Prepared!(???)
You are prepared for EVERYTHING! You have food, water, wood, guns, ammo, and medications for everybody in the family for a whole year. You’ve even prepared for the pets! Your whole family is trained in what to do for every situation you can imagine and even dream of in your world. You are convinced that you and your family are fully prepared.
Today, you have that disaster in your area that literally shuts down your whole world. You have decided to bug out. The first night out you sit down to do a Bible study with the family in an effort to calm some nerves and… No one has packed a Bible and your cell phones are not working, so no Bible apps. Now what???
Faith issues
Faith issues are a stumbling block for many a would-be “prepper.” Many people who consider themselves “preppers” mistakenly believe that if they have enough food, or medical supplies, or guns, and water they will be fine. This belief rests in the concept of being able to take care of yourself and being able to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. As intriguing as this self-reliance concept is to the average person, it leaves a huge hole in the very heart of many a “preppers” plan. Simply by leaving the creator of the universe out of their plans creates an opportunity for failure. This is due to the fact that one of the major indicators for successfully navigating and thriving through a disaster is having – AND – practicing your faith. (There is a large volume of research that points out that people of faith fare much better in disasters.)
A whole page on this website is dedicated to looking at preparedness through the lens of faith. As a disaster worker, I have witnessed first hand how faith can play a major role in the lives of those who have and are surviving a disaster.
The Evidence
The first piece of evidence that points to this success comes from Jesus Himself. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV). It is this peace that Jesus refers to that will help us thrive in any disaster situation. It is clearly His desire for you and I to experience this peace. The Jewish believer refers to this peace as shalom.
The Need to Submit
Obtaining that peace requires spiritual surrender that is found in spiritual awareness. An awareness that is based in obedience to the rank structure of God. Simply put, to have this peace, people need to recognize their position before God. This is not an easy task for many people, because it requires an understanding that God is in control of all facets of our lives and we are not. Another way to look at this is that we need to realize that God is sovereign over, and in control of, everything.
The 10 Things To Do Before Disaster Strikes Regarding Your Faith
#1 – Know Jesus as Your Personal Savior
This is really super simple. Please don’t over complicate this part. Knowing Jesus only requires 3 steps.
- Admit you are a sinner. What exactly does that mean? Let me give you an example. Have you ever lied? Even once in your life? Be honest! That little discretion is sin. That sin, even 1, separates you from God. So if you ever disobeyed your parents, a teacher, a boss, or you violated a traffic law (speeding), you qualify. Now all you have to do is admit that you messed up.
- Believe that Jesus is who He says He is. The Son of the living God. This is a challenge, because it requires that you accept several truths found in Scripture. Those truths include, but are not limited to the following: that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified to pay a price for your sin, buried, resurrected on the third day, and sits at the right hand of God the Father even as you read this post.
- Ask Jesus to be your Savior.
THAT’S IT!
The most important decision of your life that truly impacts your eternity really is that simple. This forever relationship with Jesus is by far the most important decision a person can make in their entire lifetime.
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NKJV.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:17-18 NKJV.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV.
#2 – Study The Bible
Please do not confuse the study of the Bible with Bible reading or meditation. Study is the concept of taking the Bible and truly breaking it down into bite sized pieces. Dissecting even word by word, to understand the language and meaning. Obviously, this is much easier to do if you know Jesus as your Savior. (See “Know Jesus as Personal Savior” above). Truly studying the Bible, in my personal opinion, requires the Holy Spirit which can only be obtained through that forever relationship with Jesus mentioned above. In the future, I plan to write a post or two on the subject of Bible study.
#3 – Memorize Bible Verses
Memorizing the Bible will help you in at least 2 ways during and after a disaster. First, it will keep you grounded during the disaster and it’s immediate aftermath. This will help you keep calm. This calmness helps you and your loved ones as you all struggle with the stress of the moment. Second, if your Bible is destroyed during the disaster, you will have what you memorized with you all the time.
To memorize the Bible, it is easiest to take a verse and simply repeat it over and over. It has been said that you have to repeat something 30 times to remember it. Even if this is true, you will need to keep repeating it daily until you have it solidly in your memory. You can always add more verses. Do this as often as you can while keeping up with all the verses you are currently working on.
#4 – Pray
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Assuming that you have that forever relationship with Jesus, prayer is a two way conversation. When we are in tune with God’s will for our lives and we are moving forward to do what God has called us to do, we can know for sure that He hears our prayers, (Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:14 NKJV).
Our prayers should always line up with the Bible. That rogue person who takes off on a tangent and tries to make the Bible line up with their plan has a special place reserved in Hell. Following them in an extreme disaster will likely lead to a bad ending. Praying in God’s will and staying focused on the Bible will save anyone from a bunch of grief.
