Handling Pressure with Peace and Strength

John 16:33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus told us two things here in John 16:33

1. In the world, we will have pressure, AND 

2. we can be of good cheer because he overcame the world. 

   
   

He didn't promise a pressure-free life. He promised peace IN it.

What Is Pressure? 

The Greek word is thlipsis — it means pressed, squeezed, burdened. 

Think of a balloon filling with air. The more that goes in, the more the pressure builds.

Two kinds of pressure:

• Internal — what we put on ourselves. Overloaded plates, poor planning, procrastination. all pressure begins in the mind. We allow ourselves to be pressured.

• External / Spiritual — pressure that comes from outside us, including pressure for standing on the Word.

Key point: Pressure and stress are not the same thing. 

Pressure is the situation. Stress is what happens when we don't handle it well. 

We get to choose.

A Biblical Example 

Matthew 26:36-40 — Garden of Gethsemane

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Jesus was facing the weight of what was about to happen. That was real spiritual pressure. What did he do? He went straight to his Father in prayer and shared his heart completely.

We will face spiritual pressure for standing on the Word. And like Jesus, we can pray and endure.

Being Rooted 

Matthew 13:18-23 — Parable of the Sower

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The seeds on stony ground received the Word with joy. But they had no root. When pressure (thlipsis) came, they stumbled.

What happened to the seeds in good soil? They brought forth fruit.

The difference was depth. 

Proverbs 24:10 

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 

The only way to have strength that holds is to be deeply rooted in the Word.

II Corinthians 1:3-4 

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

God is the Father of mercies and the God of ALL comfort. He comforts us in our pressure so we can comfort others with the same comfort we received.

Practical Actions

Seven things we can do right now:

1. Identify where the pressure is coming from. Internal or external? Once you know the source, you can figure out the action.

   
   

2. Pray like Jesus did. 

Philippians 4:6-7  

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Bring everything to God with thanksgiving, and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. That's a promise.

3. Claim one verse for your situation. 

Psalms 94:19

In the swarm of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

Psalms 119:165

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Philippians 4:13  

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

Find the one that speaks to what you're facing and hold it.

4. Have a plan and set priorities. 

Proverbs 4:26 

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

ponder the path of your feet. Make a list. Work the list. Pressure that comes from chaos can be reduced by order.

5. Keep a merry heart. 

Proverbs 17:22 

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. 

A merry heart does good like medicine. Godly humor gives you a lighter heart in the middle of hard things.

6. Move your body. 

I Timothy 4:8 

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 

Bodily exercise profits. It clears the mind, releases tension, and builds physical capacity to resist strain.

7. Share with another believer. 

Paul received comfort from fellowship in times of pressure (II Corinthians 7:4-7). We are not meant to carry it alone.

Romans 8:35 and 37 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Nothing separates us from the love of Christ. Not pressure, not distress, not persecution. Nothing.

We will face pressure as long as we are living for God and doing His Word. That is just the truth. But we already have the victory. Jesus overcame the world. That means we endure with peace and strength, not because the pressure isn't real, but because we know how it ends.

The next time pressure hits, ask: where is it coming from, and what action can I take? Then pray, stay rooted, and trust that God always gives the victory.