30 Days of Knowledge - Day #11

1) Dr. Charles F. Stanley's 30 Life Principles

His Promise to Provide

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

I. Introduction: Throughout Scripture, God promises the faithful that He will provide for them. Story after story demonstrates the Father’s amazing ability to satisfy His children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. As Life Principle #11 says, God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him. If our requests seemingly go unanswered, we must carefully evaluate ourselves. Why? Without realizing it, we may be hindering the answer to our prayer.

II. What does the Word of God say?

A. Scriptural Promises:

1. Jesus told His disciples not to worry about food or clothing (Matt. 6:25-26). Since the Father watches over even the birds of the air, we can certainly count on Him to take care of us.

2. God doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who live righteously (Psalms 84:11).” When we place our trust fully in the Lord, He provides the very best for us (Psalms 81:10, 16).

B. Biblical Examples:

1. Abraham: The Lord allowed the patriarch and his wife to have a son in their old age.

2. Moses: God used Moses to free His people from Egyptian bondage.

III. Possible Causes of Unmet Needs

A. We confuse needs with wants. We should evaluate whether our request is a longing or a necessity. Ask the Father to help you discern between desires and essentials. Remember that He knows what we lack, even before we tell Him (Matt. 6:8).

B. We claim Scripture—but out of context. Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (emphasis added). This promise doesn’t apply to those who live in rebellion against Him. Sometimes the Lord will postpone answering our prayers until He can deal with an area of sin in our life.

C. We don’t ask. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). Do you go to the Lord with your requests? If not, you can’t expect to receive those things from Him. But be sure your motives are pure, because the Father will not reward selfishness (James 4:3).

D. We fail to do our part. God will not do what you are equipped to accomplish yourself. For example, you should work—unless a disability prevents you from holding a job (2 Thess. 3:7-10).

E. We neglect to wait on God’s timing. Don’t rush into something or try to pressure the Lord. People miss out on wonderful gifts because they refuse to follow God’s schedule.

F. We aren’t open to the Lord’s methods. Don’t tell Him how to meet your need. Sometimes God will provide through people you don’t know or in ways you least expect.

G. We lose focus. When you constantly think about your need, it becomes larger in your mind, and as a result, God seems smaller. Jesus told His followers to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). This means our primary goal should be to honor the Lord.

H. We don’t trust God. Our Savior promised, “All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you” (Mark 11:24, emphasis added). If God has confirmed He’ll meet your need, then you can be confident that He will do it.

IV. Conclusion: If you are a follower of Jesus, you have a heavenly Father who is committed to meeting your needs. But what should you do when it seems God isn’t working on your behalf? Fall on your knees before Him and pray, “Lord, show me where I am going wrong, or give me the patience to wait on You if it’s not yet time.”

Even when the Father seems far away, He never stops working in your life. God will be faithful to meet your needs at just the right time and in His perfect way. He is able to do “far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). The Lord delights in giving you His very best. Simply obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

 

2) The 30-Day Reading List That Will Lead You to Becoming a Knowledgeable Libertarian by Robert Wenzel

The Watermelon Summit

by Thomas J. DiLorenzo

An "environmentalist" is a totalitarian socialist whose real objective is to revive socialism and economic central planning under the subterfuge of "saving the planet" from capitalism. He is "green" on the outside, but red on the inside, and is hence appropriately labeled a "watermelon."

A conservationist, by contrast, is someone who is actually interested in solving environmental and ecological problems and protecting wildlife and its habitat. He does not propose having government force a separation of man and nature by nationalizing land and other resources, confiscating private property, prohibiting the raising of certain types of animals, regulating human food intake, etc. He is not a socialist ideologue who is hell bent on destroying capitalism. He does not publicly wish that a "new virus" will come along and kill millions, as the founder of "Earth First" once did. More often than not, he seeks ways to use the institutions of capitalism to solve environmental problems. There is even a new name for such a person: enviropreneur. Or he may call himself a "free-market environmentalist" who understands how property rights, common law, and markets can solve many environmental problems, as indeed they have.


