 The following link is to an article from the entirety of chapter 8 of this book, Unto Death: Martyrdom, Missions And The Maturity Of The Church. Dallas Willard - Divine Conspiracy Lectures On the subject of spiritual preparedness, there is no better teacher, in my opinion, than Dallas Willard. Here is a series of teachings by Dallas Willard dealing in detail with the topic of the inner transformation of the believer in Christ. The lectures are based on his book The Divine Conspiracy, Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, which I highly recommend.
For more information on Dallas Willard and links to his books and teachings: dwillard.org Most of us who have been living a preparedness lifestyle are inundated with information and ideas about the how-to’s of preparing. I’ve personally amassed hundreds of helpful articles and videos on every subject imaginable. I’m thankful for the wealth of wisdom, information and training available today.
As a Christian, however, there’s one subject that gets very little focus – spiritual preparedness. When I study the forecasts and indicators of the coming crisis in America, I realize that I’m going to need a lot more than skill sets, resources, and a network of like-minded people to get the next several years. I need a deeper walk with the Lord. I’m reminded of the parable Jesus told to the crowd in answer to someone’s concern about splitting an inheritance (more stuff). Jesus warned, “Take care, and be on guard against covetousness, for a one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then He launches into this story about a man who decided to build bigger barns to store his bumper crop that year. Jesus says the guy’s attitude was; “Now I’ll sit back because I have enough stored away for years to come. Now (I’ll) take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” (Come to think of it, I’ve heard this attitude verbalized among several preppers.) But what the guy didn’t know was that God was watching the attitude of his heart and that his life would end that night. Jesus said the man was a fool. Why? “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21 NLT). Sure there is wisdom in preparedness. But, it’s foolish to neglect our relationship with God while making our preparations to care for our families, neighbors and others in crisis. So how do we keep that balance? How do we keep the main thing - the main thing? What are some practical spiritual preparedness steps we can take? Here are a few I’m focusing on. You may want to join me in the pursuit.
I plan to unpack these five suggestions in more detail over the next several postings. Meanwhile, set aside some time to think through this list and tailor it to fit your own life and belief system. Let’s build a deep stockpile of spiritual preparedness. © Preparethewaytoday.com |
