I think that if you use these verses against planning for the future, you need to re-evaluate whether or not you should own any kind of insurance. Why would you buy fire insurance for your house? It is extremely unlikely that your particular house will ever catch fire. What are you worrying about? If it does catch on fire and burn down, are you saying that you don’t trust God enough to miraculously rebuild it or give you another house? The same principle applies to health insurance, car insurance, or any other type of insurance that could bail you out of a hard time or potential accidents that are highly unlikely to occur. Why are you “worried” about them? Aren’t you just worrying about tomorrow then? Why do you spend thousands of dollars a year on insurance policies, “worrying about the future”?
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I realize that to some this may seem to be combative. I assure you I am not trying to be. The premise is all the same. If you are a Christian and you have multiple insurance policies protecting you and your family from terrible things that MAY happen in the future, then how could you be against putting some extra food and water in your basement to protect against a likely SHTF scenario and feed your family? The answer is most likely because by today’s social norms it is acceptable (actually considered wise) to have those insurance policies, but prepping is not deemed normal or acceptable behavior and therefor it is looked down upon. So why do you buy insurance? Because at the end of the day, you recognize that there is a risk (even if it is extremely slight) that your home could catch fire in your lifetime and you don’t want to suffer the consequences of being on the financial hook for that house and all your beloved “stuff” you have in it. I would guess that 99.9% of people don’t have the cash in the bank to build a new house and refurnish their house out of pocket. I also believe that, if given enough time, I could easily make the case that there is a much higher likelihood of seeing a financial collapse or grid-down scenario in the near future than the likelihood that your particular house will catch on fire.
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However, I do feel that the verses above are still applicable to a lot of Christian preppers. If you’ve done your research and understand what life is going to look like after the SHTF, it is very easy to fall in to the trap of worrying and stressing over it. That is the overwhelming point of those verses: Do not worry. I am speaking from experience here and something that I struggled with in my early years of prepping. Preparing for hard times should be a peaceful proposition, knowing that you are going to be better prepared to take care of and feed your family when hard times hit. If your preparations revolve around fear, then you are doing it wrong! “But I’m not ready yet!” you say. I understand. That is where faith steps in. Trust me; I’m not completely ready myself.
In fact, I don’t believe you CAN fully prepare for the horrible times that await us after the SHTF. You need to do what you can while still being responsible with the finances God has given you and set things aside as you can. Beyond that, you have to trust in God when the time comes. This is why I specifically tell people not to cash in their kid’s college fund or buy survival gear in place of paying your bills. You are still a steward of the money God has bestowed upon your family and required to spend God’s money (not yours) responsibly. I believe that you MUST find a balance between preparing and your family’s current financial obligations and needs…and every family is different. If you are a rich business man, then maybe that means instead of buying an expensive beach house, you rent a beach house each summer and buy a small secluded cabin in the woods instead. If you are barely getting by, you need to establish a monthly budget and fit in your survival supplies where you can, a little bit each month. Again, everyone is different. Just do what you can in the natural and let God handle the supernatural.
So I have covered the scriptures that I hear most regularly against preparing for hard times,
but what does the bible say in support?
The first scripture I would point out is in 1 Timothy: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1Timothy 5:8
Now in context, the surrounding verses are discussing taking care of and providing for widows and your parents in their old age. We are called as Christians to take care of and feed those who can’t take care of themselves. How are you supposed to do that after the SHTF if you can’t even feed yourself?
However, I also want you to pay special attention to the middle part of the verse. Special emphasis is placed on: “especially for [your] own household.” As men, single mothers, or heads of our household, we are specifically called to provide for our immediate families first. Even in its context, I don’t know how you can interpret this any different than exactly what it states. I believe there is a hierarchy built into it. I believe that the addition of the word “especially” puts your first priority for your immediate family (your wife and kids, or if single, your parents and siblings). After your immediate family, you have a responsibility to your parents and siblings next. After that are distant relatives, widows, and others who can’t take care of themselves.
What do I mean by this and why am I even bringing it up? At some point in your preparedness planning, unless you are a billionaire, you are going to have to make tough choices on who you are going to help and who you cannot afford to help. I believe that if you are living paycheck to paycheck, than you must focus on purchasing provisions for your immediate family first while trying to convince your other relatives of the threats so they can prepare on their own. If you are well to do, than I believe that you also have a responsibility to provide supplies for your extended family as well (to the point it is financially responsible to). Even if your parents or siblings aren’t on board, or they think you’re a little nuts for discussing it at family get-togethers, you still have a responsibility to provide for them if you have the financial means to do so.
