Knowing consistent peace in our lives, even though we have pressure and stress to deal with, should be a trademark of Christians.

Of course, Jesus is our supreme example of this ability to be peaceful regardless of the pressures. People were always crowding him, trying to talk to him, trying to touch him. He had a hard time finding any space or time for himself. He was constantly under pressure. But I notice that no matter how busy he was or how much there was to do, he found time to be alone with God. R. A. Torrey wrote something which I copied in the front of my prayer journal and to which I frequently refer. He wrote:

"Some people are so busy that they find no time for prayer. Apparently the busier Christ's life was, the more he prayed. Sometimes he had no time to eat, sometimes he had no time for needed rest or sleep, but he always took time to pray; and the more the work crowded the more he prayed."

Lots of times when our schedules get very full, and the pressure starts to come in on us, the first thing we sacrifice is our time with the Lord. That's one reason many Christians don't have real peace in their everyday lives. They've not spent time with the Prince of Peace, they've failed to go to the source of peace, and so they face their pressures on their own.

I remember one period of time when the pressures and deadlines were great, and so I sacrificed my prayer time for a few days. In his oh-so-gentle way, God showed me that when I sacrifice prayer time to relieve pressures, I do just the opposite: I increase my pressures. He said, "Spend time with me, draw on my strength. You need me now more than ever. And I'll take the remaining time and make it stretch to meet the responsibilities.”

Your lack of peace in the midst of pressure may be because you've sacrificed time with the Prince of Peace. Sorry, but it just won't work. Give God the time you need to be with him and see how he stretches the rest of your time for you.

Peace even when you’re under pressure: Do you think that's possible? One thing we all deal with is pressure and stress. While it's true that too much pressure is harmful, it's also true that you cannot escape some pressure if you're involved in anything at all. So, we need to know how to be peaceful even though we have stress and pressure in our daily routine.

Peter tells us in 1 Peter the third chapter that the person who intends to love life and see good days must seek peace and pursue it. You have to go for it. It doesn't just happen. It comes when you pursue it.

One thing I recommend is to take peace breaks. When you feel the pressure and panic start to crowd in around you, find some way to take a short break where you can pray for a few minutes. Get your mind refocused on Jesus. Then go back to face your situation, and you'll discover that unreasonable peace—that peace that passes understanding—flowing through you, even though the pressure is still there.

Write Scripture verses on cards that help you to be peaceful. Such as Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Put that card in front of you, on your screen saver or smart phone, and read it and re-read it several times during the day. That will help keep your thoughts where they should be; bringing every thought into captivity so that they obey Christ.

You could hum a good Christian song to yourself to get your mind refocused on the person who is our peace, Jesus Christ. You can do that while you're talking to people, busily working on something, rushing on the job, darting somewhere in your car. Right in the midst of all that pressure, you can still know God's incredible peace.

Do you spend any time with God early in your day, so that you begin your day in a peaceful manner? Or do you begin most of your days in a hectic rush, getting up late, rushing yourself and your family? Remember this: Your day is won or lost in the morning hours. Take time early in your day to put on peace, and your peace is a person, right? Put on Jesus and his shoes of peace. Don’t leave home without doing that. And take some peace breaks during your hectic day. Those are good suggestions for staying peaceful in the midst of pressure.

Did you ever think about this: if you don't feel pressured, you aren't? Pressure is a state of mind. If you don't think you're under pressure, you're really not, regardless of what's on your plate to do.

One of the most important concepts we can grasp in our Christian life is that we are what we think. Everything begins with our thought life, and that includes whether or not we're feeling pressured. I start to feel stressed when I allow myself to think about all there is to do, when I start to worry about next week's deadlines, when I ponder long the "To Do" list that stares me in the face. "Oh, my, how will I ever get all this done?" I think. Then I convince myself that there's no way. And now the panic starts to rise, because I'm thinking about all I have to do instead of just doing something.

Remind yourself often that you can only do one thing at a time, decide what has the highest priority at this moment, and do it. Allowing those thoughts to hang around and bombard you with "Hurry up, you've got a lot to do," or "You're never going to get everything done at this rate," just pours the pressure on yourself, and keeps you from working at maximum efficiency.

The good news is that pressure and peace are not exclusives. You don't have to give up peace and calmness just because there's some pressure on you. And peace is not passivity. Peace doesn't mean you're lying down in green pastures, with bubbling brooks and birds singing. Peace doesn't mean the absence of emails or meals to cook or reports to finish. Peace is a state of mind; it begins with our thoughts. And our minds can be at rest in the midst of incredible activity.

