Submarines are designed to withstand immense pressure. They can go deeper in the ocean than any other aquatic vehicle. The pressurized inside, combined with extremely strong materials, keep the ocean outside from getting in. Similarly, believers are built like submarines: God has designed us to overcome and to be powerful under pressure!
Powerful Under Pressure
We are built to win, to overcome the stress that comes in this world, no matter how crazy things get. God has designed us with the ability to withstand immense pressure. A submarine will fail if the hatch is opened and water gets inside. Likewise, we can fail to overcome a challenge if we allow those circumstances to get inside of us. If we open the hatch of our spiritual submarine and allow the stresses of the outside to get in, we will sink.
Remember, we are in this world, but we are not of this world. Our citizenship has changed! We have been relocated from the kingdom of darkness (this world) into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13).
The condition of our world is fallen. It has been corrupted by sin, and, as a result, we will face many challenges. Even Jesus warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). However, Jesus also added that He has overcome the world, therefore, we can be of good cheer! Even in the face of trouble, you can be full of confidence and joy. You are a citizen of Heaven, and your Savior has already won the victory for you!
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Don’t just repeat what the world says. Instead, reflect what the Word of God says. The Word says that you are an overcomer, no matter what pressure you may be under.
Keeping the Water Out
So, how do we keep the pressures surrounding us from getting inside of our spiritual submarines? The primary way is to have a solid understanding of who we are in Christ. We have spirits of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). The peace of God that surpasses all understanding guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). And the joy of the Lord is our strength! (Nehemiah 8:10). Understanding the truths of what we have been given by God builds us up to keep the stresses of life from sinking our ships.
One way we can remember our true identity is by spending time with God and studying the Word of God. If we don’t spend time with God, we won’t know what we already have on the inside. If we don’t know what we have been given by God, we won’t be able to resist what is pressuring us on the outside. We need to be pressurized on the inside with the power and Word of God!
This doesn’t happen overnight. It is a daily part of our personal relationship with God. At some point in our lives, we had to receive Jesus as our Savior on our own. No one else could do it for us. In the same way, our daily relationship with God is something that must be done personally.
Built to Win
I like to win. My husband, Ashley, says I’m competitive. I tell him, “No, I don’t compete: I win!” Competing means there’s a chance you might lose. So, I don’t compete. I win!
Jesus didn’t compete with satan. He won! He defeated the power of the enemy, so we don’t ever have to lose. We can just walk in Jesus’ winning streak!
We need to learn to associate more with being winners rather than losers. The world may be losing based on political, economic, physical, or personal circumstances. However, believers have the power to thrive in stressful times. We can win even within a losing environment. We are built to be powerful under pressure!
Deep-water fish were designed by God to withstand not only the intense water pressure, but also to thrive in absolute darkness! In the same way, we can trust that God has designed and equipped us to thrive in not only high-pressure environments, but the darkest ones as well. The darkness shouldn’t frighten you: You were built with an internal light that glows in the dark!
Winning Under Pressure
Sailors don’t embark on a mission without knowing that their submarine will work properly. They put their trust in the design of the machine. We should have even more trust that God has designed us to thrive in stressful situations.
The Bible is filled with stories of godly men and women who thrived under the rule of heathen kings. Regardless of who is in government or what economy you are living in, you can still come out on top. Believers reap in a time of famine! Here is one example:
1 And there was a famine in the land… 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.
Isaac sowed when there was a famine in the land, but he sowed and reaped a hundredfold harvest in that same year. The Philistines were so threatened by him that their king asked them to leave. Even as slaves, the Hebrews prospered, and the Egyptians hated it! I wonder what her neighbors thought when the widow of Zaraphath never ran out of flour and oil during a famine? (1 Kings 17:7-16).
As believers, we can win under pressure, no matter what is going on around us.
You Have Power
1 John 4:17 tells us that as Jesus is “so are we in this world.” This means that we are anointed just as Jesus was anointed. Anointed means to be endued with power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit! As a believer, you are endued with the power of God on the inside of you!
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
The Spirit of God inside of us is way more than enough power to keep the pressure of the outside world from getting into our spiritual submarines!
“But the leader of our country is horrible, and is doing horrible things!” “But there are evil groups that are destroying our livelihoods.” “But my family treats me terribly and I don’t have any friends.” “But I don’t have enough money to buy food or pay my rent.” “But my children are rebellious.” “But my body is in pain all of the time.”
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31, emphasis added
You can still remain powerful under pressure! When the weight of the world presses in around you, you do not have to buckle. You can stand strong because you know that the power of God is on the inside of you. The pressure on the inside of you, which comes from the Greater One, is more powerful than anything in the world that tries to come against you!
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It is time for you to abandon a life of worry, anxiety and fear and launch into a life of faith, boldness and power. Don’t tolerate fear: live the life you were made for!
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