“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next…meanwhile the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it is not only around us, it’s within us.”
Romans 8:18-25 MSG
It is amazing to me what great things come forth from the tiniest of packages. Things you can’t see, or perhaps even imagine, all begin in the obscure darkness of the smallest of containers.
There is incredible power and beauty resident in what may seem like a dormant cocoon—nature’s womb of beauty and incubator of divine purpose and splendor.
Like a grain of seed that is sown in the ground, life begins to stir, silently pushing against the confining barrier, and after what seems a lifetime of waiting, breaks through to grow into something magnificent.
Heat, gravitational opposition, and pressure cooperate with God’s symphony of life.
Energy is ignited. Life is triggered.
A mysterious internal mechanism gives forth to a brand new design; a unique expression of the Master Creator. A new form emerges—pressing and pushing outward—reaching upward—straining toward the light.
Energized by the silent force of metamorphosis, a new creation appears.
Everything you see began in seed form.
You began as a seed—like a butterfly hidden in a cocoon—only you were hidden in a womb.
All we are given in this life are seeds—seeds of potential, seeds of ideas, seeds of dreams. The key to a meaningful and joy-filled life is learning to unlock the potential of the seeds of possibility we’ve been given; to see beyond the exterior surface—or interior walls—of a mundane, nondescript cocoon, into new paradigms of power and majesty.
Imagine the butterfly, once a caterpillar—a slow-moving worm—that undergoes such a process.
Imagine the paradigm shift of having once been limited to crawling along the ground—then after a season of toil, being stripped of everything familiar, hidden in obscurity, imprisoned in solitary confinement, and then fighting with every ounce of strength to escape…finally emerging with wings to fly!
Each of us must undergo some type of metamorphosis in our lives.
We are all like the butterfly that must struggle to break through temporary confines in order to spread our wings and take flight.
Earth is our metaphorical chrysalis.
There will be seasons of toil, letting go of what we hold dear, of obscurity and confinement, and fighting to break free. It is how we become more. It is how we grow our spiritual wings. It is how we learn to fly and soar to new heights in God.
Each of us must learn to give birth to our own potential, purpose, and destiny.
We must learn to embrace God’s wisdom and His provision of grace that helps us to push through barriers.
We must learn to yield to the capacity-and-character-building process that ultimately strengthens and enables us to become more than we were before—to give birth to new possibility, new hope, new life.
In order to do that, we would do well to learn from midwives who understand the birthing process—who understand the inner workings of the womb and the process of labor and delivery, because like a cocoon, the womb is an incubator of unlimited potential.
It is for this reason I have written PUSH.
PUSH is a field guide for those who want to overcome their struggles, to push past barriers and tap into new realms of possibility; for those willing to learn how to persevere through prayer.
Originally, I titled this book, The Anatomy of Intercessory Prayer, because I explore in detail the anatomical process of praying until the solution materializes—or more accurately, persevering until success happens through prayer.
In PUSH, I explore the twenty-six wombs of the spirit; each I believe will open new doors of revelation to help you embrace the powerful potential residing in each “womb.”
There is a direct correlation between intercessory prayer and giving birth.
My intention in writing this book is to provide you with a literary midwife to help you push through your circumstances and bring forth all that God wants to birth in and through you.
I hope to help you see with new eyes all that is possible, to build your capacity to conceive, believe, and achieve more, and to give you a new mindset and paradigm for turning problems into possibilities—to see each obstacle as a new opportunity.
The pain and darkness you thought were working against you are the very crucibles from which new life emerges.
As I’ve read about the lives of great achievers, I have learned they all have one thing in common. Each one had to overcome some kind of challenge that threatened to derail them and cause them to abort their purpose.
Had they followed the road of least resistance or given in to their emotions, our world would not be as rich and vibrant as it is today.
Although we may not recall the names of each individual who has contributed to the progress of humanity, had they not followed the inner promptings of destiny and purpose—that small seed of potential lying dormant within them—we would not have the discoveries, inventions, art, technology, innovations, treatments, cures, or beauty that make up all that is good and life-giving in human civilization as we know it.
God is the source of all inspiration.
After reading so many biographies, it has become clear to me that throughout history, those who have made the greatest impact did so by faith.
They had to push beyond the known into the unknown. They had to find hidden reservoirs of strength in order to surmount the seemingly insurmountable.
Like so many I’ve had the privilege to read about, I too have had to dig deep into the reservoir of my faith to muster the energy and courage to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and push beyond my comfort level in order to accomplish a specific goal.
Life, growth, and progress are dynamic, never static.
Nothing and no one remains the same—we are constantly changing and growing.
Growth requires us to build our capacity to become more than who we were before. We must courageously press toward the unknown; we must continuously pursue growth even as we are changed “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Even when it feels like we are stagnating, the most challenging thing can be to take that next step forward. We are always challenged to push ahead and press toward that higher calling.
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14
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