Title: 13
Author: JOEG
Last saved by: Paul Davey
Company: Auth Co

© 2003 Joe Griffin		03-04-22-A.SBC03-1 /

Crisis Management: Acquiring Tranquility of Soul in A Hostile World: Introduction; The Emotional Sin of Fear; The Faith-Rest Drill: Stages 1-3

Crisis Management
Acquiring Tranquility of Soul in a Hostile World

A.	Introduction:
As we approach the aftermath of Iraqi War II our nation’s media will ratchet up their coverage of the second guessers, the spin misters, and the partisan hacks in order to accomplish their own personal ends.  Rather than salute a victory which, by brilliant strategy, near-flawless execution, and surgical precision, should be impervious to criticism, they will instead find fault simply because the war was fought.
War is verboten among the proponents of Frankfurt philosophy.  Their ideology clings tenaciously to the proposition that military response to aggression is an ugly relic of traditional political theory.  The Anointed have seen beyond the brutal practices of combat and opened new vistas of cooperation and problem-solving around conference tables in New York, The Hague, and Brussels.  Invited to these confabs are those who would do us harm without remorse, lie to us without guilt, and betray us for money.
Allegedly at these meetings of the world’s Better Minds peace and tranquility can be forged if all will agree to compromise.  But the concessions required for harmony demand the sacrifice of principle, honor, and responsibility from those who have sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.  Those who stand in the way of reasoned debate are said to be the United States and specifically their president, George W. Bush.
Frankfurt philosophers, Summerhill students, and the graduates of the nation’s elite journalism schools are convinced their notions of cultural Marxism can lead the world to a halcyon day of utopian joy if only the traditionalists will sheath their swords and either come to the table or get out of the way.

Ergo, the cultural war rages in concert with the Invisible War.  Consequently, no matter how Iraqi War II finally plays out, it will not matter with regard to both these conflicts.  We have learned that our borders are as porous as a sieve; the enemy is within the gates; and they now have a fresh list of grievances to redress upon America.
Add to all this the domestic scene that continues to produce graduates from the Satanic Academy of Cosmic Didactics.  The cultural slide continues unabated as our moral compass continues to deviate away from true north.  The economy staggers as investors cannot decide what makes a company successful: a good day by our troops, Bush’s approval ratings, or economic indicators.  Public education continues its inculcation of progressive propaganda which systematically tears down our Western European heritage, our Anglo-Saxon culture, and Judeo-Christian ethic, all of which are rebuked as detrimental to the lofty ideals of multiculturalism, political correctness, and diversity.  Media spew their tawdry wares in every possible venue preaching their version of freedom: no one is held responsible for his decisions or held accountable for his actions.  Churches distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as a result of this heresy they are unable to teach doctrine.  Consequently, their flocks go unprepared to meet a genius adversary in Lucifer and his demonic faculty and their human spokesmen.  Even doctrinal churches are plagued with those who talk the talk but won’t walk the walk.
Out of this confusion is emerging a society in decline thus bringing the believer face-to-face with every possible form of distraction to his spiritual growth.  Outside adversity is a constant wolf at the door of the soul creating the threat of internal stress.
The cluster of sins that allows the wolf to enter the door is fear, anxiety, worry, and dread.  Once inside, the believer’s spiritual life is halted and his recovery depends on his ability to recall certain basic doctrines under pressure.  Unless we are able to do this with consistent efficiency then no matter how many Bible classes we attend, no matter how many doctrines we’ve learned, and no matter how many sword drills we’ve won, the exigencies of cosmos diabolicus will successfully neutralize us in the Invisible War.
Therefore, our study this week will center on a passage of Scripture that will bring to your remembrance some basic problem-solving devices that will become essential in the days ahead especially if our client nation continues its historical downtrend.  Those who have the confidence and courage to apply these principles are Crisis Personalities and become promachoi: front rankers in the Lord’s army.  Those who don’t become cowards under pressure and casualties on the battlefields of life and the Angelic Conflict.

