When the Unexpected Happens

Recently my family and I made a long road trip with my old pickup towing a trailer and our little car driving behind. Being the preparedness-minded type that I am, I was ready for the things that I could foresee happening. I had food in case we got stranded, gas cans in case we ran out of gas, tools to fix things, first aid supplies, and other things that I thought might be needed. Being thus prepared in my mind we set out. But what I had not anticipated was finding out that my trailer was poorly built and modified by the previous owner. The axle was too far forward, which resulted in an unstable tow. After some twelve hours driving we suddenly ran into high winds, a curve and some bumps. These conspired to send the trailer into a crazy fishtail, which resulted in a bent axle and two destroyed wheel-bearings on the trailer. This I was not prepared for! Luckily we were able to find someone who had a replacement axle who agreed to fix it for a decent price.

This event demonstrated to me in a physical way a common occurrence in our spiritual lives. People prepare for what they can see down the road, but soon life sends them an unexpected problem. It may be the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the betrayal of a close friend. In some cases it might simply be someone with whom we have been studying deciding to reject the gospel of Christ. Such an unexpected event will often make a person question everything. One might question if God is actually out there, if God loves them, or whether God actually sees them. Often these unexpected occurrences will destroy the faith of a person, because they cannot believe that God would let bad things happen to someone whom He loves.

Part of the preparedness mindset and our spirituality is not just being prepared for what we see down the road, but also for what we do not see coming. The apostle Paul is a great example of someone who was faced with many unforeseen events in his life – events that could have destroyed his faith in God. We see in his letter to the Corinthians that he went through more hardships than most people, yet he still endured. He was shipwrecked three times – something I’ll bet he had not expected. He was beaten with rods three times, and was even stoned once (2 Cor. 11:23-29). Yet despite all of these things, he was still faithful to God! If Paul could withstand all of this, then we can endure some unforeseen calamities and still stay faithful to God.

We need to stop questioning God every time something bad happens. Apply the preparedness mindset to your spirituality and be ready to roll with whatever life sends your way, knowing that God will never leave His children nor forsake them (Heb. 13:5b)!

Preparing for My Tour of Duty

As I sat preparing for the first leg of my trip to Malawi, Africa, I think about the life that I could have had. At one time I wanted to join the military.  If I had joined I probably would have gone to Iraq in 2006. I would have sat in a similar airport preparing to kill or be killed to protect my fellow countrymen back home.  But, instead, I sit here after finishing two years of boot camp at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver where I was also preparing to go to war. But this war is to save people’s souls by giving them the gospel, and by teaching other men to do the same. Though I highly respect those who join the military, I am glad that I am on the path that I have chosen. I am a soldier in the Lord’s army, and I am involved in the most important war ever – the war against Satan for the souls of men.

Now after spending only 2 full days in this country I see how important our involvement in this war is. The enemy is working hard to win these people, and the Lord’s soldiers must rise to the challenge. Not just in over-seas missions like the one taking place in Malawi, but in the battlefields of our hometowns. The people of Malawi are fighting for the souls of their friends and families in their hometowns and villages, but they need our help.  And while we are glad to give it, we must also ask if we are doing that which we are encouraging them to do.  Are we reaching our friends and families with the gospel?

 

Inadequate Preparedness

Today, America is faced with the threat of terrorism. The office of homeland security is telling EMS and police agencies to be prepared for the possibility of dirty bomb attacks in major metropolitan centers. The general public is slowly being made aware of this threat and of how to prepare for it. This information is accepted by people in one of three ways. Some do not even believe the threat is real and are ignoring the possibility. Others believe that the threat is real, but they are not taking preparedness seriously. They might store a little water, and buy a few more cans of food than normal. But if the bomb went off they would not be ready and would probably not survive the fallout. The third group believes the threat is real and are taking all the steps that they can to be ready. They are storing up to three months of food and water, as well as building strong rooms to protect them from fallout and shock. These people have the highest probability of surviving, not only if a dirty bomb goes off, but also of surviving other catastrophes that can occur.

