Faith Under Pressure - How To Survive

Faith Under Pressure - How To Survive

There was the story of a king who was well loved of God, and as such was well favoured. And he knew it. 

So, it came to a point when a major decision was to be made, and he needed to get the instruction from God before proceeding. 

He waited for one day, nothing. One week passed, nothing. After one month, no word from God. 

Now, the people he leads are expecting this thing to happen but yet to, and now they're getting apprehensive.

Then one month one week was gone and still nothing. No one has any more patient to spare, not even the king. In his defence, he waited patiently for five weeks without hearing from God. 

Maybe God wanted him to use his discretion all along. How stupid of him to have kept his lovely subjects for that long? 

Goshhh!!!

With the pressure from the people, he went ahead to make the announcement. 

The people were gappy, they rejoiced and throw party because they now have the word from God. 

Just then, an old man appeared on the scene with the king. The king with his shoulder raised like shoulder pad, proud of what he has done, looked at the old man and said; 'I have done it'.

The old man looked at him and said; 'what have you done? Why didn't you wait to hear from God before proceeding?'

The king tried justifying his actions, and since it wasn't working passed the blame to his subject that they pressured him and the pressure was too much for him to handle, so he did it. 

God wasn't happy with him. That was how the kingship was taken away from him and his generation and passed to someone else who would do things according to Gods prescribed order. 

The lesson: 

No matter the pressure that comes to you - inside or outside, God already has a prescribed order of how things should be done. 

And you can't excuse your action because of pressure. There will be consequences when you act - good or bad. 

The pressure from the outside is not a justification for your disobedience. 

God has a prescribed order and amazingly if you can wait patiently to hear him at every point, He will help you through. 

Don't be that man pressure determines his actions, be that mab that God determines his action. 

I like the way James puts it: 

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

James 1:2‭-‬4 MSG"