Press

PRESS

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

OPENING: - I want to encourage someone today. Someone is going through right now and you are in a place where you are struggling with uncertainty, doubt, indecisiveness, and confusion. Your faith is being tested, your strength is being drained, your joy has been taken, you are trying to be strong, but you don’t know what to do! I want to encourage you and tell you to PRESS.

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE: - Philippians 3:13-14 “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”.

I want to talk about that place between realizing what God has promised and apprehending that which He has promised. That place of and is a place of waiting, it is a place that you must deal with yourself. It is that place where your faith is tested, your emotions are out of control, your flesh is raging, questions are running rampant in your head, and you just don’t know what to do or how you are going to make it. It is here in this place that the devil will try to cause you to lose your mind.

WATCH THIS:- I have stepped to God like I should, I have given up some things expecting and believing God for some things but I have not yet received those things and I can’t go back to the old things, because I am forgetting those things that are behind and I am reaching forth unto those things that are before, but I have not grasped hold to those things yet, I am not where I used to be and I am not where I am going I am here in this place of and, and I am dealing with me.

This place of and is that place between Heartbreak and Happiness. Your heart was broken and you are looking for happiness but until it comes you are here in this place of and.

This place of and is that place between Loss and Comfort. The loss happened and you know God said He will never leave you and He will comfort you, but here in this place of and you haven’t grasped the comfort yet, but you are dealing with loneliness, you miss their touch, you miss their voice, you miss just seeing them and I am dealing with this place of and. I know God can and I know God will but until He does I have to deal with me in this place called AND.

This place of and is that place between the doctor’s diagnosis and the treatment. This place of and is uncomfortable, it’s uncertain, it’s trying your faith. You can’t understand it you have done what is required of you. You live Micah 6:8 “ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God”. You fast on Monday, work at the homeless shelter on Tuesday, visit the sick on Wednesday, run the prison ministry on Thursday, read to the kindergartners on Friday, take the Seniors shopping on Saturday, and Sunday you are the Sunday School teacher, parking attendant, usher, praise team leader, and armor bearer and your next door neighbor claims there is no God, lives any way they want, does everything against the Will and the Word of God and they are walking around without a care in the world talking about it is a lovely day and here you are dealing with AND. You are not quoting scripture like I am more than a conqueror, or I can do all things though Christ that strengthen me, but are saying why art thou disquieted within me oh my soul, my God my God why hast thou forsaken me, my foot almost, you may have even let a cuss word come out because you are dealing with you in this place of AND. Your emotions are out of control, your faith is tested, your strength is drained, confusion, uncertainty, doubt are driving you crazy and you don’t know what to do.

It is at this point that we must understand a very important word in Philippians 3:13-14 “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”. That word is PRESS.

Press means to overcome something that hinders the flow. When you press a shirt or a pair of pants you overcome the wrinkles in the garments, so the flow of the material is smooth and without hinderances. Well in the spiritual when you press it is to overcome that which hinders you from getting and receiving from God that which you are entitled to.