Bishop W. Christopher Waddell taught “…all things are spiritual to the Lord, ‘and not at any time’ has He given us ‘a law which was temporal.’ Everything, then, points to Jesus Christ as the foundation upon which we must build even our temporal preparedness.
“Being temporally prepared and self-reliant means ‘believing that through the grace, or enabling power, of Jesus Christ and our own effort, we are able to obtain all the spiritual and temporal necessities of life we require for ourselves and our families.’
“Additional aspects of a spiritual foundation for temporal preparedness include acting ‘in wisdom and order,’ which implies a gradual buildup of food storage and savings over time, as well as embracing ‘small and simple’ means, which is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will magnify our small but consistent efforts.
“With a spiritual foundation in place, we can then successfully apply two important elements of temporal preparedness—managing finances and home storage.
“Key principles to manage your finances include the payment of tithes and offerings, eliminating and avoiding debt, preparing and living within a budget, and saving for the future.
“Key home storage principles include the storage of food, the storage of water, and the storage of other necessities based on individual and family needs, all because ‘the best storehouse’ is the home, which becomes the ‘most accessible reserve in times of need.’
“As we embrace spiritual principles and seek inspiration from the Lord, we will be guided to know the Lord’s will for us, individually and as families, and how best to apply the important principles of temporal preparedness. The most important step of all is to begin.
“Elder David A. Bednar taught this principle when he said: ‘Taking action is the exercise of faith. … True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action.’” (Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, “There Was Bread”)
Jesus Christ needs to be the foundation of our preparedness for us to be truly prepared in the way that the Lord knows we each need to be prepared. Focus on Him, let the Spirit guide you, and you will be prepared both spiritually and temporally.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…” Psalm 127:1 (KJV)
