“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” ― Elbert Hubbard 

Today we are going to discuss pressing into faith!  Life’s circumstance will sometimes present you with challenges where the only way of overcoming is to press your faith!

Let’s define faith according to the bible.  Hebrews 11:1-2 (Message translation) tells us, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.”

Now, let’s look at this same scripture in the Amplified translation, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].  2 For by [faith—trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report.”

Everyone will face situations that will tear you to the core!  You will hurt…you will cry…the situation can stress you to illness….it can bring weight loss or weight gain…stress and worry can kill you!!  When your trial comes, how will you react?  Are you built up in faith to go through?  Many of you may say, yes, I’ve definitely gone through some tough times but what I’m talking about today are the situations that can cause someone to lose their mind…walk away from the faith. Take their own lives.  When the flood of hurt, pain, disappointment, tragedy comes upon you, will you allow the enemy to compound it with trickeries of the mind?  It’s happened family, there have been many that walked mighty in the Lord and when tragedy hit, they walked away from God.

We have heard about Pastors that served God mightily, suffered a great loss and then took their own lives.  How do we get through the situations when the world around us crumbles, we feel alone and lost, we can’t recognize anything familiar because the mind has been lost in the circumstance.  How do you get through this?  When every door closes, everyone around you seems to turn away, you even feel that God has turned His back on you.  What do you do?  You’ve lost almost every material possession, your funds are null, you have no one to turn to.  What do you do?

PRESS INTO THE FAITH!!!  

Look at the act of pressing.  Press is defined as; to move or cause to move into a position of contact with something by exerting continuous physical force.

Exertion is defined as the application of force.  Force is defined as; to make a way through or into by physical strength; break open or break forth.

So, pressing into faith means we need to apply ourselves in prayer, fasting, meditation in order to receive a breakthrough so that the Holy Spirit can break forth in power and authority over that situation!

I need you all to grab hold of this!  No matter where you are in your journey of the believers walk of faith, you need this fundamental application in your life.  You need to perform it and practice the pressing into Gods presence daily…when the challenge comes you know exactly how to get into Gods presence quickly!  When someone is facing death and they call you to pray, you need to know how to activate and press into the presence of God to rebuke the spirit of death and call forth life!!!

This is why we go through and endure!  It is to strengthen us….it is to mold us….it is to bring us into a place in God where we realize that we are just a vessel available for God to use here on earth to call those things that are not as though they are!  To bring down strongholds!!  To cast out demons!!  To speak life!!  To command the earth to produce and replenish!!  This why we have been given dominion.  Not just to solve our own problems but to dominate the earth!!!  Come on…grab hold of this!!  It’s not about your need…your circumstance.  The trials come to strengthen us in God!!

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Romans 5:2-5 says, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We are told that our faith will be tested with fire.  1 Peter 1:7 “So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I’ve never known fire to be calm and pleasant.  Fire rages…fire is violent…fire causes pain…the intent of fire is to destroy!  But do you know that the fire cannot destroy you when you have the Spirit of God fighting for you!!  My God!  If God is for us!!!!  Grab this!!!  If God is for us….NO devil…NO circumstance…NO illness…NO lack…NO disease…NO hurt…NO pain…NOTHING!!!…..Can destroy you!!  We take refuge in God!!

Isaiah 41:1-3 tells us, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

My God!!!  If you are going through a trial right now you need to meditate and confess this scripture!  You need to get in your spirit that God is with you!  You WILL NOT be overtaken by the seas and the storms that rage!  Yes, this is your walk and you will have to walk through the fire BUT Gods Word says you will NOT be burned!!!

Yes, its a struggle…yes, your heart hurts….yes, the pain is real!  But know that God is there…lean on Him…seek Him…Press into the faith!!! For your deliverance!!!

Meditation verse – James 1:2-8  (Message Translation) “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.  If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Blessings!!

Keishana

P.S. Shout out to Prophetess Brenda for inspiring this teaching! God Bless you immeasurably woman of God!