Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

God created you for very specific reasons to have an impactful and fruitful life—to accomplish things that have eternal repercussions. But there is a mind-numbing resistance to this call that we must resist by fixing our eyes on Jesus.

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body. Proverbs 4:20-22

We don’t have to spin our wheels in life. As you and I press on toward the goal, we get traction by staying in the Word and by maintaining close proximity to Jesus—by fellowshipping with Him, by worshipping Him, by plugging into church after a long work week, by continually offering up a sacrifice of praise even when our circumstances are freaking us out and other people are pulling us in other directions.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

The race for you is distinct and particular. When apathy or temptation tries to seize you or distraction tries to pull you away, realize there is something up over the hill that you can’t see right now that’s worth your pressing on to follow through with God. There are things up ahead that will make all the challenges, trials, and battles worth the fight.

Press on,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27-28

God has a big, beautiful plan for you—not to be idle or miserable, but to have an abundant, fruitful life (John 10:10).

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

God has a purpose for you as strong and well-defined as it was for the patriarchs in the days of the Pharaohs. As strong as it was for Esther when Mordecai looked at her and said, “You were born for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). As strong as it was for Jeremiah when God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

When you and I carry a certainty about who we are and what we are called to do, we don’t have to over-imply it. We don’t have to live religious clichés, because our lives are too authentic for that. The substance of what we have doesn’t come from ourselves. It comes from God. He is our sufficiency. He is the one at work in us (Philippians 2:13). He is the one who opens a door no man can shut (Revelation 3:8).

Amazing things can happen from a group of people whose mind set is in harmony with God and His Word. As we make Jesus central in our lives and get over resentments and forgive others, we will be like Joseph, who was described as a fruitful bough by a spring, whose branches run over a wall (Genesis 49:22). Lift up your eyes to Jesus and recognize your true potential in Christ and the expansive abundance He’s given you to reach a lost and hurting world.

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

God’s plans for you are significant. If you’re feeling beat down, socially awkward, or insignificant, Jesus powerfully affirmed your value when He gave His life at the prime age of 33 so that people like you and me can experience freedom from bondage. Worth is determined by the price someone is willing to pay. The significant and fruitful life is accessible to all who seek God—it’s not a spectator sport but the proper working of each individual part.

I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! Ephesians 1:17-19 The Message

The world is laboring under a sense of futility. We as followers of Jesus must counteract that pointlessness by studying what the Word says about God’s amazing call and His provision for that call. Realizing that God is establishing you for something of significance will build in you the confidence to not shrink back—even during times of challenge.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

God wants to use you to do some extraordinary things. You are being called out by God for Kingdom purposes beyond what you can even imagine right now—to pray huge prayers, walk in divine influence, be naturally supernatural, shape culture, and change this generation. He can even take the hurts of your past and turn them into credibility when you reach out to someone else going through similar pain. Lift up your eyes and see the amazing life God has for you!

God Bless You!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Ephesians 1:17-19 taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.