Run It Back: Wk3 - Under Pressure

May 31, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Seed Must Die to Release the Harvest

Jesus compared His purpose to a grain of wheat falling to the ground. A seed left untouched remains alone, but buried under soil, its shell cracks under pressure. What seems like death releases life. The same principle applies to our God-given potential: what feels like loss or surrender is often the breaking required for fruitfulness. Only when we stop clinging to comfort or safety can God’s purpose burst forth. [51:39]

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24, ESV)

Reflection: What “seed” in your life—a dream, habit, or comfort—have you resisted surrendering to God? How might releasing it open the door to unexpected fruit?

Day 2: Pressure Cracks the Shell of Potential

An acorn buried in soil faces relentless pressure. The shell resists at first, but the weight of dirt and rain forces it to split. What looks like destruction is actually liberation. Our trials, delays, and hardships are not setbacks but divine pressure to break self-reliance, pride, or fear. God uses adversity to release what He planted within you. [01:00:05]

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a current pressure point in your life. How might God be using it to soften your heart or deepen your dependence on Him?

Day 3: Myrrh and Cinnamon—The Mix That Makes You

The anointing oil in Exodus included sweet spices and bitter myrrh. Our lives, too, blend joy and pain. Myrrh represents the grief, failures, and losses that shape us. Cinnamon symbolizes mentors, worship, and community. Both are essential ingredients in God’s recipe for your purpose. [01:10:03]

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” (Psalm 56:8, ESV)

Reflection: What bitter experience has God redeemed in your story? How has a “sweet” relationship or habit strengthened your faith?

Day 4: Adversaries Guard the Door to Your Next Level

Every new season has a “gatekeeper”—a challenge meant to test your resolve. Joseph faced betrayal, prison, and silence before his dream unfolded. The adversary isn’t there to stop you but to prove you’re ready. Victory isn’t the absence of opposition but the courage to confront it. [01:26:38]

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20, ESV)

Reflection: What recurring obstacle have you avoided facing? What step could you take this week to confront it with faith?

Day 5: Your Potential Is an Orchard in Seed Form

A single apple seed holds countless future trees. Yet most never plant theirs, content to admire its “potential.” God’s grace in Ephesians 4:7 isn’t a compliment—it’s a command. Your gift isn’t for display but for digging, dying, and multiplying. The harvest waits on your willingness to bury the seed. [57:42]

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Ephesians 4:7, NIV)

Reflection: What step have you delayed taking to activate your God-given purpose? What would it look like to “plant” it this week?

Sermon Summary

Ephesians 4:7 sets the tone by insisting grace has been given to each one. The text shifts from the corporate call in verses 1 through 6 to the personal measure in verse 7, so the church cannot hide in generalities. Each person carries a divine enablement, a gift, a purpose, the “more” that God intends. The call to more refuses the easy comfort of talking about potential. Potential loves the five by five life. Promise requires the twenty by twenty. The pathway from potential to promise is work, because God does not promote lazy folk.

John 12 then reframes glory through the grain. Jesus names his hour, and the seed explains his strategy. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it produces much fruit.” Jesus becomes the seed, the cross becomes the death, and people become the potential harvest. The apple on the table can show how many seeds sit in a fruit, but no one can count the orchards packed inside a single seed. Burial is not waste. Burial is placement. Soil applies pressure, the shell breaks, and what God hid within finally emerges.

Pressure becomes the midwife to promise. Paul’s “I die daily,” Jesus’ “not my will,” and Joseph’s road from dream to throne all testify that breakthrough does not bypass burial. The bitter seasons do not cancel the dream. They crack it open. Exodus 30’s anointing oil makes the same point with a recipe. Sweet cinnamon honors life’s sweetness. Cane and cassia point to covering and worship. Myrrh, a bitter root, fills half the mix, because God uses the hard places to shape the vessel. Olive oil only flows through pressing, so the Spirit’s oil often runs most freely from the pressed places that once felt like disqualification. The one who has walked through deep loss can carry a depth of ministry textbooks cannot teach.

