My pastor (Bishop Edward H. Stephens, Jr.) has many great sayings. Having him as a great source of guidance in my life has afforded me the opportunity to hear them on a regular basis. In fact, his impact has been so pervasive in my life that I can almost hear what he would say in various instances as I encounter them. One saying that continuously comes to mind is the phrase, "Keep pressing." I can honestly say that I have heard him say this hundreds of times. Granted, many of these were not audible statements but rather memories within that resurfaced in my mind right when I needed to here it. This simple phrase, "Keep pressing." has been a lasting source of encouragement for me so I wanted to share it with you. Just as Ricky Bobby held on to the phrase, "If you ain't first you're last" in the movie Talladega Nights, I have held on to the phrase "Keep pressing" as I have encountered challenges that have made me want to give up along the way. As a result of this tendency to keep pressing I have made a fantastic discovery. Things tend to work together for your good if you don't give up (Didn't God say something about that in Romans 8:28? Check it out.). I have found that most of success is wrapped up in one's ability to continue to stand in the face of adversity. Eventually, if you resist the enemy long enough, it flees.
What does that have to do with you? Perhaps you've been thinking about throwing in the towel on your marriage and have been wondering what to do. Maybe you've been considering giving up on the pursuit of a life-long goal and have been wondering if now is the time to quit. Maybe you have been depressed about the job market, your financial standing, your children's conduct or your professional and/ or personal prospects; what do you do when you want to give up? Two words... KEEP PRESSING! Keep pressing through the pain. Keep pressing through the problems. Keep pressing through the difficulty. Keep pressing through the discouragement. If you can find the courage to continue to trust God and keep pressing forward in faith that His plans will come to pass in your life, sooner or later you will see why the opposition wanted you to give up along the way. After all, the only way to prevent you from seeing the peace of God in your marriage and the provision of God in your life is to try to convince you to stop pressing toward it because the Word of God says that, "you shall reap if you faint not." So it makes sense that the enemy would want you to faint (give up, become passive, etc) because that's the only way to prevent you from possessing what God promised you. You may be thinking, "Jessie, but you don't know what I'm up against." You're right...but what I do know is that if you can overcome the temptation to be weary in well doing "you shall reap if you faint not." (Galatians 6:9) So KEEP PRESSING!
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