Should Christians "prep"?

I first heard the term "prepping" about a year ago from a friend who has cable TV. I think this grew out of what used to be called survivalist but now encompasses a broader scope than just surviving a nuclear war. I am familiar with the term "homesteading" as I subscribed to Mother Earth News in the 70s.

As a Christian family we can see two worlds, a natural world and an artificial world. This is consistent with our faith in that Jesus told his disciples that if they were of the world, the world would love them, but since they were not of the world, the world would hate them. The artificial world to us is one that appears to offer comfort, status, and material prosperity through collectivized systems that seem to entangle and confine. For us the natural world holds more appeal in that it resonates more with the one who created it.

Some people say that they don't prep because they trust God. However, they often carry a spare tire in their car. I would say that the Christian should not be driven by fear to try to protect himself from any and all calamities. The Christian above all should be able to show his faith and trust in his Savior even in the face of death.

Prepping I see as more of a consideration of possible circumstances besides a rapture or death. The consideration of some condition where the social function with which we are familiar becomes interrupted such that we are unable to rely upon traditional employment, law enforcement, or food distribution.

The consideration of possibilities becomes an interesting exercise. I would never have thought that our country could have gotten as far in debt as we have. I would have never thought it would have been possible for people to support a system where we loan ourselves money, but here we are. It just goes to show you that it is tricky to try to predict the future.

Many Christians send their children to college to secure a prosperous future for them in the world. This is a type of "prepping". This type of prepping is based on an assessment of the future that things will continue as they are.

The phrase "self sufficiency" can mean two different things for a Christian. To be sufficient in self as opposed to sufficient in Christ is a danger. However, this needs to be properly distinguished from being self sufficient as opposed to socially dependency. Many Christians give lip service to their trust in God, but are in fact terrified of being disconnected from the social system that provides their employment, food, health, and retirement income.

I would define Christian "prepping" as giving proper consideration to various future possibilities. Christian prepping is not driven by either fear of or faith in the present social order. Having candles and matches may be wise in the event the electricity is interrupted. Larger actions such as moving to a rural area may not be practical for some. An urban Christian "prepper" may want to make a relational connection with a Christian in the country. When society is stable this connection might simply serve as a conduit for healthier food. However, it might become a lifeline should urban life become untenable.

In a way, what a Christian prepper does is not as important as why he does it. There are two areas in which prepping exposes Christian deficiency. The first is fear. Fear is a indicator of weak faith. The second is pride. If we think we are able to prepare and overcome any possibility, we leave little room for God in our lives.

One aspect of prepping that I find interesting is guns. I find it sad that governments want to take away guns. I can understand that guns give people the opportunity to resist forced compliance and that governments tend to view this as unacceptable. However, I would like to be able to dispatch a skunk at a distance and would prefer not to have to kill one with a knife. I know some people look at guns as essential for prepping. I admit there are some post societal breakdown scenarios where armed groups would be necessary for defense. I question the need for fully automatic weapons in that to my mind they are just a way of saying, "Hey, I'm over here and I am out of ammunition".

To me, the way a person thinks about guns can reflect what he thinks about prepping.

1. I'd like to get a gun some day.
2. I'm going to get a gun in case I need it.
3. I got a gun and ammo because I use it periodically.
4. I have several guns and lots of ammo because we might not get the chance to get them in the future.
5. I need to get more guns so no one will be able to mess with me.

I think most people would agree that someone at number five might have some issues to deal with. To answer the original question, "Should a Christian prep"? I would say the answer is no because the question implies some requirement. A Christian may prep in varying degrees without it becoming a problem. However, since there are potential problems, the Christian is advised to prep with caution lest his fear or pride get out in front of him.

So many subjects and points in a single post...
I am at work and do not have my bible close at hand, but I believe the Scriptures tell us to feed ourselves through our own works.  I'll find the passages later, but my signature line is one reference.  Also we are told of having our storeroom filled, again I will post the passage later.  As for guns, they are only tools.  The use of a gun determines how good or evil the person who uses it is.  Having multiple guns simply means a person has found a use for one, that another firearm will not do as well.  A shotgun is a great all around general use firearm that can be used to put down sick or injured livestock, decend ones home, and gather food.  A good quality handgun will also do the same things, but is easier to have at hand while doing chores around the homestead.  Do not go shooting skunks!  They are federally protected (except during trapping season) and do a great job of keeping grubs from damaging crops.

