I've sensed a growing tension in the lives of many people.
Why do God's people live under such pressure when God has provided us with enormous resources for practical living? Perhaps it's because sometimes people separate the spiritual from the practical. For God's people, the spiritual is the practical. Your spiritual condition dramatically affects the here and now. Whether it's a phone call, a letter you receive, or a family health matter, there isn't a part of your life in which God is not dramatically involved. That makes life spiritual.
God has designed His Word specifically for your daily life so that whatever pressure you're under does not need to control you. You can be full of peace as you let God lead you through the hardest times. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).
Ready for Anything
Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do everything through (Christ) who gives me strength." The Amplified Bible says, "I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me." Isn't that wonderful? It's one thing to be ready for anything, but it's another thing to be equal to anything you meet. And Paul said he accomplished that by the strength he received from Christ.
Paul was saying that in every circumstance of his life there was an active Presence infusing him, distributing strength on the inside and affecting everything on the outside of his life, providing everything he needed to face every situation.
Full of Wisdom
God has placed you in a workplace where you must make decisions that affect your reputation, your effectiveness, and sometimes the rest of your life. In many cases, the decisions you make can also affect the lives of others.
You do not live in isolation. Your marriage, your family - every area of your life is impacted. Will you need the wisdom of God? Certainly! But amazingly, God has already made His wisdom available to you.
The apostle Paul revealed his heart to the believers in Colosse when he said, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2).
The Enormity of God's Provision
In other words, Paul knew what enormous provisions God had made, yet he looked at the lives of believers around him and saw that they did not understand the enormity of what God had provided. They were living in their own strength and becoming stressed because of it.
During my 30 years as a pastor, I was determined to not let one solitary believer face life without the resources of God and without understanding how to experience His resources. I sought to mobilize a whole congregation to bring all of the resources of every person to help each member of that church to grow like Christ.
Your future will depend on how well you take hold of all God has made available within you through His Son. He has infused His wisdom, His understanding, and His nature in you so you will never face anything without having immediate access to His resources.
Christ in You
See your life in union with Christ. Don't ever walk outside the relationship with Him because God has placed all the wisdom and knowledge in Him. Make sure His life is your life. Don't ever try to function apart from the resources you have in your relationship to Him.
Many people read Colossians 2:2 and then live in their own wisdom and their own strength when they shouldn't. The whole plan of God was to place Himself in His Son and then place His Son in you.
Is God interested in the business world? He is indeed. He's interested in the world where you work because He dwells in you and His name is at stake. He gives you wisdom where no one else has wisdom.
Remember Joseph, who sat next to Pharaoh? God granted him wisdom and understanding beyond anyone else's. Pharaoh recognized that Joseph had a relationship with God like nobody else had, and when Joseph heard from his God, it would be so. The God who gave wisdom to Joseph is the same God who gives wisdom to you.
When God grants His children wisdom and understanding, it is not just for them but for the witness that will come through them. The world should see a difference between a believer and an unbeliever. God will give His children wisdom to make business decisions just as clearly as He gave Joseph wisdom, so that in the workplace others will see that difference.
All That You Need
Think about the situations you've been through. Did you give up on some situations before God could show you the difference He could make? Did you decide to leave and go to another place because you weren't seeing much happen? Was God trying to get you to the end of yourself and the beginning of Him before He would act?
Conflict, stress, pressures, deadlines, and the unexpected are all normal parts of life. Paul knew that more than anyone. In 2 Corinthians 4:8 he said, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
Paul experienced all kinds of things, but because of Christ's presence in him, he didn't give up. He let Christ take over because he wanted Christ to be manifested in him.
Jesus said if you've been with Me, you've been with the Father. So those who will be with you will have been with Me. (See John 14:6-14.)
Will you be harassed at times in the workplace? Possibly, but because God has done something on the inside of you, no harassing can destroy you. Will you have pressure? Oh yes, but you'll never be crushed because there's a Presence in you who has taken up residence to enable you to always triumph on the inside and be His witness on the outside.
We started with Paul saying I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I'm ready for anything and I'm equal to anything through what Christ infuses in me - Himself: all the wisdom of God, all the knowledge of God, all the power of God, all the future that God knows, all that you need for life and godliness in the workplace.