Crises. We all face them at one time or another. In fact, you may be facing one today. Maybe the bank is about to foreclose on your house...or divorce papers have been served...maybe your health is failing...or your children are in trouble. You've done everything humanly possible to correct the situation. But human effort isn't enough. You need divine help.

The pressure mounts. You struggle constantly to keep from being overwhelmed by it. The scriptures that once rang triumphantly in your ears, begin to grow faint. Suddenly the world, the flesh, and the devil all seem to be putting the squeeze on you at once.

The natural thing to do is to just give up - to quit. But don't do that. Your victory may be just around the corner! The toughest time to keep the faith is during a crisis, when it looks like that faith just isn't working. When the devil is throwing his best punch is when you're most tempted to throw in the towel. Don't do it! Instead, get a firm grip on God's Word, dig in your heels and hang on!

You see, Satan knows that the Word is your key to victory. So he'll do everything he can to pressure you into forsaking it. He'll make your circumstances appear to be more and more hopeless. He'll whisper constant lies of discouragement. He'll work hard to convince you that the promises of God have finally failed you. He knows that if you stick with the Word, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).

God's Word is your link to victory. Whatever you need from the Lord, whether it be healing, prosperity, salvation for your family, or victory over the flesh and the devil, God has provided it for you through His great and precious promises. There will be times of crisis when it looks as though the Word won't be enough to pull you through, but God's Word will never fail you. It will pull you through even the worst situation if you stand steadfastly in your faith.

Victory comes to every person who stubbornly believes the Word of God - no matter what happens! When the devil tries to scare you into running from the Word, steadfastly resist him. The Bible says, "if you will resist the devil, he will have to flee from you" (James 4:7). So hang on to the Word, and before long Satan will be the one running!

Sometimes it takes time for our prayers to be answered. That's when it takes more than faith to move the mountains in our lives. It takes patience as well. Hebrews 6:13 says we inherit the promises through faith and patience. It's the supernatural force that makes us strong enough to persevere until the answer comes.

When the pressure is on and you are tempted to give in, you might think you don't have enough faith to do the job. But greater faith is not what you need, you just need to put the force of patience to work.

How do you set the force of patience in motion? The best way is to decide from the onset that no matter what happens, you are determined to win. Make a quality decision as soon as you pray in line with the Word that nothing, absolutely nothing, will be able to pry you loose from that Word. If you don't do that, you'll end up letting go of the Word when the pressure comes.

Next, be ready to recognize the tactics of the devil. Satan has no power to defeat you except to discredit the Word of God. He still uses the same bag of tricks that he used to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden. If you don't recognize this tactic, you'll begin to wonder whether it really is God's will. And if you don't believe it is God's will, then you'll let go of your faith and give in to Satan and to circumstances. If you have prayed according to the Word, you have prayed directly in line with God's will. Don't wonder about it anymore.

Wondering is wavering. James 1:6-7 says the one who wavers shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord. The Word is your connection to receiving a miracle. The devil is setting a trap for you. Don't fall into it. Hang on to the Word. When the pressure comes, refuse to waver.

Satan is a master of deception. He can make your situation look dark and hopeless. He wants to make you think that there is no way out. But if you are a born-again believer, 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that there is always a way out: "There hath no temptation this word also refers to a test or trial taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted, tested, or tried above that ye are able; but will with the temptation, test, or trial also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Religious tradition has taught that this verse says, "God will let you suffer in your trial until you reach your breaking point. Then when He is sure that you can take no more, He will provide you an answer that you can tolerate. But the truth is that God has not left us to the mercy of the adversary. The devil has no mercy. He'll "fight dirty" just to win. But Satan can only fight with the weapons which are common to man, or with natural weapons. God, however, gives you weapons which "are not carnal or natural, but mighty through Him, to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4).

Arms limitation is not God's foreign policy. For every weapon the devil uses to destroy you, God produces a greater one with which to counterattack. For every stronghold of deception, there will always be greater spiritual armory placed at your disposal. Satan is limited. You are not! God will provide whatever you need to win. When Satan makes things look so bad that you are tempted to slip into fear and despondency, remember that faith and patience working together will bring you victory. When fear pierces your mind like a fiery dart, cast it down in the Name of Jesus. Remember that Satan has been disarmed and he is just trying to intimidate you into giving up. When despondency covers you like a shroud, resist it in the Name of Jesus.

Put this powerful pair to work in your life. Faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And patience to keep you steadfast when Satan challenges God's Word. Together they'll empower you to endure Satan's pressure without surrendering to it. They'll give you the stamina to stick in there until the battle's won!