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On the more controversial side of things, I also believe that if you have family members who refuse to see the light or refuse to leave their city home after the SHTF, you have a responsibility to get your wife and kids out of danger and into a safe environment first. I got hammered by a few critics for the fact that in my first book the main character, Sean, took his pregnant wife and left the family farm (which was very close to a city), escaping to a close friend’s fully stocked retreat for her safety and the safety of their unborn child. Some people were very angry about that and said things like, “I was a horrible person, and they would never leave their kin behind.” That’s perfectly fine with me and I’m not bashing anyone who makes that decision. But again, I believe your first responsibility is to your immediate family.
If your parents stay in their big suburban house outside Washington, D.C., because they don’t want to leave, does it make you morally superior to stay behind and watch your wife and kids starve to death or get killed by looters right alongside your parents? I personally don’t think so. In fact, this is a very tough and emotional subject for all involved. Do you take your parents, grandparents, cousins….second cousins? Where do you draw the line? In my opinion, you help as many as you can without sacrificing the safety and provisions of your immediate family. There is no easy answer here and you are going to have to make tough decisions. You can’t feed or save everyone! Do the best you can.
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The next verse I would bring up can be found in Proverbs: “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (22:3). This would fly in the face of the “head in the sand” types that I discussed earlier. If you have done your research and KNOW that hard times are coming, you have a responsibility to prepare and provide for your family’s needs. If a tornado was coming, you would go into a storm cellar. If you knew a hurricane was coming, you would pack up your family and leave the coastal town you live in. To do otherwise would be crazy and you’d likely pay the penalty of the choice. If you’ve done your research and know deep down inside that a financial collapse or another SHTF scenario is highly likely, then I think it is crazy not to prepare for it and the penalty paid by you and your loved ones could be severe. It could mean watching your wife and kids die a slow and painful death from starvation and sickness. That last statement is not fear-mongering, it is the truth.
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That leads me into the next biblical example, Noah. God told Noah that a cataclysmic event (flood) was coming and to prepare for it by building an enormous boat and putting food in it. God could have easily made the boat miraculously appear with food in it already. Why didn’t he? He obviously made the animals miraculously march on board two-by-two. But no, God instructed Noah to prepare for the flood. In fact God specifically told Noah, “You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them (the animals).” Genesis 6:21, NIV
Did you know that it took Noah over 100 years (by most accounts) to build the enormous structure and provision it, all the while he was being ridiculed by everyone else around him for being the first “prepper” in history. Up to that point it had not yet rained on earth and I could just imagine Noah trying to explain the concept of rain and flooding, all while his neighbors rolled their eyes and talked about him behind his back. God expected Noah to do the natural (building the boat and provisioning it) and He did the supernatural outside Noah's control (getting all the animals on board without eating each other on the way). What a sight to have seen! Anyway, I believe that God expects us to build our own life boat, store away food and protect our families to the best of our ability and He will do the rest.
What about Joseph? Egypt was facing seven years of famine in the future, and what did God instruct Joseph to tell Pharaoh? To build enormous grain silos and store up food in the times of plenty. Pharaoh followed Joseph’s guidance and it helped the entire country (as well as those countries around it) survive the seven years of famine. If you live in America, you can’t argue that this time period is definitely a "time of plenty" with every possible food type available 24 hours a day at your local Walmart. If you know hard times are ahead for this country, why are you not building grain silos (putting away food) to provide for your family and to assist the people close to you?
