Overcoming Crisis by Myles Munroe [Summary]

Main Summary: Overcoming Crisis by Myles Munroe, is a must-read book in this season, that provides transformative insights on managing and thriving amidst life’s challenges. With biblical wisdom and practical advice, you will learn to redefine crises, leverage the power of faith, and rise above adversity through effective management and Kingdom principles.

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Lessons You’ll Learn From This Post

1. Crisis Redefined
2. Overcoming Crisis 
3. Authorized For Effective Management 
4. Seven Ways to Manage Crisis
5. Understanding Life’s Seasons
6. The Seed Principle
7. Your Job and Your Work
8. Benefits of Crisis
9. Ten Means to Rise Above Crisis

Crisis Redefined

The author begins by highlighting the essence of crises as events beyond one’s control, filling individuals with anxiety. He underscores that crises force change, pushing individuals to confront and control certain aspects of their predicament.

He emphasizes the emotional responses crises evoke, including fear, trauma, and despair, cautioning against knee-jerk reactions that can lead to negative consequences like abuse and substance abuse.

The author discusses the economic downturn all over the world and its implications, attributing much of it to greed, which he defines as the mismanagement of resources for personal gain without regard for others. He encourages you not to succumb to greed and dishonesty due to any crisis you may be facing, but to trust in God’s guidance.

The author emphasizes that crises, while inevitable, present opportunities for growth and development. He suggests diversification and innovation as strategies to navigate crises, urging individuals to focus on solutions rather than dwelling on blame or despair.

He also notes that obedience to God’s teachings provides a strong foundation to weather life’s storms, referencing the story of Joseph as an example of unwavering dedication despite facing numerous crises.

Also Read The Believers Authority by Kenneth Hagin [Summary]

Overcoming Crisis

Overcoming a crisis requires understanding and applying the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven the author notes. He contrasts religious people, who passively wait for miracles, with Kingdom people, who actively engage with the authority and principles of the Kingdom.

The author stresses the importance of a daily relationship with God and knowing and using the keys of the Kingdom. Quoting Jesus, he highlights the promise of authority and access given to believers. He goes ahead to explain that effective management, rooted in principles of stewardship, is key to overcoming crises.

He defines management as the effective, efficient, correct, and timely use of resources delegated by God, emphasizing the importance of honesty, discipline, and diligence in managing these resources. Drawing from biblical examples like Joseph, he illustrates how crisis tests and refines one’s management skills, ultimately leading to thriving despite adversity.

Authorized For Effective Management

The author emphasizes that you, like Adam, are entrusted with a management mandate from God. He explains how God, in the beginning, created the earth but held back the rain until He had someone to manage it. Quoting Genesis, the author reveals that Adam was the first manager, tasked with caring for the garden of Eden and naming the animals.

Despite Adam and Eve’s rebellion, the management mandate remains unchanged, passed down to us. The author highlights the clash between the culture of God’s Kingdom and the fallen world, urging you to recognize your role in restoring Kingdom rule.

As a citizen of Heaven, you’re called to spread the Kingdom’s culture and principles amidst the crises of the world, aligning yourself with God’s management mandate. He notes that your faith is strengthened through tests and trials, preparing you to fulfill your role as a steward of God’s creation.

The author emphasizes the importance of passing the tests that come with management responsibilities. He highlights Joseph’s example of passing management tests despite facing rejection, pain, and loneliness, paying a heavy price but ultimately succeeding through diligence and faith in God.

The author stresses the need for honesty, diligence, and integrity in managing resources, citing examples from everyday life. He underscores the importance of adding value to whatever one manages, whether it’s a job, relationships, or personal time.

The author also emphasizes the link between diligence and patience, quoting Proverbs to highlight the rewards of diligence and the perils of laziness. He encourages you to be a diligent steward of God’s resources, as success comes from diligent planning and hard work, rather than relying on luck or shortcuts.

Seven Ways to Manage Crisis

In a crisis, character is not made; it is only exhibited. The author emphasizes that crisis reveals whether one has learned Kingdom-style reactions. Amid financial struggles or national breakdowns, he gives seven pieces of advice that can help to put you over crisis:

1. Determine Your Needs: Clearly distinguish between needs and wants, especially during crises.

2. Acquire Only What You Need: Pause acquisitions, and focus on essential purchases to maintain liquidity.

3. Do Not Live Beyond Your Means: Live within your financial capacity to avoid a crisis.

4. Withdraw From the Unnecessary: Identify and eliminate unnecessary expenses to conserve resources.

5. Delay Major Projects: Avoid significant investments during crises; focus on essentials.

6. Value Your Possessions: Appreciate and use what you have; consider how possessions can benefit others.

7. Save, Conserve, and Protect Your Resources: Develop habits of saving and prudent resource management.

The author also encourages Kingdom citizens to prioritize faith and trust in God over hoarding wealth, emphasizing the ultimate goal of seeking the Kingdom.

Also Read Unlock Your Potential by Myles Munroe [Summary]

Understanding Life’s Seasons

Seasons are cyclical and even though they may seem never-ending, they inevitably change. The author illustrates this through various analogies, likening human life to the changing seasons of the year.

He quotes Ecclesiastes, emphasizing the temporariness of crises and their eventual passing. In the book, the author emphasizes the importance of maintaining faith during difficult times, highlighting the need to outlast the current season of crisis with patience and trust in God.