Sadly, this same concept applies to spiritual matters as well. Paul describes a day of fire that is coming in which:

Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

Just like the dirty bomb scenario, people have one of the same three reactions. Some do not believe this day will actually come; Paul describes these people as “those who do not know God.” Others believe that this day is coming, but they are not preparing properly. They believe in Jesus, but feel that they can follow Him in any way that they want. Paul describes these people as “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” Most modern religious groups fit into this category. They do not want to do all that God has commanded, thus when the day of fire comes they will be swept into eternal destruction with “those who do not know God.”

Unlike the dirty bomb scenario, the Day of Judgment is not a possibility but a certainty; it is guaranteed to come. Thus we must strive to be in the third group; those who prepare to the fullest of their ability for the day of fire that is coming. This means obeying all the commands of the New Testament to the fullest of our ability. Even when people say that we are nuts for taking the commands of the Bible literally, even when no one else is preparing, we must be fully prepared!

What is it There For?

The preparedness mindset brings with it a number of useful habits (at least they should be habits). Habits such as being aware of your surroundings, bringing a “go bag” with you when you leave the house, or simply making sure that your supplies are fully stocked. Most preparers will work long and hard at building these habits, so that when these skills are needed they will be second nature, not taking any thought. The flip side of this is eliminating habits that are not necessary, or are detrimental. Looking at the ground while walking, or forgetting to lock the doors at night are generally harmless habits, but could cause major problems when something bad happens. These habits must be eliminated.

In the same way there are mental and spiritual habits that must be cultivated, or weeded out, in order to further our spiritual preparedness. In this post we are going to examine a few habits that will help our spiritual preparedness, and also a few that will hinder our spiritual preparedness. We will start by looking at some of the habits that can be detrimental, examining why they are bad. Once we have done that we will look at what we need to replace them with.

Information intake: One habit that is detrimental to our spiritual preparedness is only bringing in information that is meaningless. What kinds of books do you read? What kind of movies do you watch? Often the books that we read only focus on trivial fiction that has no positive bearing on our spiritual health and preparedness. The same is true for movies. We end up entertaining ourselves with things that fill our minds with thoughts of monsters and imaginary worlds. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a little bit of fun entertainment sometimes, but that should not be all that we are putting in our heads.

The habit that we should replace this with is spending more time reading the Bible, or other spiritually minded books, then we do pure fiction. And we should watch movies that stimulate our minds, and prepare us for struggles that we might face in the future. This is the same as in our physical preparedness that we should spend time reading preparedness manuals and other books or movies that will help get our minds in the correct place to survive. We should fill our minds with information that will aid us in resisting temptation, and help us learn how to help those around us when they are going through hard times. This leads us perfectly into our next area of discussion…

Study Habits: Now that we have established that we need to fill our minds with useful material, it is important to discuss some study habits. Many times we get a Bible or some other spiritual preparedness information, like a leadership book, or a book on overcoming sin, and it simply sits on the shelf. Simply having these kinds of book will not help us. They have to be opened and not just read, but they need to be studied. Often people will pick up the Bible and read through a chapter or two before moving on to something else. Or they will read a leadership book, but not apply anything to their lives. This leads to a false sense of preparedness, because people have read, but they never really comprehended it or applied it to their lives. Thus when the time of trouble comes they do not know what to do and are overtaken.

