I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13

These verses from Paul in the book of Philippians put into context all the trials, afflictions, and challenges we face: Because of what Jesus did for us we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). In order to be more than a conqueror, it implies that we have something to conquer—we aren’t in heaven yet and we live in a fallen world. But every step of the way God is guiding and giving us direction.

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

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

Let the truth of these scriptures lift the cloud of hopelessness that may be trying to settle on you. You could be very close to breakthrough, but the cares of this world have spread a fog over the true nature of your situation. Remember, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and that is why we must cast down imaginations and take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). If you don’t quit, you can expect breakthrough!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Ephesians 3:20

You might as well unplug from all the worry, fear, and freak-out, get an overcomer’s attitude and trust God. He has solutions for your problems. With every temptation, trial, and trouble, He provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). God gives you all you need. He will strengthen you by might and power in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16) to not only have breakthrough in your own situation but to enable you to take Jesus to a broken, fractured world.

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.

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 3:13-14

Press on. An effective driver glances at the rearview mirror but spends most of the time looking through the windshield. Think of your life in the same way: look ahead at what God has in store for you, but only glance at your past. This doesn’t mean you bury your head in the sand. It just means you look at life through the eyes of grace. It’s good to remember what God has delivered you from—He’s covered your old sins (Romans 4:6-8; Psalm 32:1). But in Christ you are a new person (1 Corinthians 5:17) and you’re free to fix your eyes on what He has for you.

Life matters. Though this life is brief, it counts. Paul did not wince at the full-spectrum nature of life— trials, bewilderment, and all. He learned the secret of being full and of going hungry (Philippians 4:12), and he thrived on challenge. But he didn’t do it in his own power. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Him [Jesus] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

God’s Word is power. We aren’t sissies who shrink back in fear, but neither are we superheroes trying to do things in our own power. God’s power is available to us, and He has packed specific gifts, resources, and usefulness into each cell of our being. I pray we get so tuned into Jesus and so filled up with His Word that, instead of buzz words or religious affectation, God’s life flows out of us and people can tell we’ve been with Him.

God’s at work in you. Endeavor to live worthy of the calling, investing all your life and energy into Jesus. If you feel like you are a crummy Christian, know that God is at work in you. He is looking for people whose hearts are open to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). If you give God a thimble full of devotion, He’ll expand it as big as heaven. Give Him a mustard seed of faith, and He’ll respond (Matthew 17:20).

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.

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

God doesn’t just tell us to “take courage” without showing why we don’t have to fear. The reason we can take courage is because He has overcome the world. Yes, life’s tough—we don’t have to idealize it—but because of Jesus we can have peace even in the middle of a challenge.

Peace comes when you know the stabilizing promises from the Word that reveal God’s never-ending faithfulness. That is how you develop the abiding conviction that God is going to see you through.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? Psalm 27:1

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139:7-10

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! . . . The Lord is near. 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 4:4-7

We cannot even fathom how fantastically faithful God is. When you know someone is with you and has your back, fear has to leave. In its place you have faith: a peaceful confidence produced by the stabilizing promises of God.

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.*

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2a NKJV

The definition for traction is “the act of drawing or pulling.” In wheels and shoes, traction is represented by the adhesive grip that gives you the stability you need to make progress. Though we’ve never passed this way in life before, we can run this race with confidence because we know Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, has provided traction for each step of the journey.

God’s Word is the grip that is the surety under our feet—it’s the salt and the sand under our tires in the snow. He wants to reinforce traction and stabilize things so we can move forward in boldness.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Proverbs 4:18, 25-26

But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:5-6

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Gaze straight ahead at God and only glance at your problem (Proverbs 4:25). God’s strategy for each one of us is that we don’t spin our wheels, stay stuck, or veer off course, but we connect with divine appointments, be strong, and do exploits.

Walk forward,
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 righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green. Psalm 92:12-14

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 ©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 American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

God created us because He wanted to, and we are called to show how good He is in word and deed. But how can we do that unless we know the wonderful, praiseworthy things of our God?

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! Psalm 103:2-5 NLT

God is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer! He is our shield, salvation, and stronghold (Psalm 18:1-3). Go back into the Word and see who God is. Stir up your love and affection for Him. Be like David who gazed at God and only glanced at his problems.

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah. But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. Psalm 3:1-3

God has a hold on your life. Don’t ever imagine that you are out there alone, weak and frail. God’s grip is strong enough to hold on to you and never let go.

Trust Him.
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 quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.