Day 47: Don't Give In To The Pressure
Warm Up:
Pray:
“Lord, give me strength. Strength to stand under pressure. Strength to navigate the voices in my life and the words they use against me. Strength stronger than the pressure I feel. Strength in the midst of the storm. Strength that isn’t overbearing or hurtful. Strength to admit when I am wrong, when I need help and when I’ve crossed a line. Strength to heal. Strength to lead. Strength to submit.”
Round 1:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Sit quietly before God. Say nothing. As thoughts come to you, bring them back to God. If something is really distracting, write it down so it can be set aside. Focus, instead, on your mission statement, gifts or core values.
Round 2:
Read Nehemiah 6:5-9.
Round 3:
Make a list of the different points of pressure you are feeling. Pressure contrary to your purpose. Pressure to give in or give up. Pressure to change strategy or direction. Then look over this list and determine two things:
Which pressure is the strongest? Circle it.
What is it pressuring you to do or not do? Write this down.
BURN OUT:
In the case of Nehemiah, his enemies were applying pressure to frighten the workers and make them think that they were too weak to finish. Then Nehemiah prayed the opposite of what the pressure was meant to do. The pressure was meant to bring weakness but Nehemiah prayed for strength. Look at Round 3 and the strongest pressure you just circled. Now pray the opposite just like Nehemiah did! If the pressure is making you feel fearful, pray for confidence. If the pressure is causing you to take a negative shortcut, pray for perseverance to stay the course. If the pressure is…you get the idea. Pray through as many pressure points as you can.
Everyday this week:
Refer back to Day 41 and re-write your purpose statement AGAIN. If you are not settled on it, write down a rough sentence that starts with this:
God has created me with a mission for my life, and I think it is...
Remember, this can change and be modified as time goes on! Just get something on paper!