In light of the distinction between an environmentalist and a conservationist, "Watermelons of the World Unite!" should be the theme of the upcoming "Earth Summit" in Rio that begins on June 19. The meeting will be devoted to endless conniving about how to go about creating a centrally planned world economy (under the auspices of United Nations bureaucrats) in the name of the latest euphemism for socialist central planning, "sustainable development." This doesn’t mean that the Watermelons of the World will be successful; only that they are as numerous as flies on a herd of cattle, and will never give up on their pipe dream of a centrally planned, socialist world economy, no matter how much of a nightmare socialism has been for millions of people all around the world.

The watermelon strategy was announced and encouraged by one of the gray eminences of academic socialism, the late economist Robert Heilbroner, in a September 10, 1990 essay in The New Yorker entitled "After Communism." Written in the midst of the worldwide collapse of socialism, and the realization that socialist governments during the twentieth century had murdered more than 100 million of their own people as part of the "price" of establishing their "socialist paradise," Heilbroner’s essay was a huge mea culpa (See Death by Government by Rudolph Rummel). He even wrote the words, "Mises was right," about the inherent failures of socialism, referring to the writings of Ludwig von Mises in the 1920s and 1930s that explained in great detail why socialism could never work as an economic system (See his book, Socialism).


After admitting that he had been dead wrong for the previous half century during which he devoted his academic career to promoting socialism in America (the veiled purpose of his The Worldly Philosophers, that made him a millionaire), Heilbroner sadly bemoaned that "I am not very sanguine about the prospect that socialism will continue as an important form of economic organization . . ." While much of the rest of the world was wildly celebrating the demise of this diabolically evil institution, Heilbroner was crying in his soup over it.


Rather than facing the reality of the inherent evil of all forms of socialism, Heilbroner intoned that "the collapse of the planned economies has forced us to rethink the meaning of socialism." (Writing in The New Yorker, Heilbroner naturally assumed that all of "us" readers were socialist ideologues like himself). After all, he continued, "socialism is a general description of a society in which we would like our grandchildren to live." But "what, then, is left" of "the honorable title of socialism," asked Heilbroner.

The man was obviously depressed and dejected that history had proven his academic career to have been a complete fraud, but he was not about to admit that fact, or to give up on perpetrating the same fraud that he had perpetrated for at least the previous half century. A new subterfuge must be invented, he said, that will fool or lull the public into acquiescing in adopting socialism. This might take a while, he said, and if "we" are successful, "our great grandchildren or great-great grandchildren may be prepared to acquiesce in social arrangements that our children or grandchildren would not."

Heilbroner’s suggested subterfuge was explained by him as follows: "There is, however, another way of looking at . . . socialism. It is to conceive of it . . . as the society that must emerge if humanity is to cope with . . . the ecological burden that economic growth is placing on the environment." "We" socialists must all become watermelons, in other words. If enough members of the public can be hoodwinked with this subterfuge, then "capitalism must be monitored, regulated, and contained to such a degree that it would be difficult to call the final social order capitalism." That is exactly what will be discussed at the upcoming "Earth Summit" in Rio.

June 9, 2012

Thomas J. DiLorenzo [send him mail] is professor of economics at Loyola College in Maryland and the author of The Real Lincoln; Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed To Know about Dishonest Abe and How Capitalism Saved America. His latest book is Hamilton’s Curse: How Jefferson’s Archenemy Betrayed the American Revolution – And What It Means for America Today. His next book is entitled Organized Crime: The Unvarnished Truth About Government.

 

3) Roger’s Rangers Rules or Plan of Discipline by Major Robert Rogers

Rule #11

 

If your rear is attacked, the main body and flankers must face about to the right or left, as occasion shall require, and form themselves to oppose the enemy, as before directed; and the same method must be observed, if attacked in either of your flanks, by which means you will always make a rear of one of your flank-guards.

