by Joseph | Jul 26, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
Okay, here it goes – I’m certain I’ll be labeled (again) as some crazy conspiracy theorist, or perhaps a gloom and doom preacher. Feel free to label me whatever you feel is appropriate. I’ve been called lots of things before :).
First of all, let me state that I do believe we are heading toward a collapse. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that I would say that and be completely alone in my statement. Today, however, there are many people who now seem to agree with me.
This is not intended to be “gloom and doom” but a reminder that we must be preparing. I can not fathom how anyone can go through a day without the Faith in knowing the coming Messiah.
So why do I think there will be a collapse? Well, everything I’m seeing tells me so. You see, for a long time America has been the greatest financial powerhouse on the planet. Today, not so much. We are about to lose our lunch. Those who have held to a faith in the government structure will soon be very disappointed.
At this very moment the government wrestles with this issue of raising our debt ceiling. Basically, we have to borrow more money to keep us floating. At some point (which I believe is now), you simply can not continue borrowing above your ability to repay.
I certainly pray for our leaders and appreciate their hard work on this matter. It’s a very, very, difficult decision and one that will create major issues regardless of which way it goes. I recognize the difficulty. You see, I contend that regardless of the vote – we are heading for a collapse. Heed the call to prepare!
The US government likes to borrow money rather than make the tough choices of which programs to cut. We have become a Country of Entitlements and have continually fed the animal until it is very difficult to wean. The more we feed it, the closer we come to our own demise.
(more…)
by Joseph | Jul 25, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
In my lifetime, I have never seen such despair and ambivalence. People are afraid and many are losing hope. The times have impressed people to begin living more simple lives, and to prepare.
In fact, many people have felt a call to prepare and to be ready for the difficulties that are approaching. Those difficulties could be in the form of political or economic crisis, or they could be a catastrophic natural event like an earthquake or drought. Whatever the difficulty, countless families are now seeing the importance of preparing.
My family has been in active preparation for years now, although I’ve shared often that it is not what I assumed it to be. When I originally started on the journey of preparation, I assumed it was all about storing provisions and learning how to plant a garden. Certainly, those were/are important in the process of preparedness, but the real need of preparation is much greater.
God is calling us to a deeper Faith in Him. We can, and should, be better prepared for events that will impact us in a major way – but more than that, we need to be steadfast in our Faith. We need to be prepared to meet our God.
As we simplify our lives and look for ways to sustain our families in emergencies, we should also be preparing and softening our hearts to hear from God. Store the Word of God in our hearts, so when the times of troubled waters come – we are prepared.
“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Psalms 69:1-3
by Joseph | Jun 21, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
Preparation is now taking on a new and vital importance. For those doubters who have scoffed at the need or call for preparation, I hope you will soon arise from your sleep.
Many people never thought that the world and domestic events would push things to the point of where we now find ourselves. It is an amazing time to be alive! Prepare to meet thy God!
World events are changing very quickly with daily reports of wars and upheaval all over the globe. Everything is becoming more intense and will continue to intensify as we draw ever closer to the end of the age.
As I look over the events of the day, there are some amazing things that are happening – yet, most people do not seem to take notice (or perhaps prefer to ignore them).
Economies all over the world are failing (especially in the West) and people are taking to the streets in protest. Countries are selling their assets just to stay afloat and perhaps survive a few more months. Are we so ignorant to believe that a few changes will suddenly and effectively change the ultimate outcome? I am not an economist, but I just believe it is folly to assume we can continue “economy kiting” with more bailouts.
The more I see that is happening, the more I am convinced that people must expedite preparations. The world economy is in peril, and many leaders believe the best way to stimulate the economy is for war to emerge. When you look at the events all over the globe, it’s not a stretch to see that the US and other Countries are positioning and preparing for war.
Within the next six months it will likely not shock many people to see the US expanding operations and engaged in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, or Pakistan. In addition, it seems highly likely that Israel will be pressed on its borders, with significant new rocket terror from all fronts. (more…)
by Joseph | May 26, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
Emergency preparedness is an important part of taking care of your family. In addition to preparing for a possible natural or man-made disaster, by taking care of water and food storage, and having a first aid kit, you should also take steps to ensure that your finances will not be overtly affected by a wide scale situation, and that you will have enough funds on hand that will allow you to be mobile if needed. There are many different things that can be done to make you sleep easier at night, but the following are a few basic steps that should not be overlooked.
