"Embrace your journey and navigate your unique process!"

The Lord never promised that we would not go through troubles. What He did promise is that He would remain with us as we go through them. Some people think that becoming Christian means living a life of rainbows and lollipops and that we are supernaturally delivered from all of our problems. Taking up your cross to follow Jesus sometimes means the complete opposite. You may even encounter more challenges and difficulties like friends complaining that you have changed, arguments with family members who do not believe like you, or even confrontations with the enemy because now you are a threat to the kingdom of darkness.

In John 16:33 (NIV), Jesus said “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” If even Jesus being in God’s perfect will suffered humiliation, rejection, physical torture, and death by crucifixion. We can’t expect to live lives devoid of suffering but having God with us through the testing, through the trials, and the process makes all the difference. There is a difference between going through a process while being in the will of God and going through a process outside of God’s will. Being in God’s will, we can have confidence that we will make it through the process victorious.

This year 2025 has started and will continue with a lot of tribulation and shaking.  Many are seeing the recent events of today with only natural eyes, they are complaining, questioning, and suffering without a solution in sight. God commands us to take heart. We must see with our spiritual eyes to know what is happening around us. In Christ, we know there is a purpose to every process. Ask yourself, “What if God is permitting this shaking to catapult me into my divine purpose?”. See sometimes it takes shaking so that we can be moved. Otherwise, we stay put in our day-to-day routines, content with mediocrity and passive Christianity. Recently I learned about the process of anointing through the production of olive oil. As I walk you through this process, I know God will give you a greater perspective and revelation of what He wants to do in your life in this month of March and this year.

Process of anointing (creating oil)

Step 1: Growth and maturity

The olive tree must be planted and allowed to grow to maturity. This growth period is essential as it allows the tree to develop the strength and resources to produce high-quality olives. First, as Christians, we must be planted in God’s Word. God’s Word will bring us to maturity as we read, meditate, study, and apply God’s Word in our lives

Step 2: Harvesting (shaking)

Once the olive tree has matured and the olives are ripe, they are harvested. Even though this can be done by hand or with the aid of mechanical harvesters the best way to ensure olives are mature is by shaking the olive branches. The timing of the harvest is crucial, as it affects the flavor and quality of the final oil. What we are experiencing in this season, is intentional by God. It will confirm the believers who have built their house on the rock (Jesus) and those who have built their house on the sand (anything else like job security, economic stability, investments etc.).

Step 3: Cleaning and Sorting

After harvesting, the olives are cleaned to remove any dirt, leaves, or other debris. Once we are shaken, we may stumble and fall because it may happen through unexpected events or circumstances. But when we are in Christ, he will cleanse us, heal us, and give us a fresh vision for our lives. 2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” This step ensures the purity and quality of the final product.

Step 4: Crushing and Malaxation

Even after being dropped, there is still more processing. The cleaned and sorted olives are then crushed to break down the flesh and release the oil. This process can be done using traditional stone mills or modern mechanical crushers. The crushed olives are then malaxed, which involves slowly mixing the paste to allow the oil to separate from the other components. This part of the process creates the oil. We must decrease so that God in us may increase (John 3:30).

Step 5: Extraction

Once the malaxation is complete, the paste is subjected to a process called extraction. This can be done using traditional presses or modern centrifuges. The goal is to separate the oil from the water and solid components of the paste. The result is a liquid mixture of oil and water. There will always be things within us that God is looking to remove us from. These may even be external things like certain jobs or moving us to another physical location or internal things like the dependency on these external factors. We must surrender and be open to God’s instructions daily. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” The current pressure you are experiencing will be an indication of what may need to be removed from your life.

Step 6: Separation

The final step in the production of olive oil is the separation of the oil from the water. This was often done in ancient times by letting the mixture settle, allowing the oil to rise to the top and be collected. The result is pure, high-quality olive oil ready for consumption. Part of being in Christ is being different from the world because we have been set apart for Him (Psalm 4:3). When we see the world responding in panic, fear, and desperation we must respond differently by settling in the Lord. We find rest in Him as we listen, watch, and wait on the instructions of the Lord.

Just as the olive must endure growth, harvesting, and pressing, so too must we undergo our own processes in life, trusting that the end result will be something of great value and purpose. Someone told me recently that I would not have this attitude if it was me going through the process. I wasn’t going to argue but they have no idea what I am personally facing. I have found myself in moments of feeling overwhelmed and drowning in worries, but my hope is in God’s promises for my life. This has been decades of experience put into practice and I still do not execute it perfectly. In some way shape or form, most of us are passing through a process no one else knows about. But Jesus is with those who want to be with Him, he will never leave us, he holds our hand in the storm, He is with us in the fire and trials, we will not sink, and we will not burn, we will not fail but survive to receive a greater anointing for our God-given purpose and under the shadow of his wings we are safe. I leave you with James 1: 2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Amen.