Battling Pressure
How To Stand Against Pressure
In this article I would like for you to consider two separate events that both represent an enormous amount of pressure.
The first is found in Matthew 14:29-30:
"And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."
Typically when we consider this story we look at the amazing miraculous power of Peter being able to walk on water and then look at him sinking when he got his eyes on the waves. However, what I would like to do is to consider the time between these two events. The few minutes that he was in his walk.
I would like for you would try and picture yourself walking to Jesus on the water as Peter did. As glorious as that would be, you can't ignore the fact that waves are crushing all around you. While it is possible to keep your focus on Jesus, it would be impossible to not visibly see the waves. Hold this thought let's look at another passage of scripture found in Psalms 91:7:
"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."
This is an awesome scripture and one that I often quote. However, place yourself into the middle of this verse and consider the pressure on your faith when you look to your right and there are ten thousand dead and then you look to your side and there are another thousand dead.
While there is great victory that you are still standing there is an absolute pressure that comes against your faith because of the events that are unfolding around you. Just like with Peter in the story above. Though he was walking on water, due to the events around him, there was great pressure on his faith.
It is not easy to live by faith. Faith stands against the pressure to give up. Faith stands against the forces that tell you it can't happen. Faith stands when it seems like continuing to stand is going to result in total failure.
When we consider Hebrews 11 that tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith we can understand why from the stories above. Faith comes by hearing the Word and faith is the substance of things hoped for. In other words, when you continue to stand in faith your hope, trust, and confidence is in God alone.
If we consider some events in the Bible we see the three Hebrew children having to enter the furnace, we see Daniel going into the lions den, we see David running toward the giant, and we see Elisha confident that those who were with him were greater than those who were before him. These are all examples of men who would not allow the pressure of the circumstance to deter them.
We are presently living in a time where economic pressures are mounting against individuals, crime is on the increase, and terrorism is growing. These type of events are all associated with living in the last days. The question is, "Have we built our faith to a point that it can stand against the pressure?"
Now more than ever we need rock solid faith that will resist the pressure no matter how difficult the day becomes. It is time to get in the Word more than ever because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.