What we should do to remedy this is when we are reading the Bible, pick a passage and truly study it to find out what the author meant and how it applies. One way that we can do this is: take a colored pencil and underline reoccurring words with different colors, then write down in your own words what the author is saying, not what you think he means, but simply what he is saying. The reoccurring words will give you an idea of what key thoughts the author is trying to get across, and putting it in your own words will help you to internalize it. Then write down what you learned from that passage, and how you are going to apply it to your life this week. You can then try to find parallel passage that give you a more full understanding of what that passage means. These study principles are applicable for books other than the Bible as well; it is a good way for you to get the full meaning of what you are reading. (A good resource on how to do this better is Grasping God’s Word by Scott J. Duvall, and Daniel J. Hays, ISBN: 0-310-25966-5)

Leisure time: The last habit that we will examine is how you spend your leisure time. People will often “unplug” by going to the bar to have a drink, or by sitting down to play hours of mindless video games, or watching hours of sports on the tube, or any number of other activates. In moderation and within certain parameters, none of the listed activities are harmful in and of themselves. What is detrimental is when, in our leisure activities, we let down our guard and let go of our spiritual preparedness mindset. We assume that because our activity is not innately sinful or dangerous that we can “unhook” our minds for a while. But what ends up happening is those leisure activities can start to dominate our lives, until our mind is “unhooked” more than is it “active.” When this happens then we have completely defeated the purpose of being prepared either spiritually or physically.

To keep this from happening we must set up careful parameters for our leisure time, making sure that it does not dominate the largest section of time in our day. We also need to make sure that the activities that we are doing do not put us in a compromising situation. This can happen either by altering our state of mind so that we cannot make rational decisions, or by being actively violating our values in the name of entertainment. We must make sure that we are staying spiritually and physically prepared even when we are relaxing. It is important to our health and wellbeing to rest and have some down time. But even in our leisure time we should find activities that are both relaxing yet stimulating for our minds and aid in keeping us alert.

These are just a few examples of habits that can be detrimental to our spiritual preparedness. There are many other detrimental habits, as well as many other habits that are helpful and should be cultivated in our lives. We do not have the space here to cover every bad habit, and every good one that should replace it. But what we must do to make sure that our habits are useful is with everything you do ask yourself “is this activity useful to my spiritual preparedness?” If the answer is “no” then you should greatly think about replacing it with and activity that is useful to your spiritual preparedness.

The Armor of God as it Applies to the Preparedness Mindset

 I apologize about the long time since my last post, life has become rather hectic. Finally after a long wait the here is the promised post on the Armor of God and the Preparedness Mindset.

      Often in preparedness circles there is talk of hardening your home against external threats, of armoring your vehicle, and about having body armor. Not for offence, but for defense. Keeping yourself and your family safe from those who would want to do them harm. But none of these will protect your family from the unseen dangers of Satan and his efforts to destroy from the outside in. Thus to truly protect yourself and your family you must be prepared to defend your heart and soul.

      “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13, NASB)

      What is this armor that Paul (the writer of Ephesians) is talking about? This isn’t literal armor that you can buy at a store. It is the armor of the heart that has the ability to protect your family from the arrows of the enemy like depression, lying, and so many other items that can take away your reason for surviving. Let’s look at each piece of armor and how it applies to the preparedness mindset. 

      “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth” (Eph. 6:14a). Girding your loins holds the connotation of making it so that you could run and more quickly. Applied to truth we need to not just know the truth, but we should be too familiar with it that we can uses it at a moment’s notice. Just like you should be familiar with the layout of your home and land so that you can move freely in any situation, knowing where all of your important items are. You should be familiar with what the Bible says and specific scriptures are found. This is important in survival situations because you may not have access to preachers or the internet, so the spirituality of your family will rest on you.

      “and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14b). A breast plate protects from direct physical attack. This is described in another passage as “the breastplate of faith and love” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Righteousness is that faith in Christ and love for others that makes us want to follow the statutes of Christ and serve others. This is essential for the Christian preparer because this is what makes you want to act morally. This will protect you from the desire to take what others have. Also it is protection from the dangers of moral decay that will run rampant in a post-calamity society.

      “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). The right footwear is essential for any occasion, especially for a soldier. If your foundation is not firm then you will be pushed and toppled by everything that comes your way. This is true spiritually as well as physically. You must prepare yourself by rooting yourself in the gospel that is taught in the Bible. The word gospel means “good news.” That good news can be seen in the teachings of Christ (Romans 10:15-17). The message that Jesus taught was one of loving others more than yourself, and obedience to the will and commands of God. If a crash comes, peace and good will to others will be in short supply. And people will be using scripture to justify any action that they can. You must know the teaching of Christ well enough that you are not pushed off of your foundation, and caused to fall.

