Sorry for the delay in writing another page, I have been sick for two weeks with a wicked cold. Last post we discussed storing food. Storing enough food even for a family of four for a year is quite a task. It takes planning and coupon clipping if you’re on a tight budget. If you have unlimited or considerable resources, by all means buy the freeze dried foods that are already in vermin proof buckets. The stuff they have these days taste rather good, all you need is water and fire and you can have hot meals every day. If you’re doing it the hard way and the cheap way then start looking for sales on canned vegetables and fruits and buy a case or two of what you like. It will add up and soon you will have a sure enough food pantry. I strongly suggest that you do not broadcast this to your neighbors unless they are believers and are going to do the same. We will talk further about security in a future post.

Here are the Biblical passages that formed my mindset to get prepared and store some food.
I Kgs 17:7-16
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Great truths are taught here about God supplying the need without ruining your faith with a full barrel, and yet never having an empty one either. The thing you need to notice is that this woman has a BARREL. She had lasted as long as she did because she had food set aside for such a dearth. Her test of faith was to give to a man who had not missed a meal part of the last meal she had. The very fact that this rosy cheeked well fed prophet had not missed a meal should have been the thing that clinched it for the widow. Moral of the story is: God can’t put food in your barrel if’n you aint got one!

II Kgs 4:1-7
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Would you please notice how the Lord helped this poor widow to survive a tough time. He gave her a commodity that she could sell or trade for what she needed. Food is a great commodity to have in a time of want. We will speak in the near future of other commodities that are good to own when the bottom drops out.

Gen 41 – You can open your Bible and read it. It is the chapter about Joseph preparing for a seven year famine that was going to strike the whole region. Note the time to prepare was during the good years not when the first crop fails. These are just three examples of accounts in your Bible where a believer lived through a terrible time and how they did it.

I know that some of you are thinking that I am eliminating walking by faith. You will need every ounce of faith you can muster to maintain a Christlike testimony under adverse conditions. It’s easy when you’re comfortable, well fed, and have everything you need. Suffering want, stress, fear, and physical pain will wear you down. Adding hunger to that and you become a mess. If you want to know what I’m talking about just do a real fast for three days and you will know. A real fast is a water-only fast and nothing else. There’s no such thing as a juice, salad, oatmeal, or poptart fast. Give it three days and then tell me how the old man is getting along. You will be as weak as a pup, stink like you haven’t had a bath for a week, your head will be so cloudy you can’t think a clear thought and the only thoughts that are clear are about food. Set some food aside, you will be glad you did.

Next post we will discuss real money and how to hedge against a failing fiat system.