Paraphrased from Ps Wilson and Ps Lai Ling’s message for May 2025. For more, click the video above to watch them share their heart on our YouTube channel.
Do you find that sometimes your life seems to be so frantic that there’s so much to do, there’s so much expectation and not enough of you. What if you could live each day not under the burden of pressure, not under the constant pump, but with peace? It’s not just working harder, not trying to get more done, but shifting our focus to our source of strength. And today, Ps Wilson and Ps Lai Ling share with us how this can be done in a simple, but powerful practical way.
With the emphasis on Strengthen to Saturate for Hope International Ministries in 2025, Ps Wilson asks an important question. If we are going to saturate the nations with the Gospel, how can we do that without being strengthened on the inside first? And the answer to that question lies the idea of living with peace instead of pressure.
Now, most people today are living their lives like mobiles phones with near empty batteries. They are constantly looking for a place to plug in, just to get enough of a charge to get them through the day. Just like those batteries, when we run on empty, we keep finding ourselves with a lack of peace, but instead filled with the pressure of being depleted. And the key to changing this situation, is to live from overflow, not overdrive.
Overflow, not Overdrive
Ps Wilson says that overflow is not about doing more, but it is about filling more. We need to learn to run from a full tank. This means prioritizing our time with God, giving our soul some time to rest and reflect before we continue to tackle the pressures of life. Ps Lai Ling reminds us of the promise Jesus gave us in John 14:27, where He talks about a shift of perspective. The big idea we have to grasp is this. Peace does not come from perfect circumstances, but it comes from a shift of perspective and practice. Peace, is a shift towards Jesus
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27
So, how do we put this in practice?
Start Your Day with “Filling” Practices
Ps Lai Ling shares about how important it is to check how we start our days. Before checking our phones for emails, social media updates, or to-do lists, she encourages us to start with “filling” practices. Let’s spend at least 15 to 30 minutes, filling our hearts and minds with what brings peace. This could be prayer, worship, Scriptures, or even just practicing stillness before God. If we start the day with noise, we’ll lead with noise. But if we start the day with God’s peace, we’ll lead life with God’s peace in us. So let us treat our morning routine like a meeting with God. Block it out on our calendars, treating it like an important meeting, a non-negotiable.
Live with “Margin Moments” Throughout Your Day
In addition to this, Ps Wilson urges us to have “margin moments” throughout our day. You may be asking, what does this mean? Just like margins on a document, we should have margins in our schedules. Leave a 5 to 10 minute gap between your commitments just to breathe, to reflect and maybe even reset. Why does this matter? Because pressure increases when there’s no space at all to recalibrate or readjust. But if you intentionally create those margin moments, then you move from clarity and calm, not chaos. use the 10 minutes to ask yourself if you are running from an overflow now, or are you running on fumes. If it is the latter, then it’s time to pause, pray and talk to God about it
Protect “Uninterrupted Refuel Time” Every Week
Another thing you can do to ensure that you overflow, is to allow yourself some uninterrupted soul care. Dedicate one or two hours each week for this purpose. Again, this could be a time for prayer, worship or even a time to just catch up on a really good book. Some of us might enjoy journaling, or even walking in nature. Whatever the activity of your choice is, the idea is to prioritize that uninterrupted time for yourself, that will lead to a place of abundance, not exhaustion. So let’s schedule it into our week. Even of someone asks to meet you or do something with you during that time, you can tell them that you have an appointment. Because you have an appointment for the peace of your soul. Ps Lai Ling often uses her time to listen to Christian instrumental music, do some gardening, or even just read and reflect on God’s Word.
So if you still feel the pressures of daily life, ask yourself if you are running from overflow, or overdrive. Once you begin to run on overflow, you will feel God’s peace be your new normal. So let’s get into this new mindset that Ps Wilson and Ps Lai Ling shared with us and give it a go!