25 Things That You Should Do To Get Prepared For The Coming Economic Collapse

Michael Snyder

Do you think that you know how to prepare for the collapse of the economy?  If so, are you putting that knowledge into action?  In America today, people are more concerned about the possibility of an economic collapse than ever before.  It has been estimated that there are now three million preppers in the United States.  But the truth that nobody really knows the actual number, because a lot of preppers keep their “prepping” to themselves.  So what are all of those people preparing for exactly?

Well, survey after survey has shown that “economic collapse” is the number one potential disaster that preppers are most concerned about.  Of course that shouldn’t be surprising because we truly are facing economic problems that are absolutely unprecedented.  We are living in the greatest debt bubble in the history of the world, the global banking system has been transformed into a high-risk pyramid scheme of debt, risk and leverage that could collapse at any time, and wealthy countries such as the United States have been living way above their means for decades.

Meanwhile, the United States is being deindustrialized at a blinding pace and poverty in this country isabsolutely exploding.  Anyone that is not concerned about the economy should have their head examined.  Fortunately, I have found that an increasing number of Americans are becoming convinced that we are heading for a horrific economic crisis.  Once they come to that realization, they want to know what they should do.

And the reality is that “getting prepared” is going to look different for each family based on their own unique circumstances.  Some people have a lot of resources, while others have very little.  Some people are very independent of the system and can move wherever they want, while others are totally dependent on their jobs and must stay near the cities at least for now.

In addition, it is important to distinguish between the “short-term” and the “long-term” when talking about economic collapse.  As I have written about previously, our economic collapse is not going to happen all at once.  It is going to unfold over time.  In the “short-term”, many are moving money around and are building up “emergency funds” to prepare for the next recession.  For the “long-term”, many are storing up food and huge stockpiles of survival supplies in order to be prepared for the total collapse of society.  Both approaches are wise, but it is important to keep in mind that different approaches will be needed at different times.

The strategies posted below are a mix of both short-term and long-term strategies.  Some will be important for our immediate future, while others may not be needed for a number of years.  But in the end, you will be very thankful for the time and the effort that you spent getting prepared while you still could.

The following are 25 things that you should do to get prepared for the coming economic collapse…

#1 An Emergency Fund

Do you remember what happened when the financial system almost collapsed back in 2008?  Millions of Americans suddenly lost their jobs, and because many of them were living paycheck to paycheck, many of them also got behind on their mortgages and lost their homes.  You don’t want to lose everything that you have worked for during this next major economic downturn.  It is imperative that you have an emergency fund.  It should be enough to cover all of your expenses for at least six months, but I would encourage you to have an emergency fund that is even larger than that.

#2 Don’t Put All Of Your Eggs Into One Basket

If the wealth confiscation in Cyprus has taught us anything, it is that we should not put all of our eggs in one basket.  If all of your money is in one single bank account, it would be easy to wipe out.  But if you have your money scattered around a number of different places it will give you a little bit more security.

#3 Keep Some Cash At Home
This goes along with the previous point.  While it is not wise to keep all of your money at home, you do want to keep some cash on hand.  If there is an extended bank holiday or if a giant burst from the suncauses the ATM machines to go down, you want to be able to have enough cash to buy the things that your family needs.  Just ask the people of Cyprus how crippling a bank holiday can be.  One way to keep your cash secure at home is by storing it in a concealed safe.

#4 Get Out Of Debt

A lot of people seem to assume that an economic collapse would wipe out all debts, but that will probably not be the case.  In fact, if you are in a tremendous amount of debt you will be very vulnerable if the economy collapses and you are not able to find a job.  Just ask the people who were overextended and lost their jobs during the last recession.  So please get out of debt.  Many debt collectors are becoming increasingly ruthless.  In many areas of the country they are now routinely putting debtors into prison.  You do not want to be a slave to debt when the next wave of the economic collapse strikes.

#5 Gold And Silver

In the long-term, the U.S. dollar is going to lose a tremendous amount of value and inflation is going to absolutely skyrocket.  That is one reason why so many people are investing very heavily in gold, silver and other precious metals.  All over the globe, the central banks of the world are recklessly printing money.  Everyone knows that this is going to end very badly.  In fact, there is already a push in more than a dozen U.S. states to allow gold and silver coins to be used as legal tender.  Someday you will be glad that you invested in gold and silver now while their prices were still low.

#6 Reduce Your Expenses

A lot of people claim that they can’t put any money toward prepping, but the truth is that we all have room to reduce our expenses.  We all spend money on things that we do not really need.  Those that are “lean and mean” will tend to do much better during the times that are coming.

