The pressure always comes.
When pressure in life comes how do you react? I know I react in several ways. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes not. Quite often it is the outside source of the pressure that confronts me which provides the correct or negative response. My children will see a different side of me when I am frustrated by their lack of obedience or my wife will see the pressure I face when we require money that doesn’t seem to be available. Certain tv shows will warrant emotions inside my heart that others won’t. I am a sucker for emotional moments that often make me cry! On the other hand I cannot handle any suspense without hiding behind a cushion! Pressure always comes and will yield a response!
As human beings we are brought into this world in an environment that is very pressure sensitive. Often our parents bring us up with certain ideals or situations that they have been forced into. You might have been brought into a prosperous financial family but the family never talks to each other. Someone else might have very little money and a bleak future but their relationships are close and inseparable!
Pressure manifests in multiple ways…it’s how you respond that will produce your eventual outcome.
How did Jesus respond to pressure? One of the clearest examples we have is when Jesus was in the wilderness. He had just had the greatest spiritual encounter of His ministry to date. He was baptised and filled with the Spirit of God and God Himself had vocally confirmed His calling. The Spirit that filled Him promptly led Him into the wilderness. For 40 days Jesus was left without water or food, left to pray, to be alone and to be away from His family and friends.
It was at the last moment, at the very end of His fast that the devil came. Imagine your thoughts at this time into a fast. McDonalds would have sounded awfully lovely at that moment. What did the devil say? “Jesus, turn these stones into bread…”
His response, “You shall not live by bread alone but by every Word of God!”
That is how you deal with pressure, no matter what it looks like. If you can recognise the the source of any form of pressure you can deal with it effectively. Pressure always comes from the enemy. The pressure you feel is always pressure that has been trained into you and forms a response. The enemy knows how to push your buttons. He is looking for a reaction that takes you out of love and then, by default, out of faith.
Begin to train yourself to recognise pressure. Recognise the source. Now decide on your reaction. Are you going to take your feelings literally or are you going to apply the Word of God? Are you going to speak the solution or are you going to cave under the pressure.
You will be able to withstand. You will be able to grow. You will develop a keen edge in the spirit realm when you practice. An athlete practices his craft, he develops his skills so that muscle memory kicks in whatever the situation. The glorious cricket shot has been practiced in his mind, in the batting cage and now on the field. The tennis player’s reactions have been pushed to their limits so that when the crowds are cheering the player can connect out of sheer determination. And I could go on!
Next time something begins to bug or niggle you, slow down. Allow yourself to respond how Jesus would. Rely on the Word of God to come out of your month so that you respond with a victory that can only come from within. Pursue God and not your flesh and as you continue to practice realise the small things dealt with right will lead you to greater things in God!