Dear Reader,
I just wanted to take a moment to encourage you to be prepared. This article is just skimming the top, and not at all comprehensive. I want all of my readers to be prepared so that we can all be a help to each other, and encourage others to be prepared as well.
For those of you who are planning on relying on the government to help, just remember how helpful they were after Katrina. One need only watch the news for a few minutes, or run to the store or gas station to see that something is not right.
Important points to note:
Our grandparents prepared...as recent as the 1950’s, canning and storing food was just something you did.
Our government, however good or bad it may be, encourages you to have at least three days of food and water...you can find all kinds of helpful check lists at www.ready.gov
Store shelves have not been the same since the pandemic started 2 years ago, and are projected to become even more unstable.
Jobs are not guaranteed to still be there tomorrow...we saw that during the early stages of the Pandemic in 2020, so for those living paycheck to paycheck; having extra stored back is vital.
So there are plenty of reasons to take just a little extra money and stock up on things you need...If gas rationing or food rationing starts, you will be glad you thought ahead. There are 10 categories of preparedness you need to examine and start building up, if you have not already:
Food
Consider every member of your family that you plan on having with you in an emergency situation. Start easy: Designate $10-$20 to buy extra of something...Buy 10 cans of green beans when you go to the store, instead of just 1...Canned fruits and vegetables and most boxed items are currently still fairly cheap.
Shop around for good deals (Save A Lot, Aldi, Walmart, etc…)
Check expiration dates when you buy and buy things with the furthest out dates. Put things in your cupboard in order of needing to be used first: First in, First out. If it is getting close to the use-by date, and you do not think you will use it quickly enough, and do not want to chance using it past that date, donate to the local food bank...everybody wins!
If you do not have one, consider starting a Victory garden! Be willing to share with neighbors or use for trade. You can dehydrate, freeze or can what comes from it.
Water
Just like easy access to the store, water is one of those things that we tend to take for granted here in America. Other countries have struggled to gain access to clean water for centuries. But we can lose that access. One need only look to Venezuela to see how overnight you can go from being able to turn on the faucet, to having to find a storm drain to get water from.
You can survive for 40+ days without food if you are properly hydrated...at most, you can survive 3-4 days without water...even less if you are not normally hydrated. (See my article on The Importance of Water (tfot.org)) Water is so important, and not only for cooking. Staying hydrated, means drinking water...it does NOT mean, drinking something with water in it….like coffee or tea. Coffee, tea, sugar and salt all dehydrate you. They take water out of your body. Water and coconut water are the only things that actually hydrate you.
The preparedness rule of thumb is at least 1 gallon of drinking water per person, per day...that is about how much we should be drinking every day. I struggle with that myself, but having plenty of water on hand is important. That is just for drinking, not even accounting for cooking or brushing teeth or washing up.
I would encourage you to store a variety of things: Bottles of water, Gallons of water, and 4 Gallon water bottles. Again, start small and work your way up.
Health & Medical
I personally, do not take prescription medications if I can help it. I have worked the last 15+ years of my life finding natural remedies and making lifestyle modifications to correct health issues. I realize this is not true for everyone. Consider seeing if your Dr/Insurance will provide you with 90 day prescriptions so you have extra in case something happens.
If you take vitamins/supplements/herbs in place of medications, I would encourage you to go ahead and stock up on those as well. Prices are definitely increasing, and supplies seem to be dwindling.
I would encourage all of us, myself included, to take what time we have to make lifestyle changes for the betterment of our health: exercising more, losing weight, getting off of sugary foods, eating lower sodium.
Hygiene
This category, though not nearly as important as food & water, is still essential to ward off disease in a long term emergency situation. To off-set expenses, stock up on hygiene items – consider buying in bulk where you can.
Things like:
Contact Solution
Tooth brushes/Tooth paste/Tooth Floss
Deodorant
Shampoo/body wash/bar soap
Cleanser: Witch Hazel
You do not have to panic buy toilet paper! You can cut up old clothes and use them in place of toilet paper in a pinch...just be sure to either wash to reuse, or throw in the trash...not in the toilet!
Pets
Our pets are our family, so don’t forget about them. They need food, treats, their medications or supplements as well. Shop around for the best price and shop accordingly.