The threshold to the next level rarely sits unguarded. An adversary usually stands at the door to keep a believer lodged in a smaller life. Retreat cements ceilings. Resolve breaks them. The church is being called to reframe pain, resist quitting, and receive the push of pressure as the very means by which God brings the more to the surface.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace assigns purpose to each one Ephesians 4 moves from the whole church to the individual so that no one can assume exemption. Grace is not vague favor but a measured enablement that fits a calling. The church honors Christ’s design by refusing to compare and instead stewarding the portion given. Purpose grows where grace is received and worked, not where it is admired from a distance. [41:12]
2. Potential must yield to worked obedience Potential talks about what could be; promise builds what should be. The shift happens when desire meets discipline and dreaming meets doing. God placed capacity inside a person and expects faithful effort to cooperate with it. Holy ambition becomes holy traction when work takes the lead. [48:01]
3. The seed only multiplies by dying Jesus names glory and then points to a grain that must fall and die in order to bear fruit. The principle refuses shortcuts, because resurrection fruit grows on crucified wood. Hiddenness, surrender, and costly obedience become the conditions where true increase appears. Multiplication is born where self-protection is buried. [51:39]
4. Pressure breaks shells and releases oil Soil pressure cracks the seed’s casing so the life inside can push through. The anointing recipe shows God uses sweet moments, strong covering, deep worship, and bitter myrrh, yet the oil still comes by pressing. Ministry that heals often flows from stories that bled, not from theories that impressed. [80:34]
5. Adversaries guard every new level Crossing into a new season nearly always meets a keeper at the gate. Backing down cements the current ceiling; standing up becomes the hinge that opens the door. Reframed pain, Spirit-led courage, and a fresh yes to fight the right fight move a disciple from stuck to sent. [86:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:05] - Passionately pursuing our more
[39:42] - Grace given to each one
[46:46] - The problem with potential
[49:27] - Greeks ask to see Jesus
[51:39] - Seed must die to multiply
[55:03] - Jesus the seed, cross the death
[57:22] - Seeds and orchards illustration
[60:05] - Pressure breaks the shell
[64:18] - Joseph’s pressure-shaped story
[69:08] - Recipe of the anointing
[76:37] - Myrrh and the bitter mix
[80:34] - Oil only comes by pressing
[86:15] - Adversary at every threshold
[90:26] - Pray and choose to fight

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Ephesians 4:7 (ESV): “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
- John 12:24 (ESV): “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
- Exodus 30:22-24 (ESV): “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.’”

Observation Questions

According to Ephesians 4:7, how is grace distributed to believers, and what does this imply about individual responsibility?
In John 12:24, Jesus uses the metaphor of a seed dying to explain multiplication. What specific conditions does He say are necessary for fruitfulness? [51:39]
Exodus 30:22-24 lists ingredients for the anointing oil. What stands out about the inclusion of myrrh (a bitter substance) in the recipe? [01:16:37]
The sermon mentions Joseph’s story (Genesis 37-41). What key events occurred between his dream and its fulfillment? [01:04:18]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus connects His glorification (John 12:23-24) to the principle of a seed dying? How does this redefine what “glory” looks like?
The anointing oil in Exodus 30 includes both sweet spices and bitter myrrh. What might this mixture symbolize about how God shapes people for His purposes? [01:20:34]
Ephesians 4:7 shifts from addressing the church collectively to individuals. Why is this shift important for understanding personal calling? [41:12]
The sermon states, “Adversaries guard every new level.” How does this idea align with biblical examples like Joseph or Paul? [01:26:15]

Application Questions

Grace is described as a “divine enablement” for a specific purpose. What is one area where you’ve hesitated to step into your God-given role, and what practical step could you take this week to steward that grace? [39:42]
Jesus’ seed metaphor requires surrender. Is there a dream, comfort, or habit God is asking you to “bury” so He can multiply its impact? How might this look in your daily life?
The anointing oil recipe includes bitter myrrh. Reflect on a difficult season you’ve walked through. How could God use that experience to equip you to minister to others? [01:22:05]
Pressure is called a “midwife to promise.” Where are you currently feeling pressed or challenged? How could reframing this struggle as preparation help you endure? [01:00:05]
The sermon warns that retreating from adversity cements “ceilings.” What adversary (fear, doubt, past failure) have you allowed to keep you from pursuing your “more”? What would standing against it look like today? [01:26:15]
Joseph’s story shows delayed fulfillment. Are you in a “waiting” season? How can you actively partner with God’s process instead of resenting the delay?
The anointing oil required pressing olives. Identify one area where you’ve resisted God’s pressing. What would it mean to trust Him with that pressure instead of pushing back?

