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What to do in a crisis...Dr. Charles Stanley
1) I must see the crisis the way God sees it. Rom 8:28
2) God is in control of everything. Ps 103:19
3) Accept the truth of Is 55:8-9
4) Don't make quick judgments.
5) Focus on God instead of the crisis.
6) Avoid focusing on the pain.
7) Recall past crisis and opportunities that followed it.
8) Deal with anger immediately and ask for forgiveness.
9) Submit yourself to the will of God in this situation.
10) Demonstrate a sense of gratitude. It will be hard.
11) Determine to view the crisis as an opportunity. You may not understand it right now.
12) Refuse to listen to unscriptual advice.
13) Remain in constant prayer, listening to God's instructions.
14) Refuse to give way to your changing emotions.
15) Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
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David Jeremiah…It's always too soon to quit. According to the
Bible, we may be outwardly perishing, but we're inwardly renewed day by
day. God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be
physical, but the strength and beauty of age to be spiritual.
Lord, let me not live to be useless. I never become too tired so that I cannot get up rested the next morning.
Psalm 71 says, When I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation.
If you're anxious about growing older, ask the Lord for a specific
promise to reassure you during this period of golden years.
Isaiah 58:11 says...The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy
your soul in drought and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a
watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
"Lord, I want to be able to say to Him what Jesus said when He came to
the end of His earthly ministry: 'I have glorified you on the
earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do'
John 17:4."
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Dr. James C. Denison...These are indeed historic days. When disasters
and wars erupt, people often ask about their relation to the end of
history. Let's think about Jesus' predictions and their fulfillment in
our time. After he prophesied the destruction of the Holy City, his
disciples asked him, "what will be the sign of your coming and of the
end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).
Jesus responded with six different signs. To what degree are they being
fulfilled in our day? The first is the rise of false religions: "Watch
out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming,
'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (vs. 4-5). The 20th century
witnessed an unprecedented rise in the popularity of alternative
spiritualities and world religions in the West.
Second, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars" (v. 6). World War I
killed 39 million people; 51 million died in World War II; and 16
million have died in the 150 wars since. The 20th century saw more
wartime fatalities than the previous 19 centuries combined.
His third prediction: "There will be famines" (v. 7a). The 20th century
was the worst for famine on record, witnessing the death of more than
70 million victims.
Jesus' fourth prediction: "There will be . . . earthquakes" (v. 7b).
Here we confront the crisis in Japan. The National Earthquake
Information Center tells us that the number of earthquakes has remained
constant in recent history. However, we are much better at detecting
them today. The NEIC now documents between 12,000 and 15,000 quakes a
year, 35 per day. But the severity of these quakes has escalated
greatly as populations have grown in susceptible regions. The ten worst
earthquakes in the 20th century together killed more than 1.1 million
people.
Jesus' fifth prediction: "You will be handed over to be persecuted and
put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me" (v.
9). More than 25 million Christians died for their faith in the 19
centuries following Jesus' prophecy. But 45 million believers died for
Christ in the 20th century, nearly twice as many as in all of Christian
history combined.
The sixth sign: "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come"
(v. 14). According to David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia,
more than 82,000 people come to Christ every day, the largest number in
history. God Is Back, a recent book by two Oxford scholars (one an
atheist, the other a Catholic) suggests that the actual number is twice
what Barrett documents. More Muslims are becoming Christians than ever
before, many after witnessing dreams and visions of Jesus. And
now technology is making it possible for "the whole world" to hear the
gospel.
Am I predicting that Jesus' return is imminent? Yes and no. He was
clear: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (v. 36). No human should ever
claim to know more than Jesus. The Lord could delay his return by a
decade, a century, or a millennium. The reason he has waited this long
is simple: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
At the same time, Jesus taught us to be prepared for him to return
today: "keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come" (Matthew 24:42). We are one day closer to eternity than ever
before in human history.
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Pastor Rick Warren...Faith is God's antidote to fear. (Numbers
13:30 NIV) says...Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said,
"We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly
do it."
The way to overcome our fears is to follow Jesus in faith. Our faith is
what allows us to enter the future not with questions but with
excitement.
Faith is what allows us to declare in confidence that God is with us no
matter what happens. We are certain God is for us and certain he has
our best interests at heart.
Through faith, we know that God is working all things out for our good
-- if we love God and are following the commands of Jesus (Romans
8:28). If you are a believer, the Bible says all things are working
together for good -- not that all things are good -- but working
together for your good and the Glory of God.
There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a
believer that God can’t ultimately get some good out of – so what is
there to fear, as we enter the time ahead?
When you face the future, what do you see? You have two choices –
• You can either face the future as a cynic, a doubter, with negative
thoughts, expecting the worse, or …
• You can face the future expecting God to be with you and that His
goodness and His mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
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Worry>
Mark 9:17
Worry is a sin.
Jesus told us not to do it.
Faith + Hope =
Trust
Practice the
presence of Jesus.
Don’t put faith in
promises Jesus didn’t make.