#7 Start A Side Business

If you do not have much money, a great way to increase your income is by starting a side business.  And it does not take a lot of money – there are many side businesses that you can start for next to nothing.

And starting a side business will allow you to become less dependent on your job.

In this economic environment, a job could disappear at literally any time.

#8 Move Away From The Big Cities If Possible

For many people, this is simply not possible.  Many Americans are still completely and totally dependent on their jobs.  But if you are able, now is a good time to move away from the big cities.  When the next major economic downturn strikes, there will be rioting and a dramatic rise in crime in the major cities.  If you are able to move to a more rural area you will probably be in much better shape.

#9 Store Food

Global food reserves have reached their lowest level in nearly 40 years.  As the economy gets even worse and global weather patterns become even more unstable, the price of food will go much higher and global food supplies will become much tighter.  In the long run, you will be glad for the money that you put into long-term food storage now.

#10 Learn To Grow Your Own Food

This is a skill that most Americans possessed in the past, but that most Americans today have forgotten.  Growing your own food is a way to become more independent of the system, and it is a way to get prepared for what is ahead.

#11 Nobody Can Survive Without Water

Without water, you would not even make it a few days in an emergency situation.  It is imperative that you have a plan to provide clean drinking water for your family when disaster strikes.

#12 Have A Plan For When The Grid Goes Down

What would you do if the grid went down and you suddenly did not have power for an extended period of time?  Anyone that has spent more than a few hours without power knows how frustrating this can be.  You need to have a plan for how you are going to provide power to your home that is independent of the power company.

#13 Have Blankets And Warm Clothing On Hand

This is more for emergency situations or for a complete meltdown of society.  During any major crisis, blankets and warm clothing are in great demand.  They also could potentially make great barter items.

#14 Store Personal Hygiene Supplies

A lot of preppers store up huge amounts of food, but they forget all about personal hygiene supplies.  During a long crisis, these are items that you would greatly miss if you do not have them stored up.  These types of supplies would also be great for barter.

#15 Store Medicine And Medical Supplies

You will also want to store up medical supplies and any medicine that you may need.  In an emergency situation, you definitely would not want to be without bandages and a first-aid kit.  Over the course of a long crisis, you do not want to run out of any medicines that are critical for your health.

#16 Stock Up On Vitamins

A lot of preppers do not think about this either, but it is very important.  These days, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get adequate nutrition from the foods that we eat.  That is why it is very important to have an adequate store of vitamins and other supplements.

#17 Make A List Of Other Supplies That You Will Need

During any crisis, there will be a lot of other things that you will need in addition to food and water.  The following are just a few basic things that it would be wise to have on hand…

- an axe
- a can opener
- flashlights
- battery-powered radio
- extra batteries
- lighters or matches
- fire extinguisher
- sewing kit
- tools

This list could be much, much longer, but hopefully this will get you started.

#18 Don’t Forget The Special Needs Of Your Babies And Your Pets

Young children and pets have special needs.  As you store supplies, don’t forget about the things that they will need as well.

#19 Entertainment

This may sound trivial, but the truth is that our entertainment-addicted society would become very bored and very frustrated if the grid suddenly went down for an extended period of time.  Card games and other basic forms of entertainment can make enduring a crisis much easier.

#20 Self-Defense

In the years ahead, being able to defend your home and your family is going to become increasingly important.  When the economy crashes, people are going to start to become very desperate.  And desperate people do desperate things.

#21 Get Your Ammunition While You Still Can

Your firearms will not do you much good if you do not have ammunition for them.  Already there are widespread reports of huge ammunition shortages.  The following is from a recent CNS News article…

“The run on ammunition has manufacturers scrambling to accommodate demand and reassure customers, as many new and seasoned gun owners stock up over fears of new firearms regulations at both the state and federal levels.”

Don’t just assume that you will always be able to purchase large amounts of ammunition whenever you want.  Get it now while you still can.

#22 If You Have To Go…

Have a plan for what you and your family will do if you are forced to leave your home.  If you do have to go, the following are some items that you will want to have on hand…

- a map of the area
- a compass
- backpacks for every member of the family
- sleeping bags
- warm clothing
- comfortable shoes or hiking boots

#23 Community

One of the most important assets in any crisis situation is community.  If you have friends or neighbors that you can depend upon, that is invaluable.  The time spent building those bonds now will pay off greatly during a major crisis.

#24 Have A Back-Up Plan And Be Flexible

Mike Tyson once said the following…

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

No plan ever unfolds perfectly.  When your plan is disrupted, what will you do?

It will be imperative for all of us to have a back-up plan and to be flexible during the years ahead.

