Two MASSIVE Differences Between Prepping vs Preparing the Lord’s Way

We hear of wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences (plagues/viruses), and earthquakes in diverse places. Nation is rising up against nation. From the Russian Invasion of Ukraine to the Azerbaijan war, and reported ethnic cleansing, against Armenia, to the buildup to war with China, truly scripture is being fulfilled! The world feels like it is teetering on the edge of disaster and people are looking to be prepared for what the future holds!

In the rush to prepare, many in the world are looking at the Latter-day Saint doctrines and repeated commands to prepare as the model. Articles have been written about “How to Prep Like a Mormon” or “For Mormons, ‘Prepping’ Is An Article Of Faith” and “10 Holy Mormon Survival Commandments for Making it.” It is crazy to see concepts like having a year’s worth of food storage or maintaining a 72-hour kit go mainstream. But in praising and highlighting the Church’s teachings on preparedness, many have conflated being prepared with prepping.

Now, one can’t blame the world for confusing being prepared in the Lord’s way with prepping, because even many of our own members fall into the same trap! Whereas there are a LOT of similarities, there are some massively vital differences between prepping and being prepared in the Lord’s way. Today, I want to highlight what I view as the two biggest differences between prepping for the “big one” and being prepared for the “big one.”

1st Difference. Prepping out of Fear vs Preparing in Faith.

The underlying motivation for prepping is fear. Fear of nuclear war, fear of an EMP, fear of societal collapse, famine, plague, or an earthquake. Preppers fear that one of these events might be the “big one” and that it will become them versus the world. Are these events unrealistic? No, they are very realistic. In fact, those who ignore the risks of our day will be like those who mocked and ignored Noah. The issue is not recognizing that there is a “big one” coming. The issue is being motivated by fear. The fear of the big one causes preppers to obsess. It causes them to do outlandish and wild things such as moving to locations away from the city out of fear. It causes them to spend exuberant amounts of money prepping food, guns, and ammo.

In complete contrast to prepping out of fear, is preparing out of faith. For Latter-day Saints being prepared is part of our theology. In modern scripture, the Lord has commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) In fact, the Doctrine and Covenants are full of warnings about the calamities of the last days! Doctrine and Covenants section 38 includes many warnings about the coming storm, but it includes the promise that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”

Latter-day Saints know that the world is barreling toward armageddon, but we know that the Savior will return and the Millenium will commence at Adam-ondi-Ahamn! Whereas the world preps out of fear of armageddon, the Saints prepare in faith for Adam-ondi-Ahamn. In the words of Neal A. Maxwell, “Yes, nation after nation will become a house divided, but more and more unifying Houses of the Lord will grace this planet. Yes, Armageddon lies ahead. But so does Adam-ondi-Ahman!”

Preparing out of faith leads Latter-day Saints to prepare in the manner and mode prescribed by the prophets. Ezra Taft Benson warned the Saints that “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” But preparing in faith also helps us to realize that we must be prepared spiritually too! Noah was not the only person with a boat, it was his righteous obedience that was the difference!

Following the prophets in faith as we prepare helps us to avoid many of the pitfalls of prepping out of fear. The First Presidency issued the following counsel in regard to physical preparedness.

We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.

We realize that some of you may not have financial resources or space for such storage. Some of you may be prohibited by law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you to store as much as circumstances allow.

The First Presidency, “Prepare Every Needful Thing: Family Home Storage”

2nd Difference. Prepping Selfishly vs Preparing Selflessly.

Prepping is all about you and your immediate family/tribe. I remember growing up and having my scout master joke that he had his year’s supply of food storage, but that he also had enough ammunition to hold off our whole town. And whereas I assume his statement was tongue in cheek, prepping to fight off your neighbors is a very real aspect of many preppers’ plans. Their greatest fear is that people will know they have food and attempt to steal it/take it. Leading to the creation of bunkers, compounds, and guns/ammo stockpiles.

When asked why we are commanded to prepare and store food, President Marion G. Romney, the architect of the Church preparedness (welfare) program, replied that “Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.” The faithful Latter-day Saint prepares not so they can selfishly hoard, but so that they can fulfill their baptismal covenant to feed the hungry!

This is where many Latter-day Saints miss the mark. They begrudge their neighbors who are not prepared, who wasted away their time of preparedness with opulent living rather than preparing. They cite the Ten Virgins as justification for their premeditated denial of the neighbor’s needs. Forgetting that the parable of the Ten Virgins is not a blunt weapon to attack others with, but rather it is meant for self-introspection, beyond that, the Ten Virgins has nothing to do with food or physical preparedness at all. The Ten Virgins is completely about spiritual preparedness. The entire premise is that we can not share our reservoir of faith with others whereas we can and have been commanded to share our food. The words of King Benjamin are applicable today!

17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

Mosiah 4:17-18

For faithful Latter-day Saints, there is no fear that they will be asked to share their food with their neighbors, they are preparing to ensure they have food to share! They know that their God is a God of funny math. He can feed 5,000 with only a few loaves and fish, He can make the cruse of oil never run dry, and the barrel of meal never run out. Countless are the stories of pioneer miracles of the Lord providing when the Saints keep their covenants!

Preparing for Adam-ondi-Ahman aka the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, the difference between prepping and following the prophetic counsel to prepare is all about what event we are preparing for.

Latter-day Saints are preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And with that in perspective, they will make choices in preparation for that day. They will prepare physically as has been commanded, but they will also prepare spiritually. They will prepare in faith knowing that in the coming day, the righteous will need to be able to command the very elements in order to protect their families. That power comes from faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His prophets.

The Preppers are preparing for the end of the world, and that will be their reward. They not only intend not to share, but they are also prepping to ensure they won’t have to share! Truly it could be said of them, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For when I was an hungred, ye pointed a gun at me and told me to ‘leave immediately’ and gave me no meat, when I was a thirst, ye told me it was my fault, fired a warning shot, and gave me no drink”.

Let us follow the prophets and prepare not prep. Let us live a life so we have food on our shelves to give not just to the unfortunate, but to those who willfully did not prepare as well. All of us want to hear the Master declare: “Come, ye blessed of my Father… For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me… Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Let us do the work that is necessary to hear those words. If we have not yet started to prepare, then start today. If we have fallen into the trap of prepping, let us align our efforts with prophetic counsel and our covenants. And if we are already walking the pathway of preparedness, I invite you to share this message with your friends/family so that they can walk with you!