I worry about the reasons most people seem to get into prepping.

[Richard.20.12]

They're often based on ludicrous conspiracy theories that change by the week! And their adherents never seem to acknowledge how flaky their information sources are! Visit places like Truenews or Rumble for a chuckle. Every few days there seems to be a new end of the world. They know that the more sensational and dramatic their prediction the more views they will get which equals more advertising revenue.

There is one conspiracy though that IS valid. Its the devil. He's the one you can blame for your woes and tribulations. So learn about him from the Bible so you can recognized his influence in your life and how to develop defensive measures against him. Because he is well practiced and very adaptable. A most cunning adversary. It also helps to understand why the devil does what he does. He knows he's going to hell to spend an eternity in torment. He seems bent on bringing as many of us with him as possible.

So just make sure you're prepping for the right reasons. Of course its pragmatic to prepare for food shortages. But really the best prep is water fasting. Because then you can just stop eating for up to 40 days and you'll actually be much healthier at the end of your stint than before. And no food will be consumed. THAT's prepping. Not many interruptions of our food supply last for 40 days!

Another area that preppers never seem to discuss is sprouting. Cooking wastes enormous amounts of energy. Using a fire creates identifiable smoke and pollutes your interior air quality. Instead learn that you can eat many animal products raw safely (with far more nutrients!) and can sprout so many unperishable foods grains, peas, lentils and beans. All you need is water. And if course you'll have water because without it you'll be dead in a few days anyway.

Another area is learning how to grow food yourself indoors. Unless you live in Florida or Hawaii you should be growing food indoors because its cheap and organic. It does take practice and care though. No one sane wants to subsist on MRI's for weeks or months.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Thanks for your comments. I do have a sprouter, but have only used it a couple times basically to learn how to.
We are avid gardeners, and find growing indoors will simply not provide enough food for our needs. We have a 1000 sq foot garden and almost grow enough for our needs, but not quite. We do a lot of dehydrating and canning to help spread the supply throughout the year.
You comments on prepper problems are well taken. Some do tend toward flakey theories. Current events, as well as anticipated shortages would seem to confirm the concerns of many.
Thanks again for your comments. If you can share more with us, please do!

 

[Richard.20.12]

Thanks for your comments. I do have a sprouter, but have only used it a couple times basically to learn how to.
We are avid gardeners, and find growing indoors will simply not provide enough food for our needs. We have a 1000 sq foot garden and almost grow enough for our needs, but not quite. We do a lot of dehydrating and canning to help spread the supply throughout the year.
You comments on prepper problems are well taken. Some do tend toward flakey theories. Current events, as well as anticipated shortages would seem to confirm the concerns of many.
Thanks again for your comments. If you can share more with us, please do!

Well you don't need a "sprouter" which is probably plastic. Glass jars and a sieve work fine and are completely inert. Some sprouters water automatically which is good and some use a mist which may be preferable. There are several ways to sprout of course. Some use the rinse method but others use a hemp bag to retain more consistent moisture. Different foods benefit from different methods. It takes practice. More than a couple of times.....
1000 sq feet is pretty big. But so are your walls. Look at vertical gardens on Pinterest for some stunning examples. Of course its done hydroponically because soil indoors can present numerous problems. Some people are experimenting with inverted growing. The point is to consume as much food as possible raw and fresh, not dehydrated and canned. Canned foods often are salted if its not fruit.

So what do you do about water purification? We do need water after all. Sediment filters are comparatively easy to make and seem to be quite effective. IF you know what you need to filter.

