We all know times are getting bad. Even if you had never been in church and never heard about the “end times”, you could simply look around at current events see that the direction this world is headed is not a positive one. As Christians, we’ve read our Bibles and we know what’s coming. We know that things are going to “wax worse and worse” and because of this foreknowledge we find ourselves wanting to prepare for the future.
People will tell you that you need to start storing up food and water for the uncertain times ahead of us. They will say that you need to start saving up your money to have an “emergency fund” for your family. You may hear people encourage you to get your into better health and strength to prepare for the things you may face.
I don’t know exactly what the future holds or exactly what is going to happen, but I do know that it’s going to be tough because the Bible does plainly state that. However, I’ve read so many stories throughout God’s Word of how He provided food and water for His people when they had nothing. I trust Him to provide our needs even in the darkest and hardest of times.
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water; but of hearing the words of the Lord;
And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11-12
There may come a time when food is scarce and water is hard to find. We have already seen a little glimpse of that in the last few years. But when I read this verse, I think we need to focus a little less on preparing physically and focus a little more on preparing spiritually.
As I look around today, I see more and more “churches” and more and more “preachers” leaving the original King James Bible and going to these modern versions. I hope I don’t offend anyone with this, but I’ve done enough research on this topic to know that these modern translations have taken so much out of the Bible. I believe each and every word in the Holy Bible is divinely inspired by God and He put it there for a reason. It’s so, so dangerous to take out even one word that God said, much less entire verses like many of these versions are doing.
God’s Word is our food and if you keep taking nuggets out here and there, eventually you’re not going to have any food left and you’re going to starve to death.
So, instead of focusing all of our strength and energy on preparing physically and monetarily, I believe we need to put a bigger emphasis on preparing our hearts for the spiritual famine that our world is beginning to experience.
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12
Satan knows that his time is short and he better attack while he has the chance. He isn’t going to lighten up but instead, his attacks will get stronger and more intense as the day approaches. That is what we need to be preparing for. If you knew you were going to be doing a strenuous run, you would start training and preparing and strengthening your body. In the same way, we know that as days continue, we are going to be faced with harder and harder spiritual battles and we need to strengthen our spirit in preparation for that.
Study that precious Word of God. Write it upon the tables of your heart.
There may come a day when we don’t have such easy access to a Bible and we need to have that weapon inside of us, ready to use at all times. Pray and spend time with God. He is our strength. He is our strong tower.
Remember, which dogs wins? Whichever one you feed the most. There are two dogs inside of us, our flesh and our spirit. We must take the initiative and be intentional to feed the spirit and starve the flesh. If a time comes when we must choose Christ or food, when we must choose Christ or our next breath, it is vitally important that our spirit is stronger than our flesh. That’s why we need to start now starving and weakening our flesh and feeding and strengthening our spirit. Don’t give your flesh what it wants. Show your flesh who is boss – the spirit. His Spirit.
I encourage you to remember what’s most important. As you look around and see the shape of the world, it’s okay to prepare yourself and your family physically, but it is so much more important to prepare spiritually. Eat the right food (your Bible) and get yourself strong and ready for the fight.
If you have questions or want to talk more about this topic, please feel free to contact me at brannigan@fromonebeggartoanother.com and I would be happy to talk to you!
