In Jesus Name We Press On!

In Jesus name we press on!

God gives us just enough strength and grace for today, alone! Not for tomorrow or next week, but for today! If we are focused on tomorrow, we will grow weary ~ He provides the strength for today, IN HIM, no more!

Below are the lyrics to a song by Selah called Press On. If you can relate to valleys deep and mountains steep, I want to urge you, my friend, to press on, in Jesus name!

Press On By Selah

When the valley is deep
When the mountain is steep
When the body is weary
When we stumble and fall

When the choices are hard
When we're battered and scarred
When we've spent our resources
When we've given our all

Chorus:
In Jesus' name, we press on
In Jesus' name, we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize
Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on

Repeat

Dear friend, whatever your battle, I encourage you, in Jesus name to press on!

I want you to be  lifted up, to be encouraged! "What", you ask, "if I haven't given my all?"

None of us are perfect and we weren't when He died for us, if we were He wouldn't have had to die! Repent, my friend, and turn to Him ~ press on! You cannot change the past, you have no control over it! Put it behind you ~ humble yourself before Him, repent (ask forgiveness) and do what? Yes, we press on! A forward focus, turn and live for Him, "In His Name And For His Glory"! Press on!

Psalm 91 is a powerful passage! We picture God like a mother eagle guarding her brood and them at total rest, in the shadow of her wings. They do not fear, they don't know to; they are, completely, trusting in her care, just as a baby depends and trusts it's mother for all things! Don't we wish for this kind of rest? A rest that is complete!

Psalm 91:1-16 says,

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'

Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

*He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings will you find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

*If you make the Most High your dwelling ~ even the Lord, who is my refuge ~ then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

*'Because he loves Me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.

*He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

*With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation."

Also, Psalm 63:7 says, "Because You are my help, I SING in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."

Can't you just picture the awkward looking baby birds, chirping in the shadow of their mother's wings? There may be a storm, but they are hidden and unaware. Mom may be getting pelted with hail or rain, but her babies sing, happily, beneath the shadow of her wings, completely, protected. They know no fear!

In this life we struggle with anxiety and fears and we will till God calls us home, we're human. God promises if we make the Most High our dwelling and we call upon Him ~ He will answer; He will be with us in trouble, and He will deliver us and honor us. Wow! Why???? ("Because he loves Me, ' says the Lord.) That's pretty powerful stuff! It doesn't say we won't have trouble, but He does promise to be with us, to deliver us and to honor us, if we make Him our dwelling! He promises to rescue us, to give us a long life and satisfy us, to show us His salvation! It even says He will command His angels to guard our ways! How cool is that?

It's easy to want the help when we fall into trouble, desiring God to fix it, but there's something much deeper here. There's a love relationship, there's a trust in the Lord that goes beyond running to Him, just in our need. There's an abiding in Him; there's a life that looks to Him for all things! If we love Him, if we trust Him, then we will trust Him enough to walk in His ways, to follow and keep His commandments ~ we will believe that they are good for us  ~ this is love!

"Love casts out fear", if we love Him we will rest in Him!

Like you, my feet are made of clay, I'm human; I have not attained this, God is not finished with me yet! I am a work in progress! I am seeking, I am in pursuit, to strengthen my love relationship with the Almighty. I covet your prayers and I'm praying for you! Don't get frustrated, don't quite! We are made of clay, we need to forgive ourselves, our weaknesses and continue to look to Him! Press on! One day at time, one step at a time! (And somedays, one moment at a time!)

Christ died for us when we were still sinners ~ if we have turned to Christ, in our sin and repented and believe, accepting His sacrifice on the cross, on our behalf, then our sins have been paid for and we have been claimed RIGHTEOUS! 

Do we really grasp that? He's paid for what we've done! Picture that for a minute! God writes on your shirt with eternal ink, "RIGHTEOUS"!

So, let us, now, out of love, and appreciation, walk in a new way! Let us allow Him to work out that righteousness in us! We have been claimed righteous and given the Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in that righteousness. But, now, let us fix our sights on that calling! The calling to "be holy as He is Holy"!

Philippians 3:14 rings in my ears,

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do no consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

If you're feeling a bit unnerved and a lack of confidence in this calling read on!

James 1:6 says,

"Being confident of this, that HE who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (God's going to work this out in you!)

2 Timothy 1:9 says, "Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, NOT according to our works, but according to His own purpose and GRACE which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity." (We can not do anything to earn this righteousness ourselves, it's a free gift; it's by grace alone!)

1 Corinthians 9:24 says,

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (With all your, heart, mind, soul and strength!)

Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."

There is a pursuit here! There's a forward focus, not a focus on the past, but looking ahead, seeking to live out that which we've already obtained! We are working with Him, instead of struggling against Him, as He works to complete us! He is maturing us! Our eyes are fixed on our heavenward call, it is the prize! Our reward is there! Our home is there, this earth is a temporary dwelling! We need to live for eternity! Let that be our focus!

My friend, ask God to write this on the tablet of your heart! 

Let Him be your ONE pursuit, you will not be sorry! It's His responsibility to mature us, to see us to completion, it's our responsibility to work with Him; to keep His commands and to hide them in our heart that we might not sin against Him! When we fall short, we ask forgiveness, and press on!

Don't be discouraged! Oh, how I wish I could hug your neck!

I leave you with this next passage as a prayer:

Psalm 17:6-8 says,

"I call on You, O God, for You will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonder of Your great love, You who save me by Your right hand, those who take refuge in You from their foes. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings."

Did you know you are the apple of God's eye? I leave you today with that awesome thought! Is He not mindful of where you find yourself today? He knows about it all!

*Reminder: The challenge!

I continue to challenge you to put Him first in your life. To rise before dawn and kneel before your Maker. Sit at His feet and let Him share with you the passions of His heart. Align yourself with Him, as you begin your day in Him. Get into His Word and let Him be your Teacher! The challenge is to try it for a month! One hour every day, before dawn, while all is still quiet! He will simplify your life and reorder your world! I'm praying you will take the challenge! Press on!