Brian Dolleman's Blog

You know the song “Under Pressure” don’t you?

And I’m not talking about the Vanilla Ice version (Ice Ice Baby).

I mean the David Bowie / Queen collaboration, the one that goes…

Mm ba da de
Um bum ba de
Um bu bu bum da de
Pressure—pushing down on me
Pressing down on you—no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on the streets

We all know pressure and we experience it from a variety of sources: work, finances, relationships, bad news…

Under pressure.

Being under pressure is pretty much a given in life.

True.

Also true—how we deal with the pressure is up to us.

Some options include: avoiding, cracking, freaking out, medicating, and escaping.

All these coping mechanisms are unhealthy and do not address the real issue—the source of the pressure.

In Daniel chapter 2, the king of Babylon ordered all the wise men to be executed.

Daniel was one of the wise men. He heard the news—he was under pressure…

He could have gotten wasted and numbed the pressure with alcohol.

He could have smoked a bowl and gotten a few moments of relief.

He could have eaten an entire carton of Häagen-Dazs.

He could have attempted to run.

He could have flipped out.

He didn’t.

Here’s what he did:

“Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy…” (Daniel 2.17, 18 NLT)

Daniel didn’t give himself time to freak out or start self-medicating.

Daniel prayed. He asked his friends to pray. They asked for God’s help.

God gave Daniel the answers that he needed. Daniel and all the other wise men were spared.

If Daniel had taken the time to freak out and crack under pressure, he wouldn’t have had time to pray.

And in Daniel’s case, time was of the essence.

Here’s what the Bible says we should do when we’re under pressure…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4.6, 7 NLT)

Um ba ba be
Um ba ba be
De day da
Ee day da
That’s OK…

Under Pressure.

This coming Monday is a national holiday, honoring the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was a man who risked it all—to honor God and to serve others.

He had risky faith…

He believed that good would overcome and that God would have the final say.

Dr. King inspires me to have bold faith, clear vision, and a willingness to sacrifice self for the cause of others.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor WILL RISK his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life.” —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are generally only interested in risk when it has some sort of personal payoff.

People will make risky investments with the goal of making ginormous returns on their money.

Some will make a risky move hoping for a better life for themselves and their family.

Of course, there are those rare occasions where someone does something risky to help or save someone else…

But most of the time, we carefully calculate the risks in light of personal gain.

Businesses have “Risk Management” departments.

Reality TV shows have lawyers telling them what they can and cannot do (in order to prevent lawsuits).

I’m just gonna come out and say it: serving God is risky business…

And perhaps we’ve made it too safe.

I wonder, are we willing to take risks—not just for ourselves, but FOR GOD?

Do we live in fear—calculating all the bad things that could possibly happen if we stick our necks out too far for God? Do we hold back?

Are we waiting for the perfect scenario… you know, the one that has zero risk involved?

In the Old Testament, Daniel took a risk for God.

He wanted to honor God, but his handlers had something different in mind.

Daniel asked for an exemption from the royal menu. He wanted to honor the Jewish dietary laws given by God.

The supervisor said no.

Daniel asked again—only this time he went to someone else…

And he offered a reasonable plan: a trial-run with an evaluation.

This time, Daniel got the green light!

He was given permission to honor his God because he was willing to risk something.

Daniel stuck his neck out.

He risked rejection.

He risked being told no.

He risked being penalized.

He risked having his reputation tarnished.

He risked being misunderstood.

He risked failure.

Daniel took a big risk, not for himself, but for God.

Yes—serving God is risky business.

I believe we need ask ourselves, “Am I playing it too safe? Am I content with Jesus as long as he doesn’t cost me anything? Am I willing to risk for Him?”

In the case of Daniel, he was actually risking his life.

We often hold back because we’re afraid of being laughed at or not being liked.

We hold back because of FEAR…

And we need to stop that.

Holding back because of fear does not honor God. Faith and risk go hand-in-hand.

“Listen to the Lord who created you… the one who formed you says, ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fires of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God… your Savior.’” (Isaiah 43.1-3 NLT)

Did you notice the “when you…” statements in these verses?

When you go through deep waters, when you go through rivers of difficulty, when you go through the fires of oppression…

Serving God is risky business—and it’s totally worth it!

He’s our creator, the one who ransoms us, is with us, and rescues us—our Savior.

We have no reason to fear. We should not hold back any longer.