#25 Keep Your Prepping To Yourself

Do not go around and tell everyone in the area where you live about your prepping.  If you do, then you may find yourself overwhelmed with “visitors” when everything falls apart.

And please do not go on television and brag about your prepping to a national audience.

Prepping is something that you want to keep to yourself, unless you want hordes of desperate people banging on your door in the future.

For much more on prepping, please check out some of my previous articles…

- “Should You Move To Another Country To Escape The Collapse Of America? 10 Questions To Ask Yourself First“
- “14 Questions People Ask About How To Prepare For The Collapse Of The Economy“
- “Rise Of The Preppers: 50 Of The Best Prepper Websites And Blogs On The Internet“
- “120 Powerful Pieces Of Advice For Preppers“

Sadly, most Americans still have blind faith that our “leaders” actually know what they are doing and will be able to fix things.

Most Americans still are convinced that everything is going to be just fine.

And of course the mainstream media does all they can to reinforce faith in the system.  Day after day, we see mindless news headlines such as this: “Californians Champing at the Bit Over Powerball Debut“.

But if you are reading this article that means that you are probably much more awake than the average American is.

Please get prepared while you still can.

A great storm is coming, and time is quickly running out.

So do you have any points that you would add to the list above?  Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below…

This article first appeared here at the Economic Collapse.

REPOST OF MY DREAM FROM NOVEMBER 27 SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

Dream Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Dreamt I saw myself in field hung on a cross. I was high up and on a grassy mound. My head had also been decapitated but was hung just above my open neck. Blood was streaming down the front of my open shirt and it looked as if I had been badly beaten. I seemed to be still alive which was amazing. I knew my friends and family had put me there somehow for trying to save them from the coming judgments of God. I felt so honored in fact to be sacrificed like the prophets of old and Jesus for trying to save them and at the same time felt so bad for the judgments they have already received and will receive for their persecution against me and all those God sent to them. Almost everyone I knew came against me for trying to save them. God was showing me from His perspective and how it was an incredible honor to be persecuted for following Jesus and not give into the counterfeit Christians. I felt also that their one and true God the Almighty Dollar was about to crash and become totally worthless. EJ Ouellette

PROOF NIBIRU COMING? ~ NOVEMBER, 2013!

TD Hale’s Dreams Tell the Future of America

TD Hale’s Dreams Tell the Future of America

The following is a transcript of an interview with Pastor TD Hale fromCalvary Christian Center in Galipolis, Ohio. In the interview, Pastor Hale describes the details of two dreams that he received from the Lord. The first dream was on December 28, 2011. The second dream was the very next night.

The interview was conducted on March 27, 2012 by Rick Wiles, and was broadcast on Trunews.com.

HEAR THE INTERVIEW HERE

TRANSCRIPT OF THE FIRST DREAM

With the situation that we see going on in America, with the president and the administration certainly there are warning signs coming up. On December 28, 2011, I had been seeking the Lord for a word to give to our assembly. I went to bed that night just like any other night. The Lord just really dealt with me in the middle of the night concerning things that were coming.

I certainly was shocked when I saw what I saw. In the dream I began to see myself going across America. I was floating, suspended in the air going across America. I had no fear about what I was seeing, Then all of a sudden I began to see bombs had landed everywhere. The land was totally destroyed.

It looked like things were totally just wiped off, grass, trees, everything. Everything was gone, burned. There was nothing left. There was nothing on the trees. There was just total disaster. I don’t know if it was everywhere but it was everywhere that I could see, from the point I was at.

When I saw this I saw people standing around their homes and things that were left, holding onto each other. I saw people that laid dead, and I heard the cries of the people saying, “This should never have happened, this should never have happened.”

It was like they just kept saying it over and over again, “This should never have happened, oh Lord, this should never have happened.”

You could tell that life had changed. There was no food. There was no water. I could see babies crying, grownups, men all crying, holding onto their families. They were begging God for mercy. As I moved along I saw people running, looking for their loved ones who were missing and they were completely, completely out of their minds. Insanity had taken over.

I could see people slinging themselves off of bridges, committing suicide. It was just so vivid what I could see.

Then I came over a big city that looked like Columbus, Ohio. That is when all of a sudden I saw mass hysteria, riots and all kinds of things breaking out in the streets of the city. There were windows being busted. There were people just grabbing things left and right. But when I saw it, I did not see them grabbing things like TVs and electronics. They were grabbing food. They were grabbing chips. They were grabbing water. They were grabbing anything they could get in their hands to sustain their lives. It was all about survival. I could tell that this was different from riots that we have seen in the past.

