Survive or Thrive?

Valerie Cullers

Aug 31

Recently, my husband and I watched several episodes of Season 7 "Alone" on the History Channel. We then skipped to the end to find out who won. The man who made it the longest out in the forests of British Columbia had an amazing set of skills. Once he was dropped off, he made a shelter that was well constructed. He was able to shoot a deer with his bow and he built a smoke house to process the meat. When the meat ran out, he built a trap line. Not only was he able to survive 73 days in the wilderness alone, he seemed to thrive for the majority of his time there. The other contestants had some of the skills he had, but none seemed to have all of the skills he demonstrated.

I thought about what might be coming down the pike for all of us. Will there be energy or food shortages? I have been watching Europe and I don't know if what is happening there is a harbinger for what is coming to the United States. What kind of skills will we need if things indeed do get difficult here? On the practical side, it wouldn't hurt to know how to grow a garden and we should definitely think about alternative forms of energy for our homes.

On the mental and emotional side, as believers in Jesus Christ, we should be working on our skill set now so that we are able not only to survive in a difficult economy but to thrive. The first thing we will need to do is to keep our eyes on the Lord, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3 We must also know the word of God so that we will not fall prey to every rumor we hear, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119: 105. We need to learn to depend upon the Lord for our sustenance (even if at the moment we have plenty of money), "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4: 19 One of the hardest skills to develop is the ability to hear the Spirit's voice. In this world of constant activity and noise, we will need to be intentional if we are going to take time to hear what the Lord is saying to us. Even Jesus was intentional about spending time with the Father so He could hear His direction. "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He (Jesus)went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Mark 1: 35

I don't know about you, but I know that I need to be working on my skill set. I want to be able to depend on the Lord and hear His direction in a better way. I want to know the word so that I am not led astray. (I can't tell you how many hundreds if not thousands of emails were circulated this past weekend telling everyone that the Rapture was going to happen this past Tuesday.) And for sure, I know that I need to spend more time in prayer and learn to keep my spiritual eyes on Him.

What other skills do you think we are going to need if things get difficult economically? I would love for you to add to the discussion!

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