We live in a microwavable era where everything must be done in a certain way and fast. We must cook, clean, eat, sleep, shower, get dressed for work, raise the kids, and even use the bathroom fast because those days of reading our newspapers or magazines while sitting on the toilet seat are over. We also live in a time where we seek people’s validation and affirmations more than anything else. So, we are constantly comparing ourselves, and trying to fit in.
And so, we have built our lives under so much pressure that we forget to live by trying to meet people’s expectations. As a result, we don’t even remember to acknowledge the One who is in charge and has the script of our lives. We tend to forget that surrendering to the pressure of life can be the very thing that is hindering our spiritual growth. So, I will explain how we can easily disobey God because of pressure (Part 1) and share a testimony with you (Part 2).
We already know that God’s way is not our way and His thoughts are not our thoughts and we say it all the time, but isn’t it funny that the moment the Holy Spirit asks us or nudges us to do something or not to take action towards something, the very first thing we do is to “question Him” and that is because what He asks us to do is usually different than what we expected. It looks and sounds different from what our friends, coworkers, classmates, and family members told us it was supposed to look and sound like.
God will always ask us to do scary and challenging things that we have no point of reference for; those things will also be doable because God has already given us the ability to do them. However, the problem is we must decide whether we will follow the people-pleasing business and disobey God since what He says isn’t normal or do what He says.
When God commands us to do something, we ought to expect to be called crazy, old fashioned, extra, unrealistic, useless, careless, and demonically possessed, and that’s exactly what they called Jesus too and He warned us about it. And when we start hearing these words, that’s how we’ll know we are following Jesus properly. And when we follow Jesus’ instructions we will be persecuted and may even be crucified but we will also come out on top despite it all. The key here is to cling to Jesus no matter what, never let go, and we shall be winners.
One may think it’s easy to obey God’s instructions because all you must do is surrender. But allow me to tell you that when you truly have a red sea before you, and Pharaoh and his crew behind you that is when you will realize that you need Jesus to be able to follow Him, and that’s also when you will understand what kind of pressure Moses was under and what it means to choose the true God over the false gods. These false gods can be loved ones, strangers, coworkers, places, material things, positions, comfort, bad habits, negative emotions, and circumstances such as health, financial, and family issues.
Another thing you need to remember is that the adversary’s goal is for you to submit to the pressure, to give in and to stay in the mundane, to be quiet and not to upset the boat. I usually suggest this movie called “Truman Show” a 1998 American psychological comedy-drama film written by Andrew Niccol and Peter Weir. This movie can help you understand what stepping out of the norms might entail. You might want to watch it when you get a chance.
Isn’t it strange that every time you try to step out of the norms, out of what seems familiar, there is always something, someone, some circumstance that is placed on your path to pull you back to the old ways, old patterns, and the old you? And these familiarities can be anything like fear, trauma, anxieties, heartaches, sickness, losses, alcohol abuse, money sex, power, drugs, prisons, etc. All these things can be used against you to keep you bound. However dear, when you get a word from the Lord and start obeying His word, God will miraculously flip things around and work all of them for your good.
And when you honor God by resisting the pressure, God will honor you and the devil will flee from you. The Bible says “Resist the devil and he shall flee from you” James 4:7. So, pay attention to what God commands you to do and what’s around you because the pressure will be the opposite of what God has spoken over your life. The purpose of the pressure is to get you to disobey God’s word and yield to the oppression, which also means worshiping false gods. Therefore, your goal is to remain ten toes down on God’s Word and obey Him because quitting is not an option for you.
SCRIPTURES
“For those who honor Me, I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Samuel 2:30
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26
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