I believe that Christians should prepare to take care of themselves as much as possible.  I carry various types of insurance hoping I never need them.  I put up food during the harvest season so that I can eat better during the winter.  Prepping is the same type of thing.  You prepare so that you can provide for you self and your loved ones.
What does the Bible say about this?
[1 Timothy 5:8] But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.  (KJV)
I think this verse says it pretty plain.  As Christians we should prepare as much as we can for any emergency or needs  that might come in the future.  This not only includes food, clothing and shelter, but also protection from those who would do us or our families bodily harm.  I am responsible to do all I can to provide safety for my loved ones.  If that means taking up arms so be it.
We prepare all we can and trust God to fill in when, because of our limitations, our resources can't meet the needs.

Something that people don't realize it that there is a difference between prepping and being a prepper.  I live on the East Coast.  We can lose power from snowstorms, hurricanes, wind storms, etc.  So, I am prepared for that.  However, I'm not into the whole prep mind set that so many others have.  I don't stock pile ammuntion.  I'm not barricading myself in my house, etc. 

I could post more, but I'm tired, and not able to come up w/a good way to explain everything.

I would like to see a good definitions of Prepper and Prepping.  I might need a bit of education here.

hmm, dizzy makes a good point here.  The current fad of prepping for some end of the world zombie apocolypse that is in reality nothing more than a marketing scheme, is not something a christian should participate in.  Much like the militia movement during the Clinton administration, the main thrust of the movement is simply manufactured hysteria.   On the other hand, as Robn points out, being responsible for yourself, and your loved ones by taking precautions is a founding principle ofChristianity.  How can you help others, if you cannot help yourself?   

So my defination of being prepared would include a look into our past.  Those who lived wisely, and provided for their families with gardens and small self sustaining farms were well prepared for the great depression, and the hardships this nation faced during both world wars.  Those who relied on other peoples labors to provide for their families did not fare so well.

The current or modern day "prepper" IMO is simply a lost soul looking to buy happiness.

Someone that I know was telling me about someone that they heard on the radio (it might have been Glenn Beck).  And, according to this person, we all needed to stock up on what he called the 5 Gs-guns, gold, gas, ground and groceries.  Those that are all concerned about that are what I consider "Preppers".  They're looking at TEOTWAWK.

On the other side of the coin, we have those that have added the 6th G to the equation, and that's God.  Yes, we prep, but not in the way the world does.  We believe in being good stewards of what God has given us, and want to do what's best for ourselves and our families.  And, we're not overly concerned about the "what if" situations.  We know that, no matter what happens, God is in control.  He can and will take care of us.

Exactly what dizzy said, we need the  6Gs with God being the first. I think of myself as a prepared individual, preparing for the acts of God and man, but not to the extreme of what will we do in the end of the world preppers.

We have to look to history to prepare for the future lest we'll be doomed to repeat it until we learn from it. A prudent person prepares in multiple ways to ensure survival of themselves and their families. By aquiring skills and knowledge as well as tools and land I'm trying to prepare for anything that the future holds. It's nice to have food stored for emergencies but it is wise to store seeds and to have the skills/tools/land to grow more food in the future. As christians we have to have faith that God will provide for us but we also have to learn from the stories in the Bible that instruct us to store provisions for times of faminine.

TEOTWAWK is a real event.  One that I am prepped and ready for... and one that will come as a thief in the night. 

I also have my this world preps.  I have food stores, water stores, and other emergency equipment.  I carry insurance and knowledge of the old ways of doing things.  I have lived through a couple of ice storm power outages that have lasted as long as 10 days.  My family lived well and safe because of my preps.  However we must NEVER FORGET...   God is in control.

When you see a tornado like the ones recently in Oklahoma that totally eliminates one entire building and leaves the house next door untouched, you can see the hand and control of God.  A person can have a bunker loaded with preps, but what is that in the face of the Almighty?

Zombies you say?  Probably.  I see more and more of them each day.  They walk the streets hollow and empty.  They seek nothing more than their own satisfaction and leave nothing in there path but destruction.  Sodom and Gomorrah and now. 

