BLOG

Preparing for the Red Sea

Few shortages occur overnight. Apart from a natural catastrophe or a nuclear strike, shortages usually develop when supply chains break down. In today’s world, the covid lockdowns over the past year and a half have succeeded in breaking down the economy. These lockdowns were designed to enrich big business (such as Amazon, Walmart, etc.) at the expense of their smaller competitors.

I saw a news video recently where the CCP is telling its power stations to do whatever it takes to stock up on coal, machine parts, and other materials that will soon be in short supply.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/28/power-shortages-in-china-hits-homes-and-factories-prompting-global-supply-fears

Now we are seeing reports of shortages in Britain:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/02/supply-chain-world-economy-energy-labour-transport-covid

In The Netherlands:

https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/your-tomatoes-may-cost-more-as-gas-prices-hit-dutch-greenhouses

In Europe:

https://www.naturalnews.com/2021-10-03-chinese-energy-crisis-spilling-europe-us-next.html

Power outages could be a problem in winter in cold-climate areas. This is something to watch in the months ahead in North America. Do what you can to prepare.

There are over 70 cargo ships (mostly from China) now sitting offshore from Los Angeles waiting to unload. After unloading their cargo, they run into problems of truck shortages. Trucks are being sidelined because of a shortage of parts. In fact, auto dealers are having a difficult time buying new autos and are paying high prices for used vehicles.

With a shortage of trucks will also come food shortages in many parts of the country. It may be a good idea to stock up on food for the winter. Don’t rely upon the government. Government is too inefficient and always followed the law of “too little, too late.” In addition to this, they may refuse to help anyone who cannot provide proof of vaccination.

Internet, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

The internet might also be taken down for a while. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, suggesting that I might be prevented from posting weblogs for an unknown period of time. In such a case, you might want to have some books on hand that you never had time to read in the past.

Last week some of the tech companies were experiencing temporary shutdowns, such as Facebook. So far, the internet shutdowns have not been universal but only regional. Today there were regional shutdowns of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. One report from the New York Times said, “Facebook employees reportedly can’t enter buildings to evaluate the internet outage because their door access badges were working.”

Preparing for the Red Sea

As I wrote more than two weeks ago, we are entering a time described prophetically as a Red Sea moment.

https://godskingdom.org/blog/2021/09/our-red-sea-deliverance-is-near

I do not know precisely how this will manifest, but I think that in the next few months we will see some difficult times. People need to be prepared as best they can.

The collapse of Evergrande in China will have a spill-over effect on many banks and financial institutions, hedge funds, and pension funds in the West. There is almost no chance that any of these will be bailed out by the CCP. They are already short of cash and won’t even bail out their own citizens. The effects on the West have yet to surface.

Many economists are warning of a time of hyperinflation, considering the multiplied trillions of dollars being created and spent in 2020 and 2021. Most of that money is being stolen and put in the hands of the wealthy, so I don’t know if this can really cause hyperinflation. Nonetheless, given enough time, it has to hit.

The first problem, I believe, will be deflation, not inflation, as people run out of money in the midst of a mountain of debt. In deflationary times, “cash is king.” While most people are trying to sell things at huge discounts in order to raise money to pay bills, those who have cash will have an advantage. Their cash will go a lot farther in a deflationary period.

The problem with cash is that if it is on deposit in a bank, it may not always be available. What if the bank closes its doors or limits the amount that people can withdraw from ATM’s. What if the banks need bail-ins from those who have more than $100,000 on deposit? They could legally rob their depositors. There is a precedent for this. Remember the problem in Greece back in 2011?

The first line of preparation is always spiritual, but this type is accomplished over a long period of time. Experience is necessary to lay a good foundation of faith. The second line of preparation should probably be food and water. If you own productive land for a good garden that can produce fresh vegetables, even better. But keep in mind also that in a worst-case scenario, gardens could be raided by hungry people—especially in larger cities. Security may be an issue unless you are able to maintain secrecy.

Yet also remember that we are here to be of help to our neighbors. So where you live and who your neighbors are may also be important. Most people will be caught unprepared, so if possible, we should prepare for them as much as for ourselves. The chances are good that your neighbors will not have as much faith as you do, so they will view shortages through a spirit of fear. Be aware of that and discern how to handle it.

Hopefully, our Red Sea crossing will not be too severe or too long. The bottom line, though, is to pray about what you should do as individuals. Everyone’s situation is different.