Then they came to Jericho and as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Mark 10:46-49

Get Desperate and Determined. Blind Bartimaeus was desperate and in need, and he called out to Jesus. So often, when we get under pressure, the temptation is to shift into neutral and zone out in front of the TV. Instead of letting lethargy set in, we need to get desperate and cry out to God for help. “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).

Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Mark 10:50-52

Get Specific. “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus wanted Bartimaeus to give a specific request. Don’t go through life in generalities. Getting out of the vague and general and making a specific request is an expression of faith. Pray specifically—not manipulatively—and according to God’s Word.

Get in the Word. We learn that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith is not based on a feeling but on the Word. As you meditate on the Scriptures, faith will come. A world can be changed by a breed of people who will desperately believe God’s promises and expect answers.

This is our moment to take our stand and take hold of what God has for us. I encourage you to trust God with your situation. As we do life together, forgive, walk by faith, overcome, learn, and grow, we’ll continue to see broken people come to Jesus and watch God heal their lives.

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 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.

And He [Jesus] opened the book and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:17b- 19, 21

All of heaven rejoiced at this merger of the Scriptures with Jesus, the Word made flesh. Jesus looked to the Scriptures to state His cause and purpose, and then He fulfilled it. And just as definitely as God called Jesus, so He is calling you fulfill the mission “to preach the gospel to the poor . . . proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Ful•fill: v. To convert into reality. Implies a complete realization of ends or possibilities. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary*

Now faith is the turning of dreams into deeds; it is betting your life on the unseen realities. Hebrews 11:1 Cotton Patch Version

You can’t have fulfillment unless you have a vision and a dream. You get that vision when you understand what is written about you in the Scriptures, that you are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), for good works (Ephesians 2:10), to show forth His praises (1 Peter 2:9).

I challenge you to use the Scriptures as a mirror to see your reflection, to see who you really are in God. It’s possible that we can win the Muslim nations to Christ; that Communist China can have the greatest move of the Holy Spirit in history; that Africa will become the great sending nation of Christians. God knew you would be born at this time. If you seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33), the destiny for your life will come to pass, and you will bear fruit that will last for generations to come (John 15:16).

God bless you,
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. *”Fulfill” — Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2010. “The Cotton Patch Gospel” by Clarence Jordan © 1963.

We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:3b-5 The Message*

God wants all of us to be ready for what is up ahead in terms of our call and fruitfulness. The presence of lethargy signals the absence of faith, and that’s why many people in a crisis situation become numb with fear. A percentage of people, though, respond to adversity with clarity and boldness.

Alert expectancy is not baseless optimism, but bold and courageous faith in God. If we know God hears us, we know we have the requests we ask of Him (1 John 5:15). Faith is getting the truth of God’s faithfulness inside you and then speaking to your mountains.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

When you face obstacles properly, spiritual muscles grow. God is working to establish you with enough proven character to weather the next steps of what He has called you to do and be. God is calling you to step out of mind-numbing stagnation and provide leadership in your home, your work, and your world.

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright ©2010 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.

And Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours . . . seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness . . . for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises . . . 2 Peter 1:1, 3-4

The Bible is filled with amazing examples of people who obtained God’s promises. By following their examples and learning from their victories and mistakes we can see clear steps of how to claim all that God has for us!

With BOLDNESS Caleb claimed the promises of God.
Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land.
Joshua 14:10-11, 13 NLT

By FAITH Abraham obtained the promises of God.
For this reason it is by faith . . . that the promise will be guaranteed . . . to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all . . . in hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “so shall your descendants be.” Romans 4:16, 18

Through PRAYER David received the promises of God.
Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken. For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, “I will build you a house”; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. 2 Samuel 7:25, 27

Caleb, Abraham, and David were able to claim the promises of God with confidence because they knew with certainty what He had promised. So too for your life there is a promise in scripture for every difficulty you face. The devil always intimidates in areas of uncertainty, so if you are feeling double-minded, get in the Word and find out what God has for you. Spend time seeking God about the Promised Land He has for you.

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

Copyright © 2010 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.

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.” Mark 11:22-23

Have faith in a faithful God. To understand faith, look no farther than the One who is ever urging us onward, the One who is ever present and all about seeking and saving. We need to trust God, who is our teacher, and study the Word, which is more than a history book—it’s God’s heart revealed.

Refuse to doubt in your heart. The devil is a liar and tries to rip off people who are victorious and make them feel as if they are losers. The only counter action to a lie is the truth, and the truth of the Bible brings clarity to everything. As Lester Sumrall said: “Feed your faith and starve your doubts to death.”

Therefore I [Jesus] say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. Mark 11:24-25.

Pray in no uncertain terms. When you know God’s will according to His Word, you can pray with full confidence that your prayer will be answered. It’s not just babbling words—it’s a heart connection that happens when God’s Word becomes alive to you. “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous
power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16 AMP).

Whenever you stand praying, forgive. Forgiveness is such a critical piece of the faith walk. Maintain a clear conscience and forgive—this includes forgiving yourself. Life is a fight of faith, but the Bible tells us it’s a good fight (1 Timothy 6:12) because Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and God has given us the ability to speak to impossible situations and see them turn around!

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

Copyright © 2010 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.

This is our time to roll up our sleeves and exhibit a steadfastness of hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). People love the sound of the starting gun, but it’s a whole different breed that makes it to the finish line. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9). With determined faith, keep holding to the conviction that God is going to bring to pass His purposes; and with your hope fixed on Him, dare to believe that you will see the good news message of Jesus permeate the world!

Press on!
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, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation