The Irreplaceable Ultra Important Preparedness Tool–Part II

Spiritual preparedness will never let us down

Today’s article is the second part in the two-part series of “The Irreplaceable Ultra Important Preparedness Tool.”

The most important preparedness tool that will NEVER let us down and that we can never have enough of is our Spiritual Preparedness. It’s the First Principle of Preparedness not because of some public relations agenda, not because it sounds all warm and fuzzy, but simply because it IS the most important asset that any preparedness-minded person can have. In fact, the strength of our Spiritual Preparedness will ultimately determine how effective we are in ALL of our other areas of preparedness.

After reading the first part of this series, I had several people take a guess at what this ultra important tool actually is. The most common guess was “knowledge” or “Mental Preparedness”. But Mental Preparedness is the 2^nd Principle of Preparedness because Mental Preparedness is only useful when it’s based on truths, not hype or hearsay. One’s strength of the First Principle of Preparedness is the only sure way to know that we are stocking up on the right kind of information, skills, and mental fortitude.

Before I get too much further here, let’s make sure that we’re all on the same page as to WHAT Spiritual Preparedness actually is or is not. Spiritual Preparedness isn’t a person’s religion, rather it’s how dutifully a person lives their religion—the courage of their convictions. Their Spiritual Preparedness will be reflective of what a person is made of.  What kind of stock are they? What kind of a moral compass are they relying upon? The strength of our Spiritual Preparedness is reflective of who we really are; and it’s impossible to fake when times get tough. Our abundance, or scarcity, of Spiritual Preparedness will be determined by what our convictions really are. Convictions, values, and beliefs lead to action and living a particular lifestyle. The way we live amidst a crisis will be determined by what our faith and hopes really are. And Spiritual Preparedness will also be reflective of what our “why” really is.

Why are we purchasing supplies today for a possible “what if” tomorrow?

Strengthen your spiritual preparedness by talking with like-minded people

WHY do we take actions today to provide for our family tomorrow?

WHY do we often sacrifice what we want in favor of what we believe we will need in the not-to-distant future?

Why don’t we just “prepare” for a crisis by having a rifle and some ammo on hand and “plan” to survive simply by taking the life of someone else who has what we want, coupled with stealing and looting?

Why don’t we allow ourselves to just assume that someone else will take care of us in a crisis?

Why don’t we just throw our hands up in the air and say “If a crisis comes that’s so awful that I have to worry about how I’m going to shower out of a bucket with less than half a gallon of cold water, I don’t want to live!”?

Why? Because—we all believe that we answer to a higher power that’s not physically seen or heard and we’re more concerned about what He has to say about our behavior than what our doubting neighbors have to say.

It’s impossible to truly be prepared for anything if we don’t have faith, belief, and hope because the courage of our convictions only comes as a result of a solid faith in that which can’t be seen, touched, felt, heard, or explained. The strength of our faith, values, and beliefs will determine what kind of a relationship we have with God. Everyday we rely on that relationship to guide us amidst unfamiliar journeys as if we are blindfolded and His voice is the only way that we can navigate our way through.

This particular guidance has never been more important in our lives in the history of mankind, in my opinion, as today we are pummeled with distractions and deceptions every minute of the day. For example, in the interest of good health (Principle #3: Physical Preparedness), many are questioning the merits of today’s vaccinations. There’s plenty of information on both sides of the issue that one can read, but because the lies are so compelling, it’s hard to determine what is and is not true. But thanks to our relationship with God, we can be guided to the truth of all of these types of questions and dilemmas if we are willing to do the spiritual work necessary to hear the answer and to trust the answer in spite of what other “answers” are being thrown at us by those who would deliberately deceive or those who are simply empty of any true knowledge. And understand, for whatever reason, those answers may be different for each person.  God is in the details of the details of the details.

soldier in reverent contemplation

Since He is the source of all truth, there’s no dilemma that’s too difficult, or too miniscule to take to Him for help in seeing our way clearly. Even the toughest of questions can be readily answered so long as we constantly pay the price to strengthen our Spiritual Preparedness. For example, today I received a message from one of our readers. In it she asks a tough question that many of my preparedness-minded friends have wrestled with. She asks:

“I query about how to handle a situation of someone not prepared with a family asking for help… Where can someone draw the line between helping someone and hurting your family?  Where as (sic) believers do we say no to those in need?”

So tell me how much water do you need to be able to answer this question? What kind of fallout shelter will give us the correct answer on this dilemma?  What Bachelor’s degree would properly prepare someone to answer this question accurately in a manner that would “fit” everyone that might come on our doorstop begging for help?

