Rev James Armpriester Jr.
14 September 2020
As a pastor and spiritual leader for the community of believers I serve, my faith is tested just like everyone else. When a new crisis arises, I have to trust that God’s principles are going to work in the present predicament just as well as they have in the past. Often, I find myself having to choose between following my own path or trusting God’s plan. The option I choose is usually correlated to the size of the crisis. The larger the crisis, the more “fear” I have and the less faith I possess. This is so ironic, isn’t it? One would think it would be the opposite: the bigger the crisis the more help I would want from God. Both in my personal life and my observation of the lives of countless people, this is not our bent. We trust God for the little things but trust ourselves more for the big things! This always gets us in trouble.
So, how do we follow the wisdom of Scripture that warns us “not to lean to our own understanding”, to avoid “the destruction” that comes from following what “seems good” to us, and to trust in the God who leads us to resolution and blessing?
Here are a few things I’ve learned to do when a new crisis comes:
1.) I admit that I need help. I’m not God and I do not possess his knowledge, wisdom, and perspective of the crisis I find myself in.
2.) I ask God for help. I ask for knowledge and wisdom. In the Book of James, this lead pastor in the early Jerusalem church tells us that God liberally gives wisdom to all who ask.
3.) I wait until I have clear instructions from God. Often it is in the waiting that God gives me the strength and resolve to act appropriately. The psalmist tells us that “they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength,” and they will see from the eagle’s vantage point what to do.
4.) I implement God’s instructions the best way I know how, being sensitive to His leading and making course corrections when I veer off course. James also tells us not to be “wishy-washy” or double-minded. We have to be all in, trusting in God’s plan.
5.) I persevere – I don’t quit. I didn’t say that I didn’t want to quit…I do. In fact, the longer the crisis or trial, the more I want to give up and try another way. Nonetheless, I keep going back to the first item I mentioned, meaning any alternative other than God’s is not going to be as good and will have long-term consequences. By faith, I plod on!
As I am writing this, I am in the middle of the largest crisis of my lifetime (along with most of you). Our country is dealing with a horrible pandemic, our nation is socially and politically divided, and we are limited in meeting together as a church. Daily, I work through these five essential steps because I want to be a blessing to the many people who look to me for guidance and hope. It matters that we get this right. People depend on you as well — in some cases maybe more so. My prayer is that we continue to overcome our fear with faith. In so doing, we will be a beacon of hope to our family, friends, co-workers, church, and community
Helpful Resources
Barna, George, Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time, 2005 Thomas Nelson
Leeland. 2019. “Wait Upon the Lord”. Track 6 on Better Word. Integrity Music, compact disc
The Bible. “James 1, “Psalm 27, Isaiah 40:3, Proverbs 3:6 & 14:12
Awesome word for today. Thank you Pastor jim
Thanks pastor For the encouraging words. Miss everybody
Praise the Lord for ur words of wisdom from our Lord. May he continue to bless you n continue to spread his much needed word.🙏
Great Start!
Thank you so much Pastor Jim for such beautiful words and encouragement during this unprecedented and difficult times.
This was very meaningful!