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Steadiness Under Fire
Sep 30, 06:23 PM
The true mark of a person is determined by what they do under pressure. This is especially true of leaders. If you really want to know what is inside a person, watch what happens when the heat is turned up. God will test the mettle of a man or woman by fire. The term “testing” is not always the pass-fail proposition we think it is. Often the testing itself is what builds our faith and commitment. Character is hammered out on the anvil of affliction.
Gold is purified by fire. Heat removes impurities. Unfortunately, these impurities rise to the surface in the process. They are exposed, which is always disheartening. But it is done so that they can be removed and thereby the precious metal is made pure. God knows just how much heat is enough.
A leader has to hold a stead hand in times of crisis. When things get crazy, people look to him or her to be an example of wisdom, confidence, patience, and true resolve. Wise decisions in times of stress are vital to the success of any organization or endeavor. Too often people pray frantically when their lives are under siege. Those are the times to double your efforts to wait in the Presence of God and ask that God might command peace to the troubled waters of your soul. Wait for God’s wisdom. Something deep within you must “kick in” when times are perilous.
You must remember that God has not brought you to this point only you throw you off a cliff. God is good. God’s purposes for you will be completed in Him, even though for the time being things may look bleak. In times of crisis, your confidence in God must emerge. This is not to say that we have some kind of flighty faith without substance nor is it a basic denial of the reality before you. Confidence in God means that you are aware of another reality which supersedes what you see with your eyes. That reality is God who works all things for the good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.
You should also have confidence in yourself and in those around you. A leader must trust those who serve with him or her. If you basically think that those around you are mindless fools, you either have a distorted perception of yourself and others or you have surrounded yourself with the wrong people. You do not go through the trial alone. Trust the people around you.
One must always realize that any crisis is temporary. True wisdom recognizes the seasons of life. The season of fire is just that: a season. It will give way to another. Joy comes in the morning. Take heart and do not lose hope. Set your sights on Jesus.