I had the question posed to me recently of how do you answer people when they say you aren't trusting God when you stockpile food? They always give the verses in the Bible that talk about trusting God for what you eat and what you wear, that God will provide. It's funny, but I've noticed that people who use Bible verses to say you're doing something wrong usually never consider using Bible verses to point out what they themselves are doing wrong.
So, I have the answer, if you want to use the Bible. First, God gives us a brain. He also gives us eyes to see with. If we, as Christians, see someone about to run off a cliff are we to ignore them? No, we try to stop them. It's the human thing to do, as Kirk would tell Spock. But by the same token, if we see calamity coming are we not also supposed to warn people? You first have the verse that's on my blog about the watchmen on the tower. You can read it above, so I won't repeat it here, but in a nutshell it says that if you see, from your vantage point on the watch tower, someone coming to destroy the land you are to warn the people, put out the alarm. If someone doesn't listen to you, it's on their head, because you warned them, even if they lose their life because of it. But if you don't warn the people, and someone dies, you are to blame. Because you stood by silently and said nothing.
But even more than that, we have Jesus' life story. In Matthew, chapter 4 it talks about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. He had fasted for 40 days and was beginning to hunger. Satan came and said he should just turn the stones into bread. Jesus answered that man should not live by bread alone, but the Word of God. So Satan took him up to the highest point in the city and said that Jesus should just throw himself off and if he really was the Son of God, the angels would save him, so that not even his foot would be bruised. Jesus answered, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
If you see a disaster coming, and know there is the possibility of an economic crash where money will be useless and food will be outrageously expensive, by NOT stocking up, you are putting God to the test. It's just like throwing yourself off the top of a skyscraper and saying, "Catch me, Lord, I trust in You." How can you be that presumptuous?
But for those who don't want to stockpile: Maybe God hasn't given you eyes to see the impending disaster because either 1) You don't know God or 2) He doesn't intend you to survive it.
As for me and my household, we will stockpile food, weapons and ammunition. We will also learn skills that will help us in troubled times to come. I was always a pre-tribulation person, but now I'm beginning to wonder. I know where I'm going when Jesus comes back for us, but I also know that Jesus said no one would survive if he didn't cut the tribulation short. We will have tough times ahead. My family knows how to hunt, trap, shoot, and other skills necessary to survive. I can cook with no electricity, I own 2 different sizes of dutch ovens as well as cast iron skillets. I can cook with a wood fire if necessary. I also know how to sew, knit, quilt, crochet, and can basically figure out how to make anything I need. BUT, if you are not willing to prepare as much as you can on your budget, don't come to my house when you can't find food. I know it's not actually in the Bible, but God does help those who help themselves. If you've been putting away as much as you can, and you only have a couple weeks, I might help. But it's like a friend of mine said, it may come to the point where you will have to barter with skills to get food. I need something done, if you can do it, I might pay you in food.
Don't tempt the Lord and expect him to take care of you when you eat, drink and are merry now, not seeing what's coming.
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