 

 

4) 52 Weeks to Preparedness by Tess Pennington

Week 13 of 52: Spiritual Preparedness

 

We tend to play stories in our head. Whether they are truth or fiction, we live through these stories and feel them as if they are really happening. When I began Ready Nutrition two years ago, I plunged myself head first into every preparedness book and article, studied every possible disaster I may run into, and every grim scenario. Needless to say, I was playing a 24-hour TEOTWAWKI scenario in my head and became weary as a result. In my mind, I was not studying it, I was living through it. Even though, I prayed regularly and had accepted God into my heart and lived a Christian life, I found it hard to cope because there was something missing. I realized I had not put any thought into my spiritual preparedness before I began this arduous preparedness journey.

I am sharing my doomer fatigue experience with you because I want each of you to know that the end result of not preparing your spirit for hard decisions and troubling times will effect your overall well being and make it all the more difficult for you to shake the affects of the disaster away. The longer you stay in the shock and awe of the disaster moment, the longer it takes for you move into surviving.

Choosing to prepare now is a choice you made with your spirit to survive. You are putting plans in place, purchasing basic living items, tools, and presently you are working on your spirit to be prepared. When you are spiritually prepared, the groundwork is then laid for mental preparedness (something we will dive into next week).

As James Allen once said, “Every man thinks, lives and acts in exact accordance with the belief which is rooted in his inner most being.” Essentially, spiritual preparedness is your moral compass that guides you through the good and bad times. It is your core beliefs that make up who you are and serve you throughout your walk of life. These beliefs are what guide you, motivate you, sustain you or they will do the complete opposite. They will either become a negative or positive influence depending on what they hold as truths about the nature of yourself and your reality.

Exercising these core beliefs will help you further develop and be more aware of where your spiritual growth is at and what you need to improve on. You can develop this further by being aware of it and by utilizing these mental exercises:

1. Sit and reflect by asking yourself moral questions such as:

• Am I what I want to be?
• Do I have the courage to make the hard changes to be a better person?
• Do I have the courage to turn away from bad habits?

And going even further, asking the tough preparedness questions and really investigating why you chose to answer the way you did can help you in developing your spiritual preparedness. Here are some examples of these types of questions:

• What would I do if a neighbor needed my help? How far would I go to help my neighbor?
• If a relative needed food, would I help them? Why is it important to help others?
• Would using a gun on a home intruder be something I could do? Why would I feel bad about it?
• Would I feel responsible if I could not help someone medically and they died? Why am I taking that burden on?

Working on your spirit and further developing your moral compass will help you in finding the answers to tough situations during disasters. And, most importantly you will find peace in the midst of adversity. Possessing this spiritual preparedness will lay the groundwork for being mentally prepared for disasters.

2. Knowledge is power. Reading inspirational books and printing out inspirational passages that call to you is a tool that many use to stay spiritually awakened. In addition, reading survival books and survival fiction can help the reader look at preparedness from different perspectives and learn more about their spiritual foundation through the characters of the books. Devotional studies have helped many in developing their spiritual preparedness.

3. Acknowledgement and gratitude are other ways that you can begin laying a spiritual foundation. I have often started my prayers with how thankful I am for the family, friends and events that shaped who I am. Even the bad events played a part in who I am. I then follow the gratitude with further prayers. After I am done, I feel at peace.

4. Find passages in a book or religious reference and writing it down for you to turn to later also helps. In my preparedness manual, I have an entire section of my book that has inspirational quotes and bible passages that I have printed out or found that has touched me. In addition, I have all of the church handouts that I have received over the years to turn to.

Preps to buy:

The best way to begin training your mind for mental preparedness is through knowledge, faith and practice. Go online and purchase some books to add to your survival library. Some books that I have read and have found helpful in this area are:

• The Holy Bible or an equivalent book on religion
• Devotional books
• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
• The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
• Are You Ready for Change? Preparing for Tribulation in America by Philip Lewis
• Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive by Les Stroud
• One Second After by William R. Forstchen
• Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour

Action Items:

1. Find some time and think about your core beliefs. What do you believe in? What drives you to be a better person?

2. If you feel open in discussing your belief system, talk with family members and find out what they believe.

3. Set up a time daily where you can sit and meditate on your spirit.

4. Begin exploring ways to advance your core beliefs to spiritually prepare yourself.

5. Practice your spiritual beliefs daily.

6. Talk with a spiritual advisor, pastor, or priest if you reach a place where you need guidance.

 

Week 14 of 52: Mental Preparedness

 

So many get caught up in compiling survival tangibles we forget about the most important asset – our mental preparedness. Mental preparedness implies possessing the right frame of mind to handle stress before, during and after a disaster. This aspect of preparedness is directly connected to spiritual preparedness. Spiritual preparedness strengthens based on the established core belief system that guides and serves you throughout your walk of life. Once your spirit is prepared, you will become more mentally prepared for dealing with a disaster situation.

