As 2010 approached I spent time asking God for His thoughts on the coming year. Over and over I heard the word "prepare". As I grew confident that this was from the Holy Spirit I began encouraging my family and church to seek the Lord to determine what God was saying to them, if anything, about the directive "prepare".

At first, I received no specific directions from the Holy Spirit on how to prepare or what to prepare for, just the word prepare. As I contined to pray one thing became clear: He wanted me to look at every area of my life and prepare. My wife and I began to do this a number of weeks ago.

Regarding my spiritual preparation, this past Sunday I shared what the Holy Spirit gave me concerning five areas of my spiritual life:

1. Be (live) in the Word
2. Be (live) in constant prayer
3. Be an encourager
4. Be an equiper
5. Be a prophetic person

Regarding the normal, everyday needs of life, I've been inquiring about food, water, medicine and personal protection. I've been looking at every area of our financial life, including metals, money (cash), bartering and liquidity. A question I've been asking myself is, "If there were an emergency of any duration, would my family have the essentials to sustain life and for how long?"

Just today I received an email directing me to an interview with Gerald Celente, one of the most accurate trend forecasters alive today (see the link below). I highly encourage you to listen to this interview. Combining the information I already have with what he shares has further cemented my resolve that the Holy Spirit is saying "prepare".

The beauty of preparation is that if something happens there is little or no fear because you are prepared. Your life may be altered, or even uncomfortable, but you can care for your family. A little incovenience is nothing compared to being completely unprepared.

(Reminder: when I write on these subjects fear is not in my vocabulary. God did not give us a spirit of fear so I refuse to be hindered by fear. One of the best weapons against fear is preparation.)

Please listen to the interview below and prayerfully consider what you hear.

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Brannon Howse interview with Gerald Celente
http://www.worldviewradio.com/episode.php?EpisodeID=15484

Gerald Celente
Trends Research Institute