Power Of Pressure

Key Scripture:  "In Him, we live and move and have our being."  Acts 17:28

Power Point:

I was reading about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane recently.   I don't know about you, but I've had a few "Gethsemane's" of my own.  The Holy Spirit revealed a very "gentle" revelation to me.

In Luke 28, Jesus had just had His final supper with his disciples. As they walked toward Gethsemane, Jesus cautions them, "Keep praying for strength to be spared from the severe test of your faith which is about to come." Then He left them behind and went to begin His own prayer time. This is the part that I love about Jesus.  The Son of God, the Son of Man, wasn't sure that what lay ahead of Him was God's will.  He prayed, "Father, if You are willing...” If?  When I think back over all the prayers that Jesus prayed, "I don't remember an "if".   

      Here is the key. Jesus continued, dreading what was before Him, but totally submitted to His Father. "But no matter what, Your will must be Mine."  And that's the difference isn't it? Jesus was not asking to be spared. He knew His Father so well and trusted Him so much that even the horrors that lay ahead of Him did not pull Him out of the place of faith and trust.  The Enemy had no place in Him.  His Father had His entire devotion and earnest trust. Every emotion in Him was electric, but He was not going to quit. He was just there for His final instructions. He remembered how much He was loved by His Father and how important that which lay ahead of Him was to the completion of His mission on earth.  That knowledge turned His sorrow into joy. He wasn't spared and the angels came to give Him strength.

     Beloved, it's okay to clarify whether what you are going through needs to be handled with aggressive warfare or active resistance.  Do you need a sword or a shield? That place can be confusing can't it?  We've prayed for a deeper, more intimate knowledge of Him and when the tests come, we are simply being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d closer to His heart. Through the test, we grow in patience, and wisdom, and understanding of Who He wants to be for us. Remember, the test will always come to plant the word so deeply that Satan can't steal it.

     Graham Cooke, one of my favorite Bible teachers says that "If you are in Christ, then all your circumstances are in Christ too!" It's a wonderful truth to remember when the bottom falls out of your life and you can't seem to get your footing.  If your circumstances are IN CHRIST, then there's nothing to worry about, right? If your future is in Christ, then He will bring you to a flourishing, carefully thought out finish.  If you are in Christ, then stay there.  Take time to listen to what He wants to tell you and then wait for further instructions.

You may want to pray for rescue but He's working on your endurance.

You may want to pray for more authority, but He's working on your patience.

You may want to run and hide, but He keeps shoving you right in to the middle of the battlefield.

    In the garden, Jesus simply waited on God until He had His marching orders. He said, 
"Yes" to God. His spirit was definitely willing.  If you're spending a little time in your own personal Gethsemane, remember that it was a place filled with olive trees.  The oil that was created to come out of them would have to be pressed with such force that the olive was crushed and was unrecognizable.  Just like Jesus.

     Today, the oil that flows from His Spirit to us is full of the fruit of His victory over His soul that night.  He loves to anoint us with the same anointing that took Him through, and brought Him out in such glorious joyful victory.
    Wherever you are, He understands.

Power Thought:

"As the Author and Finisher of our faith, God has not only given you the grace to start, but He's also given you the grace to finish." Joel Osteen

Copyright © 2015, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.