Mental preparedness sounds great, you may say, but stress has a physical toll on the body, how can we prepare for that? Understanding chemical and biological reactions to stress will shed some light on how stress affects us all. Biologically speaking, stress or anxiety (especially after an unexpected event) leads to a short-term imbalance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. This leads to physical and emotional reactions to stress. For tips on how to curb these natural reactions and reduce stress, click here.

One principle you must keep in mind when dealing with emergencies is that change is inevitable. Change is the one true constant in this universe, yet it is something we tend to stress about and avoid all together. Many do not handle stress well because they are unprepared to deal with what has been thrown at them. They are resistant to change. This rigidity will only hinder them from finding solutions. Disasters bring change and a lot of it. An aspect of mental preparedness, therefore, is learning to be more fluid and respectful of change in your day-to-day life. This ease in movement and acceptance of change will help you adapt more quickly to all situations. The more flexible you learn to be, the more adaptable you will be in an emergency.

We have all heard that practice makes perfect. One way to be mentally prepared for situations of extreme stress, therefore, is to practice rehearsal drills. Consistent practice will turn your life-saving plans into muscle memory. This rehearse-to-be-ready concept is how many emergency personnel and even athletes train to condition their mind and body. This could make all the difference when stress is sending your neurotransmitters out of whack. Even implementing stress relief techniques when responding to daily stress helps. The daily “minor disasters” give valuable insight into your mental and physical reaction to stressors, allowing you to know how you best perform under pressure.

Preps To buy:

The best way to begin increasing mental preparedness is through knowledge and practice. Read, watch, and walk through any information on disaster preparedness you can get your hands on. Enhance your mental and literal survival library. Increasing your knowledge of disasters will increase your perspective of your preparedness options. The Survival Blog has some excellent suggestions for survival literature and movies that you could watch. Here are some learning suggestions that I have found helpful:

• Start learning about disasters, how people are affected by them and the dangers they may encounter.
• Research first-hand accounts of survivor stories and recent disasters to learn what the victims came up against and how they survived.
• Invest in some survivor literature such as: Patriots by James Wesley Rawles, One Second After by William R. Forstchen, Lights Out by David Crawford, the Left Behind series by William Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
• Watch some survival/apocalyptic movies such as, The Day After Tomorrow, The Road, Jericho, Survivors, The Book of Eli, or Outbreak.
• Watch disaster documentaries.
• Discuss disaster scenarios and plans with other like-minded individuals. This is a great way for you to be aware of your community, your plans, and your current state of being.
• To be even more thorough, find out what disaster plans your community has in place so that you can plan more accordingly.

Action Items:

1. Decide which emergencies and disasters you need to be mentally prepared for.

2. Take some time and brainstorm potential disaster scenarios from this list. What stands in your way of preparedness? Think about how your family could be affected, what types of dangers you may face as a result of being in these disasters, etc., and find ways to be prepared respecting your mental reaction to stressors.

 

 

5) 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation by George Washington

#31 – If any one far Surpasses others, either in age, Estate, or Merit yet would give Place to a meaner than himself in his own lodging or elsewhere the one ought not to except it, So he on the other part should not use much earnestness nor offer it above once or twice.

 

#32 – To one that is your equal, or not much inferior you are to give the chief Place in your Lodging and he to who 'is offered ought at the first to refuse it but at the Second to accept though not without acknowledging his own unworthiness.

 

#33 – They that are in Dignity or in office have in all places Precedency but whilst they are Young they ought to respect those that are their equals in Birth or other Qualities, though they have no Public charge.