Can you see it? None of the other 9 Principles of Preparedness can even begin to properly address this question! It’s tough situations like this that require a person to have a solid foundation in the First Principle of Preparedness. Not all the solutions of self-reliance come from a list of tangible items—not even from books of knowledge and skills. Sometimes you just have to rely on your gut…listen to what you really feel, listen to what He’s trying to tell you. He is the source of all truth and there will be plenty of UN-truths thrown at us nowadays and even more will come in the midst of a real crisis. It’s matters like these that we should prepare to answer now so that when the time comes that we have to make this decision, it’s already made.

Did you pick up on that parallel? Even with Spiritual Preparedness we still have to practice, stock up, and rotate TODAY in order for there to be peace tomorrow—just like all of the other Principles of Preparedness.  Continuing on with this example, if it were me struggling with this query, I’d be sure to take this to the Lord in earnest prayer and petition for His wisdom and guidance. But I’d take it further than that because to me, just asking in prayer is akin to a 72 hour kit; meaning that there’s so much more one can do in order to strengthen one’s strength of Spiritual Preparedness. As such, I’d tackle a question like this just like I would any other tough preparedness question—pray, research, study (via scriptures, books, conversations with like-minded friends, etc.), and pray some more for the answers until I get the answer. I’d also be sure that I did everything else I could do to show my willingness to receive the answers to these tough questions, meaning I’d be sure to stay true to all of the previous answers He’s given me.  (One thing I’ve had to learn the hard way is that if He gives me an answer and I fail to behave in accordance to the truth He’s already taught me, He’s not inclined to entrust me with other truths.) If we handle all of these tough questions in this manner, then our peace will be unshakable even in circumstances which may initially appear to be hopeless. We will be able to trust ourselves to always make the right decisions when they need to be made—even the tough decisions that are in the best interests of those we CAN help.

Information leads to inspiration

Remember, He has to live by natural laws too, including the law of consequences. There will be a point in which we CAN’T help someone else because we CAN’T “give” them what they need with regards to this First Principle. We can talk and plead until we’re blue in the face, but we can’t just demand that a person believes. When a young woman has just watched everything she owns and everyone she loves get swept out to sea amidst a powerful typhoon, what else does she have besides her character, her belief, and her moral compass?  ALL she has is that compass to get her through the trauma, fatigue, hunger, and depression that’s sure to follow such an experience.

Last month I watched a show on National Geographic called “American Blackout”.  I quickly grew tired of the rationale that was offered as justification for a person to commit a crime against their fellowmen.  “You don’t understand. I have kids! They are hungry!—says the man who’s holding a knife on a couple, intent on robbing them of a can of peaches, even if it means having to kill them both to get it.  We can try until we’re blue in the face, but there would be nothing that this man could do to change the direction of True North to fit his deceptive desires. True North doesn’t change just because a person has kids who are hungry, has bills to pay, or is faced with a devastating loss. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say “thou shalt not kill unless you are hungry”, right? But if we’ve stocked up well on our Spiritual Preparedness needs, then we’ll never be swayed by such deceptive excuses and we’ll remain safe and sound.

The fortitude of our Spiritual Preparedness will determine how much of a buffer we have between who we want to be and who we might be once we cross the line of “Desperation.” Tomorrow we will undoubtedly hear reports of people who were trampled right into a hospital all because someone just had to save $100 on a large screen TV.  When I posted the first part of this article, I actually received a handful of hateful messages—berating me for not divulging the answer in the first article. Seriously, I had people calling me every name in the book and totally freaking out all because they felt entitled to something that I had. If people are going to lose all sense of decency over something like that, then how much worse would they sink when life gets really tough?!!

On National Geographic’s show, “Doomsday Preppers”, the show featured a man who made it a point to inform everyone that he was only stocking up for 6 months and after that he and his “gang” fully intended to rob and plunder other “preppers.”  He literally said “we are the marauders” and made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he had kept track of where every prepper lives who had previously been featured on the show.  I heard from many of you who caught that show, disturbed by this man who had essentially declared war on every other prepper and who thought nothing of taking a human’s life all to feed himself. But when I saw his segment, I wasn’t concerned one bit because it was plenty obvious to me that he was lacking in the #1,  key, irreplaceable, ultra important preparedness tool—Spiritual Preparedness.  And as such, I knew that either he’d be taken care of by others who think just like him but who have significantly more street smarts and skills in close-combat scenarios or he’d make it to my home and keep his promise to attempt to end my life. Whether I live or die in a crisis, I’m ready for him and those who are just like him, because I know that I will either come off conqueror because of my relationship with my God or it will be my time to leave this earth and return to Him. Either way, I’m at peace because that, my friends, is what strong Spiritual Preparedness brings with it—true peace. So stock up now on all the faith, belief, hope, and conviction that you can because you’re sure to need it tomorrow…and the next day…and the next.

May you experience a truly peaceful journey in your preparedness.