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What to Do When You Face Pressure

Gary Keesee • Oct 24, 2018

For the last few weeks, we’ve talked about how you have an enemy, and how you better know his tactics.

But, most of the time, our problem isn’t the enemy— it’s our lack of understanding. We give too much credit to the enemy. If we’d understand the truth and the authority we have, we’d know exactly how to fight back and take territory.

We can’t know the truth without knowing the Word of God.

First John 5:14 says that the confidence we have in Him is that if we ask anything according to His will, He listens and hears us. But if you don’t know the will of God, you can never be confident. And if you’re not confident, you can never take territory.

One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 12:2:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

You have to renew your mind to the Word of God. You have to know how to build your house on the rock. You have to know the Word and stay in agreement with what God says. You have to cast aside thoughts that are coming at you that don’t line up with the Word. You have to be courageous enough to wade into the face of circumstances—into the pressure—and declare the Word over situations.

Because there will be pressure.

Satan wants to tempt you to run back to where you think it’s safe. He wants you to forget who you are and everything God has promised.

You’re just going to have to be confident that you can take it, because, many times, the victory is based on that—on whether or not you can hold on to it under pressure.

See, Satan fears the Word. He fears the living Word of God. He knows that if your spirit incubates the Word, there’s no stopping it.

It will produce every time.

So the only thing he can do is bring pressure against you to make you give up—to make you let go of the Word; to make you think it can’t be done; to make you think it’s too hard, too scary, or too late.

You will face problems. You’re not going to escape life without something negative happening. Life is full of things we don’t see coming. But the Bible says when those days come, hold your ground.

It’s what you do in those moments that will determine the outcome of your life.

Years ago, a woman in our church was visiting her sister. They both have multiple children, so when her four-year-old wandered off, it took a few minutes for everyone to notice.

They found him at the bottom of a swimming pool.

You can imagine how frantic the situation was. The mother screamed, “Call 911!” But her thirteen-year-old niece was with her, and she had been in church and had learned that we have authority over the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. She told her aunt, “We don’t need to call 911. We have authority here.”

I believe God placed that niece with that mom at that very moment for that very purpose. They began praying in the spirit, but nothing was happening. The niece said, “We need to speak life to him.”

They said, “In the name of Jesus, wake up!”

Immediately, he spit water out and was conscious. He’s been completely fine since that day.

Now, I don’t know what the outcome might have been had they called 911. And I’m not against doctors or medicine. But I do know that the right person was there—someone that understood the Kingdom of God, how to resist the enemy, and how to take territory—someone who could look the moment of pressure in the face and operate in the authority of the Kingdom.

What about you? Could you handle that?

Are you so confident that you can look your situation in the face and declare what God says, even though the facts seem to say otherwise?

You need to have this spiritual knowledge for the battle: faith is being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He said even though there are facts saying otherwise. You don’t have to be moved by facts. The Word of God is true. God doesn’t lie. We need to be aware of facts, but they don’t dictate the end result. God is the final authority.

And, if you’re the agent of God in that particular moment, you’re the final authority.

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I know getting this—really getting this—will completely change your life just like it’s completely changed my life and the lives of so many others.

That’s why we created a the four-part mentorship series on this exact topic— Taking Territory .

You need to hear this complete four-part mentorship teaching, Taking Territory , for yourself.

5 Steps to Release the Kingdom in Your Life

By Gary Keesee • 10 Apr, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 13 secs – In John 6, we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you know it? It’s where we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to release the Kingdom of God into the earth realm. Basically, a large crowd was following Jesus, listening to Him teach, and watching Him perform miracles. It got to a point where the people needed to eat, and Jesus asked the disciples what they planned to feed the people. Of course, Jesus knew the disciples would freak out. They couldn’t feed 5,000 people. In fact, they started talking about how it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy just a bite for that many people. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He was teaching us— the Kingdom of God has all the answers you need . How can you release the Kingdom of God into your life? Here are the five steps Jesus took. 1. Look at what you have. Jesus asked the disciples what they had to feed the people. What do you have in your life that you can give God to work with? Jesus multiplied bread into bread and fish into fish. What do you need multiplied in your life? Find some of it. That’s your seed. Also, remember that money can be named. You don’t sow money to believe for more paper or digital money. Money represents your life and can be named to be the thing you need multiplied. 2. Make sure you’re in faith. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, GNT). You have to know how to judge whether or not you’re in faith. How? Do you have the right picture? When you close your eyes, what do you see? Do you see yourself with the thing you’re believing for? Can you defend your position? Why do you believe it? Prove it! Because you can be sure that between the “Amen” and the “There it is!” the enemy is going to contend for it, so you better be able to defend it. Do you have joy, expectancy, and peace? Are you in agreement with your spouse? 3. Confess over what you have, and release it in faith. Be specific. Say exactly what you’re believing for and release the seed to God. 4. Get the plan from God. Be ready for new direction, new ideas, and new concepts by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Carry a notepad and a pen. Write everything down. 5. Act quickly! When God gives you the plan, MOVE! It’s wise to have counselors and get wisdom, but you need to act swiftly on any direction you receive from the Holy Spirit.