They had come into the stores by the thousands, as many as could come in. I saw them pushing shelves over and pushing electronics aside. They were trying to grab the food, the bread, the cases of water. They were seeking everything they could get for survival.

The rioters were fighting among themselves. I saw one man grab a gun out of his pocket and shoot another man right in the head.

The next part of the dream was the most startling for me. As I left that place, I was going like at the speed of light. I found myself standing on the backside of the White House. As I stood there I looked up. I heard a voice say, “Look up to the Truman balcony.” I knew what a balcony was, but I did not know the balcony had a name. I did not know that there was a Truman balcony until I later shared this with a friend who told me there is a balcony by that name at the White House. In my mind, I believe the Lord identified that to let me know that my dream was from the Lord.

I saw the president of United States, President Obama, standing on the balcony and I saw in his hands a shotgun. All of a sudden, to my left hand side I heard a loud scream, real loud. When I turned my head to see where the scream was coming from I saw flying high in the air was a majestic eagle flying in the air around Washington DC. I knew that scream. I knew it was an eagle.

I saw all of a sudden the president of United States point that shotgun and shot that eagle dead and it fell to the ground. When it did I looked back up at him and he just had a smile on his face like a smirk. And these were the words I heard in the dream, “I’ve done it and I won’t have to deal with this in my administration.”

Then there was dead silence. Then I heard a voice say “Tell the people that this is my will, that this is my hand, this is the hand of the Almighty both upon the generation of the righteous and the cursed. The righteous will find their way and will know what to do. The cursed will wander around with no compass because the cup is full.”

There will be people running around saying we don’t understand why these things are happening, but people need to understand that God has everything under control. The Lord let me know that this is his will. This is his hand upon the righteous and the cursed and we have to accept that.

It amazes me how people have their heads buried in the sand when God is sending so many warnings to people through all kinds of His servants and yet they still will not believe. It is just like in the Bible (with ancient Israel). God sent the prophets and warned them there is going to come destruction, there’s going to come to come trouble, the nations are going to come in and take over. But the people said, “No that’s not going to happen, God is not going to let that happen. God won’t do something like that.” But then it did happen. Then the people went back to God and apologized to him and said we are sorry, but it was too late.

It is like people have fallen asleep. They don’t have a prayer life. They constantly just go on as if nothing is going to happen. They act like life is going to continue on as it is, like America is going to continue on as it is, and there is no urgency. They have their heads buried in the sand, but God is saying “it is time to wake up. Things are getting ready to happen. It is going to move at a fast rate. It is time to get a prayer life back.”

At that point in the dream I knew we were coming to a showdown between good versus evil. I saw people gathering in their homes and there were prayer meetings. People were praying in the spirit. Then I heard the Lord say, “Tell my servants and my handmaidens a special anointing will reside on you in the last days. Hold not back your voices but speak your hearts for out of them come the issues of life. Pick up the mantle of prayer and cover yourselves in a secret place of prayer. Your eyes will be anointed with a special anointing. There will be others who will be blinded to my word. All things will be revealed in their due course. There will be a supernatural wave of the spirit that will come over this generation very soon. The final voices are in the land to speak one last time. Yet through the ministries of tapes and DVDs and books that people would have in their possession that God will give them that spiritual food to sustain them during these times that are coming upon us. The Lord said there are harsh days coming.

All of a sudden, things changed in the dream and I began to hear a voice, the voice of God. I saw in front of me a very old antique table. I knew there had been documents signed on this table, special documents. I am hesitant to say this but I saw a voting ballot laying there on the table. As I looked at the ballot I saw two names on it. I saw the President’s name and I saw Mitt Romney’s name on it. Then all of a sudden I looked and I saw the president of United States name check marked. I knew then what that meant. I looked at the ballot and I saw written on the ballot, “This is the will of the Lord.” Then I woke up.

America’s days are numbered. The handwriting is on the wall. I am telling my church to be prepared and to get their house in order. I am telling them that whatever they need to do for their families do it quickly.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE SECOND DREAM

The very next night I had a second dream in which I saw the American people going into slavery. In this dream I came upon a wooded area where I saw some people that were camping. They were not camping like we normally think. They were hiding. They were all standing by their tents. There were two tents. The people looked tattered. They looked like they had not taken a bath in ages. There were gallon jugs of water and they were trying to light a fire but they didn’t want to bring attention to themselves. But they had already been found out.

I saw some federal officials coming up around and they took these families. They handcuffed the adults and took them to the cars, and they took their children with them. I also saw two elderly people and they took them and put them in the car. I saw the federal agents and they said “We are from the United States government and you are under arrest.”

