Hey Forever GodGirl, I'm your host, Iz and welcome
or welcome back to the Forever GodGirl podcast
in today's episode We're gonna talk about dealing
with pressure part two But last week we talked
about just pressure that we give ourselves or
the pressure that we get externally that kind
of hurts us But today we're gonna be talking
about the pressure that the Lord uses to bring
us towards himself. You sound like you're contradicting
yourself What do you mean there's good pressure?
When I say pressure that the Lord uses, I mean
that God doesn't want us to become comfortable,
so he'll put us in uncomfortable situations and
seasons so that we can only rely on him. Godly
pressure is when we are tested and taught by
God in our lives. In James chapter 1 verse 3,
NLT version, it says, So what are we getting
from the scripture and how does it relate to
this topic? Well, it's a dangerous thing to not
grow in our walk with Jesus. Because we have
to grow. The Holy Spirit should be transforming
us and renewing our minds every single day. but
if we're not then that means we're stuck in a
mode of complacency but i thought that means
that we're just in a good spot in life and we
have no reason to change no complacency means
that we're just stuck ever heard the saying you
always learn something new every day well we
should always be growing every single day because
growth and progress don't just plateau or stop
they expand and then we can expound on them the
bible always talks about the secrets of the kingdom
of heaven or the secrets of God, which are exclusive
and we can only tap into them when we allow the
Holy Spirit to teach us new things. Remember
what God says, my thoughts are higher than your
thoughts and my ways are higher than your ways.
And that is a reason why God strategically orchestrates
situations so that we can see God in the mundane
things and we can learn about God so that he
can stretch us and grow us. In 1 Peter chapter
1 verses 6 and 7 it says, in this you greatly
rejoiced even though now for a little while As
we have observed, Whenever God allows us to go
through trials, it's for the strengthening of
our faith. He can see the bigger picture and
knows how it will benefit us. And I guess it
helps us trust in the Lord more as well. Yeah,
when we go through various trials and hard times
and pressure, it proves to us that God is dependable
and trustworthy. And you know what else? Whenever
we face pressure that is strategically orchestrated
by God or tests or trials, they show us the level
of our faith. Not that God needs to know. how
strong our faith is because he already knows,
but it shows us what he's pruning and working
on in us. Nice, but I have a question. How can
I be able to tell when the pressure is coming
from God to grow me and prune me versus when
the pressure is coming from the enemy to stress
me? First of all, when it's coming from God,
even when the pressure is uncomfortable, there's
still a peace with it. But when it's coming from
Satan, he will make us think that our peace is
taken by creating chaos and confusion in our
minds. And we know that God is not the author
of confusion. Secondly, when the pressure is
coming from God, he is going to prepare us for
that pressure. He never just throws us into something
because he's gracious and he knows that as humans,
we need to be prepared for whatever is coming
next. Oh my gosh, that's so relieving. And lastly,
godly pressure is always to do something good.
For instance, you pray for God to make you a
more patient person. Well, the next day, you
might have to stand in a really long line when
you have other things to do. But that's growing
and producing patience. One last scripture I
want to take us to is James chapter 1 verse 12
in the NLT version which says, God blesses those
who patiently endure testing. Afterward, they
will receive the crown of life that God has promised
to those who love him. Now it's time for our
special segment. In today's special segment,
you know it, hot takes. Today, once again, we
have not one but three hot takes. The first one
being, the best book of the Bible for new believers
to read is, 88 % of you said the Gospels, and
12 % said Proverbs, learn how to live right,
and 0 % said Genesis, start from the beginning.
Next hot take, does music actually influence
us? 0 % said nope, purely entertainment. 89 %
said yes, subconsciously without even realizing.
And 11 % said not really, only if you let it.
Now we have a whole episode about this specific
topic in season two, so if you wanna hear us
elaborate on it, then go back to that episode.
The last hot take is, should Christians watch
rated R movies? Now let's see what you guys had
to say on this one. So nobody picked option one,
which was sure, God doesn't care about movies.
Nor did anyone pick option two, which is yeah,
just skip through the bad scenes. But 71 % said
no, honor God with what we watch. And 29 % said,
I'll make exceptions, violence, et cetera. But
I wanna know, what is your hot take on these
topics? If you didn't get a chance to vote, make
sure you're following us on Instagram at forever.
So if you have a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, then this message will help you. But
if you don't have a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ, I invite you to give your heart
to the Lord today. to receive him into your heart.
Go to Romans 10, nine through 10. It says, if
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and
believe in your heart that God has raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. For with the
heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If you said this prayer with sincerity, you are
saved and now have eternal life with Jesus. You
are saved from all your sins. present and future
sins you may commit. This truth is not a free
pass to sin anytime. Instead, Jesus gives you
power over all wrong choices and empowers you
to spread the gospel to others. You are saved
forever and your name is written in the book
of life. Did you just give your life to Jesus?
Because if you did, give yourself a pat on the
back. We are so godly proud of you. Thank you
so much for listening to this podcast episode.
I trust that it helped you and that you learned
something. And remember, when God uses pressure
to mold us, he's not being mean. In Hebrews 12,
11 it says, we don't enjoy discipline when we
get it. It is painful. But later after we learned
our lesson, we will enjoy the peace that comes
from doing what is right. Hey, Forever GodGirl,
did you like this episode? If so, please follow
us, rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
and anywhere you listen to podcasts. And visit
us on our website at forevergodgirl .com. That's
how you help us spread the good news.