Its too bad solar panels and wind turbines are so difficult to conceal! Power is kind of out of the question in a bunker for long periods of time. Maybe you can put in a water turbine in an aquifer beneath you! I notice preppers almost never talk about power. How do you see anything in a windowless bunker? How do you draw air down if there is no power? You could rely on natural convection I suppose as cool air sinks and warmer air rises. But it would probably be intolerably stuffy with high CO2 levels without a power source. Batteries don't last so long though LED lighting and fans don't consume much energy. I suppose most people aren't going the bunker route as its too involved and isn't workable long term without a power source. Solar panels and wind turbines are blatantly obvious.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Well you don't need a "sprouter" which is probably plastic. Glass jars and a sieve work fine and are completely inert. Some sprouters water automatically which is good and some use a mist which may be preferable. There are several ways to sprout of course. Some use the rinse method but others use a hemp bag to retain more consistent moisture. Different foods benefit from different methods. It takes practice. More than a couple of times.....
1000 sq feet is pretty big. But so are your walls. Look at vertical gardens on Pinterest for some stunning examples. Of course its done hydroponically because soil indoors can present numerous problems. Some people are experimenting with inverted growing. The point is to consume as much food as possible raw and fresh, not dehydrated and canned. Canned foods often are salted if its not fruit.

So what do you do about water purification? We do need water after all. Sediment filters are comparatively easy to make and seem to be quite effective. IF you know what you need to filter.

Its too bad solar panels and wind turbines are so difficult to conceal! Power is kind of out of the question in a bunker for long periods of time. Maybe you can put in a water turbine in an aquifer beneath you! I notice preppers almost never talk about power. How do you see anything in a windowless bunker? How do you draw air down if there is no power? You could rely on natural convection I suppose as cool air sinks and warmer air rises. But it would probably be intolerably stuff with high CO2 levels without a power source. Batteries don't last so long though LED lighting and fans don't consume much energy. I suppose most people aren't going the bunker route as its too involved.

The water issue is continuing. I have purchased 2 water barrels and am working up to a water catchment system. We do use a filter system for our potable water. The filters are relatively inexpensive and replaceable. In the event tap water becomes unavailable, we are fortunate enough to live in the deep south which has plentiful rainfall and a relatively high water table. Our ground water is at 75 feet, which we are not happy with. We are surrounded by farms and feel that 75 feet is not deep enough to filter out all the chemicals used in the fields. My son deals with this by going down to 300 feet. Nice cool clear water with a minimum of minerals.
We have not considered a bunker. Since we live about a mile from a large east coast AFB, I suspect a bunker would not be enough to save us from a nuc strike of military level. Lord just take us home for that one. But a bunker would be of use for the occasional tornado which steps across the state occasionally. The most useful aspect of an underground structure would be the root cellar application. What food we do prep we need to keep at 70 or below. If the power went out and there was no air, many prepped foods would be at risk.
Thanks again for your comments. They are well received.

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

I think I'll probably get killed during the great tribulation, but I want to prep so the rest of my family won't have a good reason to take the mark. And I'll be pleading with them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to trust Him through this until I'm killed.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Just realize that NOBODY knows what exactly this mark is.

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

Just realize that NOBODY knows what exactly this mark is.

We will recognize it when the time comes because everyone has to be given the conscious choice to take it or refuse it.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Like the conspiracists that "recognized" a million things in the past and warned the world only to have them fall flat? Really? Since the Bible doesn't give a clear description I wonder if it will be obvious what it is when it appears. Is the devil subtle? It won't be clear, to be sure.

Remember Y2K? All that hoopla and concern for nothing.
Before that there was the gold rush where people thought that because gold was sharply rising the world was about to fall apart. All for nothing.
If you look at what conspiracists have predicted in the past you will find every single one was wrong (unless they were hopelessly general like a Nostradamus prediction). Yet they NEVER talk about all their past failures. They are a laughing stock.

Look to the Bible, not people.
Its not some great human conspiracy. Its merely the devil using newer and more powerful tools available to him.

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

Like the conspiracists that "recognized" a million things in the past and warned the world only to have them fall flat? Really? Since the Bible doesn't give a clear description I wonder if it will be obvious what it is when it appears. Is the devil subtle? It won't be clear, to be sure.

Remember Y2K? All that hoopla and concern for nothing.
Before that there was the gold rush where people thought that because gold was sharply rising the world was about to fall apart. All for nothing.
If you look at what conspiracists have predicted in the past you will find every single one was wrong (unless they were hopelessly general like a Nostradamus prediction). Yet they NEVER talk about all their past failures. They are a laughing stock.

Look to the Bible, not people.
Its not some great human conspiracy. Its merely the devil using newer and more powerful tools available to him.

