October 27.
The Big Squeeze

Galatians 6:1

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

If a man be overtaken. Notice he did not say if a man undertake.

If you undertake something, you have planned it. It was your decision. You set out to do it. You marked the date on the calendar. You made provisions. That was a set up you planned. But the text means something different. The text is talking about when you’re trying to live right, when you’re trying to follow the Lord, and when you’re trying to do the best you can do. When you’re trying to go that extra mile for the Master. Then in spite of your trying to do the best you can, you have been overtaken.

The Bible talks about going through tribulation. The word tribulation in the Greek text means pressure. Have you ever noticed what happens when you mash an orange and what comes out of it? Well, whatever is in there. Whenever you apply pressure, two things can happen. Either the pressure brings out the best or, quite often, it brings out the worst. All of us have got some stuff in us and sometimes it has to be pressured out. I hear people saying when they curse, “Oh no, it slipped out.” But that was some stuff in you. It couldn’t have come out if it had not already been in there. All of us have some rubbish in us.

No one can get the rubbish out any better than the Lord. You see if I would try to pry it out, you would stay angry with me, but God can get it out and you will love him. You’ll go back and say, “Lord I thank you so much for bringing me through.” After all the things David experienced, He went back to the Lord and said, “It was good for me that I was afflicted. Job lost all of his children and after that the Holy Spirit left him. He said, “Though God slay me, yet will I trust Him.” You see, pressure will bring out the worst, but it will also bring out the best.