Is It “Anti-Faith” To Prepare For The Coming Economic Collapse?

Does being a prepper show a lack of faith in God?  Should good Christians reject prepping altogether?  

From: The Economic Collapse Blog

Yesterday, someone actually accused me of being "anti-faith" because I am encouraging people to prepare for the coming economic collapse.  This person believes that if I had faith, then I would make "no provision" for what is ahead and simply trust "in God's providence alone".  So is that person right?  Is it really "anti-faith" to prepare for the coming economic collapse?  I spent quite a bit of time thinking about these questions today.

Those that visit my site on a regular basis know that I am a Christian and I am very open about that fact.  I am someone that places a very high value on faith.  The Scriptures tell us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding".  Without God, none of us has any hope.  In fact, without God I would probably be dead by now.

But faith is not about sitting on your couch and waiting for God to do everything for you.  Rather, faith is about taking action on what God has directed you to do.

What I don't understand is why any of these Christians that are 100% against prepping continue to go to work.  If we are to make "no provision" for ourselves and simply trust "in God's providence alone", then why do they need to earn a paycheck?  Why can't they just sit home and wait for God to fill up their bank accounts?

Yes, God can do mind blowing supernatural things that require absolutely no participation on our part.  I know, because it has happened to me.  But the vast majority of the time, God works with us.  He requires us to take steps of faith and obedience, and in the process He leads us, He guides us, He blesses us and He opens doors for us.

The story of Noah is a perfect example of this.  He was perhaps the very first "prepper".  God could have kept Noah and his family safe from the flood by transporting them to some sort of very comfortable "heavenly waiting area" and brought them back when everything was dry, but He didn't do that.  Instead, God warned Noah about what was coming and ordered him to build a boat.

So did Noah just sit back and wait for God to do everything for Him?  No, he exercised his faith by taking action.  He believed the warning and he built a giant boat.  In Hebrews 11:7, Noah is commended for his radical faith which produced radical action...

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

Faith almost always involves action.  God wants to see if we are going to believe Him and do what He has instructed us to do.

And the amount of faith that Noah exhibited was staggering.  The boat that he and his family built was approximately the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.  It took a very, very long time to build that boat and collect all of the food and supplies for his family and for all of the animals.

And surely Noah must have gotten very tired of all of the mocking as he warned everyone else about what was coming for decades.

But in the end, Noah's prepping paid off.  He and his family were saved, and everyone else drowned.

Unfortunately, there are lots of Christians out there today that are 100% against preparing for what is ahead, even though they will admit that an economic collapse is coming.

The individual that accused me of being "anti-faith" is an example of this.  The following is an excerpt from the message that this person wrote to me...

Now, although I agree with you about the things you write about the corruption of the financial system, and that there will be a collapse, yet I do not agree with you in promoting people to be self-sufficient contrary to the Lord's teaching. If you truly have God then no provision needs to be made at all for yourself, just trust in God's providence alone.

This individual agrees that a collapse is coming, but insists that we should do absolutely nothing to prepare for it.

Is that really what God would have us do?

In Genesis 41, God revealed to Joseph that there would be seven good years followed by seven lean years.  So did Joseph party for seven years and "trust in God's providence alone" for the lean years?

No, Joseph engaged in an "emergency food storage project" unlike anything that the world had ever seen up until that point.  By heeding God's warning and taking action, he ended up saving the nation of Egypt and his entire family.

Some people believe that preparing for hard times means that you are "fearful", but I don't see it that way at all.

Rather, I believe that there is hope in understanding what is happening and that there is hope in getting prepared.

The people that stick their heads in the sand right now are going to get blindsided by what is coming.  Many of them will totally give in to despair when they realize that they have lost everything.

I think that we would all benefit greatly by taking advantage of the wisdom found in Proverbs 6:6-11...

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

You don't prepare when the storm hits.  Rather, you prepare while the storm is still off in the distance.

Throughout the Scriptures, those that "prepare" are commended.

For example, just check out the following parable of Jesus that we find inMatthew 25...

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Do we want to be like the wise virgins or the foolish virgins?

Yes, we never want to become obsessed with material things.  We need to keep our priorities in order and focus on the things that are really important.

But that doesn't mean that we can all just sit on our couches, eat chips, and wait for God to do everything for us.

In my opinion, we have been warned about the coming economic collapse in a multitude of different ways.  At this point, what is coming should be glaringly obvious to anyone with half a brain.

On my site, I have shared thousands upon thousands of facts and statistics that show that a horrific economic collapse is coming.  If you are new to all of this, the following are just a couple of articles that can get you started...