The end is very near.  I think even the sheeple can feel it in the air. That is why they stash their ammo and hunker down.  The way out of the situation is not to be found in more AR-5's and MRE's - it is only to be found in the B.I.B.L.E..  

We need to be ready and we need to depend on God.  We also need to be ready to accept the gifts and assistance that God lavishes us with.   There is an old joke that illustrates this best. 

In a town the river began to flood and the evacuation orders were given, but one old man sat rocking on his porch while the rest of the town fled.  Some people stopped by his house and begged him to leave, but he smiled and said, "I will depend on the Lord. God will provide." 
The next day the man's house was sitting in the middle of a flood and a boat came by to help the old man.  Again he refused to leave. "I will depend on the Lord. God will provide." 
Later that day the flood waters were up even higher.  Now the old man was looking out the second story window when the boat came by with the people begging him to come.  Again, "I will depend on the Lord. God will provide." 
The next morning the old man was sitting on his roof when the boat came.  The flood waters raging all around him the rescuers were fighting currents and debris to get to the house, but again the old man refused to come.   "I will depend on the Lord. God will provide." 

At noon the river washed over the house and the old man died.

Later after the first rush of heaven's joy had settled the old man sat by Jesus.  The Lord asked him if he could answer any questions.  The old man thought a while and then asked. "Why didn't you save me from the flood?  I kept praying, but you didn't provide that time." 

The Lord looked gently at the man and said, "Yes child, I DID provide.  You were too stubborn and foolish to take my gifts.  After all I sent you a warning as well as THREE boats.  You are the one that refused to be saved."

God led many people to prep throughout the Bible.  The most well known are Noah, when he was told to build the ark and Joseph, when God told him there was going to be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine.  The scriptures tell us we have to live in this world, but we aren't to be a part of it.  In order to unplug, if you will, from the world, I believe you have to prep.  I'm not talking about going all militia, but as others have said, make sure you have what you need to take care of your family's needs, but also have extra to help your neighbors.  We currently have a neighbor that had been in a plane wreck several years ago.  It's just him and his wife, and he's no longer to eat normally, most of his food comes through tube feedings, although he can use a straw to drink certain foods that have been pureed.  She basically quit cooking for just herself, so, Joe and I extended our gardens and now keep them fed.  They're also on a very tight income, which is one reason she doesn't do much cooking for herself, she puts most of their grocery money into things he can have.  Joe and I also see the direction the world is going in and have learned that we can't depend on mankind, so instead we have been trying to learn all we can how to use the bounty that the Lord provides.  One other thing I will add, and I know that many will not agree with me on this one, but I don't believe in a pretrib rapture, but that Christians are going to go through a lot of things before the second coming, we want to be prepared to help our family as well as other Christians make it till Christ returns.

hmm everyone seems to have covered my references, so unless requested I'll hold on posting further on this.

I have a differant opinion on this subject. I believe with all of my heart that TEOTWAWKI is going to happen, and is in the process of happening NOW! God is a very loving God. He wants everyone to be saved, but he knows few will get saved. He also knows that time is running out for the ones who are not saved. So, I believe he will/is allow many eye opening things to happen. Kindof a last warning before the end. I think things will only get worse for this world from here on out. Yes, we need to prepp, we should already be prepped. I agree the best prep is knowledge! First, knowledge of Christ, and second knowledge of how to grow/catch/find/kill your own food/shelter/needs.

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

We are in those times now. Like Sonshine said, many were warned to perp in the Bible. Most of all those of us who live in the last days. You can find warning after warning in the Bible if you just look for them. Most passages about the last days have some type of warning about the hard time we will see. I believe in a pretrib rapture, but I also believe in pretrib perilous times.

Even if you don't agree with the spiritual side, just look at how many civilations have risin, and fell throughout history. That alone is reason to prep. It could happen any day!

God bless,
Chad

In a way you are right, birdman. Every three or four generations the world experiences significant changes that make it nearly unrecognizable to the first of that three or four generation series. Four generations back from me was the generation that saw the coming of the 1900's.  The telephone was at best unusual, the pony express and stage coach were still common. Books were paper and mostly leather bound.  I can't say all the changes were good, but air conditioning and the automobile must be included in the plus column of the ledger.