Sermon Clips

79s

#SeedToHarvest

“``Now, looking back on this, we understand, Jesus was looking at them and he wasn't going. My ministry is about to explode. was getting, he was saying, what I arrived on this planet to do the time has come for me to fulfill my purpose and what you need to understand is unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. What is he saying? He's saying, I have come to the point in my life to fulfill my purpose and you're not going to like it. But you need to understand that on the other side, of the death of this seed there is a harvest of wheat that you can't yet imagine.”

71s

#DestinyInSeed

“We can count the number of seeds in an apple. What you can't count is the number of apples in a seed. Okay? And the fact is, we wanna talk about our potential. Potential is nothing more than destiny and seed form. Right now, if you are not to your 20 by 20, you are your destiny in seed form. And if I understand Jesus right in John 12 that unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. Now, let, oh, he took my table. I didn't even see him take the table. That's alright. If I were to take one of those seeds and I were just to chunk it down on this carpet, I could leave that seed on that carpet from now till Jesus come.”

65s

#WorkNotExcuses

“It's much easier for us to talk about potential than it is for us to do the hard work of pursuing it. Because The keyword if you're gonna move from potential to promise is work. I say it like this? God doesn't promote lazy folk. Maybe that's as hard as it's going to get and we'll just move on from there. Listen, god doesn't promote lazy folk. If he put potential in you, he put the ability for you to reach that potential.”

43s

#PainIntoPurpose

“Now, you go, are you telling me, you know, god did this. I'm not telling you, I don't think god had anything to do with my cousin taking her own life. But what god did was he stepped into the middle of our pain and he allowed what we were experiencing in that moment to shape us into who he was calling us into. So, I'm not telling you god did any of your the painful things you walked through. I'm not telling you god did it. What I am telling you is god will use it.”

89s

#EmbracePressure

“And what you are not understanding is the pressure of your life is producing for you, in you, and through you what you could never do on your own. The issue is is we don't pressure. Come on. We don't like pressure. I don't want my life to push on me. I have a tendency when life pushes on me to push back. Because I'm resisting the breaking I want you to look at a few examples, right? First Corinthians fifteen thirty one, Paul said this, I daily. He wrote two thirds of the New Testament, guys. That's Paul And if Paul had to say, daily. How much more?”

53s

#SurrenderToPurpose

“He felt the pressure and he's going, father, I would prefer to not have to go through the pressure but not what I want. When Jesus' disciples asked him how to pray, he said, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He didn't look at the disciples and go, your kingdom come. He said, no, you pray to the father, your kingdom come, your will. I'm willing to die to my opinion, to my preference, to my desires, so that what you desire can be brought forth from my life.”

47s

#GrowthThroughReflection

“And how do you need to look back over the experiences of your life and reframe that so that you go, okay, I recognize that I became a better friend, I became a better employee, I became a better parent, I became a better spouse because of. Because when you can do that then you can step in to the mix that god has made for you. You can walk into the more that he's designed for you. Are you with me?”

66s

#PressureProducesPromise

“Because I don't think anyone of us wants to relive Joseph's story but the fact is is it was the pressure of the story that caused the seed of the dream to come forward. All of this to say, point number two, pressure produces promise. Now, I'm not going to ask you to reply to this because nobody wants to admit this out loud. So, I'll just admit what you don't want to admit out loud for you, okay? Everyone of us goes through times in life where we go, god Give me a break I've been on the phone for the last two weeks with the pastor and the pastors dealt with a lot over the last two years and he was like, man, when does it, when does it lighten up?”

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Run It Back: Wk3 - Under Pressure

Devotional

Day 1: The Seed Must Die to Release the Harvest

Day 2: Pressure Cracks the Shell of Potential

Day 3: Myrrh and Cinnamon—The Mix That Makes You

Day 4: Adversaries Guard the Door to Your Next Level

Day 5: Your Potential Is an Orchard in Seed Form

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Run It Back: Wk3 - Under Pressure

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