“in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). Just like a riot shield protects from projectiles and other threats, a strong faith will protect you from the spiritual attacks that are thrown against you. These attacks can be things such as despair about your situation, or doubt about what is right and wrong. This shield will stop many attacks before they get close enough to hurt you. But this faith has to be in the correct place, that is, your faith must be in Christ and his word. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). When the world falls apart, morals will be rare because people will revert back to personal survival mode. If you have a strong faith before this happens then you can be free to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

“And take the helmet of salvation” (Eph. 6:17a). This is the most important piece of spiritual armor. Just like a Kevlar helmet can turn what could have been a deadly head wound into a minor headache, without salvation you will not be spiritually alive. Salvation is the ultimate protection, because it ensures that even if your body is destroyed your soul will live on forever in heaven. This gives you a reason to do all the things we have been talking about. If you do not have salvation then, in the end, none of the other things will help you. In a true survival situation the mortality rate will be huge; many people will not make it past the initial calamity to get to the survival situation. Thus, it is essential for your preparedness that you put on the helmet of salvation before the fatal head shot occurs. To learn more about how to put on the helmet of salvation refer to the soon to come “Helmet” section of my blog (If it is not up yet it will be soon).

“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” You may notice that, up to now everything has been defensive in nature. This is the only offensive weapon that we are given. This one weapon is the Bible, God’s word. Just like a physical sword this is a personal weapon, you have to get close to your opponent to use it. And also like a sword it takes skill and practice to effectively use the Bible. If you never pull out your Bible until the time comes to figure out what God wants you to do or to show someone what is wrong and what is right, then you will be just as likely to hurt yourself as to teach anyone anything. If you want to know what the Bible says about something, or how you should react to choices you have to make, then you have to practice with your sword. That means get it out and study it daily. Challenge yourself by picking a belief that you hold and prove it by the Bible. Or even better see if you can legitimately disprove that belief with the Bible. This will give you an understanding of what you can expect from others, and you might just learn something!

Paul ends this section with a petition to pray always, being on the alert with perseverance. We as people with the preparedness mindset must never let a piece of our armor fall off, because you never know when bad things are going to happen.  We must all endeavor to put on the full armor of God so that we can be prepared, not just physically, but spiritually also.

The Christian and Militias

In the previous post I talked about the militia group that was arrested last week. I discussed how true Christians should act toward the government, trying to live peacefully with the government and those around us. This post will focus on how this effects and coincides with the Christian preparedness mindset.

Many people view spiritual preparedness the same way as these supposed “Christian militiamen.” They think we should prepare for a physical war with the forces of evil in the end times. This view, however is based on flawed doctrine and misinterpretation of Scripture. People come to this view honestly and sincerely, and by no means do I want to insult them. But we are told By Christ in the great commission to educate people about the commands of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). The view that should be held by Christians is the view that the Bible teaches, and not the view that is held by any earthly person or organization.

Christ tells us in the Sermon on the Mount not to worry about tomorrow because God will provide (Matthew 6:25-34). Many people use this to say that we should not prepare for tomorrow, but that is not what is being said here. Christ is telling us not to worry. He did not teach against storing food for the winter, or making sure that you have enough lamp oil on hand. He told us not to get stressed out by things that we cannot change, He told us not to worry ourselves over events of tomorrow.  This is important to the preparedness mindset; while we prepare for the future we should not worry or let ourselves be stressed by uncertain events of the future.

The preparedness mindset is also not a way to justify subversive attitudes toward the government. The Christian preparer should be thinking of the welfare of others before themselves (Romans 13:9–10). A Christian should place their allegiance to God and their love of others before political inclinations or party loyalties. When anything comes before God in the mind of a Christian it has become an idol, and Christians are told to flee from anything that is an idol (1 John 5:20–21).

