Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

Life is filled with challenge. But when the storms of life come, we have something to say about the stand we take.

Our life is the building and Jesus is the foundation. (1 Corinthians 3:11). You can build your life on Jesus’ substantial, solid, undergirding grace. “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed” (Isaiah 28:16). Jesus is tested, costly, and firmly placed. When you believe in Him, you step onto solid footing.

The promises of God are true, and we can hold on to them. When we do what the Word of God says to do, we will have the results that the Word says we will have (James 1:22-25). Get a Bible with good binding, get a pen and a highlighter, and renew your commitment to reading, meditation and confession of God’s Word.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Even though we live in a shaky, fallen world, there is solid bedrock underneath all this impermanence—and His name is Jesus!

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.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

I’m grateful we get a fresh start every day. Each morning is a new day with Jesus. I could’ve had a weird last night, a weird yesterday afternoon, a weird last week— but His mercies are new every morning. If we start our day by giving Jesus priority, giving thanks, and cracking open the Bible, our spirit will be filled with substance and strength for the day.

If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day. ~E.M. Bounds, “Power Through Prayer”

Try beginning your day praising Jesus. Let the first words out of your mouth be, “Thank You, Jesus!” In Psalms, David wrote: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). God is inviting us to shift out of bitterness or an affliction mentality and instead magnify God and remember how great and mighty He is.

The enemy tries to keep us out of the secret place by keeping us busy doing other things. The devil knows that starting your mornings with God will precipitate a spirit of faith that will have repercussive effects for others. So you’ve got to be deliberate about spending the first moments with God. Find encouraging devotionals; read a Proverb a day; train yourself to read entire chapters and books of the Bible. If you don’t like reading, download the audio Bible on your phone or computer. Do whatever it takes to get the Word in you.

Whatever your battle, deny doubt and unbelief the right to govern your worldview and start praising God this very moment. Instead of gazing at your problems, gaze at Jesus, who has all the answers you will ever need.

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.

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

The truths in the Bible, inspired and revealed by the Holy Spirit, will liberate you from the devil’s accusations (Revelation 12:10) and bring you into the understanding of who God created you to be. Understanding who you are in Jesus isn’t just for a feel-good moment; it will make you more effective in your prayer walk, in your relationships, and in your church life!

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12

God is a God of revelation. He wants to reveal things to us through His Holy Spirit. When we look away from the mirror of God’s Word, it’s easy to forget what we truly look like (James 1:22-24). That’s why we need to be constantly reminding ourselves of who we are and what we have in Jesus.

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

God’s Word is more stable than the trends and seasons of the world. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in prayer. There is power in getting a renewed mind (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23)—it enables you to cast down imaginations and resist the accuser. So delve into the Scriptures and begin acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6 NKJV).

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. NKJV reference taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

God has called us to be seekers. He has hidden treasures not from us, but for us. Our disinterest, though, can hinder our finding. Our world of information saturation can numb us to our desperation and need for God. Even Uzziah, a great king in the Old Testament who prospered by seeking God, had a bad end because he stopped seeking (2 Chronicles 26).

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

What’s bugging you right now? Seek God about it. “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things” (Daniel 2:22). Even if you seek God while feeling flat-lined, God is looking at the heart of faith. So dust off your Bible. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly now so you can draw upon the Word when you need it (Colossians 3:16).

Jesus promised that if you seek you will find (Matthew 7:7-8). Spend time alone with God. Set the Lord continually before you and you won’t be shaken (Psalm 16:8).

Keep Seeking!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 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.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Let that verse steep in your spirit. What God begins, He brings to completion. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Whether your life is humming or you feel fatigued, God is faithful yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8; 1 Corinthians 1:9a; Psalm 33:4).

If you feel unsure of where you are in life right now, the confidence-producing Word of God can lock you back into the purpose for which you’ve been set apart. Cast down the weirdness in your head. Get your mind renewed by searching the Scriptures and finding promises concerning God’s faithfulness to complete the good work in your life.

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Get confident when you pray. God hears you and He gets a kick out of answering prayer — so pray huge prayers. Find the promises in the Bible that correspond with the problem and take the situation to God in prayer. His ear is inclined to the upright (Psalm 17:6).

Wherever there has been laziness or sin, repent; wherever there has been unbelief and doubt, get single-minded. Keep presenting your heart on the altar and remember that it’s not your performance that saves you, but it’s God who saves you. As Paul said: “We learn to not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

God is completing the work in you. What He initiates He sustains; what He sustains He brings to completion. Your greatest days haven’t happened yet!

God is faithful,

Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 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.