How to overcome the pressure of life

 Many of you reading this article are under tremendous pressure. You're going through a time of great stress where the winds and waves of life have shaken you to your core. The life that you are living isn't what you imagined it would be. You never thought you would be where you are right now. And it seems like the more you try, the worse it gets. And it points. You cry out to God and say, God, how can I win? You pray and you pray and the situation gets worse. You cry and you cry. And the hole gets deeper. Now, I want to ask you a question. 

Have you ever been trapped between a rock and a hard place? Have you ever had to carry a burden all on your own when no one else knows what you are going through? When you pretend that you are okay in front of your family, at work or at school, when everyone around you thinks your life is perfect. But secretly you are being overwhelmed. By the stress of your situation. You are being crushed by the pressure you feel. It's getting harder to breathe. It's slowly eating you away. There is a woman in the Bible in Mark Chapter five. Who was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had the issue of blood 12 years. She had spent all of her money and went to every doctor and she had tried everything she could to get well.

 But nothing helped. Her situation got worse. Then she heard Jesus was passing through her town. Like most people in her town, she had heard the stories of the great miracles Jesus had done. Turning water into wine. Healing the blind. Raising the dead. Something moved inside of her. And she said to herself. If I can get to Jesus. And just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed. Now, the problem was there was a great crowd around Jesus and it was near enough impossible to get to Jesus. But this didn't discourage her. 

She started making her way through the great multitude of people. When she finally got to Jesus and she reached out and touched the edge of his robe. Jesus stopped suddenly and said, Who touched me? His disciples were confused and said, Master, the people are crowded around. A lot of people have touched you. But Jesus declared Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me. Now, what was the difference between the woman with the issue of blood and the other thousands of people that had touched Jesus? The difference was her faith. It says in Mark 5:34. Daughter Jesus said, Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your flesh.

 Faith is the answer. There is nothing more powerful than your own faith. Your faith has made you whole, Jesus said. The only thing that will turn your situation around is your faith. In the life of every believer. Your faith will have to stand on its own two feet. All you need is the faith of a mustard seed. It does not take great faith to believe in a God that never fails. I wish I could tell this to each of you individually that God is faithful. He has never failed. Failure is not in his nature. And he will not fail you. 

The God of this Bible is still Jehovah Jireh. This book clearly states he will make you the head and not the tail. He will make you above and not beneath. He will give you vineyards you didn't plant. And Wales. You did not. Did. He plants you by streams of living waters so that whatever you do shall prosper. Only believe in the God of this Bible. There is nothing more powerful than your faith. Yes, you have been praying, but do you have faith? Yes, you have been fasting, But do you believe. Real faith can grab God's attention in heaven and move him into action on your situation. More. 5:36. Do not be afraid. Just believe.

 God has not left you. God is with you. You are going to make it. When you think you can't take another step. When you think you can't live another day. When you think you can't take another disappointment. Reach out in faith. To the God that winds and waves obey. He holds the seven seas in the palm of his hand. He calls the stars by name. He measures the heavens with the span of his hand. He is the rock of your salvation. He is the cornerstone, precious and elect in Zion. He is my shelter in the storm. He is my high tower, my fortress and my deliverer. 

In my time of. He is the light of the world. The lady with the issue of blood. Had to fight and push her way through the great crowd of people to get to Jesus. The crowd represents fear, doubt and failure. Things that didn't work out. Thoughts that tell you you will always be in this situation. God will never help someone like you. The crowd can even represent past failures. Were you to have faith in God? You will need to fight through some things. You will need to fight doubt. You will need to fight through any insecurities. Fight through all unbelief. Fight through past defeats. Nothing was going to stop the woman. She was focused with a clear goal in mind.

 No matter how big the crowd got or how loud it became, no matter how many times she got pushed and fell over. Even her own suffering was not going to stop her. The fact that she was unclean and touching anyone was forbidden. None of it even crossed her mind because she was focused on Jesus. You will need to have a bulldog. Tenacity. Just like the woman and say nothing will stop me in believing in God. Let every man be alive, but let God be true. Mistakes are not going to stop me. Unbelief is not going to stop me. 

The past is not going to stop me. Pain is not going to stop me. Failure is not going to stop me. Dow is not going to stop me. Beer is not going to stop me. Uncertainty is not going to stop me. People are not going to stop me and I am not going to stop me. I will have faith in God. For we live by faith and not by sight. I don't think we understand the importance of believing in God or how highly God regards faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. God will never be happy with you unless you believe in him. So have faith in God. And in the end you can say it. Second Timothy. Four seven. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have kept the faith.

 Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Your faith is able to see the unseeable. Your faith is able to transcend time and look past your problem and look into the future. Faith is complete and utter confidence. Faith is choosing to believe and not to doubt. Faith can see the end from the beginning. Faith does not look at the current circumstances, but faith lives in a state of expectation that all things work together for the good of them, that love the Lord. It takes only one idea to change your current circumstances. It only takes one encounter with Jesus to change a lifelong problem.