Using the same strategy I have used since I was born in Lagos more than 30
years ago, God has directed me to tell you to cut your living expenses down to
the barest minimum, so that you may have excess, and hopefully, you will be
willing to share some of that excess with those in poverty as we enter the
Great Tribulation.
I will be using my life example, living in
Nigeria and overseas.
The underlying theme is this- LIVE SIMPLE, CUT DOWN ON COMFORT TOTALLY!!!
I cannot stress that enough. The Great Tribulation is not like any period this
earth has ever witnessed. Brace up. It begins now!
1. HOUSING: Your rent should not be more than 1 month's salary/income, if in Nigeria. In places like the UK, your rent or mortgage should not be more than your weekly salary. If you have to start living with people in a shared apartment arrangement, pls do so. If you do not have a job, you must not be paying rent at all. If the city is too expensive, go back to your village. If you pay the mortgage, get a tenant, including any of your biological children staying with you, and use the rent to offset your monthly bill.
My example; My father was a banker who had won a house in Festac before he was 28 years old, so he/we never paid rent growing up in Lagos. Even when we moved every time he was transferred about, his salary as a bank manager was always good enough to cover our rent, so, I never knew homelessness growing up. My mother’s family was always rich enough to have houses in Lagos, so I never knew homeless people from that side of the family. My dad tried his best to house all his siblings- at least 3 of them lived for free in our ‘’boy’s quarters’’ in Festac, till they all got married and moved out. He also ensured that his other siblings either had good jobs or built their own houses before he died in 2022. By the time my dad died, he had at least 3 completed houses in Nigeria.
When I finished medical school, I did my house job in UCH and my monthly rent of N5,000 was removed from my salary which was N175,000 monthly (equivalent to £700/$890 today). I served in Kano and was housed for free both in Wudil, and when I was in the corper’s lodge in Murtala Mohammed Hospital, Kano city. All my energy bills in both places were covered freely. When I came back to Lagos, I lived with a friend and then later in another friend’s family house. I never paid rent.
I only started paying rent in 2016 because I was to get
married and my rent was just 2 months’ worth of salary as a medical officer. If
I don’t want to pay rent in Lagos, I won’t! I have too many places to stay for
free in Lagos. And even now, if I relocate to Abuja, Kano, or Port-Harcourt and
choose to pay rent, then, it will be covered by 1 month salary/income.
To disobey this rule is to send yourself into debt and financial bondage. And
you risk taking the Mark of the Beast when it is released.
If you are already in debt as I type this, this is key to becoming debt-free.
Some husbands are in debt because of the high tastes of their wives and
children. Get out of debt now!!!
Summary: If another person -your father/grandfather/husband/children-
cannot pay your rent for you or provide a free house for you, ensure that your rent
is not more than your 1-month income/salary. Relocate back to your village if
need be.
2. FOOD: Be prepared to eat the same food every day for the next 3
years. Set a food timetable and stick to it. Also, be prepared to grow your food if you have empty space/land
around you.
Today, I can still tell you my boarding house timetable for 6 years at
Ijebu-Ode Grammar School. If I could eat the same beans and fufu and occasional
rice for 6 straight years in Secondary school, you can also do it.
In primary school, we ate beans or Porridge in my house every single afternoon
for at least 5 years. Even as an adult, I can eat Okro or Ogbono every single
day for the next 10 years. But you must first control your gluttony- it leads
to poverty. Moreover, there will be no glutton in God’s kingdom (Prov 23:2, 21,
30, Prov 28:7; Rom 14:17; Phil 3:19, Gal 5:21).
My example; I used to be a glutton growing up. One time around 1996, we had the
usual Christmas party in my house and they put fried pieces of cow meat in a
large ‘’baff’’ (2000 liter bowl), I ate the meat to the point that all my teeth
were shaking, about to fall off. That was only when I stopped eating the meat,
if not, I could have finished all the meat in the bowl.