#5 – Meditate on Scripture
The Bible is clear on the subject of meditation. Psalm 119:148 states, “My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.” (NKJV) It would appear that even when we cannot sleep we should meditate. This would imply that it is good to do anytime and anywhere. So what is meditation – It is thinking about, contemplating, or reflecting on the Word of God.
Philippians 4:8 takes it a step further. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” In situations where chaos reigns and destruction appears to be all around, we need to remember and meditate on the good stuff. This helps maintain a positive mental focus and positively infects the environment around us.
1 Tim 4.13-15 reminds us to give attention to reading, exhortation, and doctrine. Verse 15 is to the point as it says in part, “Meditate on these things.”(NKJV).
#6 – Rejoice
To rejoice is to be glad. The circumstances may not be good or happy, but we can be glad. God has brought us through the disaster. This is cause for rejoicing. The person who recognizes that rejoicing is an act of worship will experience greater success. Rejoicing will help everyone around the believer be more positive as well. This is due to the infectious positive attitude that is being demonstrated.
Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV is clear that when we rejoice and are anxious for nothing through prayer and thanksgiving that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. Imagine in or after any disaster, large or small, how important it will be to have your heart AND mind guarded by God. The peace that calms fears and storms will reign in the believer’s heart and mind during a disaster.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”(NKJV)
#7 – Thanksgiving – Attitude of Gratitude
Thanksgiving is an attitude. Thanksgiving should be lived and visible in all believers. Everyone can be thankful, but believers should wear thanksgiving on their sleeves. There are several benefits to a life lived with gratitude. Some of those benefits are:
What gratitude does:
- Reduces negativity
- Reduces stress
- Improves sleep
What gratitude may help:
- To rewires the brain
- Assists in the healing process
- Boosts self esteem
- Increases/improves performance
- Improves relationships
Being thankful can really change your situation in the middle of a disaster. This attitude will impact you and the rest of the people you are with at the time. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)
#8 – Don’t quench the Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.”(NKJV). Given that the situation is safe and trust is not an issue, allow compassion to happen. Let me explain. Someone in your group that wants to do something for you or another member of the team, let them. Not allowing them to do it may keep someone from receiving a blessing. This blessing may work both ways. The blessing could be for the person receiving the compassion or the person acting with compassion.
#9 – Recognize your position before a sovereign God
Many times people who are “prepared” believe they have gotten where they are by themselves. This could not be further from the truth. Remember, regardless of the disaster, God is still in control.
Think about it like this: you are a skilled child and God is your loving parent. God wants to guide and protect you and your family. Listen to hear His voice through prayer, circumstances, and His Word. Learning to listen for His parental leadership before the disaster could be a life saving skill during a disaster.
#10 – Copy Scripture
I learned this skill when reading the book, “Devotion Explosion” by Stephen Schwambach. The basic idea is to copy the Bible, by hand, EXACTLY as it appears in the version you are copying from. Every capital letter, comma, period, jot and tittle exactly as it appears in the text. In an effort to boil this down into a bite sized piece and oversimplify the concepts I have included my personal rules of engagement.
Rules of engagement:
- Prayerfully approach your Bible Study time.
- Only copy the amount of text you can meditate on for that day. It may only be a verse or two. (This is not an opportunity to sit and just copy text!)
- Start with a smaller book so you do not get bogged down in a long book like Psalms. (My first book was Ephesians)
- Pick 2 colors of pens. Blue and black or red and green work well, just remember you will want to read this Bible later.
- Pick one of those colors, (I used black). The color you choose will be used to copy all odd numbered chapters. In the midst of the odd numbered chapters, use the other color to write the verse numbers. This makes finding the verses easier later.
- DO NOT get in a hurry. The time spent reading and copying the Bible is devotional time. These golden moments must be guarded, prayerful, and thoughtful. Take each word and make certain that the meaning is clear. If the word is not clear or you do not know what it means, take the time to look it up. Sometimes it may take up to a month to copy 1 chapter.
- Do not get discouraged by slow progress! Slow progress is perfectly acceptable!
The Challenge
The challenge is to have accomplished or started building up each of these tools related to your faith. Why is this challenge SO important? Ministry opportunities will arise and arise often during a disaster. Having these tools in your toolbox could help your entire community when they are in need someday. Some of these are once in a lifetime opportunities while others could easily be daily activities for the rest of your life. Honing these tools as a member of a Bible believing church will help you build a solid toolbox. Accept the challenge and be prepared for greater success during and after a disaster.