Apr. 14, 2008 - Preparedness - Spiritual and Physical
Gosh, I think I am just going to be deleted from everyone's Address Book. 
Never one to shy away from topics that I feel are important, I'd like to discuss Preparedness.
Preparedness is a better sounding word than say, survival, because let's face it, sometimes we think that those who are preparing for tougher times wear camos and have black paint on their faces. But that's not necessarily the case. Someone who is preparing for bad weather conditions or tougher economical times can be the 65 yr old grandmother checking out in front of you at Wal-Mart w/ a 25 lb bag of rice, 10 lb bag of sugar, and a dozen cans of green beans, or it could be the guy sitting next to you at church with his bible in hand.
I am not an expert on either spiritual or physical preparedness (and their overlap), but I wanted to try to approach these topics anyway as I feel in these days and times, with the economy being the way it is, and the food supply gaining more and more attention, and the heart of our country being the way it is, the global scene, the abominations against God that keep rising up (heard of the human and cow merged embryo?), preparedness needs to be talked about.
Maybe I should have really sat down and considered how I wanted to discuss this and to make sure I did not leave out any major points, but I did not do that, so please be gentle with me as this may meander and wander as I get my bearings. And I can always submit another entry if I remember some things that are not posted here. 
Let's start with Spiritual Preparedness. Briefly, what is it? Well, when I think of being spiritually prepared, I think of deepening my relationship with Adonai/God, knowing & understanding His Word, repenting of my sins, having strong faith and trust in Him, and being prepared for what He says is to come. It also involves understanding the world in which we live in, and how current events apply to His Word.
His Word says "the prudent man foresees evil and hides himself" (Prov 22:3, Prov 27:12). What does that mean? How does that apply in situations like, oh, like how there are those who are trying to divide Jerusalem and give a portion of it to the Palestinians? Does that raise a red flag to you? Should it mean anything for a Believer? What does scripture say about splitting Jerusalem? Are we being prudent? Do we need to hide ourselves? Do we just go and buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's and nix the news and watch American Idol? Should we be responsible to know what is happening around us? At what point do we start paying attention to what is happening in the world today?
I'm of the opinion we do it TODAY. God does not guarantee us tomorrow, and I know I need to work on my preparedness so I can teach my children. Kind of a TJEd thing.
Back to Jerusalem, read Joel 3:2
I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up my land.
How about Zechariah 12:3
And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
Not qualified to give a bible study here, but we all need to know our bibles and what the political scene is, know that what He says will come to pass, because it WILL come to pass. And that is exactly why I believe in preparedness. We are to live by faith, which I agree with, and I do have Faith, Faith that He will bring all the things to pass that are in His Word. And all of those things aren't pretty: famine, war, disease, etc. Will it happen in our lifetime? Don't know, but we need to know the Word so we can be discerning and not be duped by false prophets, and to be able to teach our children. We are to pray that we will be found worthy (Luke 21:36).
Physical preparedness. What is that? It can vary from person to person. For many, it means to start physically preparing for our household in a changing economical/political climate.
Will things continue on like we've always known them? Uhm, I don't know, but signs don't look good. Wheat, rice and corn are are in high demand without the supply to meet that demand. There are droughts, food riots all around the world, high price of oil, truckers threatening to go on strike (will your local stores have products on their shelves w/o truckers?), many other issues.
I've talked to a few people about being prepared, and I've met resistance in both spiritual and physical preparedness, but this is where I've met w/ the strongest resistance. Is it because its scary to most people? The responsibility? All the what if's? Aren't we to live by faith? Yes, we are to live by faith and to trust in Him. Not all are called to prep and prepare, but He has examples throughout His bible of those He has called to prepare. Off the top of my head I think of:
- Noah
- Joseph
- the 5 virgins with the oil lamps
God is not anti-preparation. He wouldn't have given us His Word or prophecy if He didn't want us to prepare ourselves spiritually, physically, and mentally for the times to come.
I feel that there can be a huge overlap in spiritual and physical preparedness. Ultimately, we have to have our faith in HIM, He guides us in being prepared, He provides the protection. We accept it, or not.
I feel called to prep and prepare. I have asked the Lord to take this from my heart if its not of Him nor for me, but He has not released me of it, He keeps adding in more things!
Pray about this. See where He wants you, and if you get the green light, as you are able, and before prices jump up that much more, please consider purchasing extra bags of rice, wheat/flour, sugar, jugs of oil, lots of basic necessities. But you know what, He may put other things in your heart to prepare for, and of course that's OK too, He's in charge.
Why has God put this in my heart? I have no idea. It would be much easier to just pretend the world was just spinning 'round and 'round as usual, go grab a bowl of ice cream and watch American Idol. But that is not where He has me right now. Maybe He wants to use me for His purpose later on. Maybe. I treasure the day.
Comments
Aug. 31, 2008 - On the right track
Posted by Anonymous
Ginnie,
Preparedness is something that weighs heavily on my heart as well. The place where I am getting the most resistance is other believers in my church. It seems week after week we are getting prophetic words dealing with the second coming and God shaking things up, but my pastor thinks I'm out to lunch on this issue. I even went so far as to place a free listing on a site where people are looking for others to set up retreats with at http://www.survivalistbooks.com/survivalistgroups.htm (Testing the waters in Virginia).
Right now, we live in a townhouse in an urban area, so, with homeschooling stuff for our two daughters, there isn't any room left for storing much of anything. I want to move to a more rural setting, but my wife feels very much attached to our current church, so we're both seeking God on what to do and when.
As I look around, this country is way past due for judgment. We have mocked God and flaunted and glorified our disobedience. Now our government is making war for the sake of making war (and enriching a select few individuals). The United States is forcing countries around the world to drink from the cup of our abominations. We claim to be helping Israel, but I think the best thing for Israel is if we stopped meddling in their affairs--i.e., stop trying to be God to them. If they can always turn to the United States to back them up on the playground, how will they ever turn to God? God chastised Israel for turning to other nations--particularly Egypt--instead of turning to Him for their defense. Also, the United States has a long history of pledging support to other countries only to turn our backs on them.
Anyway, all this is to say I think you're on the right track. Don't listen to what naysayers say about your preparations; listen only to God. That's what Noah did, and when it started to rain,...
Flick at http://www.awrm.org