One good suggestion to stay peaceful in pressurized environments is to talk to yourself correctly. What do you say or think when you're under pressure? "Oh, I'll never get this done.” Or "I can't do all this.” Well, why do you feed all that negative stuff into your head? Say instead, "Lord, by your grace I will survive this. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You will be amazed at how much easier it is to handle stress when you talk to yourself in biblical ways, not in negative ways.

One of the most common problems we all share today is handling pressure and stress. I don't know anyone who escapes it, do you? How do you have peace in the midst of your stress and pressures?

Now, I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't have pressure or stress in your life. Honestly, if you constantly lived free of pressure, you probably would not accomplish very much. Any time you start to get involved in anything, any time you decide to contribute something, any time you take on responsibilities, pressure and stress become a part of the scene.

Pressure forces me to be organized and to prioritize my time much better. And then, I really believe God uses pressure in our lives to teach us many things. Pressure teaches us to turn to him. Pressure makes us look up more often. Pressure keeps us aware of our need for him.

Of course, there is such a thing as too much pressure, and we certainly need to be careful about that. God reminds me frequently that I can't do everything, and there is a limit to the amount of pressure I should handle. One of the major reasons we are under pressure and stress is because we haven't learned to say no, and we're trying to be superwomen or supermen.

You know, just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should. Just because there is something else to be done doesn't necessarily mean you are the one who should do it, or it has to be done right now. Many of us try to be all things to all people, and it never works.

Honestly, I have to admit that sometimes I put myself under pressure because I want the praise of people. I’m doing it for the wrong reasons. Remember this: You'll never get enough applause from people to make you feel significant. Our self-worth must come from our relationship with Jesus Christ.

If your superwoman's wings are tired today, just stop and remember that God is not asking you to be a super-person. Perhaps that is why you're feeling pressured and stressed. Let go of that superwoman pursuit and ask God to show you his plan for you and for your day.

As we look at Fran’s struggle with establishing appropriate boundaries for her life, part of the problem is that she has the somewhat misplaced conception that as a Christ-follower, she should try to do what anyone asks of her. After all, she thinks, isn’t that what Jesus meant when he told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we should go the extra mile? Well, no it isn’t. One mile, yes, but not unending extra miles.

Fran faces various people in her life who are pushing her boundaries. They are each different, but they represent the various ways that boundaries can become a real issue. The first one deals with a friend who continually exceeds normal and acceptable boundaries when it comes to requiring a lot of Fran’s time.

It’s Sunday afternoon and Fran has planned to spend a quiet day at home with her two children, just enjoying an afternoon to play games with Drew and Alice, and maybe even do some good reading, one of her favorite pastimes that she doesn’t get to do very often. Just as she is in the midst of a game of Crazy 8, having fun with her kids, the phone rings and Jane is on the other end.

Jane is a friend from church who calls Fran quite often and talks for long periods of time about all her issues. You might say she is a high-maintenance friend, but Fran has tried to listen and help her, thinking that this is the right thing to do. Admittedly it has become a bit out-of-balance and as Fran sees Jane’s caller ID, she is really tempted to just let it go—but she’s supposed to be there for her friends, right? So, she answers and sure enough Jane begins her typical long and detailed complaining and whining. Jane is the type who tells you how to build a clock when all you want to know is what time it is.

At first, Fran tries to encourage her and offer some suggestions, but everything she says is resisted by Jane, and it seems Fran can do nothing but listen. Whatever advice Fran may have is immediately discounted by Jane. “That wouldn’t work” is her familiar retort, or “You just don’t understand” is another.

After twenty minutes, Drew says, “Mom, aren’t we gonna finish our game?” No doubt Jane heard Drew, but she completely ignores it and continues her tirade. After another ten minutes and several pleas from Drew and Alice, Fran realizes that Jane is not going to stop anytime soon, so when Jane takes a breath, she says, “Hey, Jane, the kids and I were playing a game and I promised them we’d finish, so if you don’t mind, I need to get back to them. I’ll be praying for you. In fact, why don’t I pray for you now before we hang up?”

Jane says, “Well, I know you’re always busy and don’t have time to talk—I guess games are more important to you than friends.” And with that she hangs up, totally ignoring Fran’s offer to pray.

