You may have been meditating on some pretty weird stuff, but God wants us to focus on things that are excellent and worthy of praise. If we are really going to revolutionize the world, we’ve got to be different in our thinking. Shake off the heaviness and fear by focusing on who Jesus is and by renewing your mind in the Word. Here are some scriptures that will help you press past the mind-numbing attacks of the devil and remember that God is faithful. He will calm whatever storm you’re in and get you to the other side (Matthew 8:24-28).

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! Luke 12:24

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6:28-29 NKJV

Now is not the time to waver. It’s time to be intent on one purpose, with hearts and minds in one accord with the Master’s work. While the world is anxiously looking for answers, you carry the truth. Don’t shrink back but learn to abide under the shadow of the Most High, where you can rest and find strength and renewed confidence for the journey (Psalm 91:1).

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.

v. re·fresh: To revive . . . give new vigor or spirit to. To give new freshness or brightness to; restore. To renew by stimulation, to fill up again; replenish. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition*

When I’m old I want to still be “full of sap and very green.” I want to be like Caleb, who said, “Now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in” (Joshua 14:10b-11). Here are some ways to stay refreshed over a lifetime.

Choose the good report. Out of 12 men sent to spy out the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who chose the good report. The good report will keep us alive long enough to get into the Promised Land. That “different spirit” (Numbers 14:24) of their good report kept them fresh and filled with strength. The good report does not deny the presence of challenge. Instead, by choosing the good report we are acknowledging that we trust God in the midst of this fallen world.

Stay in the Word. We need refreshing and reviving every day. Whatever you feel, no matter what, stay committed to filling yourself with the Word. Get it on your iPod. Listen to it in your car. Read a scripture on your lunch break. Read a Proverb a day. That’s where you’ll find God’s promises for your life. God’s Word is living and eternal and the answer for every problem you face. God is your refresher, restorer, and the one who can put fire back in you when you feel burned out.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

Keep the vision before you. As a church we are called to the dual purpose of reaching the lost and encouraging other believers. Stay plugged into church, because that is where you will be strengthened by others, and it’s where they will call you out if you start to get weird!

God has an amazing plan for your life. As you seek Him, He will help you bear fruit that will be repercussive for generations to come.

It’s good to know 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. *The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

God created you for very specific reasons to have an impactful and fruitful life—to accomplish things that have eternal repercussions. But there is a mind-numbing resistance to this call that we must resist by fixing our eyes on Jesus.

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. Proverbs 4:20-22

We don’t have to spin our wheels in life. As you and I press on toward the goal, we get traction by staying in the Word and by maintaining close proximity to Jesus—by fellowshipping with Him, by worshipping Him, by plugging into church after a long work week, by continually offering up a sacrifice of praise even when our circumstances are freaking us out and other people are pulling us in other directions.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

The race for you is distinct and particular. When apathy or temptation tries to seize you or distraction tries to pull you away, realize there is something up over the hill that you can’t see right now that’s worth your pressing on to follow through with God. There are things up ahead that will make all the challenges, trials, and battles worth the fight.

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.

Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4

Your commitment makes a difference. The world right now needs people who have backbone, who persevere through challenging circumstances.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. —Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

The righteous live not by the mustering of one’s own human courage, but by faith. If you’ve received Jesus, tenacity has been downloaded into your heart. The resurrection power of Jesus is at work in you, and the power of God is looking for areas of expression in your life, but it has to be obtained by a tenacious attitude of faith. Sow to your spirit daily. Remember that you are a spirit being who has a soul and lives in a body. Pray in the Spirit and confess the Scriptures. God’s words are spirit and life (John 6:63), and they will sharpen the places that have been dulled by life.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:35-36, 39

Perseverance is its own reward. Though life is brief, it has eternal consequences. Stop living a dull existence and get back into that gritty tenacious life for which you were designed. God can do a lot through one persistent, obedient, faith-filled person!

More than a conqueror,
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. “tenacious.” Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. Dictionary.com

• It is powerful. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

• It equips. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

• It guides. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8

• It blesses. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

• It brings peace. My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1-2

• It strengthens. Strengthen me according to Your Word. Psalm 119:28b

• It always comes to pass. So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

• It is truth. Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. John 17:17 AMP

• It saves. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

• It heals. 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. Proverbs 4:20-22

God bless you!
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.

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.

In the New Testament Gospels we see a contrast of two positions in two different towns. An approach in one town bore grim results. The other town, because of the proper attitude and reaction toward Jesus, had amazing results. And we’re out for results.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Indifference has crippling consequences. In Jesus’ hometown—Nazareth—people took offense at Jesus after questioning how someone they had known for years could have the power to heal. The results: “He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief” (Mark 6:5-6).

The exact opposite situation is found in the town of Capernaum in Matthew 8.

But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” Matthew 8:8-10

Say the word. Words are soldiers and sickness is a slave that must submit to Jesus’ authority. This Roman soldier understood something that still applies 2000 years later. God’s Word is active and powerful and can heal just like the centurion’s servant was healed the moment Jesus said the word.

“It shall be done for you as you have believed” (Matthew 8:13). Your ability to conquer in life hinges on your attitude. I would much rather have Jesus marvel at my faith than at my unbelief. If you feel yourself getting cynical, wash with the water of the Word to avoid the calcification and hardness of heart that was seen in the people of Nazareth. Keep your heart ready for what God has ahead for you!

The best is yet to come!
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.

Faithful is He who calls you but He will also bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Daniel 11:32b NKJV

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. Isaiah 40:31a

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:5

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:39

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

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

We learn to not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9

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

God Is Faithful!
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.

Our identity needs to be clarified by the Word of God. God wants us to understand who Jesus is, why we were created, and what His death, burial, and resurrection bring into our lives. Human nature is prone to acknowledge failure and weakness and forget what God says. That is why our mind must be renewed daily. (Ephesians 4:23).

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8

For quick reference, print up verses about who you are in Christ. Speak God’s Word over your day first thing—when you’re getting ready for work or while you’re in the car. Walk around your house saying what you have in God. Don’t let the devil shut your mouth—confess God’s truth till the devil leaves you alone. The knowledge of what Jesus has done for you will free you and open the door for greater effectiveness.

[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1:17-19a

God bless you!
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.

Salt is necessary to life. It does many things in different contexts: it provides traction, melts ice, enhances flavor, purges, revives, and preserves. Jesus said we are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).

God has called us to be salt shakers in this earth, but the devil is waging a battle to get us to back off and become tasteless and mediocre. We get our potency by looking in the mirror of the Word (2 Corinthians 3:18) to have “knowledge of every good thing” which is in us “for Christ’s sake” (Philemon 1:6).

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Colossians 4:5-6

Jesus said, “Follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). You will have opportunities to connect with lost people that no one else can reach. God knows the hearts and conditions of the people we encounter, so be ready to follow the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit. The more you do so, the greater effectiveness you will have.

The wages of sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23), so this is serious—people’s eternity is at stake. When Jesus says you are the salt, do something about it. When He says the wise win souls (Proverbs 11:30b), take that to heart and be ready for those moments.

Get ready for the harvest!
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.