PRESSURE FREE (PART 2)
Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.
I want to show you what brings the pressure or stress to your life. Remember, pressure means to squeeze or crush. The Apostle Paul felt pressure in 2 Corinthians1:8 (NIV) which says, “…We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life itself." That, my friend, is a lot of pressure; and I can tell you that no amount of pressure is good for you, not for your emotions or for your physical body. If we will understand what brings pressure, we can better avoid it and stay free from it.
I think pressure comes when you need, or someone needs you to do something that you do not have the power or ability to bring to pass. For instance, there was a king in the Bible that got under great pressure when Naaman came to be healed of leprosy. The king got under such pressure that he rent his clothes and said, "Am I God?” Elisha had to basically tell the king, “Don't get under pressure; send him to me. “
The devil himself puts pressure on you and me all the time by bringing temptation. He did it to Jesus. He tried to pressure Jesus into taking the easy way out. The devil tried to get Jesus to yield to His flesh, just like the devil tempts you and I to do the same thing. Pressure and stress can also come to us from people. The disciples were told not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus. Doing so could have cost Peter and John their lives. That is some pressure. I think you and I face this pressure cooker a lot in the decisions we have to make because our decisions could have great consequences, not for just us but for those around us. Then, when you add in people's opinions and advice on top of that, you have a recipe for stress. These are just a few of the things that will bring pressure and stress to our lives, but we also know that God has the solution for every one of them.
What do you do with things seem to be out of your control? You must realize that God is for you, and you can trust Him to take care of it. It is not by your might nor by your power, but it is by the Spirit of God (Zechariah 4:6). I always tell people, “If you could have fixed it, it would already be fixed, so you may as well give it to God and let Him fix it.” He is an expert at all things, including fixing your impossible things.
When the devil brings temptation and stress, you and I must follow Jesus’ example and speak the Word of God only because the Word is our double-edged sword that always works. Just speak the Word and let it do the work it was sent to do and then, cast the care of it on the Lord. When outside stress comes from people and their expectations of you, just remember that in the end, only what God thinks of you really matters and that should relieve the pressure. I have found that no matter what it is, if you are pleasing to God, you will be pleasing to most people. Your answer must be the same as Peter and John who said, “We would rather please God than man.”
The last thing is what to do about all those decisions. You must have the wisdom of God. God is the only one who knows the future. I am not telling you not to get godly wisdom from people, but I am saying that only God knows your tomorrow and the effect of every decision you make, so find out God's will. Find out from God what you should do about it and then, stick with it; and don't let people or circumstances talk you out of it. Let's live pressure free!