Managing Crisis Effectively 7

2Cor.4v8-9: We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

We have been talking about managing crisis effectively and I have laid a solid foundation on some important things you need to know about this subject matter. However, I will begin to share with you the key elements in becoming a better crisis manager from today. In fact, one of the ways you know an effective crisis manager is how you handle a crisis, i.e. either properly or poorly. So what does it take then to become someone who handles the crisis of life properly? These are the things we will be considering from today in our lessons, so without much ado, let’s get down to business.

BECOMING A BETTER CRISIS MANAGER:

1. By going through Crisis. You cannot become an effective Crisis Manager if you have never faced a crisis before, so to become an Authority or expert in something, you have to go through something. This is how it operates, and this is what you need to go through if you will ever become a better manager of crisis. To become a doctor or an engineer, you may need to go through school and some form of training. The same also is true about crisis. You have to go through crisis before you can become a better manager of it. So what crisis have you gone through, or what crisis are you going through right now? That crisis will be your initiation or invitation to becoming a better manager of crisis. Apostle Paul was a man very much acquainted with crisis in life; that was one reason he became a better manager of crisis (Acts 20v22-24).

My dear reader, evading or running away from crisis does not make you an effective crisis manager. This is the problem we have nowadays; people want to become somebody without going through anything. But this kind of approach will lead you nowhere in particular. So it’s time to brace up yourself for the challenges of life. This was the kind of approach Joseph had to life, which was evident in the kind of crisis he went through. So what kind of crisis did Joseph go through? He went through:

1. An Identity Crisis. This form of crisis had to do with who he was because he went from the son of an influential man to becoming a slave, i.e. from somebody to a nobody but glory be to God, he came through this successfully (Gen.37v3: 39v1).
2. A Cultural Crisis. Joseph had to deal with living in a different society/culture that was alien to the one he was raised.
3. An Ideology Crisis. He was in a place that did not share the same kind of faith that he had in God, but God’s grace helped him deal with this crisis very well.
4. Racial Crisis. He was Jewish and they were Egyptians. The crisis of racial discrimination was also something he dealt with successfully.
5. Loyalty Crisis. He was betrayed by his blood brothers, who ultimately sold him into slavery (Gen.37v24-28).
6. Reputation Crisis. He went through character defamation when the wife of Potiphar lied against him (Gen.39v7-20).
7. Abandonment Crisis. There were days he felt like he had been abandoned and forgotten by those he trusted and looked up to (Gen.40v14-15). These are just some of the kind of crisis that Joseph went through and all of these crisis prepared him in becoming a better manager of crisis.

So what are you going through now? What kind of crisis are you facing? It’s important for you to go through that crisis properly so that you can come forth as gold. I see you becoming a far better person as you courageously go through the challenges of life.

Other Scriptural References: (Ps.23v4: 66v10, 12; Isa.43v2: 48v10; Jam.1v2-4; 1Pet.4v13; 2Cor.11v23: 12v9).

Prayer for Today: Holy Spirit, help me to go through the furnance of life courageously, successfully, and with the proper disposition in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: I will not allow whatever I’m going through to affect where I’m going. I choose to focus on my destination and not the detours. I choose to focus on my destiny and not the distractions. As I look up to Him, I will not be put to shame. I will reach my land if destination. I will get to my Promised Land. I am coming out of the crisis of life better and stronger. As I go through the difficulties of this life, I am growing in wisdom and insights; therefore, I am becoming better at managing crisis effectively in Jesus name, amen.