Praying under Pressure!

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

INTRODUCTION

We hear a great deal today about pressure, stress, and anxiety.

Many people speak with authority that says, I have the answers.

But when you look at some of their theories, they appear to be abstract concepts that never get down to where all of us live.

Some speakers give harsh simply solutions to complex problems.

They seen to lack a compassionate sensitivity to the real struggles that going on inside people who may even look happy and content.

Each one of us are facing pressure today, our world has been turn upside down.

As we are facing this pressure, stress and anxiety we are driven by our needs, our emotions and our undisciplined life-styles.

At times we feel that we must achieve or that we must win or that we must be in control.

But the secret to control this pressure, stress and anxiety is to learn how to pray even when under extreme pressures is a vital part of living out our commitment to Christ.

So tonight when I say we are to pray, I am saying that we are to do these things.

Praise the Lord and proclaim His greatness

Remember and rejoice with thanksgiving because of who God is and because of what He has done.

Acknowledge our sins and ask His forgiveness.

Give way to God’s guidance and faithfully obey His Word.

Christ said this:

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Since we can do nothing for God in ourselves, we must be willing to sacrifice self-glory. We must be willing to give up our plans in order to obey God, for God works through people who offer themselves totally to Him.

You see, praying under pressure requires us to be clear minded and self-controlled.

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

Everything will soon come to an end. So be serious and be sensible enough to pray. CEV

If we are not careful pressure has a way of depressing us. It causes us to feel out of control. All too many of us can identify with this feeling.

One pastor’s wife said this: For years I lived part-time in the tunnel of depression. Nine years ago I became a permanent resident there. For six months I stared at the walls, cried into my pillow, found life meaningless, and wished to die.

Her passionless, empty life changed one night when God spoke to here heart as she was reading a book.

God told her, “Your problem is that you cannot see Me in everything that happens to you.”

She said “Hope began to stir within her as I began to see meaning in my existence.”

She realized that self-pity would have to go, along with unbelief, pessimism, grumbling and fear.

God told her to focus on gratitude, faith, hope, and optimism.

It was not easy for her to pray under the pressure of depression. It was not easy for her to see God in everything in her life.

She leaned more toward self-pity than to praising God.

But as she obey God and prayed in faith, the light grew brighter.

The devil would like to put all of us in that black cave where we are miserable and ineffective as Christians.

At times, many of us, under the pressures of life, begin to indulge in self-pity. we give up too soon under the pressures and we stop praying. We fail to see God in everything that happens.

E.M. Bounds said, “Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.”

Why is it hard to pray under pressure?

The pressures of life cause us to believe in our own helplessness. They cause us to doubt God’s love and concern. We become anxious and fearful of what is going to happen. At times it seems as if we live under a dark cloud that just will not go away.

So how do we activate our faith, motivate ourselves to pray, dedicate ourselves to God no matter what?

We should anticipate the mercy of God to bring us to victory!

No matter what the pressure you should keep on praying because of these things:

God is King of the Universe:

Who is this glorious king? He is our LORD, a strong and mighty warrior.

Open the ancient gates, so that the glorious king may come in.

Who is this glorious king? He is our LORD, the All-Powerful!

God is all-powerful:

There is nothing He can’t do on my behalf.

No one can oppose you, because you have the power to do what you want.

God is faithful and unchangeable:

Descendants of Jacob, I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out,

We can pray and praise God even under the pressures of life because we know who we are in Christ.

Josh McDowell said, Being able to remember who God is and who you are in His sight is important as you meet the traumas and stresses of life.

This is something to remember: our most basic need is the need to be loved and to sense that we belong. Because God loves us, God does more than change circumstances in our lives, He changes us.

So don’t focus on the problems, Look to God who is bigger than any problem. Don’t give in to negative feelings!

Give praise and thanks to God every day.

Learn to see God in everything and in every situation. He is there all the time!

We must never give up and never stop praying. With God we are always on the brink of a miracle. So let’ never give up.

Here are some simple steps to follow that will cause the Spirit of God to blow away the dark clouds and lift the pressures you are under:

Believe that Christ came to save you and then present your body a living sacrifice to God.

Realize no problem or pressure that has over taken you is unique to you alone. You are not the only one who has faced this problem. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be pressured beyond the point that you are able to bear.

You must be willing to get out of your depression or despair. Some people are happy with their depression and would be unhappy to get out of it. You must want to get on top and not stay under the burden.

Ask God to give you joy. God does not want us to be miserable, mournful and gloomy. He wants our faces to shine with His glory and peace.

Keep Your eye on Jesus. God’s way is to have your eyes fixed on Jesus. Take your eyes off yourself and get them on Jesus.

The LORD gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.

So always trust the LORD because he is forever our mighty rock.

But I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.

My enemies, don't be glad because of my troubles! I may have fallen, but I will get up; I may be sitting in the dark, but the LORD is my light.