-"40 Statistics About The Fall Of The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe"

-"Show This To Anyone That Believes That Things Are Getting Better In America"

I am trying to do my best to warn people about what is coming from my little spot on the wall.  In the Scriptures, those that are aware that a threat is coming are responsible for warning others about it.  The following is a short excerpt from Ezekiel 33...

Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.'

Are you a watchman on the wall?

Are you blowing your trumpet?

That is one of the reasons why I work so hard on my articles.  I hope that people will use them as a tool to help warn others about what is coming.

My goal is never to create fear.  Rather, my goal is to wake people up and give them hope.

Yes, very, very painful economic times are coming.

Those that heed the warnings and diligently prepare will have a good chance of weathering the coming storm.

I honestly don't know what those that have made absolutely no preparations are going to do.

Original post:

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/is-it-really-anti-faith-to-prepare-for-the-coming-economic-collapse

check your EOBs

in the spirit of not wasting money so that you can use the money saved for preps...


Make sure you check your health/dental insurance company's Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) and compare it to the bill you get from your provider.  I discovered that our dentist was making us pay the difference between what they charged and what the insurance was paying, and not taking into account what the "allowed" amount that the insurance company sets for the provider to charge for a given service.

For example, the provider charges $1,200 for a crown.  The insurance company allows $800, and pays $600 of it.  You should only pay $200.  The dentist office was trying to get us to pay the difference of $600 between the $1,200 they wanted to charge and the $600 paid by the insurance.

So, saved $400 by not being stupid and paying something I did not owe.

All I had to do was call the office and bring it to their attention.  They did some major backpedaling and suddenly instead of owing them $1,600 they owed me over $800 that I had overpaid.  They were very happy to comply, because if I had filed a complaint against them through the insurance company, they would have been in a very different world of hurt.

I imagine they are stiffing all their customers that way, and it is probably a common practice overall, so consumer beware...

zombies

Zombies is a cover term in the prepper community for the welfare hoards who have been dependent on the government for food.

Once the collapse happens, they will be rioting, looting, and going from house to house murdering and stealing from anyone who has food set aside.

They have already been conditioned to live off of those who work for a living.  After the collapse the only difference is they will be doing the stealing themselves instead of the government.

preparedness

Alright, so now where are those who say the "preppers" are nutcases?

Checklist for Refugees

by M.D. Creekmore on February 14, 2012
www.thesurvivalistblog.net

Things you may want to bring from home

• Any and all food/beverages: Including half-empty cans of coffee, open boxes of crackers and the stray apple in the bottom of your fridge. ANYTHING edible should be salvaged. Don’t forget your supply of spices and herbs.
• Booze/alcoholic beverages: This can be used for trade/barter, disinfecting wounds, or simply drinking.
• Pots/pans: Particularly cast iron, large stew/soup pots, and frying pans. We’ll be cooking for more people now, and often over an open fire.
• Food containers: Plastic or glass, especially those with lids. Look for anything that can be used to store dehydrated foods.
• Bundles of old newspapers: Newspaper has multiple uses, including twisted tightly to make logs for burning and crumpled for toilet paper.
• Matches, lighters, other fire starting implements: We will need these for the woodstove (to keep us warm) and for cooking fires.
• Charcoal: If you have a charcoal grill, bring that along, too. We may have to use this for cooking if electricity ceases to be available.
• Any camping equipment: Including camp stoves, propane tanks, tents, sleeping bags, cook sets, etc. Consider that we are basically “roughing it” right now, so bring anything you have to make the experience more pleasant.
• Candles: Bring your fancy scented candles, as well as any other candles you may have (tea lights, birthday candles, etc.). These can provide light, warmth and a small cooking surface if necessary.
• Flashlights and lanterns: If the power goes out, these will be our primary light source.
• Batteries: Pilfer all working batteries from electronics. We’ll need them for flashlights and lanterns.
• Medical supplies: Including band-aids, bandages, antibiotic ointments, Pepto, cough syrup, pain relievers, thermometers, hot water bottles, cold packs. Anything that can be used for either minor or major injuries should be acquired.
• Sewing supplies: Such as needles, threads, extra fabric, scissors, yarn, crochet hooks, etc. We may very well have to repair our clothing or make our own at some point in the future.
• Plastic bins/tubs: These can be used to catch rainwater if necessary. They can also be used for storage.
• Plastic bags: Including plastic grocery bags, plastic garbage bags, etc. If you have tarps, bring those, too. These can be used for everything from trash to personal waste disposal.
• Wagons: Even kid’s wagons are welcome. These can be used for hauling water, wood, soil, rocks, etc.
• Hand tools: Don’t forget things like an axe, nails/screws/etc. and work gloves. Anything that can be used to repair buildings around the house, shore up home security, or build fences will be useful.
• Gardening supplies: Such as gardening tools, gloves, seed packets, pots, extra bags of soil, etc. We will be gardening to replenish food supplies.
• Paper products: Bring your supply of toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, paper plates, paper cups. The more paper products we have, the less water is wasted doing dishes.
• Hygiene/Cleaning products: Including soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, dish detergent, laundry detergent, bleach and other cleaning products. Bleach can be used to purify water, and proper cleaning of items will help reduce illnesses in the household.
• Clothing: Bring clothing for yourself, but make sure to bring extra socks, shoes made for work, and clothing that can be layered for cold weather. We don’t know how long this crisis will last, and during this time you will be working hard.
• Blankets and pillows: We simply do not have enough bedding for everyone.
• Rope: Including all types of string, rope and line. Anything that can be used to bundle or tie is useful.
• Firearms/Ammo: Don’t forget about your hunting rifle or your shotgun. Any type of firearm would be welcomed. Bring it even if you don’t have ammo. Someone else may have ammo for your gun, or we may be able to obtain it through trade/barter.
• Entertainment: Board games, card games, books, puzzles and such. You may find the nights get long without television to entertain you.

