Seven Things To Keep Doing In a Crisis

The year 2020 took so many people all over the world by surprise. This COVID-19 global pandemic disrupted life as it used to be for everyone. From people losing their lives and jobs to reduced physical contact with loved ones, this issue is a major concern to everybody.

While I know that I might not be able to resolve everybody’s peculiar challenge this season, I do know one thing for sure — God’s Word has the answer for whatever trouble that may plague our world. In the book of John chapter 16 verse 3 Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

For most people alive today, this is the first experience of a crisis of such magnitude but crisis is not new to the world. The Bible is full of stories of major crises and God’s deliverance in the midst of it all. So without further ado I want to highlight seven things (in no particular order) to do this season in order to keep one’s sanity of mind and to thrive:

1. Listen: Fear is a spirit and it is transmitted by words! Therefore pay attention to what you pay your attention. Give yourself mostly to God’s Word this season or listen to things that provide solution and give hope. Take this father to son counsel found in the book of Proverbs chapter 4 verses 20–22 : “My son attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
2. Speak: Your mouth will speak words from the abundance of your heart. Words are powerful; They make or mar you! Words are spiritual tangibles; they haunt you for good or bad! You are constantly building something with your words for better or worse. So when you constantly listen to the right things you store them up in your heart and they come out of your mouth in words. Therefore make sure you speak life!!
3. Thanksgiving: If there is anytime to lift up our voices in thanksgiving to God it is now. One admirable trait of the Psalmist was his heart of gratitude even in the midst of trouble. In exile he uttered these words: “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1. Thanksgiving not only shows our heart of gratitude but it is also therapeutic to our souls.
4. Reminisce: It is important to remember the past encounters of God’s goodness, deliverance, and favors in your life. Spend time indulging in enjoyable recollection of past events because it bolsters your faith knowing that the God who did it in the past can do it again even better. Be like David who in the face of a threat (Goliath) remembered God’s deliverance from the lion and bear in the wild as he tended sheep.(1 Samuel 17:33–36). Keep your memory fresh on God’s faithfulness, it helps navigate through trying times.
5. Live Daily: This season could be overwhelming for most people, so one coping tactic is to live one day at a time trusting God to take care of the future. In the book of Matthew chapter 6 verse 34 Jesus addressing anxiety said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Many at times the major culprit of depression is trying to figure out every detail of one’s life; wallowing in thoughts of fear of tomorrow. But you can come out of depression if you “live daily!” Trust God. His mercies are new every morning.
6. Sacrifice: Sacrifice is a powerful spiritual principle in God’s kingdom. In fact the very crux of the Christian faith is based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for all of mankind. One major temptation this season is the tendency of selfishness, so instead tweak your mindset and choose to give sacrificially. It could mean giving financial aid, sharing scarce resources, offering emotional support, etc. Just find a way to give this season no matter how inconvenient it may seem. The apostle Paul quoting Jesus Christ said, “…It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35.
7. Ask: Lastly but not the least, you can ask for help if you need it. You should ask God by praying in the name of Jesus for anything you might need, He is a good father that listens and answers. Also you can ask a friend or family for support or opportunities as the case may be. Your next open door might just be in someone else’s hands. What you might need desperately this season might be what someone else wants to get rid of.

May the good LORD bring you uncommon help this season. May His protective and preservative power rest strongly on you and yours. Cheers!!