Howdy church family,
Last week I talked about several national and international threats that I believe could potentially have significant impact on the United States, and by association ‘you’, before the end of the year, especially in light of the presidential election. But please do not over-interpret what I said; God is still on the throne and Christ has already won the victory for you and I!
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4
So we do not need to live in fear of what is to come, for we know our Blessed Hope is to be joined together with Christ in the rapture.
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10
However, the bible also tells us to use wisdom to prepare for difficult times ahead. In Genesis, Joseph was able to save the lives of millions of people from a famine. In Proverbs, we are instructed to learn from the ants which gather food in the summer to prepare for the winter.
Preparation, or prepping, allows us to be better suited to take care of our family, neighbors, and others in need. It is not a show of lack of faith or an act of selfishness. It is actually an act of responsibility, and it puts you in a better position to share the gospel with people who are looking to you for help.
Prepping takes a lot of time and money. I encourage you to start by recording what, and how much, you consume each week. Then determine how much you would need to keep on hand in order to survive for a minimum of 2 weeks without needing to go to the store. Then decide how you will store it, prepare it, and finally start purchasing your supplies.
If you know of any great calculating spreadsheets for planning purchases, please let me know. FEMA has good information to get you started, https://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/basic_preparedness.pdf
Also, feel free to make a copy of this Google Sheet Emergency Packing List.
Thank you,
Nate