Interesting!  Unfortunately I am terrible and getting across what I am trying to say by typing it.  You ALL make great points and mostly I agree.  We are not preppers in the sense of the movement of sorts, however to many we seem to be since we are prepared for all sorts of things.  We lived 20 years with monthly paychecks so needless to say we always had a few months worth of supplies.  Since the kids have all married and moved on we just kept buying, canning, and storing like always out of habit so now we have a good 6 months worth of supplies.  We also have our livestock for meat and eggs. 

God wants us to trust in him which we do but I also believe that he wants us to be sufficient in providing for ourselves with the tools he gave us. 

We have insurance on cars, home, health, etc and to be honest when I pay those bills I often wonder if this isn't the most untrusting thing we do.  What says that we do not trust in him to provide what we need more than counting on an unfortunate tragedy in our life by buying ins.  There was no insurance in Biblical days.  I dunno it has always made me wonder since insurance is a man made tool not a God given tool.

Consider automobile insurance, for most states you either have it or you cannot legally drive.  As far as other types of insurance are concerned, I have also known of times when people who did not have insurance and it left their families in dire need to cover funeral costs other bills that they left behind along with lost income.  In the day in which we live in I believe that insurance is really financial planning and taking care of your family's needs should something happen to you. 

I don't think that if you have insurance that it means you aren't trusting God.  Having insurance means you are using the resources God has given you to help yourself and those involved should the need arise.  How much insurance you carry is something that should be between you and God.  He will give wisdom in this matter as we pray and wait on Him.

Rohn, that is exactly how I feel about prepping. It is just me using the resources God has give me today to prepare for tomarrow. I can see how it could be seen as not trusting in God for our daily bread, but if he gives me enough bread today for 2 days then there are a couple of things I should do with it. First give some away, second save some for tomarrow. I think this is just being wise with what God has given us. As Christian Homesteaders we all know the importantce of being a good steward. To be that extends past the land into everything God gives me.

Sorry if that didn't make sence. It is 4:00am, and I kindof lost my train of thought at the end.

God bless,
Chad

Rohn wrote:Consider automobile insurance, for most states you either have it or you cannot legally drive.  As far as other types of insurance are concerned, I have also known of times when people who did not have insurance and it left their families in dire need to cover funeral costs other bills that they left behind along with lost income.  In the day in which we live in I believe that insurance is really financial planning and taking care of your family's needs should something happen to you. 

I don't think that if you have insurance that it means you aren't trusting God.  Having insurance means you are using the resources God has given you to help yourself and those involved should the need arise.  How much insurance you carry is something that should be between you and God.  He will give wisdom in this matter as we pray and wait on Him.

I appreciate this.  Many of these points I have thought of as well but always had that question in my mind.  I will always have my insurances for the very reasons you state.  I think I just need to pray about it more so that he makes me feel more at ease on the subject.

mom, we actually have a member, Forerunner, who does not believe in insurance.  My veiws on this are that we each have to do as we feel God is leading us.  I don't think it's a lack of faith to have insurance, after all, wasn't that what Joseph did when God showed him to save for the upcoming 7 years of famine?  He stored to make sure the community had food.  IMO, that's a form of insurance.  We also have to look at the laws.  The Bible tells us to obey the laws of the land, of course, that is, unless they go against God's laws.  On the other hand, if a person believes God is telling them not to carry insurance, it may be God's way of testing their faith, so again, referring to the Bible it tells us we ought to obey God rather than man.  Hope that makes sense.

Sonshine, to me saving for 7 years on your own and insurance are two different things.  Maybe I am just looking at it in a different way but I do agree that if I set my mind to it many years ago and would have put the money up that I have paid into health ins. I would have well over 150,000.00.  It would be drawing interest and would grow somewhat over the years.  It's my inablility to be a good enough steward of the money God makes it possible for me to have to discipline myself enough to save it.  This is where my concern comes from.  I admit I am not doing my best with my money at all times.   You did make sense.  We do have to obey the laws of the land.  The car ins. requirements, etc.

For us, health insurance premiums are automatically taken out of hubby's paycheck.  I've often wished it wasn't.