Day 8 – Gath

“These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.” Judges 3:3 NLT

Bringing in the rear of the five Philistine rulers is Gath – the city of Goliath. Gath translates to pressing; like a winepress crushing grapes. This strategy turns your focus from God onto your circumstances. You start looking at all experiences from a standpoint that everything is all trial and suffering. The more we feel pressed; we cease to see God’s hand in everything. We become disconnected from the True Vine and allow this Gath strategy to press us unto death. We become more conscious of what “appears” to be evil instead of seeing and believing in the Goodness of God.

When life starts to press you, press into Jesus. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus will also be seen in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT. The strategy God gives us is to know that in the winepress, we will not be crushed to despair. He will never abandon you and the closer you move towards Him during these pressing times, the more evident Jesus becomes in your life.

Prayer: Oh, Lord of Heaven’s armies! Thank you for exploiting this strategy so we can learn to lean into Jesus when it feels like everything is pressing us down. When we start seeing the enemy in everything instead of You. Forgive us, Lord, when we complain about trials and suffering and not believing that Your Grace is enough. Show us Your hand in the pressing times we do not understand and turn our mindset towards You. Amen. 

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