One thing that I have learned over the years is that BAM is not an easy task – it is fulfilling and wonderful, but full of PRESSURE. I am not sure if you can truly be prepared for the life of pressure that you will have doing God’s work.
Spiritual Pressure
One of the main forms of pressure comes in the form of spiritual attack. Satan is not happy that you have committed your life to serving the Lord and reaching the lost! You will be attacked spiritually.
One thing I know, Satan does not play fair…he’ll attack your family, your marriage, your kids etc… We need to be ready for the pressures from the evil one – putting on the full armor of God.
Personal Pressure
In my personal life, I have placed a lot of pressure on myself. I want to serve well or serve well. I don’t want to let people down back home! One night I was talking with one of my leaders and I was sharing those pressures.
He asked, “Who has placed that upon you?” Great question…it was me and only me!
Pressure of Time
A friend of mine asked me the other day, “How do you balance the pressure from family, work, ministry, rest etc.?” This is something that all of us will face and it is real. Your kids need you…your wife needs you…the work and ministry need you! The only suggestion that I have…there is not a set formula! You will need to give and take, depending on the situation, to get the balance in your life.
Identity Pressure
One final pressure that I want to mention is the stress that comes from a “double identity!” If you do not have a solid professional identity, you will constantly be feeling the pressure of identity. Do people know what I am doing? Are they wondering who I am?
The only answer to this problem is to work hard at developing a legitimate professional identity which allows you to be confident in who you are.
The one thing that I hold onto is the promise that He has given us everything we need for life and Godliness! I don’t have to worry but need to seek Him and allow him to direct my life.