B.	The Emotional Sin of Fear
1.	There are tons of emotion-based sins which we all encounter from time to time.  However, the one that seems to be the most popular and the one with which we will deal is fear: fÒboj, phobos.
2.	Fear immobilizes the thought processes of the soul rendering its victim helpless.  A person without Bible doctrine will eventually be reduced to defeat by this emotional sin.
3.	Only the person who can think under pressure can be classified as a Crisis Personality.  A Crisis Personality is one who can be calm, poised, and efficient with clarity of thought under any kind of pressure, at any time, anywhere.  This is Crisis Management.
4.	This kind of consistent response to outside adversity is only possible with the believer who has maximum doctrine circulating in his stream of consciousness. 
5.	It is true that war heroes—unbelieving ones—do some wild and wooly things in combat.  Parents faced with impossible circumstances do almost supernatural stunts to save their children from danger.  Athletes prodded by admonitions for championships and glory give their all for the old alma mater.  But the greater percentage of these are one-shot deals and the circumstances they conquer are not common to everyday life.
6.	Which brings us to the point:  How about the circumstances that we all face in life?  How do we handle their sudden appearance on the scene?  And does the way we respond glorify God?
7.	Sudden disaster can throw even a mature believer into fear and panic.  Promises become the believer’s antiserum for the venom of fear the old sin nature injects into the soul.
8.	When difficult situations arise even mature believers, being human, have a sudden attack of fear.  Fear is a form of stress which evokes certain patterns of response in the human nervous system.  These responses are a part of the body’s homeostasis—the innate ability of the body to maintain its internal environment.
9.	There are several observable manifestations on the physical body caused by fear.  These include:
	(1)	Dilation of the pupils.
	(2)	Increase in heart rate.
	(3)	Relaxation of the bronchus for deeper breathing.
	(4)	Secretion of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla.
	(5)	Constriction and dilation of blood vessels.
	(6)	Sweating.
10.	Most of these indicators are designed for either “fight” or “flight.”  Consequently, fear eliminates the relaxed mental attitude necessary to recall and concentrate on doctrinal solutions.
11.	The mature believer can quickly restore poise and regain mental control over the situation simply by using the most basic problem- solving device available to the spirit-filled believer: the faith-rest drill.

