The following article contains valuable information about our “Remnant Readiness” committee and features Godly advice on how to put this “Readiness” into practice. What is “Remnant Readiness?” It basically involves being prepared should a power outage or natural disaster or some other similar incident occur. Gwen has always encouraged moderation in everything and using our God-given common sense in all situations, and ALL of us have benefited and will continue to benefit from the Spirit-led lessons we’ve had in this Church about being financially wise…and that is a principle that goes hand-in-hand with this preparedness. SO – For more tips, Godly wisdom, and great perspective, keep reading as we highlight some heartfelt words from both Gwen Shamblin and Michael Shamblin.
To begin, here are some powerful words Gwen, which initially were shared in her original introduction to Remnant Readiness in March of 2012…
If you are new to this Church, we are a group of people who are living out Acts 2, and there is a beautiful sense about all of it…that we are helping each other and using the gifts that God has given us to help benefit all of us financially, physically, and spiritually. This includes counseling, weddings, decorating for Festivals, funeral services, legal services, prison services, financial counseling and needs, automobile services, evangelism, new members, job placement, missionary services, Summer Day Camp, extracurricular activities, visitation and encouragement, handyman services, the food committee, gardening, the tech team, facilities cleaning, lawn maintenance, clothing distribution, and much more. Also, “Remnant Readiness,” which has been going on for a couple of years, covers areas related to disaster recovery items and preparedness in the event of any disaster that would come. This could be anywhere from a natural disaster like an earthquake, tornado, power outage…or any type of internal chaos in this country. For years and years I have talked about getting out of debt physically and spiritually…and to get your household ready. This is just one more way to be ready! We are here trying to get you highly aware of spending less, saving more, getting your heart right, being careful, and then praising God!
We know that plenty of “end of the world” and “apocalypse” books are available, people are buying disaster recovery kits, and opportunists are selling you everything. So why don’t we [the Remnant] go out and participate in “extremes” like this? We have level heads heading this up…and that is not where I want you to go for help. I want this information to stir you to go back in and get your hearts right [with God] and listen [to God]…You will be provided for [in case of a disaster]…but if you are still struggling with vices, how are you going to help your family?
I was raised not to be wasteful. I am NOT saying I am a “pack rat” but at the same time, I am saying that we should be conservative, trying not to waste food. Someone else may want your leftover food. If you ask, someone likely will take you up on your generous offer. We all are learning to be generous and not greedy with our resources…and to put others’ needs before our own. It is beautiful that we are recycling, helping each other out, and being slow to throw things away. There are ways to fix things, and we are helping each other out from financial needs to automobile needs, transportation to household needs…all of it.
We must make sure that we are focused on the only thing that matters, and that is what it is all about…and continue to watch how God has turned so much favor back this direction, and it cannot come unless you continue to stay pure! I am asking everybody, would you fight for more days of complete purity, because in that then comes God, and in through God comes wisdom, and through this wisdom we will be able to manage, and we will be able to distribute, and we will be able to take care of, and I tell you with all of this going on we have lived in a very, very, beautiful time! All of us adults have seen the best of the best of America, and I want our children to have a future, I do not want to leave thinking that they are going to have to fight to fill up their refrigerator, or to be able to eat, or to be able to take care of themselves and their families. We want to leave a heritage, we want to leave a legacy, we want to leave this place highly equipped and organized – service projects where each and every person is treated with dignity and has access to the things that they need, so that they can develop spiritually, and they are not left behind.
There are very few places that can talk about this readiness, but people do not know how to give, they do not know how to put others above, they do not know how a wedding like the ones we have here could happen…how can you have true volunteers and continual volunteers unless you truly believe in God? You have a relationship with God and then you understand that it is better to give than to receive, because you know through it that you get back, and that through it that considering others better than yourself that God gives back to you even more, and then your heart is cheered, and your heart is full, because you are not grabbing just to take care of yourself and panicking! You are there giving to others, and you have a smile on your face, and then the next thing you know everything else you ever needed or wanted comes back your way. Now that is true religion, and that is God Almighty, and that is the Remnant Fellowship Church! – Gwen Shamblin – March 24, 2012
Praise GOD for those powerful words! Now – in keeping with this theme, listed below are some additional words from Michael Shamblin
With regard to this theme of “readiness,” number one, as Gwen has taught for years, is to be pure first and foremost. As far as purchasing materials or devices associated with “survival” is concerned, are we obligated to spend money on these things? Of course not. Is there anything wrong with having these things or skills? Again, certainly not, and I for one am thankful that God has blessed this Church with a number of individuals with the varying gifts associated with living off the land or “survival” type skills.
In defending the spirit of what Gwen says about preparedness, we should be aware of what’s going on in the world at large, and not get caught off guard from calamity, if possible. But the fear factor that should occupy our minds should be Salvation first, and all the rest of that stuff later. How just like satan to get in and twist a once purely devoted worry about God’s Kingdom into a worry about how one’s self is going to survive from some “calamity,” which might not even come at all.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to be prepared and it’s good to be “ready,” but if your actions are causing others to wonder or doubt the true spirit of Remnant, or put this place in any sort of questionable or un-normal light, then you need to take a moment and make sure your priorities are still in check. We’re here to glorify God and make Him and His Kingdom attractive to others, and Jesus didn’t walk around telling people to prepare to live with the bare minimum food or water – He told them they had better stop sinning or disaster would overtake them and their eternity would be in question. Priorities and taking care of God’s Kingdom above our own houses…the original essence of Weigh Down and Remnant.
You’re not required to read survival books, though that can be useful and fun, but you do need to be in another certain Book. And common sense tells us that this isn’t the economy for young couples who are struggling to make ends meet to go out and purchase a $1000.00 generator or the same amount of survival gear/food they don’t really need, unless of course they feel very strongly Spirit-led to do so.
If a family does feel led to budget some income to store up canned goods, etc., it should feel natural and blessed and should be within reason. If there’s an unreasonable fear or feeling inside, go and find a leader and ask, because God hasn’t worked that way from our vantage point. He’s taken good care of Saints and always seems to give some sort of natural heads-up before things happen. This relationship that Gwen preaches is a natural, normal one, and one where love is the basis for everything. Fear fades away as that perfect love comes in, and early Christians were able to praise God in the midst of very difficult circumstances because they had that all-important relationship first.
So go out and buy your canned goods if you want, or buy Truthstream, or go camping with your kids and talk about how blessed we are that we’re not running off into uncharted, bizarre waters and that we’re taught a message of moderation, one in which our bodies and minds and relationships are all left better-off than when they started.
There will always be people with gifts of security or outdoorsmanship, and there will always be the ones who seem to have gifts of buying and storing, and there will always be the ones with the leading of where to go next, and the whole body works that way. There’s so much to be thankful for…we have a Church that teaches Truth in the middle of a crazy, ever-increasingly Godless society that is looking for answers.
By Michael Shamblin
If you have any further questions about this article or Remnant Readiness, feel free to e-mail Guidance@remnantfellowship.org.