The Christian must remember:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV).

The rest of this context goes on to talk about putting on the full armor of God. This Armor is not physical, but spiritual in nature! There will be more discussion on the armor of God in the next blog post. For now ask yourself what you value more; obeying God’s commands to live peacefully with all men (Romans 12:17–21), or your freedoms in this temporary world.

–For more information on Christians and the government, see biblical principles for living under the government in Romans 13. For more information on Christian liberties, see Paul’s instructions on putting the welfare of others above your liberties.–

Hutaree Militia Group Arrested. Are They Realy Christians?

Recently, an arrest was made by the FBI of what the media is calling a “Christian militia group” who are said to have been planning violent attacks against police officers. There were raids against these groups in three different states, with a total of eight or nine arrests. The article on Yahoo.com paints a picture of right-wing, violent Christians who are out to overthrow the lawful government. (Information from article by: Brett Michael Dykes, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1361)

The website for this militia group explains how they believe that it is the responsibility of Christians to take up arms against the coming antichrist. They view themselves as warriors for Christ. The question that must rise in the minds of many people is “Whether they are right, and whether they are true Christians”.  I plan to answer that question using scripture, and not my own personal views. That is the way that we, as Christians, should answer all questions pertaining to faith.

First off we are told by Christ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44, NASB). So we are told not to hate others. If these militia men were planning violence against anyone, then they were not living in a Christian manner.

In addition to that Paul wrote:

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1–3).

This verse shows us that Christians should not look to enforce their will on the state with violence. But that we should pray for our leaders, in order that we can live our lives out in godly peace.

Though we are not yet under persecution by the state, we are also told by Peter how to act under persecution when it does come:

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1 Peter 4:14–16)

Here we are told not to be counted as any of the things listed. If someone were to revolt against the lawful government and kill police they would fall under all of the categories of murderer, evildoer, and troublesome meddler. That person would be willfully breaking commands given from God through the apostles.

If the militia men who were arrested were planning all of the things that they are accused of, then they were not acting as real New Testament Christians should. True Christians are called to live peacefully, praying for those in authority, and for those who are our enemies. There is no command to prepare for violent war against the government. There are many false Christians out there, and we must be able to tell the difference between the true Christians and the imposters. And we must be willing to admit that some people are not right with God. We are told to love such people and to educate them, but not to accept them into our fellowship so that they will see the error in their ways and want to change.

In the next blog post we will discuss how this all fits into the preparedness mindsets so stay tuned!

Does it Help Me?

There are some things in our life that we just don’t need. Some things are not sinful or harmful, but they are not necessary to have for life to continue. This is something that is essential to remember when trying to prepare for the future. Figure out what things you really need and what things that you can live without. Things such as video games in and of themselves are not sinful, and within reason, are not harmful. This is the same for sports, fishing, art, and most television shows. They are not necessary for life. You will not die if you don’t have them.

Why is this important though? It is important because someday you may have to do without some of the nice things in life. You may be without them for any number of reasons. Perhaps it is because you are too busy for them at the moment. Or maybe you will be in a situation where they are unavailable, like if there is no power or you are overseas. You must find out what things are  unnecessary in your life, and learn to do without them so that you will know what to do when they are gone.

This applies in our spiritual life as well as in our physical life. There are some things that while they don’t hurt us spiritually, they don’t help us either. Activities such as reading fiction novels can be fun, and depending on the content, they are not harmful. But reading fiction novels is not a requirement for life to continue. And while they may not hurt you spiritually, you must ask yourself if that time could be used to grow in your walk with Christ. Let’s face it, we as Christians spend a lot of time doing things that do not help to grow Christ’s church.

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” Galatians 6:8–10.

