Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 King James Version (KJV)
TD Jakes said, “As it is with weight training, you can determine a man’s strength by the amount of weight he is able to press.” Such it is in life, when the cares of this world weigh on us, our ability to press through the storms determines our spiritual resolve. It is very easy to believe in God when there’s money in the bank and things are going your way, but it’s a completely different animal when the odds are stacked against you.
It is at this time that you must dig deep inside yourself and summon the will, the intestinal, the moxy, the desire, etc. to press on in the face of adversity and uncertainty. We must realize however that the key to victory doesn’t lie in us, but in who we are in Christ Jesus. He is our source and we can do all things through Him
It’s not by might or by strength, but by His Spirit that we will be able to persevere through the storms and challenges of life. The Word of God assures us that we will have challenges in this world, but He instructs us to be cheerful because He has overcome the world. While we may not understand the nature or origin of the obstacles we sometimes face one thing is certain; if He bring us to it, He will bring us through it.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.”
-Calvin Coolidge-