Security
Home security is important no matter what the circumstances...extra locks, or bars to wedge against doors, in windows...alarm systems (my mother-in-law taught me that even empty drink cans on a hanger can help alert you to an intruder).
Everyone has their personal feelings about guns for home security; follow your convictions on that.
Consider parking in your garage. There have been recent reports, at least in some cities here in the U.S. of people drilling holes in gas tanks and siphoning gas...already. And gas prices are not even at their highest yet!
Consider establishing a neighborhood watch. Working together to keep an eye on things, and helping each other.
Heat
Important during the winter, not during the summer. In our recent power outtages here, We used thick blankets to cover our A/C units, and lay along the bottoms of our doors, and we put extra pillows in the windows behind our curtains to help keep out the cold air.
Extra blankets and layers are key – GO THRIFTING!
Light
Extra batteries, flame-less candles, flash lights and oil lamps. I can’t use candles, because the fumes cause my asthma to flare up, so I use odorless lamp oil if I really need light.
Keeping cell phones and computers charged. I am personally bad at this...so I have to make a conscious effort.
Sanitation
Lowest on the list in my opinion...Aside from stocking up on things to keep clothing clean and to wash dishes, and bleach, I do not put much into this area.
Spiritual
The last area I am covering, but I feel the MOST IMPORTANT. Listen; no matter how well we all prepare, death comes for all of us at some point. It is unavoidable, and yet we don’t tend to think about it unless we are confronted with it. The people in the Ukraine, people like you and me, were not thinking about it three weeks ago, but now they have no choice. So I urge you to think about it NOW, while you don’t have to!
Answer this question honestly: Where are you going to go when you die? Do we simply cease to exist? That’s not possible, because that means that this life is meaningless and some bizarre of set of circumstances that we have never been able to reproduce, is what lead to us being here. I think most people, even Atheists, do not really believe that there is no God.
The Bible has been proven repeatedly: Scientifically, Archaeologically and Geographically. Jesus Christ was an actual human being. He has been proven to have lived, by people who set out to disprove his existence! Biblically, he fulfilled over 300 prophecies – something NO OTHER MAN IN EXISTENCE could have done, or has done since.
We are seeing all around us the effects of a people and a world without moral guidance – without Jesus. The Bible, God’s Word, tells us what is coming, and what to expect. We are living in a world where evil is run amok...just as God’s Word said it would.
Did you know there are only two Faiths to choose from? There is Christianity, and then there is everything else! Every other religion in world tells you: 1) You are a good person, 2) You can make it to Heaven based on the good things you do, 3) There is no hell or it is only for really bad people 4) Heaven will be what you make it to be or 5) there is no God.
Christianity is the only faith that tells us that we, as human beings, are inherently evil:
Romans 3:10-12 “10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Your initial response to that may be defensive, but I think if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we are selfish; we lie, we cheat, we steal, we value our own opinions more than people...You see, GOD is perfect...and sin cannot enter into His presence. We are sinners...all of us, every one.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
There is a penalty for sin...God is just.. Just as we would expect a Judge to punish someone who committed a crime against us or a loved one, God will punish sin. The penalty for sin is death - eternal death:
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death...”
On our own, we cannot earn our way into Heaven by good works. All ‘good’ works are like filthy rags compared to the Perfection and Glory of God. We simply cannot stack up!
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
God loves us so much that He provided a way; He gave us Jesus to die in our place...to pay the debt that we owe! You do not have to change to come to Him...in fact, you cannot change without Him. He says to come to Him as you are, where you are. You are a sinner (just like me), and neither you, nor time will change that.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
All you need do, is confess your sin...your brokenness, and admit your need for salvation. Believe on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ to pay for your sins, and ask for it.
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I would urge you to consider this today...none of us are promised one breath beyond the one we are breathing now. And do not put it off thinking you will decide later...if any of us dies unsaved, there are no second chances.
If you are in Ohio and would like more information on any of this, please visit me at my church. Lighthouse Baptist Church, 2575 North Court Street Circleville, Ohio 43113. Sundays:
First Service: 8:45AM
Sunday School: 10:00AM
Second Service: 10:45AM
Evening Service: 6:00PM
Children’s programs are provided for all ages!
You can also watch my Pastor on Facebook – just search for Lighthouse Baptist Church Circleville. Or you can listen to Sermons at www.lbccircleville.org
I will be praying for you and your family.
~Anne