Is Preparedness Biblical? A Talk with Chris Ray of Prepared Christian

Is Preparedness Biblical? A Talk with Chris Ray of Prepared Christian

 

Q&A with Chris Ray of Prepared Christian

 

In the past, I’ve mentioned a couple of passages in the bible that I believed point to preparedness being a biblical concept, what are your thoughts on the topic?

Preparedness is absolutely a biblical concept, though in the times the Bible was written, they didn’t think of it as being prepared in case some future event happened. They saw it as a natural and normal way of life. For most of human history, humans have lived a very agrarian lifestyle; storing from the times of plenty during the harvest, for leaner times when they wouldn’t be able to grow food.

Do you have any passages that you believe support the idea of preparedness?

There are some that speak about preparedness, they are:

Genesis 41:1-32 tells us that Pharaoh has dreams that Joseph interprets for him. He tells Pharaoh that Egypt will see seven years of abundance, and seven years of famine.

Exodus 12:35, 36 speaks about God telling the Jews to ask the Egyptians for clothing, gold and silver. God chose to miraculously provide their food and water, but asked them to get these items.

Proverbs 6:6 –11 is about the ant and lazy grasshopper. It warns against laziness and slumber and tells us to be like the ant or “scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

1 Timothy 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” I take this verse seriously; it is my job to provide, come what may. In bounty or famine it is my job and there are something’s that, in order to provide, one would had to have prepared ahead of time.

Mathew 25:1-13 is the parable of the ten virgins who went to wait for the bridegroom. Five brought extra oil and the other five did not, having to leave to get more. I have seen this parable used to describe a few different things; one of them preparedness.

Proverbs 27:12 “A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” This is my favorite verse on preparedness! It plainly tells us a wise person prepares for things they see as a potential danger.

Some Christians seem to think that stocking up on food and supplies shows a lack of faith, what would you tell them?

I have faith and gratitude that God provides every day. During times of abundance, I have faith that God is providing for not only the present but the future as well. In times of struggle, we praise God for the times of abundance because our needs have been met ahead of time.

What made you start blogging, and why did you choose the name Prepared Christian?

When I started blogging, there was a ton of good information available about prepping but only an article here or there about whether it was biblical or not. I figured that if my wife and I had questions, others might as well. I decided to make my main goal to show other Christians that preparedness is, in fact, biblical. My second goal is to show them how to be better prepared.

I chose the name Prepared Christian (http://preparedchristian.net) mainly because it is what I want to help other believers become. I also considered Christian Preparedness, but I liked the sound of Prepared Christian better.

What kinds of things are you preparing for and why?

I take a pretty general approach to prepping. Instead of prepping for one or two events, I like to be well-rounded. If you asked me what things I thought we might need to use our preps on, I would say that the world economic situation concerns me, as does pandemic. We have seen great depressions and the world has seen multiple pandemics, the last big one being in 1918.

I would also say North Korea. Kim Jon-Il, North Korea’s former leader, was crazy, but reminded me of that drunk uncle that runs his mouth but is pretty harmless. Kim Jung-Un, his son and North Korea’s current leader, is just as crazy and is acting like he wants to make sure we know he’s more dangerous and powerful than his father. He has declared the 1953 armistice invalid, has said he would use a preemptive nuclear strike against the USA and has threatened bases in South Korea.
Whether it’s these larger events or a smaller event like job-loss, the stuff is hitting the fan for someone every day. I just want to be ready to meet my family’s needs in times of crisis.