I knew that these people had been running to get away from being arrested. They took these people to some kind of a processing place. I was standing in front of this building where I watched them being taken in and processed. To me, it was like I was looking at the days of Hitler again. The building looked like it had been modernized and updated and painted, but it looked tattered and things were very run down. I knew they were old military bases that had been shut down. I saw them take the people inside where they were being processed. I even saw them being fingerprinted.

I saw rail cars that came up beside this place. I did not go into the rail cars so I did not see inside them. That frightened me. It really disturbed me. I knew America was in trouble when I saw that. I knew we were headed down a path that was not going to be turned around.

I felt like I had entered into a death camp. What I saw literally sickened me. I knew that America was about to change.

 COMMENTS

An interesting point about TD Hale is that when he saw Barack Obama for the very first time back in 2004, the Lord showed him Obama would eventually become the president. So he got that right. Also, the dreams were given to him in December 2011, which was about six months before Mitt Romney secured the Republican nomination. Pastor Hale saw Mitt Romney’s name on the ballot in the 2012 election so he got that right too.

At the time of this posting, it is Nov 2, 2012. The election is now only four days away. We will know then whether or not Pastor Hale’s dream is correct regarding the outcome of the election. If Obama wins then Pastor Hale’s track record remains good. If not, this post will likely not stay on my site and I will be left wondering where this dream came from.

The first dream has four parts:

1. Scene One – total destruction from bombs

2. Scene Two – mass riots in a large city in America

3. Scene Three – President Obama shooting the American eagle

4. Scene Four – election ballots with Obama winning re-election

Since we are just four days away from the election, it is safe to say the scenes are not in chronological order. In fact, my guess is they are in reverse chronological order. So my comments are listed below in reverse order.

Scene Four: This is very straightforward, Obama gets re-elected. The current polls show the race is very close. We will know in a few days whether or not the dream was accurate.

Scence Three: At some point after the election, Obama completes his destruction of our constitutional form of government and the freedoms we enjoy. It sounds like Obama will take over as a dictator at that point.

Scene Two: Many other prophetic voices have already warned about mass riots coming to America including John Paul Jackson, Terry Bennett, Shane Warren, and others. The dream did not provide any details on the timing, which is why it is important to note that John Paul Jackson connects the riots with the election. He said the riots would come because there was going to be such a furor over the election and over the fact that the American dollar has become worthless. The riots ultimately lead to martial law in many parts of America, with most of the violence and suffering concentrated in large urban areas. If you are living in the downtown area of a large city it would probably be a good idea to move out to a rural area. It would also be a good idea to stock up on canned foods, rice, beans, water, batteries, cash, and things like that. It sounds like a massive disruption is coming to our food and water supplies. Rick Joyner from Morningstar Ministries says he believes the worst part of it will last about three months and in some areas it will be less than that. Grocery stores get wiped out fast in panic situations so it is important to act before the crisis starts.

Scene One: This is very disturbing. TD Hale did not know what part of the country was hit or if all of it was hit. John Paul Jackson said a dirty bomb will explode in a coastal city making it uninhabitable for over 30 years. He also saw the tunnels that run under water in a large American city were completely filled with water. Others have seen missiles striking several large cities bringing massive destruction. No dates are provided so we do not know if this happens during the Obama administration or perhaps years later or even decades later. As with any prophetic words, we only see part of the picture. It is very important to avoid drawing conclusions beyond the details revealed to us. That only leads to misinterpreting the revelation. It is clear that this is a warning to all who have ears to hear in America. God is calling us to repent of our sins and turn to Him. John Paul Jackson said the Lord told him things will continue to get worse until we do that.

TD Hale’s second dream is also very disturbing. Others have shared similar words about American citizens being forced into concentration camps. It sounds similar to the horrible camps now used in North Korea and the Nazi camps from World War 2.

There are no dates provided so this might be very soon or it could also be years away. Based on other prophetic words received by other people, my guess is we have at least a few years before the concentration camps come. This is only a guess and could be way off. However, the reason I say that is because other prophets have indicated 2012 was the beginning of the great harvest of lost souls and that the harvest period would last about 12-15 years. The harvest will require lots of laborers so all believers cannot be locked up. Of course, it is also possible that concentration camps occur during the harvest season with some believers locked up while others are still free to bring in the harvest. This is the great harvest of the last days. We are blessed to live during these times. What an honor to be chosen by God to live during this awesome time.

My advice is to stay close to the Lord, just as Pastor Hale said. Spend time in prayer. Stay filled with the Spirit. Take no regard for your own life. Be bold to speak whatever God puts in your heart. Your words are life or death to those around you. God bless you fellow soldiers!

