Grapes are crushed to produce wine. Olives are pressed to release oil. Seeds grow in the darkness. Pressure produces results.

You’re in good company when you feel crushed, pressed or feel darkness surrounding you. It means tremendous growth is about to take place, if you choose it.

In the Garden of the Olive Press (Gethsemane), Jesus was pressed by the darkness of His enemy crushing Him to the point of sweating blood.

But for “the joy set before Him” He hung on a cross, and fought against the voices of shame and defeatism. He saw this joy before the crushing, pressing, and darkness.

He knew He would sit at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 12:2). So, He chose to focus on the result of the pressure, not the pressure itself.

Yet, when we face pressure, we often want to focus on the pressure. This focus leads us to run away from it either physically (“I’m out of here!” thinking we are permanently leaving the pressure behind – wrong!), emotionally (“Just take me home already!”), mentally (follow where the wrong voices take us) and/or spiritually (“Just leave me alone, Lord. I’ve had enough already.”).

The difference between us and Jesus? Our focus under pressure. Jesus had learned throughout His life to talk with His Father about everything. No matter what He was facing, even the head noise in the Garden or the trash talking while on the cross, Jesus focused on the One who would get Him victoriously through the pressure – the Father.

Stay focused on the Author and Perfecter of your faith, Jesus. He guarantees victory if we choose to focus on Him and the truths He gives us. Victory tastes all the sweeter when it comes after victory releases the pressure.

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo

I was listening to a brother in Christ tell his Jesus story and the resulting life transformation both he and his wife have undergone. Their walk with Jesus has been extremely rewarding, but difficult at times.

The world they left behind thought totally the opposite of Jesus. And now they were experiencing opposition for following Jesus’, even from some within their church!

I asked him, “Did living the way the world ‘thinks’ bring you the joy that you are now experiencing?” He answered in the negative. “So,” I said, “What does it matter what the world thinks?”

Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Talk about aiming high?! Why so high?

Aim high miss high. Aim low miss low. If you aim for 10’ and miss, you could hit something at 9’11”. But if you aim for 100’ and miss, you could hit something at 99’11”.

By raising the bar to perfection, even if you stumble, Jesus is raising your life to a higher level. Guess who they can see? Jesus. That’s a good thing, right?

And two, even if you stumble, you will be closer to Jesus than if you set the bar lower. That’s a good thing, right?

Listen and follow Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of your faith (Heb. 12:2). Let Him help you reach new heights in your love for and walk with Him.

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Proverbs 27:6

A few years back, a friend gave me some sage advice, “Go for it. And if I see you doing something wrong, I’ll let you know.” In other words, he would lovingly rebuke me.

Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Sounds odd, right? I’ve got two perfectly good ears that take in various sounds all day long. I don’t have the choice not to hear. But I do have the choice whether to listen to or to ignore what my hear.

There have been times when I just couldn’t see that I was getting off the path with my current thinking. But through these Proverbs 27:6 friends, the Lord spoke loud and clear, “Chris, you’re stepping away from Me. Move closer.”

Did their words hurt? They wounded me bad. But, did I need to hear them? Oh yeah! Now, I had the choice to either justify myself and ignore them. Or, go to Jesus. Process their words through His word. And then apply what Jesus was showing me.

We need others to see what we are unable to see. And then, out love, tell us what they see while continuing to walk with us. So, who is your James 5:16 person? Read it for yourself. But notice, it doesn’t say everyone, but one another.

You need at least a few friends who will tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. Friends who will also pray for you to become more like Jesus, which is part of what the word “healed” means.

Have ears that hear. When you do, greater joy and peace will be found as you move closer to Jesus.

“Peace. Be still.” Jesus

Some of the ways I know I am under stress is when my knee(s) bounce like crazy. My hands rapidly shake. Or, my heart aches.

Lately, my stress responses have been caused by too many things to do with so little time to do them. And yet the Spirit reminded me of this truth, “Be still and know that I am God.”

You’re being still, not the world around you. Checklists still exist. No, still means changing your focus from the life-changing battle to Jesus, the life changer.

This morning during my “Quiet Time” He had me be still, literally. No reading the Word. No praying. No confession. No praising. All the things I normally do. He simply had me sit and be with Him.

Honestly, this felt like I wasted time. Yet, peace in the midst of the battle actually existed by acknowledging His presence. He is always there, but my knees, hands and heart tell the truth. I wasn’t really acknowledging it.

Peace can be experienced in the midst of a life-changing situation by acknowledging His presence while doing what He wants done in the moment with Him. He became my strength to know God in ways my eyes haven’t seen, ears haven’t heard and mind couldn’t conceive (1 Cor. 2:9).

In the midst of your struggle, acknowledge His presence with you! Seek to be with Him while doing what He wants to do with you, today. And experience His strength to make the righteous choice. It’s mystical. But it’s just as real.

Moving forward requires faith to praise the LORD knowing the struggle ends with victory.

With all that is going on in the world at the moment, Christians are thronging towards prophecy. Among other things, it proves the Bible is indeed God’s word.

We must realize, though, the context of an overwhelming amount of prophecy is that suffering precedes solutions. Dark days come before the sunny ones. Isaiah is full of this kind of prophecy.

Solutions do come…after the struggle. The sun does shine bright…after the battle.

Letting the Spirit change our lives in encased in a battle between the flesh (i.e. the old programing stored in our heads) and the Spirit of truth (Gal. 5:17) that transforms our lives (Rom. 12:1).

This battle is real. This battle is hard. It’s like pulling out the weeds in your garden by the roots. Why? You don’t want them to grow back! It’s dirty sweaty work. But you know you’re planting roses that will not only be pleasing to the eyes, but also to the nose due their sweat fragrance.

Praising by faith in the midst of this struggle can put a smile on your face as you already know the outcome. Praising by faith brings peace to your mind as you focus on the end result, not the struggle.

We know it will happen. It’s just a matter of time. Jesus said the truth will set you free from the lies that hold you down. He keeps His word too! Count on it.

If you’re struggling today, stop right now and praise Him for the end result. It will happen. Being straight, peace of mind and a smiling face are much better than the opposite.

If you’re at the aroma of the rose stage, praise Him for being true to His word.