“Wow,” Fran says to herself, “I guess I should have let her keep talking—but honestly, it doesn’t do any good to listen to her. She simply isn’t interested in solutions or advice; all she wants is to bend my ear and get my sympathy. I don’t know, Lord, what am I supposed to do?”

Was Fran right to finally bring this conversation to a close? She feels a bit guilty, but then she feels guilty about her commitment to the kids as well. If it were a one-time event, the answer might be different. But Jane has been doing this to Fran for several weeks, but this is the first time Fran has assertively brought a conversation to the close, which obviously has not set well with Jane. Did she have a better option?

Have you got some “Janes” in your life—people who continually bend your ear and take up your time, but nothing good ever seems to come from it?  Maybe it’s time to do something about it. Perhaps instead of putting up with Jane’s time-consuming litany of complaints, Fran needs to consider what she might do to help Jane, while at the same time setting some boundaries for these frequent one-sided conversations. It’s obvious that they aren’t accomplishing anything good for either woman.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

What do you do when life gets hard? When your faith gets tested, how do you respond? Do trials in life incline you to distance yourself from God or do life’s tough moments compel you to lean into Jesus? Trials of life will come. At some level we know this, so why do we get so stunned when trials happen? Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:63), and we will too.

If you have been a follower of Jesus for any amount of time you are probably familiar with James’ instruction on life’s trials:

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

James is a book about practical Christian living; a life that reflects a genuine faith by being not only hearers of the Word but doers. (James 1:22). If we are honest, sometimes we like to read and hear the Word of God but actively living out God’s instruction, that’s another story. Especially when the rubber hits the road and hardships come. One of the most difficult parts of the Christian life is the fact that becoming a disciple of Christ does not make us immune to life’s trials and tribulations.

Considering it pure joy when you face trials is counterintuitive. Joy is not typically our first reaction to difficulties and challenges. No one likes to suffer, yet as a follower of Jesus, in your suffering, there’s a unique opportunity for God to perfect and complete the valuable character-building work he started in you. God uses difficulties, trials, and persecution to test, strengthen, and grow your faith.

Our faith can get lazy and flabby when times are easy. While I don’t want flabby faith, I sometimes don't want to go through the refining fire that's required to purify and sanctify. But, trials are an opportunity for your faith to work – and get a workout. Just like lifting increased weight builds and strengthens your muscles, the heaviness of hard times can build and strengthen your faith when you rely on and trust Jesus.

When James says to “count it all joy,” he encourages us to evaluate the way we look at trials; to develop a new mindset and attitude that considers trials from God’s perspective. Trials test your faith. And when you persevere, grounded in faith in Christ, believing (even when it does not feel like it) that he is with you and working all things for your good, it will be a faith builder.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

Do you believe that God will show up in your life every day, no matter what? When you think about the character of God, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think merciful, gracious, loving, holy, forgiving. What about faithful? Do you believe that God’s faithfulness to you is unconditional, that he can be relied on even when you are unreliable?

The Apostle Paul reminds us of the nature of God. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Just stop for a moment and let the magnitude of these words sink into your mind and heart. No matter what you do, God will be faithful to you. As you think about this verse, there are two simple truths that I want you to see and let seep in deep.

Faithful is who God is.

Faithful is not something that God does or just displays toward you. Even if he wanted to (and he doesn’t), he cannot stop being faithful to you because that is part of his nature. And his nature is unchanging. As Paul said, for God not to be faithful, he would have to disown himself and we know he will never do that.

God’s faithfulness is unconditional.

God is not faithful based on some long list of conditions you are required to meet. God’s decision to be faithful to you has absolutely nothing to do with you, which is a good thing because most of us have a faulty track record.

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, even when you are unfaithful to God, even when you sin, God will remain true to you. Regardless of how you act, you cannot do anything to make him love you less. Even when you are faithless, he remains faithful. This is mind blowing and true. There is no other God like Jesus Christ who displays such loyalty and steadfast love for you.

Psalm 36:5 declares this truth, “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” And Deuteronomy 7:9 beckons, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

As you love and follow Jesus, albeit imperfectly, God remains loyal to you. This is reason to give God glory, and honor, and praise. Lord, we thank you for your unending love. Thank you that you are faithful even when we are not. Turn our hearts to you, stir our affections for you. Help us to receive your abundant love and respond with gratitude, living lives holy and pleasing to you.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

Have you ever felt hurt by the words of a good friend? Several years ago a friend gave me some feedback that was really hard to hear. While she didn’t intend her words to be mean, they pierced me. I knew that her intention was not to harm me but to point something out that was a blind spot in my behavior. Even though she spoke those truths out of and in love, her words still stung.

