Honest Question for Christian Preppers

[SavedByGrace3]

I spend less on prepping than a moderate hobby. Much less than the cruses and expensive vacations many people take on a regular basis. I would say we spend less that 100 a month on prepping. Less that what most people spend eating out.

 

[SimplyDawn]

I spend less on prepping than a moderate hobby. Much less than the cruses and expensive vacations many people take on a regular basis. I would say we spend less that 100 a month on prepping. Less that what most people spend eating out.

While I take prepping very seriously, it's become a almost a hobby for me. I don't feel anxiety to get x-amount done each month, but I have my first notebook I wrote out after doing research, and starting buying and storing. There is a plan of action that I stick to, and I've added notebooks, done more research, learned from other preppers as I've gone along. I tell my kids if you think I'm nutty, then when I die, consider the stored food as my funeral luncheon, just add water and serve!

 

[SavedByGrace3]

While I take prepping very seriously, it's become a almost a hobby for me. I don't feel anxiety to get x-amount done each month, but I have my first notebook I wrote out after doing research, and starting buying and storing. There is a plan of action that I stick to, and I've added notebooks, done more research, learned from other preppers as I've gone along. I tell my kids if you think I'm nutty, then when I die, consider the stored food as my funeral luncheon, just add water and serve!

Nice. We also tell our kids that if nothing happens they will inherit a bunch of long-term storage food. My daughter says she had dibs on the rice. Your kids will not think you are nutty when they are eating freeze dried roast beef while much of the nation is on rations or (hopefully not) starving. My kids all sort of buy into our prepping... maybe not the daughters in laws. But if something nasty does hit the fan, then they are going to have to put up with a lot of "rubbing it in" with every bite of #10 canned food they eat.

 

[bugkiller]

I am just curious and have always wondered about the mindset of a Christian prepper. Now I get being ready for a small disaster, maybe a few weeks of food supply or so bags with needed supplies ready to go. However how can you biblically justify spending large quantities of time and money prepping for a disaster? It seems to me Jesus did really tell us to prepare like that. I've always viewed serious prepping as holding too tightly to this life. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your Biblical reasoning for prepping.

I guess it depends on why one is prepping. The Proverbs tells us to go to the ant.

For me there is much more to it than prepping, so to speak. The quality of my food is one very important issue for me. I do at least some gardening. Am learning very slowly about preservation. Some things store much better than others like turnips over taters. Turnips have fewer issues and keep better over winter. They are a great tater substitute.

bugkiller

 

[bugkiller]

I am a Christian.

I am a prepper.

I don't justify my stockpiling of supplies based on the Bible. Don't see any scripture about MREs and AR15 ammo.

If I were to follow the Bible to the absolute letter, I could have buried my ex-wives up to their neck and thrown rocks at their heads until they died for their "crime" against me. I'm one of those "naughty" Christians who tends to think for myself without consulting God every time I want to blink my eyes.

I'm naughty too. Ain't very well accepted. Thinking is hard work.

bugkiller

 

[Razare]

I am just curious and have always wondered about the mindset of a Christian prepper. Now I get being ready for a small disaster, maybe a few weeks of food supply or so bags with needed supplies ready to go. However how can you biblically justify spending large quantities of time and money prepping for a disaster? It seems to me Jesus did really tell us to prepare like that. I've always viewed serious prepping as holding too tightly to this life. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your Biblical reasoning for prepping.

I think you're right, and I don't worry about it myself.

For a while I tried that "don't worry about food verse". If you really believe that, people will start shoving free food in your face. God wont let you starve, but he does eventually direct you to go get your own food, and so it may involve obedience to see the fulfillment of God's plan in our life.

I like this topic more from a self-sufficiency and spending mindset.

I believe, if you get a plot of land with the right stuff, you'll save money and not lose money.

When I lived out in the country, my winter heat came from the forest behind my house. I didn't have a heating utility bill. Saved me tons of money.

Or take the gardening aspect to this. If you garden, think of all the food money you can save? (Eat better food too.)

There should be some initial investment, but I think if you do it right, it's really a money saver and God would consider it being a good steward.

 

[pat34lee]

If I were to follow the Bible to the absolute letter, I could have buried my ex-wives up to their neck and thrown rocks at their heads until they died for their "crime" against me. I'm one of those "naughty" Christians who tends to think for myself without consulting God every time I want to blink my eyes.

Sounds like you're reading another bible than all the
ones I've seen. God wants to be involved in all your
decisions. That way you tend to make the right ones.

 

[Kenny'sID]

For a while I tried that "don't worry about food verse".

