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A while back I heard a news program about a group of Las Vegas prostitutes who found salvation through Jesus and went into ministry helping other hookers to do the same. When asked why she felt called into that ministry, one of women said something to the effect of: “I escaped a burning building but others were still trapped. I had to go back and help them out.”
Have you ever been trapped in darkness? I have. It’s a terrible feeling — lost, lonely, condemned, sad, hopeless. And then when I met Jesus, the opposite feelings — found, loved, free, full of joy and hope.
Did you know that the enemy can take us back to those feelings of being trapped in darkness? He can’t take our salvation of course, but he can deceive us. And it’s happening everywhere — we’re just going to church to feel better about ourselves. Because inside we’re as lost as ever before, or at least it feels that way. It’s time to be real with each other and ourselves.
Church isn’t a stage rehearsal for heaven.
Lord let your sleeping giant rise / Catch the demons by surprise / Holy nation sanctified / Let this be our battlecry ~ Casting Crowns, “Until the Whole World Hears”
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:10-11
Monday morning, and one glance at the headlines tells me we’re at war. Bill Clinton says it’s the vast right-wing conspiracy; FoxNews says its the liberal left. A preacher in Orlando thinks it’s all Bill Maher’s fault, and Bill Maher agrees with Sam Harris that it’s all religion’s fault. The gay and lesbian community blames centuries of prejudice and oppression on religious fundamentalism, while Christian conservatives blame those gays for the moral breakdown of our nation. And don’t even get me started on Iran.
I wonder what’s going to happen on Tuesday?
Whatever it is, let’s blame Oprah. Because it certainly won’t have anything to do with my own selfish heart, or the enemy who preys on it.
“So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to mankind.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” Matthew 4:10-11
Besides Noah, the Old Testament provides many examples of Spirit-filled preparation, but I want to move into the New Testament because there’s one verse that gets me every time:
“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.” Matthew 10:9.
Here Jesus sends out the 12 disciples with a direct command to NOT prepare physically ahead of time. They should be completely dependent on God’s ability to care for them.
This verse in combination with Matthew 6:25-34 (don’t worry, tomorrow will worry about itself) prevents many, many Christians from thinking seriously about preparedness. We say: when our time comes we will accept it. God will provide the solution, I just need to pray and trust.
Of course God will take care of your family! Definitely you should pray and trust! But here’s a question for you: HOW does God provide for his followers?
In the verse above, Jesus tells the apostles not to take extra things because “the worker is worth his keep.” They stayed in homes, ate food, and slept in beds provided by willing families. As a wife and mother I can easily imagine the preparation that went into housing one of Jesus’ apostles for a night, a week, a month, or longer.
God uses His people to provide for others. His people – that’s you and me! We should be ready and willing to help whenever possible, and that includes unforeseen emergencies and disasters.
Another point from the New Testament: at the end of Acts Chapter 11, we hear about some prophets who came to Antioch, predicting that a severe famine would spread over Rome. I’m sure this led them to pray and trust that God would provide for His people. But they also put action to their prayers: “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” Keep in mind – the famine had not yet begun. All they had was the word of some prophets, and they acted in faith.
PREPAREDNESS TIP #2: Practice being aware of others and their needs. In the aftermath of a disaster, the people around you will be all you have for a while until help arrives. Are they hurt? Do they need shelter? Water? First aid? Could you help people that are trapped nearby?
And before a disaster, the Holy Spirit may urge you prepare something for them ahead of time, as in Acts 11. (Please note here that listening to the Holy Spirit is critical. We can’t plan for every possible disaster and provide for everybody in need — the list would be endless. But because our Lord knows what awaits us, He can impart wisdom and guidance to us through the Spirit.)
HELPFUL RESOURCE: Christian Emergency Network. Formed after 9/11, the CEN operates under the premise that Christians should “BE AWARE of the times, Be Ready and then rally all Christians to BE THERE praying for the victims, caring for them in sensitive ways, and then sharing the Hope found only in Christ.” The CEN believes that caring for others includes attending to their physical needs in an emergency.
In honor of National Preparedness Month (coming up in September), I’ve decided to write some posts about if/why Christians should prepare for potential emergencies. This topic has been on my heart for a while now, mainly because I have felt the urgent need to prepare for something. Over the summer I even conducted my own personal Bible study about preparedness and God’s people. Should we prepare? Or is preparation a waste of time that steals our spiritual focus?
For each post, I’ll write a few paragraphs or more highlighting biblical preparedness, and then conclude with a preparedness tip and a helpful website or book. I’m praying that the Lord will guide our hearts into His wisdom, as we all have different preparedness needs depending on geographical location and the nature of an unknown emergency.
And that brings me to the first major point: Without the Holy Spirit working among us, our preparation will be empty. Or put another way – the Holy Spirit makes our preparation efforts successful.
Noah is the ultimate example of Spirit-filled preparedness. In Genesis 6 we hear that Noah was a righteous man who walked with God. Then a few verses later we see these words, “So God said to Noah…” And then “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
Noah didn’t second-guess God or His instructions, even though it must have been difficult. He didn’t strike out on his own to build an underground shelter because he thought it would make more sense. He didn’t fall into a deep depression and do nothing, and he didn’t scoff at his imagination over a strong drink.
Noah heard God, and obeyed. When was the last time you heard God? Were you listening? Will you obey?
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Hebrews 11:7
PREPAREDNESS TIP#1: If you do nothing else, get together a basic emergency kit for your family. It should include first aid supplies, flashlights with extra batteries, and enough water and non-perishable food to support your family for at least three days.
HELPFUL RESOURCE: emergency kit basics from READY.gov – the federal government’s emergency planning website.
