Years ago when I was younger, I read a piece written by a man about how to greet ourselves at the beginning of the year. Many people would say Happy New Year. His opinion is that we should be saying to one another that may your road be rough, because it’s inevitable that one crisis or the other will happen during the New Year to everyone. Suffice to say I did not fully understand what he meant then. However, his point about facing one crisis or the other in the New Year is very apt today. Most people could not have predicted what is happening in the world today when this year began. Who thought we would be in lock down because of a pandemic.
But you see, this crisis is not different from any other crisis from God’s perspective. The bible says Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
The Lord has already prepared a way for you and I to overcome the COVID-19 crisis in all ways whether health or financial. It’s so simple that you will have to complicate it to miss it.
We have the right and authority to pray to God expecting to receive His answers to the problems COVID-19 brings with it.
DON’T PANIC.
Your first reaction is going to determine the outcome in a crisis situation. Your attitude to the crisis situation is going to determine the final result. You and only you can determine that. God has provided everything you will need during this crisis already. So don’t panic. This is important.
What Jesus told His disciples when He was about to die was for them not to panic. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. John 14:1
What Jesus told His disciples is the common theme that runs throughout the bible when the people of God faces crisis or challenge, fear not. Consistently God tells His people not to fear, nor panic.
Go to God in prayer but not in panic
Why? Because panic and fear set in motion the law of sin and death and will give the devil the advantage over the way your mind will process the situation and the crisis. Your mind will shut down and will not allow you to focus on what God has said rather, you will allow what you are facing to consume you and because you are facing a crisis, your mind will be dominated by that crisis, hence you will not able to see anything else.
BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD
One of the challenges that many people face when they are facing crisis like the COVID-19 is to look at God’s word and think His word cannot do anything in the situation. They panic and in that mode most people when they are praying begin to do it in fear Yes, the situation is desperate but we must allow ourselves first to find out what God has said and pray without doubts, believing God. We must not let worry and panic propel us to start praying in fear and doubt and therefore pray amiss. James 4:3. We must believe the word of God about the situation and not what we are seeing. When we allow what we are seeing to influence us, we will pray in fear and panic. So look into the word of God and pray. Refuse to allow your mind to dwell on panic and fear.
DON’T BE OFFENDED
One of the biggest problems people battle is negative emotions like depression and discouragement, Most people constantly battle these emotions and it becomes more pronounced in times of crisis like this. Now we might think we have excuse for it but we don’t. There are reasons, but no excuses.
Jesus expressly commanded us not to be offended.
These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. John 16:1
Jesus said this when He was about to be crucified. He knew what was going to happen and He knew that His disciples are going to face a very difficult situation. You know these people have left everything to follow Jesus and in the next few days it ‘s all going to appear as if they have wasted their time are backing the wrong horse, It will be so discouraging and the feeling of despair of seeing their hero, their champion abused, ridiculed and executed in a criminal manner will be much for them that they will run away in fear. But Jesus spoke to them so they will not be discouraged and offended.
You see in crisis offence will come, emotional discouragement will come but we can refuse to take it. According to Mark 4:17, when we allow ourselves to be offended, Satan will take the word of God from us and we need the word to pray.
So when you are offended, the Word of God stops releasing its life-giving power in your life, the Word stops operating that is why Jesus had that lengthy conversation in John 14, 15, and 16 so that His disciples will not be offended by what is coming.
So pray with confidence that God will do what He says in His word.
CONTINUALLY PRAISE GOD
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6Don’t let praise be removed from your mouth during this crisis.Because you have prayed to God by His word and believe. God has answered your prayer already but you have to receive what God has given you by faith and thank Him for it before you receive the physical manifestation of what you prayed for. Your thanksgiving and praise brings God on the scene, it asserts the truth that you have your request already and the devil can’t stop it. Crisis and challenges has a way of playing itself in our mind over and over again and tends to become our focus instead of the word of God. But when you focus on praising God, it breaks that and helps you to refocus your attention on the One who is greater than every challenge.Keep your attention on praising God and thanking Him during this crisis because it will help you to look at this crisis from His perspectives, knowing that you are prepared to handle whatever comes your way.