11/10/2026
THE PRESS BEFORE THE PATH
God does not always remove the crisis. Sometimes He uses the crisis to prepare us for the road ahead.
Before the oil, there is the olive press.
Before the pure gold, there is the furnace.
Before the crown, there is the cross.
Before the promotion, there is the test.
Before God reveals the road, He prepares the character of the person who must walk upon it.
“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” — Isaiah 48:10, KJV
The Lord says:
“And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.” — Isaiah 1:25, KJV
The crisis is the w**epress.
The trial is the olive press.
The affliction is the furnace.
Under pressure, what is hidden within the heart is brought to the surface. God permits circumstances to reveal the unbelief, fear, pride, impatience, self-reliance, and other defects that restrict what He desires to accomplish through us.
The purpose is not destruction. The purpose is transformation.
Zechariah 4 presents the golden oil flowing to the lamps. The oil supplies the light. Likewise, God desires His Spirit, His life, His word, and His character to flow through His people:
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 4:6, KJV
GOD PREPARES HIS PEOPLE THROUGH CRISIS
When God was preparing Joseph to preserve nations during famine, He did not immediately give him Pharaoh's throne. He permitted the pit, slavery, false accusation, and prison. His fidelity was tested before authority was entrusted to him.
When God was preparing Moses to lead Israel, He did not first give him a platform. He gave him the wilderness. Egypt had taught Moses the wisdom of men; the wilderness taught him dependence upon God and prepared him to hear His voice.
When God was preparing David to become king, He did not begin by placing the crown upon his head. He gave him Goliath—and afterward Saul, a king who sought his life. David learned faith, patience, dependence, leadership, and restraint before occupying the throne.
When God was preparing Daniel and his companions for positions of influence in Babylon, the test began with something as simple as their food. Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). Fidelity in the smaller test prepared the way for greater responsibilities.
When God permitted the three Hebrews to face the fiery furnace, the furnace intended for their destruction became the place where the Son of God was revealed with them. The fire did not consume the faithful men—it consumed their bonds.
When Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, the crisis became a testimony before an empire that Daniel's God was “the living God” (Daniel 6:26).
When God was preparing Esther for her great purpose, being queen was not merely a privilege. Her position brought her to a crisis in which she had to risk everything for others:
“And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” — Esther 4:14, KJV
When God determined to preserve Noah through judgment, He did not remove Noah from the earth. He instructed him to build an ark. Noah passed through the judgment under God's protection.
The Ark was not an escape from obedience.
Obedience was the preparation for deliverance.
THE CRISIS REVEALS WHAT MUST BE REMOVED
This is why our problems can become instruments in God's hands.
A crisis reveals what comfort can conceal.
Pressure exposes the weak places.
The furnace reveals the dross.
The w**epress crushes the fruit.
The olive press releases the oil.
The wilderness removes dependence upon the world.
The prison tests fidelity when nobody appears to be watching.
The lion's den tests whether faith survives when obedience becomes costly.
The Goliath reveals whether we see the size of the enemy—or the greatness of God.
God warned concerning Israel:
“Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” — Psalm 78:41, KJV
Our unbelief, cherished sin, fear, pride, and self-dependence can limit what God desires to accomplish through us.
Therefore, God permits circumstances that bring these things into view so that, through abiding in Christ, they may be confessed, forsaken, and overcome.
THE CHISEL IN THE MASTER'S HAND
A sculptor sees something in the stone that others cannot yet see.
Every strike of the chisel removes something that does not belong to the finished image.
So it is with character.
God sees what we may become if we abide in Christ.
The crisis is not necessarily evidence that God has abandoned us. It may be the very workshop in which He is preparing us for the next responsibility.
We ask God for oil.
He may answer with an olive press.
We ask for purity.
He may answer with a furnace.
We ask for faith.
He may answer with a Goliath.
We ask for leadership.
He may answer with a wilderness.
We ask for greater responsibility.
He may answer with a prison of circumstances where fidelity is tested.
We ask Him to show us the road.
But before revealing the road, He may first prepare the person who must walk it.
THE PRESS BEFORE THE PATH
Do not merely ask:
“Lord, how do I get out of this crisis?”
Also ask:
“Lord, what are You showing me about my character through this crisis? What must be removed? What must be strengthened? What are You preparing me to become?”
The w**epress produces the w**e.
The olive press produces the oil.
The furnace removes the dross.
The wilderness teaches dependence.
The crisis reveals character.
And when the preparation has accomplished its work, the obstacle that appeared to block the road may become part of the very road God uses to move His servant forward.
Before the oil—the press.
Before the purity—the furnace.
Before the victory—the conflict.
Before the crown—the character.
Before the road—the preparation.
God prepares the person before He reveals the path.
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