That one kept popping up in my mind as well, but when we look closely, just says not to worry, says nothing about putting ones self into a position where they have to worry by not preparing. If we don't have food, no family, spend all our time doing Gods work and find ourselves concerned, then the verse really comes into play. But for those who have family, God given sense enough to take care of them, then we should do that if we possibly can and the verse by no means states otherwise. As mentioned, we all prep. Let see? It's 11:45 PM here, I have groceries, all that I need for the day so why not sell my car and buy something nice? Because I know I'll need it tomorrow, next week and so forth.

I think it's a noble thing to take care of your family. I do my best to care for them everyday I can. Do you think God wants us to prep? Why?

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your reasoning.

Yes, I think he does. We have a God given basic instinct to survive. Rabid dog? we get out of there fast, instinctively. Something coming at our eyes, we blink or even duck if it's big enough. Someone goes to hit us, our arms go up in defense, and most of that is involuntary response, it's built in. Prepping is simply a common sense and conscious effort much like those things are, and again, it's God given and built in to us, and for a good reason. That in itself is enough for me.

Then there is this:

Mathew 24:15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.…

These people are told to run, to survive and how could one think that those that hear these words, believe in the word of God and actually prepare the best they can are doing something wrong by going that extra mile to survive?

I'm one of those "naughty" Christians who tends to think for myself without consulting God every time I want to blink my eyes.

Hardheadedness and thinking for ones self are two completely different things.

If I were to follow the Bible to the absolute letter, I could have buried my ex-wives up to their neck and thrown rocks at their heads until they died for their "crime" against me.

You could, but you'd have a problem with Gods present law as well as the words. If you followed the Bible to the letter you'd not even consider doing that. I'm going to get it for this, but did you draw that conclusion by thinking for your self or from reading Gods word in it's entirety?

 

[Razare]

That one kept popping up in my mind as well, but when we look closely, just says not to worry, says nothing about putting ones self into a position where they have to worry by not preparing. If we don't have food, no family, spend all our time doing Gods work and find ourselves concerned, then the verse really comes into play. But for those who have family, God given sense enough to take care of them, then we should do that if we possibly can and the verse by no means states otherwise. As mentioned, we all prep. Let see? It's 11:45 PM here, I have groceries, all that I need for the day so why not sell my car and buy something nice? Because I know I'll need it tomorrow, next week and so forth.

If you prep in full-agreement with proverbs and other wisdom verses, you're exercising wisdom and not fear. That manner of prepping is good.

A person who can't prep in faith and God's wisdom will be yielding to a false spiritual attitude when they do it though. "Oh, it's the end of the world, we had better stuff everything away before it's too late!" - False spiritual attitude.

Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. - Ecclesiastes 11:2

That verse is the first that comes to my mind in terms of prepping. If for example, a person puts all their eggs into a prepping venture, without diversification in that manner of life, it could be bad. Like, maybe you don't quit your job and prep, but keep your job and prep? Depends on the circumstances and what God's will is for you.

Another example might be, owning investments, but prepping also. If the world doesn't fall apart, you have wordily wealth to give, or if it does fall apart, you have food stores to give.

Or even implementation of prepping. If it is 1 food storage location, you're assuming that location is available in a disaster.

Me personally? I am learning about plants and mushroom growing. Most driveways have meals growing among the weeds no one knows about. Edible mushrooms can be grown from cardboard.

I'm doing it more because Solomon had revealed to him all the wonders of animals and plants, and I want to learn it too.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. - Ecclesiastes 11:2

I wasn't aware of that one...I like it.

Or even implementation of prepping. If it is 1 food storage location, you're assuming that location is available in a disaster.

Yep, thought of that one, and we have to think ahead. all those recipes we'll need, youtube tutorials and whatever need to go to thumb drive or even hard copy, we just never know if we'll be able to access them otherwise and that's just another tiny example of a tiny thing that could save a lot of trouble.

Me personally? I am learning about plants and mushroom growing. Most driveways have meals growing among the weeds no one knows about. Edible mushrooms can be grown from cardboard.

I'm doing it more because Solomon had revealed to him all the wonders of animals and plants, and I want to learn it too.

Yes some kind of make a hobby out of all the prep stuff. Some very interesting aspects to it and the availability of knowledge, it's there at our fingertips in this prophesied day of great education, one of the signs of the very times we prepare for.

 

[The Hammer of Witches]

Placing your full trust in the Lord is the best preparation you could ever make. While I got food, water, and a "bug out" bag, it is all small stuff. I am not worried about the future because the Lord is with me.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Placing your full trust in the Lord is the best preparation you could ever make. While I got food, water, and a "bug out" bag, it is all small stuff. I am not worried about the future because the Lord is with me.