Just know that God's people will recognize it for what it is. You have to trust God that He will tell His own.

I personally was not fooled by any of the false alarms you pointed out. It says in the Bible:

Isaiah 8:12-13
“Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.

 

[Richard.20.12]

> Just know that God's people will recognize it for what it is.

Like people recognize false teachers today so well? Wake up. Satan is sly and conniving and fools good people every single day all over the world. You have a delusional optimism. You've been fooled, I've been fooled, we've all been fooled at times.

> I personally was not fooled by any of the false alarms you pointed out.

I doubt that very much.
So what are you worried about now? What makes you concerned the end is near? Because they've been shouting this from the rooftops for generations now. What clues are some of us missing today?

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

> Just know that God's people will recognize it for what it is.

Like people recognize false teachers today so well? Wake up. Satan is sly and conniving and fools good people every single day all over the world. You have a delusional optimism. You've been fooled, I've been fooled, we've all been fooled at times.

> I personally was not fooled by any of the false alarms you pointed out.

I doubt that very much.
So what are you worried about now? What makes you concerned the end is near? Because they've been shouting this from the rooftops for generations now. What clues are some of us missing today?

Why are you working yourself up about this???

 

[Richard.20.12]

> Why are you working yourself up about this???

I'm not. I'm just trying to point out that all of history refutes what you are claiming. We shouldn't have a blind illusion that things will be obvious when Satan has been subtle since the Garden of Eden. He is subtle because its exceedingly effective. It fooled Eve, then Adam, then all the rest of humanity (at times).

You didn't answer my question about what concerns you in particular today. No surprise. Conspiracists never take responsibility for what they say. Just toss out wild, unsupported theories and hope they stick somewhere. So surprise us and be different from the conspiracy herd.

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

> Why are you working yourself up about this???

I'm not. I'm just trying to point out that all of history refutes what you are claiming. We shouldn't have a blind illusion that things will be obvious when Satan has been subtle since the Garden of Eden. He is subtle because its exceedingly effective. It fooled Eve, then Adam, then all the rest of humanity (at times).

You didn't answer my question about what concerns you in particular today. No surprise. Conspiracists never take responsibility for what they say. Just toss out wild, unsupported theories and hope they stick somewhere. So surprise us and be different from the conspiracy herd.

This is boring. I'll see you around.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Instead of ignoring the topic you sidestep and avoid the question while responding.
C'mon! Tell us what concerns you today. Admittedly there is quite a lot of evil in the world. But what worries you the most?

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I think I'll probably get killed during the great tribulation, but I want to prep so the rest of my family won't have a good reason to take the mark. And I'll be pleading with them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to trust Him through this until I'm killed.

Not really talking about the tribulation here. I don't think prepping for the GT is going to help much. Half the population of the planet is going to be killed in just 2 of the seals/trumpets/vails (1/3, and then1/4 of what is left. So if there were 12 billion, first you would lose 1/3 down to 8 billion, then 1/4 of that, down to 6 billion, or half of the original 12).
We prep for expected economic collapse, weather, natural disasters, biological plagues, and social disorder. Maybe even war. Some of us think that the USA is about to undergo a time of trouble i.e. national judgement due to the apostacy the nation has fallen into. My wife and I do not really prep for ourselves, We are almost in our 70s. We prep for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. If we cannot get to them, we will help whoever comes. It may not last long. We only have so much. But we will try, and then trust God to pick up it.

 

[Second Time is the Charm]

Not really talking about the tribulation here. I don't think prepping for the GT is going to help much. Half the population of the planet is going to be killed in just 2 of the seals/trumpets/vails (1/3, and then1/4 of what is left. So if there were 12 billion, first you would lose 1/3 down to 8 billion, then 1/4 of that, down to 6 billion, or half of the original 12).
We prep for expected economic collapse, weather, natural disasters, biological plagues, and social disorder. Maybe even war. Some of us think that the USA is about to undergo a time of trouble i.e. national judgement due to the apostacy the nation has fallen into. My wife and I do not really prep for ourselves, We are almost in our 70s. We prep for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. If we cannot get to them, we will help whoever comes. It may not last long. We only have so much. But we will try, and then trust God to pick up it.