C.	The Faith-Rest Drill:
1.	Definition:	The believer’s basic problem-solving device for claiming the promises of God and mixing them with faith through the filling of the Holy Spirit to generate tranquility of soul in the midst of the adversities of life.  [Thieme, Freedom through Military Victory (1996), 82.]
2.	This facilitates a recovery from fear by means of recalling and applying this overriding principle: the reality of Bible doctrine is greater than the reality of any situation, from the smallest exigency to the greatest disaster.
3.	This system involves a three-step process that all of you know quite well:
	STAGE 1:	Promises:	Under the filling of the Holy Spirit, the believer reaches out with faith and claims one or more promises of the Word of God.
			The biblical word for “promise” is the noun:
			™paggel…a, epangelia -	This word was originally a legal term meaning “to summons”; to bid or call upon for specified action.  It is used in Scripture almost exclusively for the promises of God.
			These are divine pledges, they are not contracts.  A contract has two parties who agree on a set of conditions.  God’s promises are freely given by Him to every believer through grace.
Consequently, promises are freely given and may be freely claimed by the believer.  But what exactly does it mean to claim a promise.  Here’s its definition from:
	Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “claim”:
To ask for especially as a right; to call for; to take as the rightful owner; a right to something; specifically a privilege.
2 Peter 1:3 -		His divine power has granted to us for our benefit all things pertaining to our physical life and spiritual life, through the epignōsis knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.
v. 4 -		For by these He has freely given to us for our advantage His extremely valuable and magnificent promises [ ™paggel…a, epangelia ] in order that through these you may become partners in the divine endowment, having escaped the degeneracy caused by evil desire from the lust pattern in the cosmic system.
I have a book by a man who has attempted to document all the biblical promises into one book:
Lockyer, Herbert. All the Promises of the Bible.  (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), 10, 22:
The magazine Time, of Dec. 4, 1956, carried an item to the effect that Schoolteacher Everet R. Storm, of Kitchener, Canada, during his 27th reading of the Bible, came up with 7,487 promises of God to man.
This present writer hopes that he has succeeded in marshalling a comprehensive and representative number of the promises which are like an arranged museum of “gems and precious stones and pearls” of inestimable value in God’s cabinet of spiritual jewels, and which constantly remind the Christian of his true, abiding riches.  (p. 10)
Behind every promise we have the Word and oath of Him who cannot lie, that so by these promises, we might have consolation.  (p.22)
This first stage may be summarized as mixing the promises of God with our faith in His veracity, immutability, and faithfulness: God does not lie, He does not go back on His word, and He thus can be depended upon to do what He promises.  Once promises are claimed then the believer must move to:
	STAGE 2:	 Doctrinal rationales.  With tranquility of soul supplied by faith in the promises, the Holy Spirit is then able to recall to mind the doctrines stored in soul inventory that apply to the situation.
Stage 2 involves an advance on claiming promises.  Here the believer claims doctrines.  Knowledge of pertinent doctrines gives the believer confidence in the divine solution and the courage to apply it to his circumstance.
The concept of rationale is defined by:
	Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “rationale”:
A reasoned exposition of principles; a set of reasoned rules or directions.  The logical or rational basis of anything.
These rationales are developed by analysis of the problem from the biblical perspective.  The Holy Spirit may reference a host of doctrines that enable the believer to discern issues, develop a strategy, and make decisions that manage the situation from a biblical perspective.
The doctrinal rationales are developed from five major doctrines: (1) the essence of God; (2) the plan of God; (3) the grace of God; (4) The concept of a fortiori which stipulates that since God did the most difficult thing for us at salvation He is able to do the less difficult thing for us as believers (this incorporates logistical grace among other doctrines); and (5) problem-solving devices 4-10.
Once these doctrines and their corollaries are considered then the believer can then move to:
	STAGE 3:	Doctrinal Conclusions: This is where the believer achieves confidence that God is in control of the situation.  As a result of this confidence, the believer is in control of the situation.  Although the problem is still a reality, he knows that the Lord’s solution is the greater reality.
			Stage 3 is where the believer can have the same confidence as did Abraham as described by Paul in:
Romans 4:20 -	With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
v. 21 -	and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
4.	Principles:
	(1)	You cannot claim a promise you do not believe and you cannot recall a doctrine you do not know.
	(2)	Claiming a promise is no good unless you believe the promise as well.
	(3)	Believing a promise is no good unless you know enough doctrine to sustain confidence in that promise under pressure.
	(4)	Believing promises and knowing doctrines allow you to reach doctrinal conclusions which put you in control of hopeless situations.
	(5)	Fear sees problems; faith sees the solutions.  You cannot solve problems with a problem.  Problems are solved through divine solutions.  Thus, divine solutions are the only solutions; human solutions are no solutions.
5.	Therefore, in this time of national discipline, imminent danger, and historical downtrends, the believer is able to isolate himself from these exigencies by entering into a status quo of faith-rest.
6.	From this environment of soul tranquility he can become a calm and rational observer of history, unaffected by its ebbs and flows, and confident of his protection and preservation by Jesus Christ who controls history.
7.	From this very same environment of soul tranquility, the believer can utilize the same faith-rest mechanics to resolve personal problems, manage interpersonal conflicts, and maintain spiritual advance.
8.	We will now amplify these principles and establish a foundation for dealing with the exigencies of the day, be they personal or national.  We will emphasize the starting point of the exercise which is to claim a promise.  And the promise we shall claim this week is:
Philippians 4:6 -		(Authorized King James Version) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
v. 7 -		And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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