Meteorites & Tidal Waves

Meteorites & Tidal Waves

Belinda Anderson - 3/19/13
(David’s notes in red)

I had a short dream this morning and then an unusual event took place this morning, as well.  I'm praying for interpretation.

I dreamed I was in bed asleep, when I was awakened at 2:30 AM (in the dream) by an angel of the Lord.  He said to me, "Get up and go outside and look up in the sky."  So I got up and went outside.  I went down by the lake over to the left side of the property, away from the tall trees, and looked up into the eastern sky.  As soon as I looked up, I saw a large fireball streaking across the sky, going east to west toward the Gulf.  I immediately ran back to the house and got the telephone and called Brother David.  As I was dialing Brother David, I went back outside to watch the fireball.  When David answered the phone, I said, "Brother David, this is Belinda Anderson and I need to tell you something very important. There is a fireball in the sky and I know it's going to get Florida." (I didn't say it was going to "hit" Florida. I said it was going to "get" Florida.)  "Wait, David. There's more.  Wow!  The sky is littered with them!" (Meaning fireballs.)  "Brother David, will you agree with me in prayer?"  I began to pray Psalm 91.  Then I asked, "David, can you see them in Tennessee? Can you see them in Tennessee?"  Then I woke up.

The angel's voice did not sound threatening, nor did I feel threatened or alarmed in the dream.  I just knew I had to report to Brother David what I was witnessing, like somehow David would understand and possibly he could see them as well.

Meteorites will “hit” the Gulf of Mexico, causing a tidal wave (tsunami) to sweep over Florida.  I have known this since the mid 1990s and that it would kill many, many people but have never known when. We are obviously drawing closer. There will also be a more permanent invasion of the coasts with water possibly due to Planet X. Another thing that is going to happen to send waters in places it haven’t gone since the flood is a shift of the earth on its axis, causing one-third of the visible stars to fall below the horizon or appear to fall to the earth in the "Day of the Lord." This is also a sign of the reprobation of one-third of star glory Christians at that time. [Revelation 6:13,14; 12:4; Matthew 24:29; Isaiah 13:13; Job 38:13; Isaiah 24:18-20]

Another one bites the dust... The delusion of the cheap grace doctrine goes on.

Another one bites the dust. I just happen to stumble upon the tidbit revealing Graham Cooke embracing the cheap grace doctrine, discounting Gods Judgments for today. I mean, I knew this before because Graham came to me in a dream in 2008 and showed me he had embraced the false doctrines of the shepherding movement, which is now the Vineyard theology. This Facebook post was kind of a reminder. Don’t get me wrong I always loved Graham Cooke’s speaking and have seen him many times over the years but it seems no one is impervious to this delusion. Its seems there is no healthy fear of God anymore.

EJ Ouellette

1 PETER : 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,

    what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?”

Acts 5:5 But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; 2 with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us[a] but to God!” 5 Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. 6 The young men came and wrapped up his body,[b] then carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.8 Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.

ACTS13:9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.

REV2: 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering,[c] and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

The effects of praise: What scientific studies reveal about the right way to praise kids

The effects of praise:

What scientific studies reveal about the right way to praise kids

© 2008 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved

Funny thing about praise.

In many cultures—-like China-—praise is rare. People worry about the effects of praise. That too much praise will inflate the ego...make people too big for their britches.

This seems to be an ancient concern.

Modern-day hunter-gatherers—-people whose life-ways most closely resemble those of our ancestors—-are famously intolerant of big egos.

It used to be that way in the West, too. But today things are different. Westerners praise each other all the time. And Western parents praise their kids all the time.

Why? Because we think that praise is going to make our kids better—more motivated, more confident, more inclined to tackle challenges.

But does it really work that way?

Well, yes. Praise can be a powerful form of encouragement. For instance, moms who praise their preschoolers for their good manners have kids with better social skills (Garner 2006; Hastings et al 2007).

But in some cases, praise can actually undermine your child’s motivation.

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What’s the right way to praise kids?

Good answers come from Jennifer Henderlong Corpus and Mark Lepper, psychologists who have analyzed over 30 years of studies on the effects of praise (Henderlong and Lepper 2002). They determined that praise can be a powerful motivating force if you follow these guidelines:

• Be sincere and specific with your praise

• Praise kids only for traits they have the power to change

• Use descriptive praise that conveys realistic, attainable standards

• Be careful about praising kids for achievements that come easily

• Be careful about praising kids for doing what they already love to do

• Encourage kids to focus on mastering skills—not on comparing themselves to others

In addition, it’s important to be sensitive to your child’s developmental level.

I explain these guidelines—and the evidence supporting them—in more detail below.