Excerpted from:
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/checklist-for-refugees-post-shtf/

Does The Bible Say Anything About Storing Food?

By Daymond Duck

While teaching on Bible prophecy I often point out that Jesus mentioned that famine is one of the signs of the Beginning of Sorrows (Matt. 24:1-8). This usually leads into a discussion of the rise in food prices and the impact that natural disasters are having on food supplies. It is about this time that I am asked if it is okay to store food. Some people seem to have the impression that storing food is a sin, or at the very least, it demonstrates a lack of faith. This is a good reason to ask, “Does the Bible say anything about storing food?” Yes! It does.

In Genesis chapter six, God told Noah to build an Ark, board it, get his family to board it, put animals on it (verses 14-20), “And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:21-22). Simply put, God intended to send a great natural disaster upon the earth (the Flood) so He commanded Noah to gather a variety of food and store it on the Ark for him, his family and the animals. Could God have spoken food into existence anytime Noah or the animals needed it? Of course, He could. But He didn’t. He commanded Noah to gather food and store it. Did God provide for Noah? Of course! He provided food for Noah to gather and plenty of time for him to gather it.

For those who may wonder if Noah sinned by obeying God and doing this, Paul said, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb. 11:7). Noah was obeying God and acting by faith when he built that Ark and put food on it.

In Genesis chapter forty-one, Pharaoh dreamed about seven fat cows and seven lean cows. He had a second dream about seven fat ears of corn and seven thin ears of corn. When he got around to asking Joseph to interpret his dream Joseph said, “What God is about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. And there shall arise after them seven years of famine’ (Gen. 41:28-30). This is a second story about God planning to send a natural disaster upon the earth. And to make that everyone understands that it was God would send this natural disaster the Holy Spirit said, “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Gen. 41:32).

Did God provide for His people? Yes! God blessed Egypt with bountiful harvests and more food than they needed for seven years. And Joseph said, “Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine” (Gen. 41:34-36). Pharaoh believed this was a good thing to do; he put Joseph in charge, and the food that God’s man stockpiled became a blessing to others and saved the lives of many.

It is important to understand that God often provides for His people before they have a need. He provided the seven fat years before He sent the seven lean years. He provided extra manna on the day before the Sabbath so the Jews could collect and store food to consume on the Sabbath (Ex. 16:5). He provided triple crops in the sixth year so the Jews could store plenty to eat while they let the land rest during the seventh year (Lev. 25:20-21). He even considers the ant wise because it stores food for the winter during the summer (Prov. 6:6-11; 30:24-25).

Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. This is a major sign that the end of the age is near. The good news is that the Rapture will be before Jesus breaks the third seal in the Book of Revelation that leads to worldwide famine (Rev. 6:5-6). The bad news is that no one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture or how far Christians will go into the natural disasters and famine before God removes His Church. When it comes to something like food it is better to be over prepared than under prepared. If we wind up not needing it, we won’t have any problems finding people who do. If the Rapture happens and we haven’t used it, that’s great. Others will benefit from it.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck


Full article at:
http://raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd58.html

Violence

I believe it is important for everyone to be able to defend themselves and be able to use armaments to do so. There may come times where the police are not available and you will need to defend your family and survival supplies from looters and roving gangs.

Having established that, let me say categorically that I DO NOT condone, applaud, support, defend, or participate in any act of violence against any person, in particular against fellow American Citizens.

Acts of violence and terrorism do not accomplish anything except to provide the Federal Government with the "evidence" it can use to take away more of our freedoms in the name of "safety" and "security".