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Let’s also look at a lesser known famine during the founding of the early church in Acts: 27 “And during these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 “And one of them named Agabus stood up and prophesied through the Holy Spirit that a great and severe famine would come upon the whole world. And this did occur during the reign of Claudius. 29 “So the disciples resolved to send relief, each according to his individual ability [in proportion as he had prospered], to the brethren who lived in Judea. 30 “And so they did, sending [their contributions] to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” Acts 11: 27-30 (Amp)
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So a prophet by the name of Agbus prophesized that a great famine would strike the entire world. What was their response? They took heed of the warning, took up a collection, and sent relief to their brethren in Judea. Did they send everything they owned? No, they sent relief, “each according to his individual ability [in proportion as he had prospered].” This is another area I want to pay special attention to where prepping is concerned. This is also a very debatable issue with plenty of scripture to back up both sides of the argument. Again, who do you help? How many can you realistically feed? Within a month of a grid-down scenario, with the supermarkets cleaned out after 3-4 days, there will literally be 330+ million starving Americans wandering around looking for any scrap of food they can find. In the early stages, many will be beggars pleading for food. During the later stages of starvation (weeks in), it is human nature for self-preservation and MOST people will do practically ANYTHING to get food.
This is the biggest area where most survival “experts” are dead wrong because they have never worked with or been around starving, desperate people. They grossly underestimate the threat of the average Joe whose kid is almost dead from starvation. They always discuss building neighborhood coalitions, disregarding the fact that a month into that situation, everyone on their block will literally be starving to death and willing to kill a neighbor at the off-chance that they might have an extra can of soup (let alone if you are the only person on the block with long-term food in your basement). If you think that your entire neighborhood is going to let you lead them through the crisis while you are the only family on the block that is not dying of starvation, you are a fool. Severe starvation causes delusional behavior in most people. The whole “pool our practically non-existent resources together and work together” will NEVER work if there is not enough food to go around long term. I have seen highly trained soldiers get a little wacky in a training environment when they’ve gone three days without food (knowing full well that a buffet awaits them back on base after a couple more days in the field). Imagine the average starving family that sees no help or no end in sight.
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So in this dangerous time of famine, who do you help? Is it “Christian” to turn people away? What about if the woman is a widow (there will be many of them around after their men are killed while going out to look for food)? Aren’t we specifically called to help widows? These are incredibly tough questions and again, I think you could make a valid argument on either side. Here is my opinion on the matter. As Christians we are called to help feed the poor and take care of the widows. But I also believe that you are called to do this to the best of your ability, like the verse from I Timothy states. If you disagree with me, then I will ask if there is anyone in your neighborhood who is a widow in need or poor. Why? If you have a big screen TV, car in your driveway, food on your table, and a roof over your head, why is there anyone in need within a ten mile radius of your home?
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What about the starving children in Africa? Are you feeding them as well? You see, you have probably drawn a subconscious, hypothetical line in the sand at some point knowing that YOU CAN’T help everyone and you can’t feed EVERY widow in the world, let alone just the ones in your own town. It’s impossible. Jesus clearly stated in John 12:8 that “You will always have the poor among you.” This is especially true after a SHTF scenario, there are going to be hundreds of millions of starving people in need. Does the Bible require you to feed them all? Are you supposed to give your wife and child’s winter provisions to a wandering widow in need? Is it morally superior to help the widow survive the winter and let your immediate family starve to death?
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I would again quote 1 Timothy 5:8, which is discussing widows and the poor yet still clarifies, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and ESPECIALLY for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” I think this clearly puts emphasis on your responsibility to take care of your immediate family’s needs first. Just like in the story of the early church, it doesn’t say that they sold their houses and gave away their own family’s food. It says, they sent relief, “each according to his individual ability [in proportion as he had prospered].”
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So in my earlier writings, I have laid out what I believe is the best plan to survive the coming collapse, yet at the same time balance that with helping those in need. You are required to do what you can to help others. The first year after the SHTF you do not really know (unless you currently homestead) how much food and supplies it will take to make it through till the next spring and the next growing season (hint, it will be a WHOLE lot more than you think). You must be responsible and cautious and make sure that you don’t grow too fast as a group (while at the same time helping the needy) if it means that your immediate family will starve to death before your spring crops come in. In other words, you probably won’t be able to help many “outsiders” the first year. But if you are proficient in your preps, a hard worker, and diligent the following year, it is your responsibility to take in or help as many people as your food stores will allow. I actually believe this is the main purpose in having a retreat or advanced plans to survive…to ultimately help others do the same. You may be turning away people at first, but in the long run you are helping the future survivors as you are able and building a larger and larger community as your food stores allow. This is your best chance of helping people long-term without sacrificing your family’s safety.
