God is faithful. Whatever you are going through, Jesus is right there wanting to sustain you and give you direction and breakthrough. He’s in the details. He gave His life to restore your access to God. You can trust Him!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. Isaiah 43:2

What the devil or others have meant for harm in your life, God turns around for good—even for the furtherance of the gospel!

Now I (Paul the Apostle) want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. Philippians 1:12

And as for you [Joseph’s obnoxious brothers], you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Don’t back down for a minute. We’re not in heaven yet. Keep pressing on, knowing that even though life has challenges, the present result is that we are saved from eternal death, and as we keep relying on the faithfulness of God, we will see
situations turn around!

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:25

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

God has a way of redeeming everything! Shake off the “what-ifs” and the “could’ve beens” and lift your eyes to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

It’s so good to know Jesus!
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 as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50:20

This statement at the end of Joseph’s life reinforces the providential care of God through the ages. From beginning to end in the Bible, what Satan meant for harm, God turned around for good! (Romans 8:28). And His faithfulness doesn’t stop with the saints found on the stained glass windows. The Bible extravagantly shows us that God’s faithfulness extends to a thousand generations—that means us! (Psalm 105:8)

God is a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1), and He specifically wants to help you through whatever challenge is hitting you now.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.” Isaiah 43:2

Don’t misinterpret the way life is. It is filled with challenges and breakthrough. We need to understand the big picture; we need perspective. And we get that perspective by reading the Bible. If you only have a few minutes to read the Bible, go to Romans 8. As we get in the Word, we see that even though we’re in the
groaning phase of our existence, yes, God does answer prayer; yes, promises can be obtained!

We don’t have everything figured out, but if we continue to press on, we will see the breakthrough. Nothing is too big for God!

Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You. Jeremiah 32:17

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.

The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior . . . Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you? Judges 6:12, 14

God’s perspective is different from our perspective. When God sent an angel to call Gideon to save Israel from oppression, Gideon saw only his own weakness. Like Gideon, we often see ourselves through our limited viewpoint. Instead, we should look into the mirror of the Word to see ourselves as God sees us.

Gideon responded the way we are often tempted to respond when in the midst of a protracted battle. “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about . . . But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian” (Judges 6:13). Gideon was basing everything on what he saw in the moment, while God’s amazing overriding perspective called Gideon to faith. God downloaded the deliverance of Israel to a man who, in the natural, did not look like a worthy candidate. That means there’s hope for all of us!

“Remember, God didn’t give us His Word so we could gather enough info to become theologians. He gave us His Word so we could undergo transformation and to overcome anything we face in this world with our faith.” Pastor Bill Anzevino

Even when our misery is self-inflicted, we can call on the Lord. His mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). “Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted . . . Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:17-20).

God can take a thimbleful of faith and stretch it as far as the universe. Even when we don’t have everything figured out, we have this figured out: God is faithful! He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). So take courage in Jesus’ words, which ring true through time: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

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.

Without becoming weak in faith he [Abraham] contemplated his own body, now as
good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s
womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but
grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God
had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:19-21

Even though Abraham was beyond what seemed like the proper time for the
fulfillment of God’s promise to make him a father of many nations, Abraham
remained “fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”
(Romans 4:21). That God is our God! Let the mighty deeds God has done through
history generate hope for your specific situation.

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

Believers who have their roots in the truth of the Word have a foundation for their
hope. It’s not false optimism—it’s anchored on the faithfulness of God to His
people (Psalm 1:1-3). Renew your determination to seek God and read the Word.
Don’t back down, because that is where you find the strength and substance for
your hope!

If you feel like life has passed you by and you missed your time to see God’s plan
come to pass, take a stance like Abraham who “in hope against hope” believed
(Romans 4:18a). It’s not too late! God is looking to strongly support those whose
hearts are His (2 Chronicles 16:9). “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why
have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
the help of my countenance and my God!” (Psalm 42:11).

Press on!
Pastor Jeff

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.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. 2 Corinthians 13:5-6

As we inspect and evaluate ourselves, we have to understand that Jesus is on the inside of us. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). The peril of introspection is to stop short at the “work out your salvation” part and miss the conclusion that God is working in you. The power of Jesus in us is not to be underestimated.

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

God is at work in you. That is how you got to this point. That is how you endured. As long as you seek God and put Him before you, you will be at an amazing advantage. Through vicious temptations and harsh trials, we have to do everything we can to press in, seeing that none of us falls short of what God has for our lives. Take hold of this “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” power that is available to us through Jesus.

Don’t cave in! Other people need what you have. Of course the enemy is going to bombard you, because there are good works that God has prepared you to walk in—mountain-moving, nation-changing, world-reaching, soul-saving, and Jesus-uplifting good works! “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

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, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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. Hebrews 12:1

God has called us out of darkness and into this wonderful life (1 Peter 2:9). The Christian life is one of victory and supernatural strength. God wants us to succeed and to win the race He’s set before us. “Run in such a way that you may win” (1 Corinthians 9:24b).

You came to see a race today. To see someone win . . . But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner’s burnt. Maybe you haven’t got a job. So who am I to say, “Believe, have faith,” in the face of life’s realities? . . . I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek Me, you shall ever surely find Me.” If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. –Eric Liddell, “Chariots of Fire”

We serve a God Who fed Elijah during times of famine; Who first gave the power of the Holy Spirit to the early church, and those people revolutionized the world. “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We can glory in tribulation because we have the answer that “in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Your life is not over. The future is more flexible than some have tried to tell you. Get out of a fatalistic attitude and call out to God. Remember God’s faithfulness and speak out what the Word says about your life. The God who rescued people in the Bible is the same God who wants to help you in your situation today.

Finish the Race!
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.