A big part of emergency preparedness is having cash available. This doesn’t mean funds in a savings account, money that in a normal situation would be easy to withdraw; it means actual cash that is hidden somewhere in your home that you can access if there is an emergency situation. If the power goes out throughout a large urban area, and for a long period of time, then credit card transactions and direct debit from your account may not be possible. If that is the case, then your foresight to have emergency cash on hand will serve you well, as it will probably be the only form of payment accepted.
After the situation has been resolved, then the next step is fixing the problems and confusion that occurred. Your emergency preparation should have involved making backup copies of all relevant data related to your finances. On an external drive, you should regularly backup any recent transactions made online, and your credit card information. The idea here is that even if there is a massive power surge that fries your computer, followed by a power failure, once things have been restored to normal you should be able to hook your external drive to an unaffected computer and recover all your data.
Another important step to being prepared for an emergency is having financial records and important contact numbers and names of people in a safe place. In fact, this information should ideally be stored in more than one place, in the event that the first location is compromised. Safe locations could involve an external hard drive, a safety deposit box, a home safe, or some other hidden location. Once the situation has been resolved, these records can be accessed and used to make a quick transition back to normal, and they can often suffice as evidence in case the original data has been lost or damaged.
It is hard to anticipate every eventuality, but one major part of emergency preparedness will always involve money. Make sure you have cash available for buying things even when there is no power, and make sure that you have a backup of financial records stored somewhere safe. It is not just the crisis that you need to prepare for. You need to make sure that when it is over that you and your family will be able to successfully survive the aftermath.
by Joseph | May 20, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
Every day it seems more-and-more people are concerned and are beginning to prepare. Some are not quite sure what they are preparing for, but I hear most say they are preparing for disaster.
I heard a preparation call more than 30 years ago. At the time, I didn’t quite understand what it meant to “prepare”, but I tried to just step on Faith. As it turns out, what I assumed was preparation is far more intense than I ever imagined.
The urgency and importance of preparation has never been more critical. As I hear comments from US Government leaders and see the direction we are headed as a Country, I realize that we are racing toward difficulties and disasters that we have never encountered before. The arrogance and audacity of hope founded on intellectual ascent may soon unleash peril upon us – if there is not repentance.
The stunning developments that are now unfolding impress upon me the urgent need for people to prepare. I believe there is an increasing intensity coming that will shake the foundations, especially if our leaders abandon Israel.
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. New International Version
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Prepare, because the day of the Lord is upon us.
by Joseph | May 19, 2011 | Preparation, Sharing
As we continue with the assignment of sharing the need for preparation, it seems we are now joined by the US Government in proclaiming the need to prepare for the Last Days Apocalypse.
In fact, in a recent and popular post on the Center for Disease Control site there was a somewhat disturbing article entitled “Preparedness -101: Zombie Apocalypse“.
Do you think the US Government knows something they are not fully disclosing to a sheepish public? Well of course they do.
I am quite sure the title of this recent article was carefully chosen to create attention and interest from a generation that seems to be strangely fascinated with the horror element and the spread of death through viral interactions. I certainly understand the desire for the Center for Disease Control to market their message of preparedness and certainly recognize the need to alert people of the need to prepare for difficult events.
However… as I read the article on the CDC website it does not really impact me as simply an attention-grabbing horror show fantasy. The fact is, the Bible has already disclosed the events that will unfold and has given us warning that we should be prepared for such events. Why are we now so surprised that even secular Governments are beginning to recognize the times that we live?
In the Book of Revelation we read:
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Rev. 6:8
I believe it is quite ironic that the US Government CDC website used a viral death plague as an apocalyptic description. The CDC urges us to get prepared because such a scenario is not out of the question. The fact is, the Bible has already given us this warning.
Governments regularly shout the message to their people to get prepared for earthquakes, famines, flood, disease, unusual weather events, and terrorism. We regularly hear of wars and rumors of wars, and even receive warning of impending disasters in the heavens (increasing solar flares, meteors, comets, etc). (more…)
