Press Onward

Isaiah 41:¹⁰ “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Interestingly, a lot of people erroneously think being a Christian means you will not have any problems. You are going to have problems, but the key thing is you are going to overcome the problems. Jesus endured the pain. Great people know how to endure pain and not avoid pain because some pains are necessary. There is research that shows that the greater the leader, the greater their threshold for pain. Great leaders have an amazing threshold for pain. Check people that are holding down industries, if you look at their lives, their threshold for pain is remarkable. Brace yourself because you are going to go through pain.

Phil.3:¹² “…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (NIV, emphasis added). The word press here suggests pain, it is like saying, I am crushed, and I am crushing against. Phil.3:¹³ “…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (NIV, emphasis added). The phrase straining toward highlighted tells us that it is not a casual walk. The story is told of a hiker that went hiking alone. While trying to return home, he fell, and his hand got stuck in a rock. It was getting dark, and it was getting very cold. From experience, he knew that if he stayed there, he was going to bleed and freeze to death. He had a choice; take out his knife and cut off his hand or stay there and die – true-life story. What will you do? This man took out his knife and cut his own hand so that he could save his life.

After he had healed, a journalist interviewing him suggested that he must have suffered and is suffering a great deal. He said to the journalist, ‘No, I had pain, but I am enjoying my family. I am enjoying my wife and enjoying my children, and I can go about my business. I am not suffering.’ The journalist said, ‘…but you have cut off your hand!’ ‘But I am not suffering’, he responded. Like someone said, “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional”. Everybody will go through pain; you have to be willing to go through pain. But will you suffer for the rest of your life? Will you cut your losses and move on? It is your choice. The hiker chose not to suffer beyond the pain. Do not suffer beyond the pain.

#4. The Barrier Of Fear. Fear keeps people from going from where they are to where God wants them to be. Check the story of Jesus walking on water and the twelve in the boat. Why did the eleven not walk on water? They were afraid. People are usually afraid of failure, of people, of rejection, of approval. You spent all that money to do your hair and you are worried that someone will not like it? The person that does not like it can go and drink water. The fear of failure, the fear of people, and the fear of evil. God saying to you in Ps.91:⁵ “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.” What fear or pain is confronting you today? The Maker of heaven and earth is saying, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.”

Prayer: Father, I ask for the capacity to take consistently bold steps, in Jesus Name. Amen!