I heard my friend and the lead pastor at 412 Tabernacle, John (JP) Smitherman, talk about pressure recently, and it stuck with me. He kept coming back to the same statement over and over again: “Pressure represents a weight of glory we can’t lift without Jesus. He lifts what we can’t.”
That changes the way you see everything.
Because if we’re honest, most of us don’t like pressure. We try to avoid it, pray it away, or complain about it like it’s the worst thing in the world. What if we’ve been looking at it all wrong? What if pressure isn’t the problem? What if pressure is actually the platform God uses to grow you? So let me give you a few things about pressure that I think the Lord is teaching me.  

Pressure Reveals What You Were Never Meant to Carry
There is a weight to life that you were never meant to carry by yourself. Responsibilities, expectations, family, ministry, and even the private battles that no one else sees all begin to stack up. The Apostle Paul writes, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17,). That means there is a weight of glory coming, and you don’t have the strength to carry it on your own. Pressure exposes that reality. It reminds you that you are not enough and you were never supposed to be. That realization is not meant to discourage you; it’s meant to direct you straight to Jesus.

Jesus Lifts What You Can’t
We love the idea of Jesus as Savior, but we often forget that He is also our sustainer. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t say to come after you’ve figured everything out or once you’ve managed the pressure on your own. He simply says, “Bring Me the weight.” Think about that...Jesus actually wants you to put the pressure on Him. He can handle it. He can carry it. He’s not overwhelmed by what overwhelms you.
So instead of trying to hold it all together, you can hand it over. The weight you’re feeling was never meant to stay on your shoulders—it was meant to drive you to His.
Pressure is not proof that God has abandoned you; more often, it is evidence that He is drawing you closer. The weight you feel is exactly where His strength shows up the most. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The very place where you feel like you’re at your limit is the place where Jesus proves that He is more than enough. I’ve even started praying differently. I once heard Joby Martin say, “Lord, don’t lighten my load, broaden my shoulders.” That changes the prayer. Instead of asking God to remove the pressure, you start asking Him to grow you through it.

Pressure Produces Movement
I’m not sure about you, but at my house there’s always a running “honey-do” list. It’s full of things I fully intend to get done…Eventually. But if I’m being honest, most of those things don’t actually get done until there’s some pressure, like when a birthday party is about to happen at the house or my wife has any kind of planned event. I’m convinced… She might be doing that on purpose just to get me moving. Suddenly, there’s urgency, focus, and action. Why? Because pressure produces movement. Pressure forces us to our knees in prayer. Many of us don’t really pray until there’s pressure. We don’t consistently open God’s Word until there’s pressure. We don’t fully depend on Him until there’s pressure. While we might see that as a weakness, God uses it as part of His process. Pressure has a way of waking us up and pushing us toward the very things we need most.

Pressure Isn’t Punishment — It’s Preparation
We often assume that if life feels hard, something must be wrong. But Scripture teaches the opposite. James 1:2–3 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Pressure is not pointless. It is producing something in you. It strengthens your faith, deepens your dependence on God, builds endurance, and prepares you for what lies ahead. Growth does not happen without resistance, and strength is never developed without pressure.

The Real Danger
The real danger is not pressure itself, it’s trying to handle pressure without Jesus. Pressure will either push you toward Christ or push you deeper into yourself, and only one of those paths leads to life.
If you try to carry everything on your own, you will eventually burn out, shut down, or give up. But if pressure drives you to Jesus, you begin to experience something different. You find peace in the middle of chaos, strength in the middle of weakness, and purpose in the middle of pain.

So What Do You Do With Pressure?
Instead of running from pressure or wasting it, you can choose to use it. Let pressure push you into God’s Word, drive you to prayer, and remind you of how much you truly need Him. The goal is not to live a pressure-free life. The goal is to live a Christ-dependent life.
So the next time you feel the weight, don’t panic and don’t quit. Look to Jesus. The same Savior who rescued you is the same Savior who will sustain you.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
-1 John 2:15-17

There’s a quiet tension that shows up in all of us. We love God…But we also feel drawn to things we know does not lead us closer to Him. 1 John speaks with clarity: “Do not love the world or the things in the world…” John isn’t being dramatic, he’s being honest. There is a real pull on your heart, and it’s not random. It’s intentional. Because here’s the truth that I don’t think we talk about enough…Your story has a villain. Not metaphorically. Not like “bad habits” or “negative energy.” I mean…a real enemy. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That’s strong language.Not to distract you. Not to inconvenience you. Devour you.

