It doesn’t matter who you are or how long you’ve been on this Christian journey, there’s bound to be a time in your life when the pressure seems way beyond what you think you can handle. You know that God has your back, and that you can do all things through Christ, but there are times when things pile up and the consequences of you not delivering are pretty extreme. We have to deal with people on a daily basis that are full of the devil—folks that are throwing shade left and right. It seems as if there’s no one in our corner. We’re the go-to person. We’re the ones who listens to everybody’s problems. We’re the shoulder so many cry on, but there’s no one who is there for us. This can mess with your head big time, because it makes the pressure ten times worse.

You wonder what it’s all about. Why is there this constant pressure that, if we’re honest, subsides from time to time, but for the most part continues to be a recurring theme. It just seems to never let up. When you mix in the state of confusion and the false and corrupt communication that is all around us, it can be very tempting to get angry, disillusioned, and pessimistic about one’s future. Well, in case you didn’t know it, this is exactly the devil’s game plan. Making us feel this way is his main objective.

There can be no question that the enemy is attempting deception on a huge scale. Many of us are feeling under assault, and some of it is coming from people and situations that we never would have suspected. It’s not this little biddy stuff that we’ve dealt with in the past. It’s the big digs that stab us in the place of vulnerability. The enemy’s evil plot is to get us so focused on the people that are coming for us with all this foolishness that we lose complete focus on the bigger picture.

The right knowledge is power. A well-informed person will always make the best choices and decisions. As Christians, we don’t have to keep getting hit in the same places time after time. There’s a way for us get out from under all this pressure, so that we can get on with doing what God has called us to do. A major step towards doing this is remembering what God says in Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV), “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

You have to know your real enemy, and begin to see those that work against you as victims of the devil’s sinister plots. They are not strong or knowledgeable enough to recognize that they are being used. Knowing this helps us to begin to regain perspective and stop focusing on what the enemy is trying to do through others. When we take our focus off of him and put it on the finished work of Jesus Christ, then we will begin to be grateful and rejoice in the victory he has given us.

Knowing and trusting that Jesus Christ has already conquered the enemy will give us a mind and heart that allows us to stand in his victory, and not be tricked out of it. We won’t see things through the eyes of the flesh, but through the eyes of the Spirit. A good example of seeing things from a fleshly perspective is when we’re feeling pressure at work, or feeling it at home in our family relationships, and we’re tempted to lash out in anger. We start to use our tongues as weapons of evil rather than instruments for good. This plays right into the enemy’s scheme.

You see, one of the things that we, as God’s daughters, sometimes forget is the power of our tongues. You know Proverbs 18:21, which tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. You’ve heard this many times, but do you really believe it? My Dear Sisters, we’re living in a time of acceleration. No longer can we speak a curse from our lips with a delayed consequence some weeks or months later. Those days are long gone. When you commit an offense against someone, or speak evil words against them, the consequences are immediate. The power of your words is real, and if you don’t use them to bless and uplift, you’re hurting yourself by perpetuating continued attacks on your life.

Pressure from multiple places is symbolic of a demonic spirit that moves back and forth, from one person to the next, erupting multiple situations that inundate us at one time. Recognize this for what it is. It is an attempt to weaken your fight for love’s sake, so that you begin to operate from a place of constant worry and fear.

Something else that we can’t afford to do under pressure is to give in to pride. We can get that neck rollin’, ‘who does she think she is,’ ‘I know you ain’t talkin’ to me’ Ms. Thing attitude in a hot minute. This is a tasty snack for the enemy and gives him fuel to keep up the foolishness. Listen, I know that it can be challenging, but we’ve got to learn to respond in the love of Christ. Our intention to change our approach to one of love acts as a shield against those darts.

It may feel as though the pressure won’t stop and that we have no way of making it go away, but this simply isn’t the truth. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. He’s already won these battles for us. Love always wins, and God is our defense. We need to learn to keep our mouths closed and allow Him to do what He does best. We are overcomers through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and no weapon formed against us will prosper. Let’s remind ourselves of this constantly, and draw on God’s love as we walk in victory over any and every pressure in life. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“When the Pressure Is Too Much” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.