Have you ever had a friend speak painful and plain words that cut? Proverbs 27:6 Amplified version says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern], But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda].”

What these words of wisdom teach us is that a mark of a true friend is the willingness to wound us with words of loving correction. The correction may not feel good at the time (it rarely does) but its purpose is to help us grow and mature us spiritually. Two key words in this verse are “faithful” and “friend.” Both descriptors clarifying that the person is pointing something out stemming from their love for you, commitment to your friendship and investment in your spiritual transformation. The ability to be open and honest with each other, coming from a spirit of love, faithfulness, and integrity, designed for the good of the other person is the mark of a true and deepening friendship. With that intention a friend’s “wounds” should be kindly and gratefully received.

It feels counterintuitive to invite correction in our lives. After all, the culture around us has grown more and more resistant to any type of correction. People do what is right in their own minds and if anyone dares to say anything that may appear critical, it is easily dismissed. But as a follower of Jesus it is important for you to invite faithful and biblical correction in your life. How do you react when someone points out a part of you that needs growth and transformation?

Are you the type of person who is open to receiving feedback from friends that while feeling hurtful may be helpful? It can be easy to feel defensive when your shortcomings are exposed but you simply cannot grow if you recoil from correction. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful. You really don’t want flattery from someone who does not have your best interests in mind. Your aim as a follower of Jesus is to grow in his likeness. And as the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15 “...speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Who can you invite to speak truth into your life? Nobody’s perfect. Be humble, invite faithful words that wound and be grateful for the greater goal of maturing as someone who loves and follows Jesus.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

If someone were to look into your life, how would they know that you are a follower of Jesus? Is your Christian faith just a label or is it truly a lifestyle? Do your faith-filled actions speak louder than your words?

There are a lot of people who say they are Christians but their lives are void of proof and one source of evidence for your faith is kind acts, your good deeds towards others.

James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James is not saying that you earn your salvation through your good deeds. True faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior alone is what saves you. But rather, your goods deeds will demonstrate the authenticity of your faith. Faith takes action and how you live reveals what you believe. Faith is the root, good works are the result, the holy fruit of a faithful life.

First Peter 2:12 reinforces this truth: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” As a follower of Jesus we intentionally act and live in a manner worthy of the gospel and we look for ways to serve others and bless them.

How has your faith prompted you to meet the needs of those around you? How has your allegiance to Christ changed how you interact with and love your neighbor? Do you tend to think of yourself first or are you willing to sacrifice your comfort to share with others? Are you only inclined to do good for others when you can benefit? Ask God for opportunities to live out your faith and to continue to produce good works in and through you as evidence of your belief and hope in him.

Living a faith-filled life can be hard. As followers of Jesus we need other Christ-followers in our lives. Hebrews 10:24-25 says,  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” If you do not have Christian community, can I encourage you to find a Bible preaching church near you? You were not meant to walk this journey of faith alone. Get involved in your local church, join a small group, participate in a Bible study.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

As you think about the measure of your faith these days, how’s your faith sight? A few years ago I had my annual eye exam and while I had held onto my 20/20 vision for 40+ years, the time had come when my ability to see clearly was not as sharp as it once was. When doing my daily Scripture reading or trying to peruse a menu at a restaurant it was becoming evident that I could not see as clearly as I had in the past. My vision was becoming blurred, my eyesight was weakening.

The same thing can happen to our faith over time. If we are not mindful, life’s disruptions, disappointments, detours, and delays can cause our faith to weaken. So how is your faith sight? Are you seeing God for who he really is--faithful and trustworthy even when you cannot see? Or are you in a season where you are finding it difficult to trust God?

In the book of Genesis we read of the covenant that God made with Abraham to become the father of many nations promising him descendants and multitudes of generations to come. But from a human perspective there was one perplexing problem. Abraham was 99 and his wife Sarah was not only unable to bear children, she was also 90 years old. Yet, God would do what only he could do, the impossible. And keeping his promise, Sarah would bear a son and Abraham’s descendants would in fact become as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Romans 4:18-21 says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

He did not waver through unbelief. Instead he was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God! In the face of what was humanly impossible, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw but what God said.

What situation are you facing right now that seems insurmountable? What circumstance is God calling you to look through the lens of faith? When you put on your faith glasses you will see with a renewed perspective that is altered by your trust in God and your view will change.