The Way Temptation Actually Works
I once heard Pastor Joby Martin (Lead Pastor of The Church of Eleven22) explain this in a way that has stuck with me, and it’s incredibly helpful for both students and parents.

Temptation isn’t usually a shove. It’s a lure.

Think about fishing for a moment. You don’t just throw anything into the water and hope for the best. You choose a lure that entices the fish. You study the environment. You adjust your strategy. That’s what the enemy does. He watches. He learns. He tailors the lure. And if one doesn’t work? He reels it back in…switches it out… and casts again. Over and over.

The Three Lures We All Face
John breaks temptation into three categories to help us expose the strategies.

1. The Desires of the Flesh
This is the pull toward comfort, pleasure, and escape.

This looks like:
Giving in to temptation when you’re alone
Letting emotions control your decisions
Chasing comfort instead of obedience

Let me ask you this…Where in your life are you choosing what feels good…Over what you know is right?

2. The Desires of the Eyes
This is the pull toward what looks good. It’s fueled by comparison and the constant feeling that something else would make life better.

This looks like:
Comparing your life to someone else’s highlight reel
Wanting what others have in relationships, popularity, attention
Being discontent with what God has already given you

Let me ask you this…Where are you constantly looking…and feeling like what you have isn’t enough?

3. The Pride of Life
This is the pull toward recognition, control, and status.
It shows up in thoughts like:
“I need to be seen.”
“I need to be right.”
“I need to be in control.”

This looks like:
Caring more about what people think than what God says
Needing validation - likes, attention, approval
Wanting control instead of surrender

Let me ask you…Where do you need to be seen…or in control…instead of trusting God?

Why This Matters More Than You Think
John doesn’t just name the lures, he tells us the outcome. “The world is passing away along with its desires…” Everything those lures promise… is temporary. Every bit of it. The satisfaction doesn’t last. The approval fades. The control slips. But then John gives us a better option: “Whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The Call to Abide
The answer isn’t just “try harder.” It’s abide. To abide means to remain. To stay. To build your life in a place where your heart is anchored in God instead of drifting toward the world.
That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through intentional rhythms.

Build “God Time” Into Your Life
If we’re honest, most of us don’t drift toward God, we drift away from Him. That’s why “God time” matters. Not as a checkbox… but as a daily connection.

For students:
Start small and stay consistent. (Our Daily Student Reading Plan is perfect for this!)
Read Scripture with the goal of knowing God, not just finishing a plan

For parents:
Model this rhythm in your home. Let your kids see you opening the Bible, praying, and depending on God. Consistency matters more than intensity.

Build “Group Time” Into Your Life. 
In Mark 2, a man who couldn’t get to Jesus on his own had friends who carried him...Literally. They didn’t just encourage him. They got him to Jesus. We all need people like that. We all need to surround ourselves with mat carriers. People who: Tell us the truth when we’re drifting, ask hard questions, and point us back to what actually matters. Students, this means choosing friends who help you follow Jesus, not just have fun. Parents, this means having relationships where you’re known, challenged, and supported. I cannot stress the importance of finding yourself in an accountability group where people can love and speak truth in your life. Because none of us are strong enough to fight every lure alone.

A Final Word:
Here’s the reality: The enemy is still casting-even right now as you read this blog. And if one lure doesn’t work, he’ll try another. But you don’t have to keep biting. You can recognize the pattern. You can resist the pull. You can choose something better.

So take a moment and ask:
What lure am I most drawn to right now?
Where am I drifting instead of abiding?
Who in my life is helping me stay anchored in truth?
Because the things of this world are fading. But a life that abides, that’s what lasts.