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. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. Romans 15:4-5

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

The historical accounts we read in the Bible reveal a pattern of how God consistently helps people. When we run into alarming situations, we can turn to the Scriptures to see examples of God’s faithfulness through the ages.

Take Daniel for example. Getting thrown into a lions’ den qualifies as a really bad day. When that happened he had no natural hope against the hungry lions. We’ve all had times like that, when circumstances betray us and there is no help in human terms.

Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice…“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me.” Daniel 6:19-21a

At the break of day we see that God had rescued Daniel from the situation that was designed to take him out. Daniel’s God is your God. Whatever battle you are in (even if it’s a protracted one)—your “break of day” is coming! Continue to stand. Follow Daniel’s example (Daniel 6:10) and consistently press into the promises of God. Pray and seek God. Spend time in praise and worship, even when the circumstances are pressuring you to do the opposite.

There is no pit so deep that God can’t pull you out (Psalm 103:2-4; 139:8). Even when the odds are overwhelming and the situation looks hopeless, God is right there with you, working things out for good (Romans 8:28).The God of hope will give you perseverance and encouragement—so face your battles with confidence, knowing that God will deliver you.

More than a conqueror in 2012,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2012 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.

These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:6b NKJV

The people in the Book of Acts were living so effectively it was rocking the world around them. They had a message that was life-changing, and they were doing life together with a heart of faith and a resolve to follow God. When they came on the scene, their words were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and signs and wonders followed them.

How the early church responded to their world in the midst of persecution is an amazing model: They gathered, they prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them.

“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:29-31

God is still the same today (Hebrews 13:8). His promises are still the same today. This power from the Holy Spirit is still available today.

Some of you who have believed God for years and have had one hard battle after the other—I want to put you back in touch with the power of the Word of God:

• God watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).

• God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89).

• God’s Word corrects and equips (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

• God’s Word strengthens (Psalm 119:28).

You can dust off your dreams and hold to God’s promises with renewed boldness, renewed conviction, and renewed determination.

Trust God,
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.