Every day we face battles. At times the obstacles before us can seem overwhelming, leaving us tired, discouraged, or wondering if we have the strength to keep going. Yet God has not left us to fight alone. Through His Spirit, He has given us everything we need to stand firm—to strengthen us, encourage us, comfort us, and help us persevere as we continue running the race He has set before us.

“But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

In this issue of The Wine Press, we focus on the battle of the spirit and the wonderful gifts God has provided to equip us for the journey. It is our prayer that these articles will encourage your heart, renew your strength, and draw you closer to the One who is always faithful.

It’s summertime! And we all look forward to a slightly slower pace, and time to rest and relax. Hopefully this can also be an opportunity to spend a little more time with the Lord. This month our focus is on Christian meditation—quietly reflecting on God’s Word and allowing it to fill our minds and hearts.
Unfortunately our phones are always with us, there is always another headline to read, another concern to carry, another distraction competing for our attention. David understood what it was like to feel spiritually thirsty. He prayed, “My soul thirsts for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” He was out in the wilderness when he wrote it, and yet he ends the Psalm singing.
Our prayer is that the articles in this issue will be an encouragement to linger a little longer in God’s presence and in His Word. Our prayer is that He will refresh our souls and give us, like David, something to sing about.

I don’t know how the headlines have been landing on you, but lately they’ve been heavy on me. It’s easy to wake up already braced for the next thing.

That’s part of why this issue of the Wine Press turned out the way it did. Almost every article in it, without our planning, came back to the same question: where do we find peace when the world won’t give any? George Mueller found it before breakfast, in an open Bible, getting his soul happy in God before the day could get to him. Others found it in the conviction that nothing — not war, not loss, not death itself — falls outside the Father’s hand.

We’re not promised a calmer world. We’re promised Him. We pray that this issue will help you set your heart down somewhere it can rest.

The headlines have been overwhelming—conflict in the Middle East, political turmoil, and a steady undercurrent of fear and uncertainty that feels difficult to escape.
In this issue of Wine Press, we want to look beyond the chaos and remember that our security is not found in a calmer world, but in our unchanging Savior. The Word doesn’t promise that the world will find peace, or that the strife will cease—in fact, we know that “in the world we will have tribulation.”
But we can stand firm, knowing that even as the world around us grows darker, this world is not our home. We are pilgrims here, just passing through, with our eyes fixed on the hope of heaven. This hope steadies us when the ground beneath us is shaking. It gives us courage to face the future and reminds us that this moment, however turbulent, is not the end of the story. So let’s lift up our eyes and remember: “The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

On the night before His arrest, Jesus said to His disciples: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We can only imagine the fear and despair that gripped the disciples as they watched the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus — the crowd calling for Barabbas to be released and for their Lord to be put to death. But three days later, when Jesus rose from the grave, they understood at last the full weight of His words. He had conquered death itself. And those same disciples — transformed by the resurrection — turned the Roman Empire upside down, not because times were easy, but because they knew something the world didn’t: the tomb is empty, death is defeated, and the risen Christ reigns.
That same truth anchors us today. The world may be turbulent, and the forces of darkness may seem to grow bolder by the day — but we stand firm on His Word, knowing that Jesus has already overcome the world and risen triumphant from the grave. He is risen! Happy Easter!