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Be sensitive to your child’s developmental level

Very young children thrive on praise

Babies and toddlers benefit from praise that encourages them to explore on their own. In a study of 24-month old children, researchers watched how mothers responded to their toddlers while they attempted a challenging task.

Then, these same families were invited back to the lab a year later and kids were tested again.

Researchers found that the 36-month old kids who were most likely to tackle challenges—and to persist at a task—were the ones whose mothers had praised and encouraged their independence at 24 months (Kelley et al 2000).

Older kids are more sophisticated and may interpret your praise in negative ways

Whereas very young children are likely to take your praise at face value, older kids are a different story. As kids mature, they become aware of your own possible motives for praising them. If they perceive you to be insincere, they may dismiss your praise. They may also be sensitive to being patronized or manipulated (see below).

Be sincere and specific

Insincere praise may harm self-esteem and damage relationships

Obviously, kids won’t feel very encouraged by praise if you seem insincere.

But insincere praise isn’t just ineffective. It can be damaging.

Kids might think you feel sorry for them or that you are trying to be manipulative. Insincere praise might also send the message that you don’t really understand your child (Henderlong and Lepper 2002).

Do these problems arise for very young children? Probably not. But once your child becomes mature enough to question your motives, she may become sensitive to the effects of insincere praise.

To prevent the appearance of insincerity, avoid frequent, effusive praise. And avoid praise that is sweeping or general. Kids are more likely to doubt it.

Praise kids for traits they have the power to change

It might seem that praising your child’s intelligence or talent would boost his self-esteem and motivate him.

But it turns out that this sort of praise backfires.

Carol Dweck and her colleagues have demonstrated the effect in a series of experimental studies: When we praise kids for their ability, kids become more cautious. They avoid challenges.

It’s as if they are afraid to do anything that might make them fail and lose your high appraisal.

Kids might also get the message that intelligence or talent is something that people either have or don’t have. This leaves kids feeling helpless when they make mistakes. What’s the point of trying to improve if your mistakes indicate that you lack intelligence?

For these reasons, it’s better to avoid praising kids for ability. Instead, praise them for things that they can clearly change—like their level of effort or the strategies they use. For more information on the effects of praise on intellectual performance, click here.

Use descriptive praise that conveys realistic, attainable standards

Some praise is merely about making a judgment “Good job!” Other praise provides information about what the recipient did right: “I like the way you begin your essay by describing the problem and explaining why it’s important.”

The latter is called descriptive praise, and it is thought to be more helpful than general praise. When you give a child descriptive praise, you don’t just tell him he’s doing well. You give him specific feedback, and you tell him something about your standards.

But there is an important caveat, argue Jennifer Henderlong Corpus and Mark Lepper (2002). The standards you convey should be reasonable. If you over-praise a child (e.g. “You’re amazing! I’ve never heard anyone play the piano better!”), you may send the wrong message. Your child might conclude that your standards are superhuman. How can he possibly live up to that? Praise that conveys unrealistically high standards can become a source of pressure, and make kids feel inadequate.

Beware of praising kids for achievements that come easily

If you praise kids for easy tasks, kids may conclude there is something wrong: Either you’re too dumb to realize how easy the task is, or you think the kids are dumb (Meyer 1992).

Such interpretations are unlikely to occur to younger children. But as kids mature, they become more sophisticated about the social meaning of praise.

One experiment presented American kids (aged 4 to 12 years) with a videotaped scenario depicting students at work. The scenario showed two students solving a problem. Each performed equally well, but only one student was praised.

The kids who watched the program were asked to judge the students’ effort and ability.

Kids of all ages agreed that the praised student tried harder. But the older kids also inferred that the praised student had lower ability (Barker and Graham 1987).

These reactions might be culturally specific, however. When a similar experiment was conducted on Chinese students, older subjects did not conclude that the praised person was inferior in ability (Salili and Hau 1994).

The difference might reflect Chinese attitudes about praise and intelligence.

In China, praise is rarely given (Salili and Hau 1994). As a result, people may be less likely to infer that praise is insincere or patronizing. In addition, Chinese people are more inclined to view intellectual achievements as a product of effort (Salili and Hau 1994; Stevenson and Lee 1990).

Beware of over-praising kids for doing things they like anyway

It’s okay to praise kids for doing what they like to do. But be careful not to go overboard—particularly with older kids. When you praise kids every time they do something they enjoy, it might actually reduce their motivation (Henderlong and Lepper 2002).

For example, suppose that Adam loves to eat broccoli. But every time he eats broccoli, his mom praises him for it. Consciously or unconsciously, Adam starts to question his motivation. Is he eating broccoli only for the praise? Adam changes his attitude toward broccoli-eating. It’s a chore, not a pleasure. If the praise ends, Adam loses interest in eating broccoli.