Ask yourself if there are some things in your life that take time away from serving the Lord. These things may not be sinful or even harmful, just time consuming. Decide to substitute some of the time that you spend on those activities with activities that serve God. Even if you just spend a few less minutes every day on these activities. Take the time to do something that allows you to grow spiritually, so that you can help to grow the Lord’s kingdom!

The Preparedness Mindset and Others

The last few posts have dealt primarily with preparing yourself spiritually for the hard times in life. But that is not all that the preparedness mindset is about. It is also about being well enough stocked in your spiritual life that you can help others through hard times in their lives. The preparedness mindset is also about being able to share what you have. Because let’s face it, if you are going to the supermarket everyday for your food and essentials, then when there is nothing on the shelves, you will be the one begging for help and not the one helping others. In the same way if you are living life on spiritual empty, then you will not be able to help others overcome the hard times in their lives. And further still, if you have not stored God’s word in your heart, then when someone attacks your faith you will not be able to give them a proper answer.

We are told in scripture:

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)

You will not be able to do this if you are not prepared beforehand. I am not saying that you have to have the whole Bible memorized, and be able to debate with the top atheists. But we as Christians are commanded to be prepared to defend our faith! That takes a mindset of being prepared.

As I mentioned earlier this is not just about taking care of yourself, or defeating your opponents. It is about being ready to take care of those who are in need.

“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” 1 Thess. 5:14-15

If you do not have the provisions laid by in store, then how do you plan to “encourage the fainthearted” or to “help the weak”? We as Christians must develop the preparedness mindset if we plan to be able to do the things that we are commanded to do!

How can this be put into action, though? This week find an area in your spiritual life that you are not prepared to defend with scripture. Or that you could not help someone with if they had a problem. Once you have identified the area, or areas, in which you are lacking, take the time to do the study that is necessary to sure up your knowledge in that area. And, if possible, talk to someone who you know is knowledgeable in that area. Ask them to help you fully understand that subject, so that you can be spiritually prepared.

Spiritual Retreat Location

In the survival world there is an essential principal of having a place where you can go to ride out hard times. This is called a retreat. It might be your regular home, or it might be a place in the boonies that you keep stocked and ready. But whichever one it is the idea is to have it stocked with all the supplies that you need to live on for a considerable amount of time. These would include food, water, personal items, fuel… basically everything that you would need to survive if you could not go to Wal-mart for the next year.

This principle is one that is fundamental to the preparedness mindset. It is not just applicable to physical needs, though. We need to have a spiritual retreat as well. I am not talking about running away and not facing the problems that are thrown at us. I am talking about having all of the spiritual supplies ready for when hard times come. Hard times like the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, the betrayal of a close friend. All of these and so many other troubles can shake a person to the core, make them question their faith in God, and possibly turn them away from Him completely.

This is where your spiritual retreat and supplies will come into play. If there was an earthly natural disaster, the food in your retreat would sustain your family. In the same way your spiritual supplies will sustain you through the emotionally troubling times. Your retreat needs to be Christ and the salvation that He provides through His death and resurrection. He is the only place where you can find true rest. Even if your life is hard you know that he has you in his hands and eventually you will get the reward of heaven.

What are the spiritual supplies that I am talking about? Faith and trust in the Lord, knowing that he will do what He has promised, and that even if times are hard He will bring you through. Knowledge of Scripture is another supply for hard times. Let’s face it, you don’t always have your Bible and concordance with you, and the enemy will attack you at the most inconvenient times. If you work on memorizing Scriptures, and have a good working knowledge of what is said on certain topics then when the trials come you will know what to do. But the most important supply you can have is a consistent prayer life. That is your direct link to God, who does hear and answer your prayers.

This week schedule some time to sit down and list out possible events that would shake your faith, and evaluate whether your spiritual retreat and supplies are properly prepared. Run through exactly what you would do if a calamity struck you. This way you will not be left in the dark not knowing where to go when it happens, but you will know exactly what to do. And if you are not properly prepared, take the steps that are necessary to become prepared.

Psalm 16:8 –  “I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”