This message was given by me during the June 5, 2014 Geraldine Marvel Miller Wright Institute for Women in Ministry Final Messages.

Tonight I am going to minister to you from the book of Job Chapter 42. Job was a righteous man in the eyes of God, but one day he found himself under pressure. He lost his property, his children, and his health was failing. Job even cursed the day he was born. In Job Chapter 42: verse 1 and 5 we see that Job has a change of heart. The New Living Translation reads, “Then Job replied to the Lord: I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” The Word of God is already blessed. The title of my message is

“Best Under Pressure”.

As I passed from one level to another in the Institute I have discovered that I do my best work under pressure. Under pressure I am no longer relying on myself but on the expertise of the Holy Spirit; then I can clearly hear the voice of God.

In 1985 in “The Courage of Conviction” Rita Mae Brown stated, “People are like tea bags, you never know how strong they’ll be until they’re in hot water.” With that in mind I ask, how strong are you? The Word says in Proverbs 24:10 (New Living Translation) “If you fail under pressure your strength is too small.” So, when we lose that job we thought we would retire from or that man we thought we would marry sleeps with our best friend.  What are we going to do? The first thing we do is run to our friends and family, but it is the ones closest to us that get us off focus. Like Job, they give us bad advice, blame us for what is happening, and even speak death to us instead of life. STOP LISTENING to those friends that waited for this day of distress to come. Don’t seek advice from family that mean you no good. God allowed this moment to come for a reason; because we are best under pressure.

According to Romans 8:28a (King James Version) “… We know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” We are best under pressure, but pressure can be completely confusing. We go to church, pay our tithes, serve on various ministries, yet we are being spun around like an olive in a centrifuge. We have to keep in mind that like the olive we have been picked then washed by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB. This is the time the oil or anointing on our lives is being released. We are being spun to pull out the things that are not like Him. What is left is the pure anointing that God meant for us to have and use.

I know, sometimes we understand right away what God was using our situation for. The other times we have to go through another trial for the light bulb to go off to see that, after that last press, we are stronger. At this point we have moved beyond the superficial/surface understanding to a focused deeper understanding. This new understanding was always a part of the plan and for every plan there is preparation. Our Father loves us so much that He will not allow us to step out prematurely. God promises us in Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version) “… I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Take in consideration the care the Lord used in creating diamonds. Based on research by the Smithsonian Institute diamonds are formed deep within the Earth. There’s a lot of pressure from the weight of the overlying rock bearing down. That combination of high temperature and high pressure is what’s necessary to grow diamond crystals. We are much more precious to God than diamonds. Although life has a lot bearing down on us; it is that same combination of high temperature and high pressure that is necessary to get the best out of us.

With every triumph over adversity God takes us to another level in Him.

YES WE ARE BEST UNDER PRESSURE!

Now He is no longer just a character in the Bible.

Now He is no longer our grandmother’s healer and our mother’s deliverer.

LORD after that last storm we now know You as Jehovah Jireh, You ARE our provider. We now know You are Jehovah Rapha, You ALREADY healed us.

We now know You are Jehovah Nissi, You GAVE us the victory.

We had only heard about Him before, but NOW we know Him for ourselves.

WE ARE BEST UNDER PRESSURE!