Break Free from the Pressure
by Diana Scothorn
Pressure causes an exertion of force on the inside of you and causes desperation to do something now as well as causing fear to rise and hope to diminish. We all feel pressure. How we respond to pressure is the very thing Satan takes notice of because there are different levels of stress, and we all react differently.
However, God will use pressure from the outside to transform us on the inside! Romans 12:2 tells us to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s perfect will is.
When people and circumstances come against us, it’s comforting to know…
…God is for us! The Bible says if God is for us, who can go against us! Translation… don’t let the pressure get the best of you, God’s got this, and what we’re going through is no sweat for God!
It’s the pressure that forces us to go in one direction or another. We can run to the world that embraces the world’s way (panic, fear, drugs, alcohol, sex, food, etc.) or can turn our attention and heart to God that will give us all the hope and comfort the world can not provide.
God will give us peace, love, joy, and comfort that only He can supply. Knowing what God has planned for our future, as well as developing a relationship that allows us to intimately understand the nature of our loving Father, will help us to run to God instead of away from God.
The Bible clarifies our heart because when pressure comes, what we have stored in our heart, will come out full force. Many times I’ve imprisoned my heart, thinking I was guarding my heart. This is a seed of deception that will hold us hostage.
When we imprison something, we lock it away, never to be touched or found and confined beyond reach. When we guard our heart, we tuck it away as sacred, protected by God, allowing it to be reached at all times by God! If we keep our hearts from God, eventually, we’ll have a heart filled with fear, dread, loss, and bitterness from the things people and circumstances have presented us.
When the pressure comes full-blown, it outflows what’s deeply tucked in our hearts. All the things we thought were confined within the walls of our heart come barreling out like a fire hydrant! The good news is that God’s grace and mercy are fresh every day. Thank you, Jesus!
We can repent, incline our ear to God, and welcome Him back to take full occupancy of our heart. We’re pressing into him, instead of pressing into the pressure! When our ear is inclined toward Jesus, we’ll not listen to what “they” are saying, nor hear what the devil is whispering in our ear. We will only give attention to what God’s word is saying.
When we focus on God’s promises, His words, and His purpose for our life, the pressures of life, will not take residency in our hearts. When God lives in our hearts, pressure diminishes in His sight.
No battle that comes against us is greater than the victory God has in store for us!
When pressure comes, what we have stored in our heart, can alter our life or transform it. Stress will come and go, but God’s word will stay forever!
~Diana
Diana Scothorn has a heart for helping women succeed, with a focus on a strong, spiritual, mental, and physical core. Diana’s background in the health and fitness world began with one of the most iconic names in fitness, Richard Simons. Overseeing ladies’ health clubs for 10 plus years allowed Diana to step into a passion for marketplace ministry even before ministering the gospel in business was widely accepted.
She’s been married to her prince charming, Stewart, going on 12 years, and they enjoy spending time with their 4 kids and 8 grandchildren. Both are ordained ministers of the Gospel, serve on the board of several well-known ministries, and are also co-owners of, The Benefit Link, Inc., a marketplace ministry business, which has been number one in the field for over 25 years and is licensed in all 50 States, serving senior citizens in need of compassion, prayer, and guidance when facing the challenges of the Medicare maze.
Diana’s been featured in Society Magazine’s Successful Business Women of the Year for 2018, 2019, and 2020. As an international speaker, Diana has traveled abroad for over 10 years, along with her husband, to help support missions throughout Europe and South America, focusing on funding the Kingdom and advancing the gospel.
Connect with Diana on Instagram and Facebook, where she has “Diana’s Daily Devotionals” encouraging and inspiring women to live daily in victory.