Does this sort of thing really happen? It’s been well-documented in cases where people are given tangible rewards each time they perform a particular behavior (e.g., giving your child some money each time he eats broccoli). The feedback appears to re-set a person’s attitude (Lepper and Henderlong 2000).

There’s less research showing that social rewards—like praise—can produce the same effect. However, a recent brain study reveals that social rewards (like praise) and tangible rewards (like money) activate the same regions of the brain (Izuma et al 2008). And a food-tasting experiment performed on children found that praise, like tangible rewards, made kids like a food less (Birch et al 1984).

But the key point seems to be that praise must be given every time, so that kids expect to be praised for the behavior .

When praise is unexpected or spontaneous, it remains a powerful motivating force.

So this doesn’t mean we can’t—or shouldn’t—praise our children for good behavior or a job well done. But suggests we should be cautious about overriding our kids’ natural sources of motivation.

Avoid praise that compares your child to others

At first blush, it might seem like a good idea to praise kids for out-performing their peers. After all, research has shown that such social-comparison praise enhances a child’s motivation and enjoyment of a task (see review in Henderlong and Lepper 2002).

But there are at least two big problems with social-comparison praise.

Problem One: Social-comparison praise is only motivating as long as kids continue to finish first.

If their competitive edge slips, kids are likely to lose motivation.

In essence, kids who are accustomed to social-comparison praise become poor losers.

Consider this experiment on American 4th and 5th graders (Corpus et al 2006). Kids were given a set of puzzles to complete and received either

• social-comparison praise

• mastery praise (i.e., comments about how the child had mastered the task)

OR

• no praise at all

Next, kids completed a second task. This time they were left without clear feedback about how they’d done.

How did this uncertainty affect each child’s motivation?

It depended on what kind of praise kids had received earlier. Those who had received social comparison praise suffered a loss of motivation. But kids who had received mastery praise showed enhanced motivation.

In other words, a history of social-comparison praise backfires the minute kids stop hearing that they’ve outperformed their peers.

Problem Two: Social-comparison praise teaches kids that competitive standing, not mastery, is the goal.

When kids decide that the goal is to outperform other kids, they lack intrinsic motivation for a task. Work is only interesting insofar as it permits them to show that they are the best.

Even worse, these kids are so wrapped up in maintaining their competitive standing that they avoid challenges and opportunities to learn. Why tackle something new and risk failure? Social-comparison praise doesn’t prepare kids for coping with failure. Instead of trying to learn from their mistakes, these kids respond by feeling helpless (Elliot and Dweck 1988).

College Conspiracy (Full Length) Well worth the watch. The last 15min is really important

DREAM FROM MAY 27/2003 Proverbs 13:22 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 22 The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

Proverbs 13:22 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 22 The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

I BELIVE THIS DREAM IS ABOUT THE CHURCH.

May 27, 2003

On Sunday the Lord spoke to me about some revelation he was bringing me. All day Monday I cried out to him but he was silent. Last night I had the strangest dream.

I dreamt it was today as in 2003. God was molding me and shaping me. I looked like King David while still on the run. I saw everywhere the sad state of the church and I felt there was no hope since the want of material things had choked out true Christianity. The church had been seized by Satan. I was on the run for my life because I was trying to expose it and I went to this certain place (that I cant name). As I arrived hiding from the false church I saw that the Government had taken control of this place but it really belonged to God. It had a beautiful lake with sandy beach’s. I then saw myself years in the future at this place. It seemed to be after a great shaking and a war. I now owned this place and all the surrounding land. It amounted to thousands of acres not far from Toronto. I was a Trillionair and had most of the Rich’s of the world and was the richest man in the world. I had more money than King Solomon. I used the money to feed the world, opened up orphanages and did all the things the church was supposed to do but submitted to Satan instead. I made I giant complex on the property that was like a castle and opened it up to the children who lived with me as well. The only adults that were there were those that had truly overcome the world and had the fathers love in the heart. It reminded me of a new Jerusalem but was smaller. It was full of the love of the Father.

I had a giant mansion inside and it had hundreds of bedrooms and was filled with children. I heard a pounding at the gate and went to see who it was. There was a giant wall around thee whole perimeter of the complex. The were thousands of people pounding on the gate and I even recognized some of them. They were screaming let us in. I said ‘You cannot come in this place unless you have the Fathers love. No one is allowed near the children unless they have his love’

Joe Ouellette

Jonathan Cahn 2 on It's Supernatural with Sid Roth - Harbinger the Shaking