I know about 2/3 of the world population is going to die, but I don't personally know if my family will be in that number. So there's nothing wrong with prepping for your family who isn't saved. You wrote it yourself that you're prepping for your children and their families. So why is it okay for you to prep for your family but tell me not to prep for my own?

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I know about 2/3 of the world population is going to die, but I don't personally know if my family will be in that number. So there's nothing wrong with prepping for your family who isn't saved. You wrote it yourself that you're prepping for your children and their families. So why is it okay for you to prep for your family but tell me not to prep for my own?

I am sorry. Misunderstanding. Please to prep all you want for whoever you want!

 

[Sabertooth]

They're often based on ludicrous conspiracy theories that change by the week!

I do some prepping for natural disasters.
I am doubtful that anyone can sufficiently prep (naturally) for apocalyptic events.

 

[Richard.20.12]

People pursue preparedness for different reasons. Errant theories don't minimize results. The bottom line is readiness. The how is debatable. Few will contemplate the two if their needs are met.

Satan works through people much like God. There's a lot of fear and it doesn't always rear its head in the ways we hope. Sometimes we have to make peace with the means and ends. It isn't pretty but they're taking action. I'm sure we'd agree too few have done the same.

@SavedByGrace3 Great work on the water! I know you'll get it done in time.

@Second Time is the Charm Your efforts are noble and the Lord has seen your heart. In most instances only one does the same. Suffice to say you're not alone. Familial involvement is a blessing. Keep praying for them and extra hands. Good luck on your preps.

My daughter is going to agriculture school. She'll gain firsthand farming experience along with livestock. I'm excited. I finally started my sourdough and the 50/50 einkorn all-purpose and whole wheat have done well. I working through the freezer and did a batch of bone broth and jerk chicken. I've got a selection of freezer meals but I need to do more. And I found an affordable electric pressure canner I love. It sold out 2 weeks later.

Focus wise, I'm trying to put up shelf stable meals. We have ingredients but I need to quick wins too. I'm doing marinades for meal prep and you're welcome to use them if you need ideas. I'm saving egg shells for tooth powder and trying my hand at egg muffin sandwiches and crumpets for breakfast meals. I have a growing affinity for batch cooking and I'm enjoying it. If you want to do the same here's some inspo.

~bella

Wanna be self sufficient with minimal equipment? Learn about sprouting. You can sprout grains, lentils, peas and beans. And even some nuts and seeds. Sprouting significantly increases nutrients and doesn't require any cooking. Its always available as soon as its sprouted. The ultimate high nutrient, natural, fast food. For most foods they are ready in just 18 to 36 hours. Some as little as about 12 hours. And remember that what you are sprouting is very unperishable and lasts for years. Canning, sauces, food prep....what a waste of time. Go with the core ingredients. You'll also live a lot longer without the salt needed for canning. Not to mention you're canning in aluminum cans (at least most people do). Marmalade? Packed with sugar. Higher glood sugar levels are linked to almost every disease known to man. It makes everything worse. What's the point of prepping if you're just going to die of a heart attack shortly thereafter? Doesn't make much sense.

One of the main attributes of survival in hostile situations is remaining hidden. Good luck with that if you need a fire to cook. Go raw. Its a million times better.

I notice preppers never consider insects yet they breed like crazy, are high in B12 and other nutrients, are high in protein, low in fat and almost all can be eaten raw so you don't waste energy cooking your food. In a survival situation cooking makes very little sense. It just wastes power. Power you may need for far more important things. As an example I would challenge anyone to try black ants. They are incredibly delicious. (Red ants are bitter - stay away from them.) Just one of so many insect meal examples.

 

[Danny&Annie&theChristmas]

I think I'll probably get killed during the great tribulation, but I want to prep so the rest of my family won't have a good reason to take the mark. And I'll be pleading with them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to trust Him through this until I'm killed.

We want to buy some acreage outside of Houston. I would much rather move to New Zealand and away from thee northern hemisphere in the event of a limited nuclear exchange, but we are aging fast and that move seems less likely with each passing year.