Day 8 - Pressing

Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Upon the setting of a course and marking the desired destination, an ETA is usually determined based on the nature of the route and the expected rate of speed. There is a factor, though, that will greatly affect the ability to arrive at that ETA - the amount of stops taken and for how long. Restroom breaks, refueling, and grabbing something to eat all keep pushing that original time of arrival back. Depending on how necessary it is to arrive on time, there may need to be some pressing past many of those stops and limiting the time when they are necessary. The greater the importance of the mark and its immediacy, the greater will be the pressing, turning down any options that might inhibit arrival. 

It's not enough to just receive direction from moments devoted to our Guide. In order to actually make timely progress toward the mark He provides, there will be some very necessary pressing. Those stops to care for optional and even necessary things will need to have a sense of urgency that eliminates some and greatly limits others. Though we set off on a path that will take us to His desired purpose, there will be endless opportunities to stop and care for this or that. Life will certainly have needs that must be addressed, but a great portion of mark inhibitors are things that we could actually just press past altogether without any real loss. Especially those things from the past that would consume focus and emotional strength will have to be abandoned for what it will take to arrive at the prize He's set before us. 

Meditation

Fasting:

"With a passionate desire to be set apart from those who are mindless to the desires and preferences of my God, I set my heart to faithfully guide in all necessary changes for confident relationship.”  
Psalms 4:3, 2 Corinthians 6:17

Praise:

"My praise will be for the acts of my God’s might and the excellence of His overpowering greatness."
Isaiah 60:21 

Identity:

"No matter the challenge or opposition before me, I am more than an overcomer through Christ who is the Greater One within me."
Romans 8:37

Understanding:

"Christ in me is God-given wisdom, virtue, holiness, and redemption."
1 Corinthians 1:30 

Wholeness:

"I have confidence that I am heard when I pray the will of God for my healing, and when I do my requests are already provided for and answered."
1 John 5:14-15

Provision:

"Though He was rich, by the grace of God, Jesus became poor so that I, through His poverty, am made rich."
2 Corinthians 8:9