trust – PAOLOPUNZALAN.COM

WHAT CAN WE DO WHEN WE FACE CRISIS?

With the continuous threat of a major outbreak of COVID-19, what can I do to respond?

Last week, during our Metro Manila pastors meeting, Pastor Gilbert Foliente encouraged us from God’s Word. Sharing from Genesis 41, he presented principles we can glean from when the people of God were also faced with a major crisis which at that time was famine.

External threats are beyond our control. Romans 8 describes to us that the “world groans.” There is going to be a new heaven and a new earth. But in the mean time, what can we do?

Egypt, during the time of Joseph, had the threat of famine. The Pharaoh asked Joseph to interpret his dreams. What happened during that time gave us a template on how to respond when crisis hits.

1. TRUST GOD FULLY.

The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. (Genesis 41:32, NIV)

All that happens in God’s creation does not escape God’s attention. He is sovereign and He is in full control. This means that nothing takes Him by surprise.

Because of this, we can trust that though we may not know what the future holds, we do know Who holds it.

Psalm 33:11-12 says, “The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

2. LEAD CONFIDENTLY.

“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:33)

Every one of us are in some form of leadership capacity. We lead teams, families, units, corporations, organizations. At the very least, we lead ourselves. And as we lead, we can influence others positively.

Joseph was placed in charge over all of Egypt. And after that, he led with confidence knowing that it was God that was ultimately leading him. He wasn’t looking for a job. He was just there as a messenger. But God raised him up for His purposes.

In times of crisis, will we be the voice of faith or the voice of fear?
In times of trouble, will we be a beacon of hope or a source of unbelief?

Joseph trusted God to give him wisdom. We can do too.
Wisdom is being able to do the right thing at the right time.
Joseph had discernment.

And discernment is being able to distinguish between two options.
God has the ability to empower us with discernment to make the right decisions.

3. WORK IMMEDIATELY.

He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:46, NLT)

As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he worked instantaneously. He didn’t take his sweet time. He went for it right away.

When crisis hits and danger is immanent, we need to be decisive and work swiftly because it can mean life or death.

The famine during Joseph’s time wasn’t coming until 7 years after his appointment as Governor. But he went to work right away.

4. PREPARE THOROUGHLY.

He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:46, NLT)

As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, not only did he work immediately, he prepared thoroughly by inspecting the entire land of Egypt. He studied, learned, evaluated, surveyed, supervised, worked. He did all he can to prepare for the famine.

We will believe God for the best.

But we will also prepare for the worst case scenario.
The important thing is to stay connected to the Holy Spirit so that He can give us clear instructions for what we need to do.

At the end of the narrative, we see in Genesis 41:57 that “… all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.” In the midst of crisis, Joseph, who represented the people of God, became a blessing to the world.

As we encounter crises, whether current or future, we can trust God fully, lead confidently, work immediately and prepare thoroughly. And as we do, the people of God, the church can be a blessing to the rest of the world.

WINNING THE HEART MORE THAN WINNING THE ARGUMENT

The “why” is more important than the “what”.

I’ve always been told this as a new parent. If you explain the why to your kids, then it will be easier for them to obey.

However, based on experience, I haven’t been as successful.

When my eldest was 8 years old, my wife Jenn and I would explain to him why it was important to eat vegetables – the nutritional value and meritorious reasons of developing this habit.

Well, it wasn’t working.

So we reverted back to “just-do-as-I-say” method.

As years passed, and as 3 more kids came, I’ve realized an important lesson.

Yes, the why is more important than the what.
But more important than the why is the relational trust the child has with the parent.

I have yet to recall a time when I gave wonderful explanations of the rules and then my children would reply,

“Oh, daddy, now we realize the critical importance of what you just explained. You’ve shed light into this matter. Because of that, from now on, we will do exactly what you say!”

That would be the dream but unfortunately it only remains to be a dream.

The problem with rules and reasons is that you can argue with them point by point and debate issue by issue.

But here’s the truth – YOU CANNOT DEBATE A TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP.

The answers we give to their questions never carry more weight than a healthy and trusted relationship.

Listen to what Reggie Joiner has to say…

“One of the most powerful things a parent can do is to learn to communicate in a style that values the relationship.”

It actually is possible to win the argument and yet lose the relationship.

The goal is not to win the debate. The goal is to win the heart.

ON LEADERSHIP: WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW

Gallup Poll made a research and surveyed 10,000 people. They asked these 2 questions: “What leader has the most positive influence in your daily life?” and “Can you list 3 words that best describe what this person contributes to your life?”

You would expect the ‘usual suspects’ like purpose, wisdom, humor, humility, vision.

But it seems that the people gave a clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives.

Here’s the list:

1. Trust

2. Compassion

3. Stability

4. Hope

Trust was on the top of the list.

One of the people that were interviewed said, “The truth is your bond- you die keeping your promises. If you send the message that your word is not worth much, you’ll be paid back on that.”

The research revealed that “the chances of employees being engaged at work when they do not trust the company’s leaders are just 1 in 12.”

In stark contrast, the chances of employees being engaged at work are better than 1 in 2 if they trust the leadership of the organization.

Trust increases speed and efficiency in the workplace. As Steven R. Covey would say in his book, “Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust.”

Best Buy’s Brad Anderson says “the key to building trust is being authentic, even if that means letting people see his flaws. As a leader, he feels no choice but to be very candid – even when delivering difficult news – because that’s the only way to build trust. It is the most cherished and valuable commodity in a work environment.”

WHAT BREAKS TRUST

broken trust As a leader, trust is the primary currency you and I have.

People can follow because of titles. They can follow because of incentives. Others will follow because they might get fired. Some will follow because of your position. But people love to follow people they trust.

Daniel was trustworthy. People falsely accused him and did their best to discredit him yet they couldn’t.

Daniel 6:4 says that “he was trustworthy… neither corrupt nor negligent.”

2 Things that break trust:

1. Saying one thing and doing another.

Corruption in not just about taking someone’s wealth. The dictionary defines it as someone who is dishonest, unprincipled and crooked.

When we say one thing, do we do something different hoping people won’t notice? When we do that, we break trust. The truth is, it’s in the little things that people see that actually erode trust.

2. Saying one thing and not doing it.

Daniel did what he always did.

In fact, King Darius’ question showed Daniel’s consistency.

“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, WHOM YOU SERVE CONTINUALLY, been able to rescue from the lions?”

When we say one thing and not follow through, that too breaks trust.

Daniel was trustworthy because he was neither corrupt nor negligent.

As a result, the Bible says that he “prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”