In fact, I have been admitted to the hospital twice for eating too much; to the
point of vomiting. The 2nd time I was admitted in 1998, I had overeaten because I was going back to the boarding house and would not have much food
there, and my uncle told me on the way to the hospital- ‘’Siji, iwonba leyan
jeun. Ma je bo se n ri’’. [Meaning- One eats a little at a time, don’t eat in
response to the quantity of food seen.]
I repented and told God in the hospital; that I wouldn’t be a glutton anymore. So, I
started fasting more and was able to put my appetite under control. Till
today, I don’t eat as much anymore. I don’t drink alcohol and I live a minimalist
lifestyle concentrating on possessing a few, quality materials. And I give away/declutter
items regularly.
St
Thomas Aquinas emphasized 5 ways you might commit gluttony;
Laute- eating food that is too luxurious/exotic/costly e.g. the meat of
rare, exotic animals. This leads directly to poverty.
Studiose- eating food that is excessive in quality (too elaborately or
daintily prepared). This can also include food with excess ingredients such as
salt, seasoning, etc. This leads to Health and financial problems.
Nimis- eating food that is too much in quantity. This leads to Obesity
and other health problems such as Peptic Ulcer Disease or Heartburn.
Praepropere- eating food hastily (too soon or at an inappropriate time),
not taking time to chew. This can lead to health problems.
Ardenter- eating greedily (too eagerly or eating when you are not
hungry). This also leads to Obesity.
Note: Drunkenness is a form of gluttony…for those who drink. You must never be
drunk (Eph 5:18, 1Cor 6:10).
Summary: Be prepared to grow your own food, and/or eat the same food every day for the next 3 years. Do not be a glutton or drunkard- practice self-control.
3. ENERGY/LIGHT: There are 3 forms of Light-
a) Physical light from your energy company e.g. NEPA/PHCN in Nigeria.
b) Free, truthful information from the Press/Blogs/Social Media
c) Education
Ensure your source of (these 3 forms of) light is either free or cheap. Satan
will usually block/distort/destroy 1 or all 3 forms of light in your life and
society. Beware! People get enslaved with student loans or energy bills. Do not
let Satan have you in bondage.
Learn how to start
a fire without using matches or a lighter, especially in an emergency or in
a forest. The 6 methods listed center
on the same premise- finding a way to use sparks, sunrays, or friction to
ignite a flame.
6 Methods for making fire without a lighter or matches-
a) The Hand-Drill method
b) The Bow Drill method
c) The Flint and Steel method
d) The Fire Plow method
e) The Ice-Fire method
f) The traditional lens method
My example: I don’t stay where there is no light. I always have light anywhere
I live regardless of location. When we were in Festac, we had light. The first time
NEPA took light for 1 straight week was in 1992, and my dad relocated us to
join him in Ibadan that same year.
In Ijebu Ode grammar school boarding house, we always had light up to 1999, such
that whenever NEPA took light on a particular night, which happened rarely, we
did not have ‘’prep’’ (i.e. reading) for that night. But by 2000, we all had to
buy rechargeable lanterns, as NEPA started taking light more often. And I left secondary
school not long after. Also, my late father did not buy a generator until 1999- our first generator- which he bought to watch Obasanjo's swearing-in ceremony.
In Medical school, I had a generator, in case NEPA took light, though the light
in Sagamu and Ikenne (Ogun State) was good back then. In UCH, Ibadan, the hospital compound
had light 24/7. In Kano, Murtala Mohammed Hospital was the largest govt hospital
and had 24/7 light. When I finished serving, I only stayed in parts of Lagos
that had 24/7 light- Ogba in 2014, Irawo in 2016, Yaba in 2022. We always had
light when I worked Offshore. Once there is no PHCN light, I leave the area.
Now, I generate my own light. Moreover, I don’t have any student loans from
medical school.
In the UK, you will have light only when you pay your bills. Lol. But seriously, I
have been informed that legally, the energy company does not have the right to disconnect
you even when you don’t pay (so that you don’t die of hypothermia and they get
sued). They will keep appealing to you to pay up. [Ditto water bills too.] Moreover,
Western governments regularly give citizens money to help with their energy
bills.
