Pressing towards the Mark

Saints, we are at a point now where we must press to enter into the Divine Will of God and the manifestation of His Kingdom. I know for many it has been rough, and it is rough. But I want to encourage you, the Scripture is true, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30). Hallelujah! 

No, it's not going to be easy. But if we can remain focused and steadfast, God will usher us into that Place that He has prepared for His people. However, we must continue to press towards the mark.

The challenge of having to press, is not commensurate with having to endure stress. There are a lot of God's people, particularly ministers, that are stressed out. This is not the will of God. Not that there's not stress involved in serving God, hopefully that's a given. But total exasperation and frustration is not the will of God for His children (Matthew 11). 

When you are pressing towards the mark, you're pressing into Him! (Philippians 3) As you draw closer to the Lord, there's a peace that He gives to you that overrides every negative and adverse situation and circumstance that you may be experiencing (Philippians 4). 

Whatever God is allowing in your life from a "negative" standpoint if you will, has been Divinely Designed to draw you closer to Him (Romans 8). So, don't let the disappointment or the frustration of the moment make you digress into negativity or selfishness or sinful habits. Use this as an opportunity to press further into the Lord.

The challenge with pressing towards the mark, and one of the reasons why more Christians don't engage in this spiritual pursuit, is because in order to press into Christ, you have to press beyond yourself. We're not conditioned to do this. We've been conditioned, when things get rough, to retreat into ourselves. Wrong. What we need to learn how to do is when things get rough, to press into His Presence. It's not easy, but it's possible. 

This is why John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3). That's why the Hebrew writer exhorted us to "labor to enter into His Rest" (Hebrews 4). The best example of someone Pressing towards the Mark was Jesus. After all He had done in His earthly ministry, He had to Press to Bear the Cross. We know Jesus had to press because He asked the Father to "take this cup from Me" (Luke 22). But He pressed! Jesus pressed to the point to where He was sweating Blood (Luke 22). Jesus endured abandonment, solitude, ridicule, betrayal, torture, injustice, rejection and crucifixion; all in the name of pressing towards the mark! Jesus went beyond Himself, in order to fulfill the Divine Will of the Father. 

Saints, in being "Christ-like", we too must be willing to endure the same type of sacrifice in order that God's will may be manifested in our lives. The only way it's going to happen is if we press.