David [00:00:00]:
All right, here we go. The next week. The power of Pressing on. The power of pressing on. 5, 4, 3. As I began seeking God this year, about 2025, he began to talk with me about pressing in. As I shared with you last week, he gave me four ways to press. Those four ways are press in, press on, press through, and press out.
David [00:00:35]:
He said, 2025 is a year to press in to know me. This is an invitation from the Lord to press in to know him deeply and intimately. Pressing into him is not just knowing more about him, it’s about truly knowing him personally. God is inviting us to deepen our relationship with Him. Pressing in is an intentional pursuit of an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. What we saw last week was there are three key words that define press in the Greek. Those are diligence, pursuit, and perseverance. We also saw that pressing is a determined purpose.
David [00:01:28]:
In Philippians 3:10, the amplified Paul said, for my determined purpose is that I may know Him. This was Paul’s daily purpose. It wasn’t something he was thought about a lot. It wasn’t something that he he did every now and then. It was his focused intention. He set his heart to press in and know the Lord. What we learned was pressing in through consistent diligent pursuit and persistent perseverance in worship, prayer, study, meditating, the Word, you will come to know him and experience his fullness. The second thing that the Lord said to me about pressing was, as you press in to know Me, you must press on to obtain.
David [00:02:25]:
So today we’re looking into what pressing on to obtain means. And we’re going to begin with the Old Testament and look at what that word obtain means in the Old Testament. Press on to obtain. And in the Hebrew, the word obtain means a couple things. Starts right here. To cause, to come forth from something or someone, to get or obtain from the Lord to give out, to furnish. We press in to know him, so we can press on to obtain from him all he has for us. As we press on to obtain, we are finding, getting, learning what God has for us.
David [00:03:16]:
He is furnishing us with all we need to be who he has created us to be. Proverbs 3:13 and 14. This is from the amplified version says happy, blessed, fortunate, enviable is the man who finds skillful and godly wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, drawing it forth from God’s word and life’s experiences. For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than fine gold. Hallelujah. Obtaining is finding and getting God’s skillful and godly wisdom. It’s drawing it. It says here it’s drawing it forth from God’s Word.
David [00:04:10]:
And so what we learn is this is living God’s way. Living God’s way. Proverbs 8:34 and 35 from the Amplified says this blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors for whoever finds me. Wisdom finds life and draws forth and obtains favor from the Lord. We draw forth and obtain favor from the Lord by pressing in and pressing on daily, by listening, watching, and waiting for his word and his direction as we seek him, which brings us and reminds us of Matthew 6:33. And I’m reading this from the Amplified also Matthew 6:33. The Amplified says, but seek, aim at, and strive after first of all his kingdom and his righteousness, his way of doing and being right. And then all these things taken together will be given you.
David [00:05:31]:
Besides Proverbs 12:2 KJV gives us this. A good man obtains favor of the Lord, draws it out, praise God as we press in to know him and press on to obtain. By focusing on God’s Word, we draw forth wisdom, understanding life, and favor from the Lord. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? That word favor there in the Hebrew means this. When you had the favor of the Lord, or favor comes from the Lord, that means his pleasure is expressed over you. It means he delights in you. His good will covers you. He accepts you, he desires you and desires to see your desire fulfilled.
David [00:06:32]:
Hallelujah. Walking in God’s favor. It’s a part of why Jesus came. He came to give us grace. And that word grace there in the Greek means God’s unmerited favor. We don’t have to earn it, we don’t have to deserve it. He just gives it to us. So when we press in to know him and press on to obtain, we draw out God’s favor.
David [00:07:03]:
The other thing obtain means here in the Hebrew it means to bring to an end or to bring to completion, to let succeed, or allow to succeed. When we press on to obtain, we are bringing things to completion and having success. And this is what the Lord was telling Joshua in Joshua 1:8 in the amplified it says the book of the Law. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good, good success. Now, last week I mentioned that by pressing in and pressing on, God is challenging us to a lifestyle, a way of living. He’s challenging us to walk in his way. And what I want to share with you right now, today is that word way here in the Hebrew means a manner of living. When you see things about walking in God’s way, or this is God’s way, what it’s talking about there is God’s lifestyle.
David [00:08:32]:
It means to walk and live as God lives. God was telling Joshua, here is a way to live. This is who you should be. If you will live and walk in this way, this lifestyle, then you shall make your way, your lifestyle prosperous. You’ll deal wisely and have good success. So what was the way? Stay in the word day and night so that you can learn it and observe to do as you draw out of the Word the wisdom of God. Hallelujah. God wants to fill us with wisdom.
David [00:09:15]:
Remember what James said, if you lack wisdom, ask for it. Ask God for it. Who gives it liberally. He doesn’t hold it back. He’s ready to give us wisdom in every way. Hallelujah. All the verses we’ve referenced so far today are pointing us in this direction, to this lifestyle. Here’s how you ought to live.
David [00:09:43]:
Proverbs chapter 3, 13 and 14 that we read earlier. Proverbs 8, 34, 35, Matthew 6, 33, Joshua 1:8. They’re all showing us God’s way. As we press on to obtain all God has for us, he takes us to a new level of being in Him. God is not trying to give us something hard to do. He’s not trying to make life legalistic or ritualistic. His desire for us is to see us walk in the fullness of all he has for us. We saw that last week there in Ephesians.
