Pressed but not Crushed

Have you ever felt like you couldn't take any more? Have you ever felt like you could crack under the pressure of every thing coming at you, or the things life is throwing at you? Well, I have and I know from my own experience that it isn't a fun place to be. It's a place that feels hopeless, a place of discouragement, a place of loneliness. It feels lonely because you feel like you have to hold in what you are truly feeling. The feeling that you could scream, a feeling of desperation, a feeling of shame, a feeling of confusion! You may ask yourself, why am I feeling this way? What if I truly told someone how I was feeling? Would they judge me? Would they look at me differently? Thinking to yourself, "they think I have it all together"!

The thing is, I have felt all of that! And, in truth, I have felt that recently! Here I am a Godly woman, a woman who knows the truth of who God is, a woman who knows the Word of God and All His promises and believes in it with everything that is in me! A woman who calls on Him in my time of need and dances around the house rejoicing in Him. A woman filled with Peace that passes all understanding and finds His joy as my strength in all that I face.

But, I also know that there is a very real enemy that wants to steal that very thing from me and all others that are woman and men of God and of strength! Especially, when you are trying to walk in the calling and purpose He has for you and when the message you are sharing will bring others in closer relationship with the one the enemy hates, GOD! He uses situations that we may be going through or even people to rob the joy that's in our lives. He is out to kill, steal and destroy all that he can. He will cause such pressure in our life at times, that we feel like a pressure cooker ready to blow! Am I the only one? I don't think so! The hard thing for me is this, and I am sharing this because I don't believe I am alone, the people in your life that sees you as this strong individual, forgets you are human. And, unfortunately the pressures of life can get to us at times too. All I know is that sometimes the enemy can come at us like a flood and before we know it, we feel like we are drowning. Then you go and share your feelings with the very people you think, for once, could be the one to lift you up, instead of you being the strong one all the time. Since this behavior is so out of character for you, all it does is confuse them and they are not quite sure how to handle the situation or you. They may even get angry at you for falling apart!

I know one thing for sure, God is always there! He is strong enough to handle our weakest moments and He is strong enough to lift us back up! Corinthians 4:8-10 says "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. Psalms 129:2 says "they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me." Isaiah 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." and Proverbs 18:10 says "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runs into it, and is safe."

This is HOPE! The Lord is our HOPE! No matter what we face, all we have to do is run to Him! Get into His Word, put on some praise music, dance around the house and watch the stress, the hopelessness, the depression, the fear, the confusion, the shame and all the negative emotions disappear from your very being as it is replace with HOPE, PEACE, JOY AND VICTORY! We are BLESSED beyond anything the enemy tries to throw at us! We are the victors!

Next time the enemy comes at you, try to catch it quick enough to realize that it is him trying to destroy your day, your relationship or whatever it is and start speaking, singing and praising the very Words of our Lord and STAND! Isaiah 59:19 says "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." Again, STAND! The Lord will protect you and save you!

Until Next Time!