As prices continue to rise on everything from gas to groceries, experts warn that food is going to be harder to come by in the months ahead, including in America. Some say that the church can lead the way in helping people through the tough times.

Globally more than 276 million people experience extreme food insecurity - pushing closer and closer to famine.

"Places like Somalia, for example - 90% of their wheat exports come from Russia and Ukraine," Heather Taylor of Bread for the World, told CBN News. "In Egypt, 80% and it's real."

According to Bread for the World, over 13.8 million people in the U.S. already suffer from food insecurity.

Right now, about 65% of the 200 food banks in the Feeding America Network are seeing a greater demand for food assistance.

Taylor said the problem is likely to affect vulnerable populations even more.

"Here in the United States, about 13 million children presently are experiencing hunger. And as food prices go up, as inflation continues to increase, gas prices, it all has a compound effect," explained Taylor.

Pastor Joshua Giles of Kingdom Embassy Church in Minneapolis has been warning of a coming food shortage for several years. He writes about it in his book, Prophetic Forecast: Insights for Navigating the Future to Align with Heaven's Agenda.

"When we crossed over from 2019 into 2020 the Holy Spirit spoke to me about a decade of shortages," Giles said during a recent appearance in CBN's Christian World News. "And in a vision, I walked into this store in my time of prayer and the shelves were completely empty."

He pointed to the biblical story of Joseph as an example of how the church should respond to the crisis while preparing to help others.

"I do believe that we can start to purchase certain things and store them up," said Giles. "I'm not encouraging people to panic buy at all but what I'm saying just use the wisdom of God. When we read about Joseph in scripture, he endured one of the greatest famines in history and the Lord gave them strategies and insight on how to navigate that famine but also how to thrive in the midst of it."

John LeBlanc of Cedarville University offers advice on practical ways to prepare.

"I think people need to do two things," said LeBlanc. "They need to stock up on foods that are not going to spoil. Canned goods and package goods so on and so forth. And anything they can to put in the freezer."

And if the power goes out, he suggested investing in a generator and extra gasoline.

Giles said that spiritual preparation is also vital.

"I believe what we see happening naturally mirrors what's going on spiritually," he explained. "I would encourage every believer to take this as an opportunity to draw close to Jesus Christ. To make sure that we strengthen our relationship with the Lord, so that we can hear his word and be connected to him like never before."

It is a sentiment that LeBlanc shares.

"As Christians know, it's all in the Lord's control. But that doesn't mean you just ignore it," said LeBlanc.

Source