Want Growth and Success? Here Are 10 Steps to Help Take You There

By Gary Keesee • 13 Mar, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 34 secs – How can you make sure you’re equipped for the growth coming your way this year? Here are my 10 steps to posture yourself for opportunity and success. 1. Ask yourself how you’re handling your current responsibilities. Don’t run from your responsibilities. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you should be a success. People will still see the evidence of God even if you think you’re in the wrong spot. 2. Detox your life of the things that keep you from having time to think. We live in a fast-paced world. There are plenty of things that can keep you distracted. But it’s in the moments that you stop to think that you’ll find ways to solve problems, and that’s where the opportunities are. So figure out what is consuming your time. Start saying no to some things. Find time to think. 3. Don’t hang around people who are always losing. I know people hit rough spots, but if the people in your life are chronically losing, it’s time to expand your circle. Hang around people who are better than you are, who don’t see things as impossible, and who have vision. It may be uncomfortable for you, but their influence will cause you to think differently. 4. Write down EVERY idea that you have, no matter how strange it seems. Most people filter opportunities and ideas through what they perceive their ability to be. This means most people discard ideas by the dozens because they don’t think they can do them. But God isn’t limited to what you know how to do. The ideas He gives you might seem so weird to you that you can’t process them fully. Write them down so you have time to think about them. 5. Research. Research. Repeat. You don’t need to know how to do something; you need to know how to learn how to do it. Research until you find what you’re looking for. 6. Count the cost before you jump. A lot of Christians hear God and jump out too soon, resulting in catastrophe. There are seasons for everything. God will prepare you for where He wants you to go. Be patient. 7. Always be in agreement with your spouse. Never, ever march out into battle without your spouse being in total agreement and your faith aligned. 8. Ask God for direction. Ask Him to help you, to show you where to go, and what to do. And always remember that prophecy from other people shouldn’t lead you; it should only confirm what God has already said to you. 9. Commit to never quit. Quitting is not an option. Once you’ve moved, don’t move again until God speaks to you. Stay with it. Walk it out. Don’t quit. So many people have so much potential, but they get uncomfortable and they quit. If you want to win, you should always be stretching. 10. Get ready to embrace bigger things. Your ability to see the big picture will keep growing as you change and grow on the inside. You’ll pick up on even more opportunities. For more principles, check out this FREE video on success.

The Consequences of Strife: Why You Should Never Allow It in Your Life

By Drenda Keesee • 14 Feb, 2024
Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – A stuffed toy laid in the road at the scene of the accident. As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “ Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.” Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. Six hours. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment. One word: torture. Then we passed the accident. Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed it, especially because it clearly involved children. But... pride. We knew what we were doing wasn’t good. (What kind of example is it to your children to ignore each other?) But neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d think, No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him. It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest. But strife is dangerous stuff. What is strife? Drama, conflict, friction, disagreement, bickering, arguing, bad blood, disputes… whichever words you use to describe it, it’s dangerous. Whether it’s between you and your spouse, you and your child, you and a friend, you and a family member, or you and a coworker, you don’t want to let strife remain in your life. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is confusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16). Our small argument between Gary and I had gone unchecked and had escalated, and neither one of us were listening to the voice of the Lord. And there were consequences for our strife and outright disobedience. About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident. I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernaturally protected our entire family. Initially, it looked as though there were going to be serious issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture. I was pregnant, and the doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all of these things, we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us (he was in disobedience at that moment too). Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit. The enemy tried to take us out, but he lost. We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy. But the name of Jesus is more powerful than our mistakes and circumstances, and that is what kept us protected. You MUST stay on guard and not allow strife in your life, with anyone. How? Here are just three quick tips: Bite your tongue. You don’t have to say everything you think. Don’t lash out or give the silent treatment. Work on communicating with others in a healthy way. Repent quickly and forgive quickly. Take responsibility; admit when you’re wrong. Say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Don’t hold onto hurts. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven by Jesus.
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