That morning Lisa struggled to get out of bed.
Her exciting weekend had left her so exhausted that she wanted nothing more than to stay home and watch service from the comfort of her bed. She weighed all of her options but she also knew that if she stayed in bed, she really would not watch service; she would be asleep just as soon as her alarms stopped blaring.

Sit up.
Roll right foot off the bed into the slipper.
Roll let foot off the bed into the slipper.
Sit on the edge of the bed and stretch while breathing deeply.
Throw on bathrobe.
Walk to the bathroom.
Lisa moved like a zombie, but she progressed through her morning routine. She truly wanted to go to church that day, but she was sleepy and her bed was still beckoning her to come back.

But she pressed.

After she got dressed, she walked down the stairs and turned on the kettle. Although she was already running late, she figured it was better to be really late and drinking some warm tea, than be regular late and not having anything warm to wake her up. The tea was herbal but sipping on it would help her to not fall asleep during service. Once the kettle blew its whistle, Lisa poured it into her travel mug and jetted out the door. During the 20 minute commute to church, she drank her protein shake as her tea cooled and tried to enjoy the beautiful view that she saw before her. God had outdone Himself; it was a bright, sunshine-y day and her commute allowed her to traverse through many different terrains.

“God, I am a fan of Your work,” Lisa thought to herself as she drove.

When she arrived in the parking lot, she reversed into a spot as usual, joked with the Transportation Ministry, and pressed inside. Slightly less sleepier than she was one hour ago, but still not fully awake. Lisa spoke to other church members around her and prepared for whatever God would say that day.

Service started as usual and everything seemed normal.
But God!

The Worship Leader ushered God’s Holy Spirit into the atmosphere and Lisa felt His presence gently comfort her. No longer did she feel sleepy, instead she now felt tears of joy and praise releasing from her eyes. Nothing was wrong, but she was so glad to be in the service that day. Yes, she would have heard the same word on the Livestream, but there was a difference between seeing the effects of the Holy Spirit, and feeling Him for herself.

In that moment, the comforting arms of the Holy Spirit allowed Lisa to forget about the difficulties of the week behind her, and continue to put her faith in her God, knowing that He would walk with her throughout the weeks to come.

All of this occurred before the preaching even happened. Before the preacher even stepped foot in the pulpit, Lisa’s heart rejoiced in her decision to go to church. For her, on this particular day, there was a blessing in pressing forward to church.

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Beloved, there will be times in our lives when we feel a divine press to go somewhere or do something. DO NOT IGNORE GOD IN THAT MOMENT! While I do not know what it may be, I do know that there is indeed a blessing in pressing forward when that’s what God is calling you to do.

However, do not confuse your voice with God’s. God will never encourage you to do anything that will harm you or anyone else… nor would He encourage you to press forward when you are sick, or something of the kind. Use discernment, sweet friend. Silent the thoughts in your mind and listen closely to the words of God as He leads. There is no safer place to be. And just as Lisa learned, there is a blessing in pressing.

Be blessed.