Daily Devotionals

^31” And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:31-33)

If you are in a process of making a decision, be alert to pressure because pressures will be there.  Especially external pressure. People will tell you what you ought to do, what you ought to think. They will give you, their advice. They will tell you; this is exactly what I will do if I were you. Friend, be careful. Think about how unreliable that is. That’s not to say that godly advice is not to be adhered to but think about people who want to tell you what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Think about this, first the advice could be coming from their personality, their background, the way they think. You don’t know about their fears, you don’t know about their anxieties, you don’t know what drives them, you don’t know what motivates them, you don’t know what governs their lives.

And they don’t know you. They don’t know God’s will, plan and purpose for your life. So, they will say, here’s what I think you ought to do. What they are doing is, they are projecting on you, a plan that fits them and you are not them. There are people who want to give you advice who know nothing about scripture and its principles. They take a verse of scripture, and they say here’s what God says and that’s what you ought to do. The question is what’s the will of God? What’s God’s guidance? You want clear guidance for your life. That’s why you have to be careful. Parents: before you say to your children this is what you must do, be sure that’s not just your opinion. I’m not in any way discrediting your authority in the home. I’m simply saying this, if you make decisions for your children simply based on your opinion and not seeking God’s guidance, what you are doing is, you are leading a trap down for your children.

• Thank you for reading our devotional on “Be Alert To Pressure”.