Through God’s grace we are accepted (Ephesians 1:6). We’ve been made worthy because of what Jesus did on the Cross. When you understand that the God of the universe loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), you can let go of insecurity and find your strength and identity in Jesus.

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. Ephesians 1:7-9 The Message

God has an ocean of blessing and provision for everything you need. Most Christians live in ignorance of what God offers. The best weapon against uncertainty is good information from God’s Word. When you study the Bible you find that God’s abundance is so vast, it’s described as unfathomable (Ephesians 3:8).

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

If you’re lost and don’t know Jesus—He is the Savior who will rescue you. If you’re a Christian who has become lukewarm—He can fan the flames back in your heart in a moment. If you are questioning your purpose in life—God wants to personally guide you into the most fruitful place. So draw near to God. Rise up in faith. Everything you need for the fulfillment of your destiny is found in Jesus.

God is faithful,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2013 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. Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

God wants you to thrive. When you and I receive Jesus, we enter the ranks of the overcomers. We step out of defeat and into victory, out of sin into righteousness, out of aimlessness into fruitfulness. The miracle of spiritual rebirth is a reality. When sinners respond to God, Jesus turns their lives around.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God . . . For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:1-4

The Bible defines humanity’s purpose as conforming to the image of
Christ—loving Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus doesn’t offer us a timid and apathetic existence, but one filled with strength and love, where our mind is clear and sound.

For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! Isaiah 64:4 NLT

Waiting on the Lord means to engage in the life of faith. It’s choosing to trust God and embrace the promises found in the Bible. Whatever you are dealing with, it’s important to God. He knows the details and answers corresponding to the situation you are facing right now. Trust Him. With people it may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I want every person to know the wonderful God who works for those who wait for Him. If you’re seeking, call out to Jesus. He’ll reveal Himself to you.

God has an amazing plan for your life!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2013 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. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

When Jesus enters your life, He changes you. The people who encountered Jesus in the Bible came in broken and sick and left restored and healed. Whatever you’re facing, God’s promises and miraculous work are just as alive today as they were in the Bible (Micah 7:20, Psalm 105:8, Hebrews 13:8).

Satan has tried to diminish the vibrancy of what Jesus paid such a high price to give. But we are called to fight the good fight of faith knowing we have the victory (1 Timothy 6:12). So refuse to live below your potential, and put your faith in God and in His promises.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:4-5

Carry this victorious attitude into your prayer closet, into your bad diagnosis. Carry it when your kids talk back to you, if your finances are tanked. Carry it when the world seems weird and scary. We have been invited into this miraculous life of freedom and victory. Instead of retreating, let’s fall into the arms of God and trust that we will see the salvation of the Lord.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

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

Copyright © 2013 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.

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. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Proverbs 4:20-26

The path toward daily victory lies in how we guard our inner life. A lot of things are vying for our attention and, with all the sensory reinforcement in the world, many have forgotten the hidden person of the heart. But how we tend to the soil of our hearts will show up in our words, our thought life, and our attitudes.

One way to guard your heart is to guard what comes out of your mouth: “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26). When a bridle gets in a horse’s mouth, the horse can be turned by a simple maneuver. In the same way, if you control your tongue, your whole life will get in line. Bridling, though, is not always about being silent; sometimes it means boldly declaring the Word of God in the face of opposition by calling those things that be not as though they are (Romans 4:17).

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

The heart is influenced by sensory gates, so we need to surround ourselves with the environment of the Word—what God says. Every time you read your Bible your mind is renewed. The Word is so powerful that meditating on it causes a change in your heart and in your life (Joshua 1:8).

God wants rivers of living water to flow out of you to reach a lost and dying world, so it is critical to keep your heart from things that would block the flow. Don’t back down from a daily commitment to guard your heart, bridle your tongue, and renew your mind in the Word. Those disciplines will equip you to obtain and maintain victory in every area.

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.