The lord is with us, he has told us all this ahead of time, I have faith in his word, and I'm not worried either.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I do not think the Lord told us not to prepare. He told us not to worry about tomorrow as if worrying was going to help. Worrying does not help. You have to actually do something. Don't sit by the window,wringing your hands and fretting thinking that is going to help. It will not. Act. If something needs to be done, do it. If you see that a famine might be coming, don't just sit there and worry about it. That does nothing. Do something. Put back some preps. There is no practical different between worrying and doing nothing and not worrying and doing nothing. Either way you are not addressing the issue. ACT!

 

[Endtime Survivors]

That one kept popping up in my mind as well, but when we look closely, just says not to worry,

Hi kenny. Good to see you again. We had quite a lot of agreement over on the Mark thread, for which I am glad because I think this topic relates. I think the context of "worry" from Matthew 6:24-34 is that of fear. Jesus says we cannot work for God and money at the same time without cheating on one or the other, which makes sense because both concepts are based on opposing principles, much like the metaphore of the Bride and prostitute from the Revelation. The prositute promises love but is really only intersted in money whereas the Bride does not need to be paid to offer her love.

Most of the time, when it comes to the topic of working for love full time (which includes the concept of preaching the gospel) as opposed to serving mammon, the most common objection is something along the lines of, "how will I pay the bills"? We should not allow a worry about the material stop us from pursuing the spiritual. This is the answer to the Mark of the Beast, too. When the time comes that we won't be able to buy/sell anymore, some of us may have prepared enough food stocks ahead of time to get by, but then again God is still able to provide for people in situations where they've not stocked up and in some cases "stocking up" may actually be contrary to God's will if it leads to people putting their faith in the material rather than the spiritual.

It's not that stocks of food (or buying land, growing gardens etc) are bad in themselves but that it's so easy for us to become distracted by the material. We could easily miss God's will when/if he says "go" because we've spent so much time storing up food on the understanding that the food would get us through.

 

[pat34lee]

I think it's a noble thing to take care of your family. I do my best to care for them everyday I can. Do you think God wants us to prep? Why?

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your reasoning.

You sound like a pre-tribber trying to politely say I'm outta here, so why bother?
You bother because it may be needed. If not by you, then by others. What if it's
not the end, but the trucks stop running and the power goes out for an extended
time, as in a natural disaster or an attack on part of Americ? Are you going to help
provide for yourself and others, or become a burden on someone else?

 

[pat34lee]

It's not that stocks of food (or buying land, growing gardens etc) are bad in themselves but that it's so easy for us to become distracted by the material. We could easily miss God's will when/if he says "go" because we've spent so much time storing up food on the understanding that the food would get us through.

Sounds about right to me. Stockpiling is for 'in case'. But we
don't put our faith in the food, but in God to preserve us through
hard times. At some point, we may need to leave behind anything
we can't carry with us.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

But we
don't put our faith in the food, but in God to preserve us through
hard times. At some point, we may need to leave behind anything
we can't carry with us.

Yup. Glad we have agreement.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

One thing we need to avoid is placing condemnation on preppers implying that they are somehow being worldly or materialistic because they do what God told them to do. Not so! They are listening to God and acting. Just like Noah!

 

[CB_isme]

I may have a different viewpoint on all this. I don't look at it as a means of surviving the end-times, but as a normal life process.
I live in the country and find those who do not have supplies of food and other "prep"s to be odd and selfish. Selfish because during emergencies those without preps strain the emergency reserves of the area.
Even when I lived in the city I did as well as I could to have a good supply. I do not think there is a need to "justify" prepping as it is simple common sense and is the way people have survived and thrived for centuries.
To not put up the harvest for next year or preserve food in season or while on sale, to simply buy food on a whim using a very precarious delivery system would mean that I am enslaved. I do not have the freedom to do what I want, when I want..if I have to go to the store every few days for supplies that I can simply store at home.

During Ice storms and month long power outages, I've been warm, comfortable, fed, and safe. I didn't have to huddle at a shelter where I would put myself and my family into dangerous close quarters with people I did not know.
The very mindset that "prepping" is extreme or fringe and mindless consumerism is "normal" actually makes me very mournful.

 

[Mudinyeri]

You're right, @CB_isme My family has been storing food and other provisions for 150 years or so ... long before the term "prepping" came into common use. I grew up on a subsistence farm. We had a root cellar where we stored root vegetables, canned good and a few other things.