He stresses the importance of preparation for future seasons and encourages active faith and unity within communities during times of crisis. Ultimately, the author urges you to maintain perspective, recognizing that crises are temporal and present themselves as opportunities for growth and realignment with what truly matters in life.

The Seed Principle

It is so important to understand and utilize the seeds of potential and purpose that you carry in you, the author notes. Quoting the author, “Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.”

He emphasizes that you were born with seeds inside you and jobs to do. Your future isn’t out there in front of you; it’s trapped inside of you. The author underscores the idea that everyone possesses seeds of potential and purpose, which need to be nurtured and cultivated.

Crisis, though challenging, can catalyze growth and innovation, prompting individuals to tap into their innate creativity and resourcefulness. He, therefore, advises letting crisis times shake loose your potential, planting it with faith and work, and giving yourself away by linking up with other people.

The author encourages you to identify your seeds of potential, take action to cultivate them and trust in God’s provision and guidance throughout the process.

Also Read Plans Purposes & Pursuits by Kenneth Hagin [Summary]

Your Job and Your Work

Your ability to discern the disparity between your job and your inherent work, the author notes, is key to thriving in seasons of crisis. He emphasizes that while a job is temporary and can be lost, your work is your lifelong purpose, bestowed by your innate gifts.

The author urges you not to confuse the two, encouraging you to invest as much effort in discovering your true work as you do in fulfilling your job responsibilities. Through examples like Moses and Joseph, he illustrates how your job may prepare you for your true work, which ultimately safeguards you from the uncertainties of job crises.

In a crisis, you may feel overwhelmed as your livelihood is taken away, and despair sets in. However, the author emphasizes the power of response, stating, “You have one thing left: the power of your response.” Despite the uncontrollable external circumstances, you can choose to view the situation from a Kingdom perspective and trust that God will guide you.

The author urges, “You are always in control of one thing: your mind.” By controlling your perception and choosing faith-filled words, you can navigate the crisis creatively, as the author notes, “A crisis is simply a change in the environment that demands a new, unscheduled response.” Embrace the Kingdom mindset, speak life into your circumstances, and remember, “Death and life are in what you say about the situation.”

With a Kingdom mindset, you can navigate job crises with resilience, recognizing that your true purpose transcends any employment status. Instead of succumbing to panic or depression, you can focus on your enduring work, contributing meaningfully to the world regardless of job fluctuations.

Benefits of Crisis

Yes! Even though that doesn’t feel right, the author notes that times of crisis have preexisted witty inventions. He emphasizes the transformative power of crises, quoting John F. Kennedy’s analogy that the Chinese word for crisis combines danger and opportunity.

The author argues that crises force innovation, pushing individuals to be inventive and take risks. Using the biblical story of Peter walking on water, he highlights how crises reveal our capacity for faith and innovation. It suggests that crises are incubators for creativity and growth, pushing us out of our comfort zones.

The author encourages embracing crises as opportunities for personal and spiritual development, emphasizing the importance of mature leadership during challenging times. Overall, the author advocates for a positive perspective on crises, viewing them as catalysts for innovation, faith, and growth.

Ten Means to Rise Above Crisis

Having said that crises are temporal and in them lies opportunities for creativity and inventions, the author guides you through ten powerful ways to rise above crises, drawing insights from biblical stories and principles:

1. Initiate Solutions: Take proactive steps, like David confronting Goliath, to address your crisis head-on with God’s guidance.

2. Place Demands on Your Potential: Overcome hindrances like disobedience, fear, and discouragement to tap into your hidden potential and qualities.

3. Test the Creativity of Your Team: Collaborate with others to brainstorm creative solutions, like Nehemiah rallying the people to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

4. Believe in Your Ability to Solve Problems: Trust in your capacity to solve problems, knowing that as a child of God, you have access to His unlimited resources and wisdom.

5. Look at What You Have, Not What You Don’t Have: Focus on utilizing your existing resources wisely, without comparing yourself to others or succumbing to anxiety.

6. Study What You Have: Assess your possessions, experiences, and relationships, and bring them to God for guidance and multiplication, as Jesus did with the loaves and fishes.

7. Look for the Potential of Your Resources: Recognize the hidden potential in your resources, like the widow’s jar of oil that sustained her family through a crisis.

8. See Beyond the Norm:  Embrace Kingdom principles and culture, understanding that God’s Kingdom operates differently from the world’s norms.

9. Understand the True Nature of Resources: Manage your resources well, including your giftings, character traits, and time, with generosity and faithfulness.

10. Act in Faith:  Take action based on faith, like the righteous kings of Israel who sought God’s guidance to overcome crises swiftly and engaged them with actions.

By applying these ten principles, you can navigate through crises with resilience and faith, ultimately rising above them with God’s help and guidance.

In conclusion, this book offers an insightful exploration of crisis management and brings out some transformative perspectives in emphasizing faith, resilience, and proactive solutions. Through biblical wisdom and practical advice, the author empowers individuals to navigate challenges with confidence, unlock hidden potential, and embrace new opportunities for growth and innovation.

Finally, here is a question we’d love you to answer.

Reflecting on the benefits of crisis mentioned in the post, can you share a personal experience where a crisis prompted innovation or growth in your life?

We would love to hear from you, please leave your answer and comment in the comment box below.

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