It isn’t hard to see that the earth is groaning. We are living in the birthing pains, truly seeing history happen right before our eyes. As nations grow more and more tense towards one another, earthquakes, hurricanes, and massive wildfires wreak havoc all over the globe, and famine hits every country, it is all so disheartening. But the Bible is clear that this will happen leading up to the return of Jesus. So, while these times may be filled with uncertainty and may even bring on a tinge of concern, we must cling to the hope that Jesus offers us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
In the meantime, before His return, it might be wise to prepare and set down some ground rules with your family in the event of an emergency or when a new calamity strikes. Don’t misunderstand; I am not telling you to prep for doomsday or Armageddon. Instead, I encourage you to ultimately trust God while you seek His wisdom and find ways to protect your family, especially as we see more and more weather disturbances and crises develop, affecting our food chain, finances, morals, and standard of living.
The truth of the matter is that these are unsettling times, but God tells us not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6).
Keeping that in mind, as we prepare our survival plans, we should do our best to keep fear and anxiety out of the equation. This is merely a safety measure. However, if you tend to bend toward anxiety naturally, these times may add to your already tense tendencies. Having a plan in place will not only give you a sense of security, but it will offer a little peace as well.
So, are you ready to unpack and uncover some ways to develop and implement a survival plan with your family? If you are, then let’s get started. Below are seven crucial things to consider and a few ways to prepare. I pray that we never have to utilize these plans, but in the awful event that we do, may we find that our preparedness allowed us to keep our families safe.
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