David [00:10:27]:
The fullest measure, the richest measure of his presence, is what he wants for us. And again, I reference this verse a lot. I referenced it last week as Jesus said in John 10:10. And I’m going to read John 10:10 from the Amplified this week. It says, I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows. Wow. That’s God’s heart for us. That’s the heart of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
David [00:11:02]:
The more we press in to know him and press on to obtain from him what he has for us, the more we enjoy and walk in the fullness of life. Jesus came to give us the abundant overflowing life and the people around us that we are around every day and influence. They will notice God’s blessing on us and be drawn to the Lord to know him also. And we’ll be able to show them the way. Now let’s move on to how obtain is defined in the Greek in the New Testament. Obtain in the Greek means to lay hold of something, to lay hold of so as to make it one’s own, to attain it, to take it into oneself, to appropriate it. Philippians 3:12, 14 in the Amplified says it this way. Not that I have now attained this ideal, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of, grasp and make my own.
David [00:12:21]:
That for which Christ Jesus the Messiah, has laid hold of me and made me his own. I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own. Yet but one thing I do. It is my one aspiration. Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the supreme and heavenly prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. This is a powerful verse.
David [00:13:02]:
I encourage you to take this verse and read it here from the Amplified and just meditate on all that Paul was saying there. Christ has laid hold of us and made us his own. He has a purpose for us, a plan for us. He has come to furnish us with his power to fulfill his plan for us. We are positioned with him in heavenly places far above all power and authority and dominion. Every name that’s named in this age and the ages to come, he has delegated to us his power and authority. Hallelujah. Everything Jesus bought for us through his sacrifice is ours now.
David [00:13:48]:
Right now. We don’t have to wait till we get to heaven. We can experience it and walk in it and live it. Right now. Are you laying hold of it? There’s a good question for you this year. Are you laying hold of it? Are you making it your own? I’ll tell you how. Press in to know him, and press on to obtain all he has for you as you learn of him. Ephesians 3:17, 18 in the Amplified May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make his permanent home in your hearts.
David [00:14:28]:
May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all saints, God’s devoted people the experience of that love. What is the breadth and length and height and depth of it? There it is Right there. Apprehend it, grasp it, obtain it. Do you know how much God loves you? Paul said again, this is my determined purpose. It’s my one aspiration. I press on to win the prize. Take it into yourself, make it your own. Live it, get it inside of you.
David [00:15:25]:
Not just mental ascent, but get it into your heart. God loves you and wants you to have all that he is. And that’s why he’s inviting us this year. Press in to know me, and press on to obtain all I have for you. First Corinthians 9:24 from the Amplified says this. Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run your race that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours. We all have a race that we’re running. And Paul saying, here we can run that race and obtain the prize.
David [00:16:14]:
Press on to do that. We press on to lay hold and make it ours. We seize upon it, we take possession of it, all that Christ has for us. Christ, by his holy power and influence, lays hold of the human mind and will in order to prompt and govern it. So that refers us back to Romans 12:2. Don’t be conformed to this world, this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed and changed by the revolution, renewing, in fact, it says, by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove for yourself what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in his sight for you. So how do you attain it? By pressing into know him, pressing on to obtain, by renewing your mind, being transformed by the word of God, drawing forth from God’s word all he has for you to lay hold of with the mind.
David [00:17:36]:
That’s how we obtain to understand, to perceive, to learn, to comprehend. As we press into know him, and press on to obtain, and we spend time in his word, we gain all of this. 2nd Thessalonians 2 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Reading from the Amplified again, It was to this end that he called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain and share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. So then, brethren, stand firm. Stand firm. Hold fast to the traditions, instructions which you were taught by us, whether by our word of mouth or by letter. Stand firm and stand strong.
David [00:18:36]:
Hold fast to these truths. He has called us to obtain and share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think about that. God wants you to share in his glory, his goodness, his grace, his mercy, his power, his authority. We press in to know him and press on to obtain and share his glory, all that he has for us. Paul said in Philippians 3:10. I’m referencing this again for my determined purpose is that I may know Him. God’s invitation to us this year, the word he’s given us is press into know me that you may press on to obtain all I have for you.
David [00:19:36]:
Make it your determined purpose. By knowing him, we can experience his fullness. God wants us to have his fullness and his gift of life completely each and every day. Press into now and press on to obtain from him all that he has for you so you can be everything that he created you to be. That’s God’s desire for you. Let’s bow our heads in prayer. Father, we thank you for this time together today. We thank you for the truth we see in your word, the power of your word that works in us to transform us, to renew our minds so that we see things the way that you see things, Lord, that we are learning how to live life the way you live life, Lord, to walk in your way, your manner of living, your lifestyle.
David [00:20:44]:
Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you for calling us upward. Calling us upward, Lord, empowering us to be all that you created us to be. We give you praise and glory for it all in Jesus name. Pastor Conia is coming now with a closing word and a prayer. And I just want to encourage you today, every day this week, press in to know him and press on to obtain from him all he has for you. God bless.