We don’t need a “perfect scenario” to honor our God.

It’s time for some risky business!

The advice, help, and message I give produces NOTHING positive when I believe “you’re stupid and I’m better than you.”

When Daniel was captured and brought to Babylon, this new culture was extremely different from his own.

Their views on politics, morality, and religion were not congruous with his own.

They were at odds.

This environment could have easily stressed Daniel out, causing him to wonder “How terrible will things become here? What will they do to me? How might this place and these people ruin my life?”

Yet Daniel wasn’t stressed.

He was armed with faith. He was confident that God was with him, working everything out for the good.

Daniel also had a genuine concern for others.

He was others-focused.

Rather than being self-obsessed, worried about all the bad things that could happen to him, Daniel was genuinely empathetic and compassionate toward others… including those he disagreed with.

Daniel knew EVERYONE deserves respect, even godless “enemies.”

Daniel showed respect to the Babylonian overseer who controlled his food options. Rather than having a bad attitude about what was provided, Daniel respectfully appealed to him.

When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel interpreted it—the news was bad for the king…

And Daniel says, “Your Majesty, I wish that the dream and its explanation applied to your enemies and not to you.”

Here’s the point: no one listens to someone who doesn’t respect them.

The advice, help, and message we give produces NOTHING positive when we believe “you’re stupid and I’m better than you.” People will not listen to us when we think we are morally superior.

Daniel was able to thrive in Babylon as a fearless foreigner—in part, because he treated others with respect.

He wasn’t self-obsessed, worried, or fearful. He had a genuine concern for others. He was others-focused.

He helped Nebuchadnezzar to succeed.

Daniel constantly reflected the goodness of God to a godless culture.

He was a light, shining in the darkness.

He made a difference, not by despising others, but by genuinely caring about their well-being.

Daniel didn’t walk around with an “I’m better than you and you’re stupid” attitude.

He was others-focused…

And as a result, his advice, help, and message PRODUCED.

Despair, fear, and panic are not part of God’s plan for your life.

The Bible says, “God did not us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.” (2 Timothy 1.7 NLV)

Of course there are times to be concerned, anxious, and even discouraged—but we should not live there.

In the Old Testament, Daniel had every reason to be scared and freak out…

He was taken from his family. He was put in a strange new place.

Daniel faced the possibility of severe punishment on a daily basis.

It would be completely understandable if Daniel had frequent panic attacks—but he didn’t.

He trusted God.

He had faith.

He knew that his God would have the final say…

That everything would work out in the end.

Have you ever watched an important football game—a difficult match-up where both teams are good? You’re rooting for your team and it’s not looking good. In the end, your team is victorious… but during the game, you are shouting, sweating, and your heart is racing. Your emotions rise and fall as the game goes good or bad for your team. You get all worked up over the game.

Then, a year or two later you watch that same game again. This time, you’re able to joke and laugh about the bad plays or bad calls. You’re not yelling or shouting. You’re not frustrated or stressed-out.

Why? Because you already know the outcome—you know how it ends.

Daniel didn’t have panic attacks or struggle with fear because of his faith in God.

He knew, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8.28 NLT).

Daniel already knew the outcome: God would work it out… and it would be good.

Faith by its very nature is positive—it is confident that good will overcome.

It is impossible to be a faith-filled, negative, fearful person.

Faith pushes out fear.

It attacks panic.

It gives no room for despair.

When things are uncertain, difficult, or downright scary…

Remember: “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8.28 NLT).

Have faith—know that God will have the final say and that everything will work out in the end.

Is our world full of problems?

Yes.

Is our culture dark—does it celebrate sin while at the same time rejecting purity?

Often.

Are we living in a post-Christian America?

Probably.

Are there a plethora of reasons to be… Read More

Let’s be honest…

Fear sucks. It sucks away our confidence, peace, joy, strength, and courage.

Fear paralyzes. It makes us freeze-up. It halts progress. It stops us in our tracks.

Fear sells. It manipulates. It gets us to buy into something we don’t really want or need.

Fear limits. It holds us back. It keeps us from our potential.

Fear lies. It deceives. It distorts. It exaggerates.

We all deal with fear.

I believe God wants us to fear less.

Fear adds nothing good to our lives—it only takes away.

God wants us to have strength for today and courage for tomorrow.

This is why we can boldly say…

“God is there, ready to help; I’m FEARLESS no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” (Hebrews 13.6 MSG)