The phrase “easier said than done” is very common, and I’m sure most of us have heard it. The dynamic nature of life presents all kinds of situations and circumstances that give this phrase a continual workout. Our tendency is to think that just because something looks easy that it is in fact easy, when just the opposite is true. A person’s diligence, dedication, and endurance to keep pushing and pressing their way through ultimately yields success. The experience they gain from this disciplined effort gives them the finesse to make what is difficult look easy. Often, onlookers don’t see the back story. We don’t see the emotional, mental, and physical toil they undertook. It’s only when we, ourselves, step up to the plate and attempt what we thought was easy that we find it’s easier said than done. At that moment, we have a choice to make. Will we give up without continuing to try or will we decide to press our way through.
Hosea 6:3(NLT) says, “Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” During some of our most challenging times, we pray to God for help, and when we don’t receive the answer we wanted or expected, some of us give up. We stop seeking God and abandon any notion of persisting in our prayers to Him.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are praying to receive, life will test your desires, and it will test how much you really want them. Jewels like endurance, patience, and experience are spiritual heavyweights. Heavenly Father designed life to both promote and refine them in our lives, whether we approve or not. God is relentless to see us become more like Christ. He does not cause the troubles we face, but He will not waste one drop of any aspect of our lives and will use every situation to teach us more about His beloved and powerful Son, Jesus Christ. As Romans 8:28 declares, He causes all things to work together for the good of those that are called according to His purpose; this even includes the stuff that doesn’t always make us feel good.
To press into God when things get difficult is something that may sound easy, but it’s a horse of a different color when it’s time to live it. Disappointment and frustration can be extremely challenging to push through. We’re forced to move past our emotions and shift to the Spirit by placing our faith in overdrive. This requires us to renew our minds to God’s Word. We must continue to read and study His promises until they are a part of us.
We go through so much, and some of us find ourselves asking, “God, when is enough going to be enough?” The answer is in Matthew 16:24(NLT). In this verse, Jesus Christ taught his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Giving up our own way is often an uncomfortable process. It requires us to surrender totally. This means that holding on to the thing that has given us comfort in the past may have to be released. This is because we must make more room in our hearts, minds, and lives for what we’re asking God to deliver in our present circumstances and our futures.
Comfort is no doubt a luxury. None of us want to sacrifice it willingly, but in order to grow in the Lord, discomfort is often something we must endure. Not only do we have to deal with being uncomfortable, we must press through the discomfort by pressing into God.
He’s looking at how we handle trials and tribulations. He knows everything there is to know, so He already knows every decision we’re going to make before we make it. However, this journey of life is given to us to walk out moment by moment, as we move from faith to greater faith. God allows us to ride through the storm because it’s a mirror for where we are in our faith and who we are in Christ. When we push past negative emotions and press into God, we are developing spiritual endurance. Romans 5:3-5(NLT) declares, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Our confidence should not be in ourselves or other people; our confidence should be in the love and truth of God’s Word. He is the One who carries us through.
Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ is the perfect example of what it looks like to press into the Father. Without remaining close to God and pressing into Him, Jesus Christ would not have been able to accomplish the work he was sent here by God to do. He prayed to our Heavenly Father continuously and talked to Him often. He did this because Jesus knew he needed to be close to God. He knew that God was His Source. In John 8:29(NLT), Jesus said, “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” Our Lord and Savior put the Will of the Father over his own will, and this is what we must do as well.
To stand strong against oppression, tribulation, and heartache, we must stay close to God. We desperately need His guidance and revelation through the Holy Spirit. Running this race can be challenging, but God has promised to be with us always. He promised to never leave or forsake us. We must keep reminding ourselves how easy it is to get away from the things that are important in life. The world is full of distractions, and sometimes we look away from God and become entangled with worldliness. Experience will teach us that this is never helpful. We need to always keep our eyes on Jesus. We need to continue pressing into God, even when it doesn’t appear to us that things are moving. But indeed, they are, and if we patiently endure in Him, we’ll see His power manifested and our faith will be rewarded.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Keep Pressing”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.