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In the Midst of Crisis, Pray

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 3 Comments ↓

We considered how we can rise above in times of crisis using the example of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk, specifically looking at verses 18-19 in the third chapter of the book by his name.

Now let’s notice how this chapter begins — “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.”

So, when Habakkuk says “Though …” all these bad things are happening or will occur “yet I will rejoice in the LORD …”, he is acknowledging to God his choice to find all he needs in Him. Habakkuk is expressing his trust and praising God for being the One who makes rising above possible in the midst of crisis.

Praying in the Midst of Crisis

Prayer must be a part of the process if we’re going to rise above and be thankful no matter what circumstances we face.

Pour out your heart to God.

This is what Habakkuk was doing in the beginning verses of chapter three. He was laying the crisis out before the Lord and admitting how it made him feel afraid.

Also reflect on these Scripture verses:

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Ps. 42:4-5)

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. (Lam. 2:19)

Put your trust in God.

Habbakuk acknowledged God as his Lord, Savior, and strength. Notice that he didn’t merely recognize God as the Lord but also as the Sovereign Lord … the One who had all things under control and therefore could be trusted. Acknowledging to God who he knew Him to be served as a reminder that he could indeed trust God no matter what happened.

Also reflect on these Scripture verses:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Ps. 46:1)

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. (Ps. 62:5-8)

Praise God even in the midst of crisis.

Habakkuk was afraid yet chose to rejoice in the Lord, to be joyful in Him. He was basically telling God that He was enough. He was able to praise God because in His presence there was fullness of joy regardless of the circumstances (Ps. 16:11).

Also reflect on these Scripture verses:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

Resources:

In the Midst of Crisis, Rise Above

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Crisis:

a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention; an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome (Merriam Webster)

In the midst of crisis, is it possible to rise above?

Enemies would come against them, distress and hardships — a result of the Lord’s wrath. Habakkuk, an Old Testament prophet, knew they would face a national crisis.

Assessment:

Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. (Hab. 1:3-4)

Assault:

In wrath you (the Lord) strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. (Hab. 3:12)

Affect:

I (Habakkuk) heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. (Hab. 3:16)

We too could face national, world, personal, or even church crises. Whether brought on by our own choices or from outside of our control, we could find ourselves at “an unstable or crucial time” in our lives. We can let ourselves be overcome by fear and anxiety or we can rise above.

In the midst of crisis, this is how you rise above:

Habakkuk did not candy coat his reaction to the national crisis they faced. He was scared. However, he had an answer. He knew how to rise above even though God did not take away the problems and pressure.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. (Hab. 3:17-19)

Answer:

Focus on the Lord, not the circumstances. – “yet I will rejoice in the LORD”
Find your joy in God, not in the things that you have/had. – “I will be joyful in God my Savior”
Look to the Lord for strength, not to yourself. – “The Sovereign LORD is my strength”

When we apply this solution in times of crisis, we will be able to move about like a deer, swiftly and gracefully, almost like skipping across the ground. We will be in a place of triumph, like treading on the high places.

Circumstances might change but God does not. Resources may get depleted but God remains strong. In Him we have what we need to rise above!

Resources to Help Others Dealing with Crisis:

What Type of Heart Do You Have?

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 14 Comments ↓

Proverbs, a book filled with much wisdom for everyday living, speaks much about the heart, contrasting different kinds of hearts.

How Proverbs Characterizes Different Kinds of Hearts

One type of heart is filled with goodness characterized as:

cheerful heart (Prov. 15:15; 17:22)
discerning heart (Prov. 15:14)
happy heart (Prov. 15:13)
peaceful heart (Prov. 14:30)
pure heart (Prov. 20:9; 22:11)
trusting heart (Prov. 3:5-6)
wise heart (Prov. 10:8; 16:21; 23:15)

The other kind of heart is filled with foolishness characterized as:

corrupt heart (Prov. 17:20)
deceitful heart (Prov. 6:14)
evil heart (Prov. 26:23)
hardened heart (Prov. 28:14)
haughty heart(Prov. 18:12)
lusting heart (Prov. 6:25)
proud heart (Prov. 16:5; 21:4)
heart that devises wicked schemes (Prov. 6:18)
heart that rages against the LORD (Prov. 19:3)

Yet another heart is filled with burdens characterized as:

heavy heart (Prov. 25:20)
sick heart (Prov. 13:12)

The Type of Heart You Have Matters

The book of Proverbs provides a number of verses that let us know why the kind of heart we have matters.

Above All Guard Your Heart — (Click image to enlarge in Pinterest & repin.)

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23)

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. (Prov. 17:3)

A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Prov. 21:2)

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. (Prov. 27:19)

For a good study, take some time to look up the verses listed above under each type of heart. You will find consequences that affect and influence not only your own life but sometimes the lives of others. The type of heart you have does matter!

So, how can you have a good heart?

The Outworking of True Freedom

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Click to enlarge image in Pinterest & repin.

Jesus came to set us free. Scripture points to Him as the source of true freedom. Knowing where to find freedom is one thing, but living out that freedom is another. Reflect on what the Bible says about it.

Bible Verses About the Outworking of True Freedom

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. (Ps. 119:32)

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. (Ps. 142:7)

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Rom. 6:18)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1-2)

“I have the right to do anything,” you say — but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12)

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. (1 Cor. 9:19)

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Gal. 5:13)

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. (1 Pet. 2:16)

Conclusion About True Freedom:

True freedom does not result in licentiousness or the right to do as we please. Rather, it frees us to truly love God demonstrated through obedience, holy living, and praise to the Lord. No longer bound to sinful indulgences and self, we are also free to love others evidenced through humility and service to them.

The Source of True Freedom

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Freedom in Christ — Click to enlarge image in Pinterest & repin.

God makes freedom available to all. We need to understand the what true freedom really is and live within it as God intends. To start, we need to understand that it is the Son who sets us free. He is the Source of true freedom.

Bible Verses About the Source of True Freedom

When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. (Ps. 118:5)

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. (Ps. 119:45)

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Lk. 4:18-19)

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (Jn. 8:32)

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (Jn. 8:36)

Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)

because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (Rom. 6:7)

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Rom. 6:18)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15)

For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. (1 Cor. 7:22)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor. 3:17)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1)

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Eph. 3:12)

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2:14-15)

Conclusion About True Freedom:

We find true freedom in Christ Jesus through faith in Him. Positionally those who put their trust in Christ stand free in Him. But, it is possible to not live like we are free if we become legalistic or give in to sin. Through prayer and the Word we are able to enjoy the realities of that freedom as we walk in the Spirit.

The Essence of True Freedom

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Jesus came to set us free. Knowing that He’s the Source of true freedom is only the starting point. We need to understand what that freedom is about so we properly use it. Take some time to reflect on what the Bible says about it.

Bible Verses About the Essence of True Freedom

Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2)

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended (Rom. 13:3)

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col. 1:22)

and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2:15)

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Heb. 9:15)

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (Rev. 1:5)

Conclusion About True Freedom:

True freedom happens in the core of our being … in our heart or soul. We no longer live in bondage to sin which destroys and leads to death. In this life God releases us from the penalty and power of sin over us and one day from the very presence of sin. We are freed from a life of misery to an abundance and newness of life. We can live with inner security rather than bound by fear. This is true freedom which we can have regardless of our physical circumstance.