Another way I would explain my theory is like this. Some people will look at giving away their food to the needy immediately after a SHTF as helping those individuals. I know this may sound crass, but you are not really helping them. Without actually taking the individual into your group and by just sharing some that day's rations with them and sending them on their way, it truly only delays the inevitable. They will still likely starve to death anyway and all you’ve done is delay that by a couple days while jeopardizing your own family’s food stores. I know that is a terrible thing to think about, when as Christians, our heart’s desire is to help those in need.
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Also don’t be naive to think they aren’t going to come back every day thereafter. They are going to be just as hungry in two days as they were when they showed up the first time, but this time they may have brought other family members with them looking for a handout. Are you going to turn them away on the second, third, or tenth time they come begging? What about the ever growing group of desperate, hungry people they tell…and that start showing up? Are you only going to feed the first person and turn away the second, the third, or the twenty-third? What happens when the line of beggars grows REALLY long (and it definitely will if word gets out that you have food)? How many people can your family’s food stores feed, and for how long? What happens when you start getting low on food and you start turning them away? If you don’t think those people will grow angry and resent you for having food while they slowly die from starvation, you are a fool! Word WILL spread that your family has food and eventually a large enough group will come and take it by force, I don’t care how many guns your family owns or how John Rambo you think you are.
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After all that I’ve just said, PLEASE don’t miss the next paragraph! I am NOT saying to never help anyone, I am just saying that there are very serious risks involved every time you do. You are better to grow your group/retreat slowly and actually take in the needy as you can and help them become self-sufficient on their own for the long-term. Last, I will point out that this is NOT a black and white discussion. These are (in my opinion) wise biblical guidelines to follow and do NOT trump what God is leading you to do individually. I would treat each individual situation you face during these hard times independently and trust the Holy Spirit to help you make the right decision in the moment. Maybe God will instill upon you to give away all your food to your church the day after the SHTF…I don’t know. Stay in the Word and pray that God helps guide you through these tough decisions.
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In all three stories above (Noah, Joseph, and the early church), at no point did anyone sit around and expect God to miraculously provide manna from above. When God told them of a cataclysmic event in the future, He also gave them specific instructions to make plans and provide for their own future needs. They didn’t just sit idly by; they were all proactive, productive, and provided for their families and those in need to the best of their abilities while at the same time growing their faith and trusting in God to see them through it.
Preparing is not just a man’s job either. Wives, you are not off the hook. You are called to provide for your household as well. Proverbs 31 discusses the traits for a “Virtuous Wife”: 10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:10-31)
Now as wives, are you supposed to take all that literally? Does this mean that you are supposed to making sashes for the merchants down at the docks? No, of course not. What this means is that God expects you to take an active role in the running of your household. I realize that every household and marriage dynamic is different and I’m not trying to jump into the middle of your relationship with your spouse. But I do believe that God wants you to take an active role in the future of your family and making sure they are properly fed and clothed. On the flipside, men, it is important not to sidestep your wives when preparing for hard times. I realize that prepping is typically a male-dominated segment of society, but it is important to try and get on the same page and include your wives in the decision-making process. Be respectful of each other in the process.
Here are a few more verses I feel are relevant to the discussion of preparing for hard times:
“Those who work their land will have abundant food but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.” Proverbs 28:19
“The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” Proverbs 21:20
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-9
“A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!” Proverbs 13:16
“The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it.” Proverbs 22:3
The last thing that I will mention is that regardless of whether or not you agree with me, a grid-down scenario is going to be awful to live through on all accounts. I don’t care how prepared you are or how ready that you think you are. You may eventually find yourself in a place where you have done all you can and you will need God to come through to help you get through it. Pray constantly, have faith, read your bible, and never give up on God. Remember, your wives and children will be watching you and looking for you to remain strong and lead them. Never give in to worry and despair!
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I find Psalm 91 (TLB) is fitting for this type of scenario:
1 We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.
2 This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. 3 For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague. 4 He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. 5 Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day; 6 nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning.
7 Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me. 8 I will see how the wicked are punished, but I will not share it. 9 For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all gods to shelter me. 10 How then can evil overtake me or any plague come near? 11 For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail. 13 You can safely meet a lion or step on poisonous snakes, yes, even trample them beneath your feet!
14 For the Lord says, “Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name. 15 When he calls on me, I will answer; I will be with him in trouble and rescue him and honor him. 16 I will satisfy him with a full life and give him my salvation.”
Good luck in your preps and God Bless.
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