You can also research ways of generating renewable energy from the Sun (Solar),
Wind, Nuclear, Water (hydro), and Waste (Agricultural, household, or industrial
waste), and apply this as we enter the Great Tribulation. I am particular about
Biomethane (agricultural waste energy) and Solar renewable energy. You must cut away
your dependence on fossil fuels. Stop polluting the earth. If you need to form a
coalition/association, e.g. in your housing estate, to make it cheaper to go renewable or press
it upon your government to go this route, do so now. Though the whole world is already emphasizing ''Climate Change''.
Summary: Depending on where you find yourself during the Great
Tribulation, you will need to generate energy, using either a renewable source or natural items such as wood in a forest, as our forefathers did in the
beginning after God sent them out of Eden. Do not use fossil fuels!!! If you are dependent on fossil fuels, start to wean yourself off it.
4. WATER: Unfortunately, in Nigeria, people have resorted to getting portable
water by themselves since the public water corporation sector has been looted
and destroyed by corruption and ineptitude. Many now buy ‘’pure water’’ sachets
daily or fetch water from people who have boreholes, around their neighborhood.
However, the public Water Corporation worked efficiently
while I was growing up (both in Lagos and Ijebu-Ode), so we had portable water
inside our house in Festac, just as in Western countries. Later, when the corruption
in Nigeria destroyed the public sector, my dad had a Well dug in our compound. And
then, we had a borehole. And all our houses in Nigeria either have a well or a
borehole.
There is not much to advise here other than-
a) Get water for free, as much as you possibly can. Only buy water when you
have absolutely no other option.
b) If God could provide water from a rock in the wilderness for 40 years (Exo
17; Num 20), you too should always live by the Rock/close to a source of water!
That is the key to survival in any wilderness situation.
c) If you are in a forest, locate and stay close to the river, there you will
always find a civilization/community of people nearby.
d) If you are in a desert, use a camel, and also find an Oasis. Dress in clothes
that reduce sweat and conserve water in your body.
e) Recycle your waste water. Israel is the #1 country for water recycling in
the world, recycling as much as 90% of all wastewater. (The government owns
all water sources in Israel though.) Many countries are catching up with
Israel, including Chile, Netherlands, Spain, Australia, USA, Singapore and Namibia.
The key is to recycle and treat wastewater to make it portable for drinking
and farming.
Summary: Water is free in nature (except in Israel). If your annual salary/income cannot afford to buy you portable water in the city you currently live in, relocate to living close to one of many such free sources of water in your country, and start a new civilization there, if need be.
5. TRANSPORTATION: This is the easiest as well as the
hardest of all. Transporting yourself is as easy as walking from one place to
another, and can be as hard as needing to raise millions of Naira to buy a
flight ticket or using most of your monthly salary to transport yourself to and
from work. In the UK, you can simply buy a bus ticket for £5 and it will take
you anywhere throughout that day in the city. I paid £68 monthly for a bus card
that allowed me to go anywhere in that whole city for a full month.
However, I know that in Nigeria, the government has removed the subsidy, and
fuel is now sold at N1200/L. Many have resorted to walking and are either very
fit and/or very dark because of the Sun.
Some tips include;
a) You should only go out if absolutely necessary. If it can
be done/logged into online, use that option.
b) Walking is good for you, as it is a form of exercise. It is free, too.
c) Ride sharing is best- find people at work that you can give a token amount
and follow them to and fro in their car daily. And if they elect to carry you for
free, good for you.
d) Find residences close to your workplace to live in. You can also do shared
apartment living with friends/colleagues, as they do in the UK. Then, you will
spend so little on transportation.
e) Use an alternative form where possible, like using a train instead of an
airplane, and make sure you buy your ticket way ahead to get lower prices.
f) Some people will increasingly use teleportation. But that is a higher level
of spirituality and takes practice.
Summary: Transportation is not as important as Housing or
Food, as not everyone needs to be transported, and even when needed, the frequency
or means employed will differ. The key is to find what works for you and stick
to it.
.
Note: Almost all of these solutions require you to team up with
others. It is easier to survive in a group than alone. Find people of like mind
around you and start implementing these solutions now!!!!! Prepare before it is
too late to prepare.
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