And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:18-19

We live in a fractured world, and our enemy, Satan, is strategizing to take us out. We must be careful not to let the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things hinder us from moving forward in effectiveness.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:6-10

Jesus became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). He allowed humanity to put the crown of thorns on His head and nail Him to the Cross so the blessing of God could come into our lives (1 Peter 2:23-25). So choose to flat out trust God with the choices you have to make. If things are freaking you out, take them to the Lord. Cast down imaginations, take thoughts captive, speak God’s Word over your situation and refuse to back down, despite whatever kind of ridiculous battles, losses, or difficulties you’re experiencing. Life is full of thorns, but if we deal with those thorns properly, by casting all our cares and worries on Jesus because He cares for us, we will see the victory.

God has a good plan for your life!
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.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” John 14:16

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent us the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, to give us power to fulfill the call of God. “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning” (John 15: 26-27).

Get informed concerning things of the Spirit. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Search the Scriptures and learn what it takes to flow in and obey the Holy Spirit.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

If you’ve let yourself become apathetic through disappointments in life, let the Scriptures revive you. If you’ve felt confused, the Holy Spirit is the very embodiment of understanding and wants to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). Choose to wake each morning with an attitude of expectancy and take time to look in the mirror of God’s Word. We are not called to be observers on the sidelines but frontline participants of the great things God is doing throughout the earth.

Moving Forward,
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.

Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah. Psalm 61:1-4

You may be overwhelmed in a situation where you flat-out need divine intervention. Jesus came for that purpose, that He might destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8). “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Jesus became a sin substitute and set us free, and He has given us authority over all things (Luke 10:19).

Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:7-8a

God is looking for us to understand our authority as believers. Satan comes to paralyze your planning, dilute your hopes and abort your dreams, and he must be resisted. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith” (I Peter 5: 8-9a). Satan will try to hinder you from stepping out and fulfilling the things assigned for you to do (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Remember: God’s Word is true. Drive a stake in the ground and stand firm knowing that at the name of Jesus demons flee.

If you are preoccupied, spend some time in worship, meditate on the Word, and listen to good Bible-based teaching to get your mind renewed and on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3). We are called to trouble-shoot and problem-solve. We are called on a mission to alleviate suffering, address poverty and famine, and save lives. Take hold of what God has for you and step into effectiveness.

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.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

When Jesus shows up in a rough situation He calms the storm. Fears that try to plague your life are not coming to you from God. God wants you to be filled with a victorious spirit. His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). He loves you not on the basis of deeds done in righteousness but because of His mercy (Titus 3:5). When you realize that God loves you completely, and that nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39), fear can’t stay.

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad” (Prov. 12:25). God is calling us to better things than giving ourselves over to worry from the time we wake up till the time we go to bed. When I’ve been worried and discouraged, God has instructed me to go to the Word and read His promises and remember His great faithfulness.

To defeat fear, make the Word your confession:
• My God shall supply all of my need. Philippians 4:19
• No weapon formed against me will prosper. Isaiah 54:17
• Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4
• The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18
• Jesus became a curse for me so the blessings of God would come upon me. Galatians 3:13-14
• These blessings come upon me and overtake me. Deuteronomy 28:2
• My barn is filled with plenty. Proverbs 3:10
• My cup runs over. Psalm 23:5
• His grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
• Having done all to stand, I stand. Ephesians 6:13-15

Get in your A-game by getting in the Word. Some of you will have to stop the negative intake you have been allowing into your life. Some of you need to meditate on the scripture in Philippians: “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” (4:6-7). Your situation may feel hopeless, but with God nothing is impossible. Give your worry over to Him and choose to step into the New Year with a spirit of faith.

God’s promises are true,

Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2008 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.

[I pray] that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 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, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Ephesians 3:16-21

You can trip up in life if you don’t understand who God is and who you are in Jesus. You can’t get in faith on your own—only by hearing God’s Word can we get strong in faith. When you read that you have been freed from sin by Jesus’ blood (Revelation 1:5), when you see in the Word how God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4) and able to supply all of your needs (Philippians 4:19), faith rises up in your spirit and gives you an impenetrable advantage against the attacks of the devil.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

Take hold of the promises in the Word concerning who you are in Christ and what He has made available to you and write them down on the empty pages in the back of your Bible. Don’t be afraid to take those truths and march into your career, your marriage, and your future. An understanding of the promises in the Word will break generational curses, eliminate inferiority complexes, and straighten out distorted thinking.

If you feel ripped off, take back what the enemy stole from you (1 Samuel 30). If your joy is gone, get back in the presence of God and ask Him to revive you. If you’ve fallen into a pit, meditate on this scripture: “The law of the Spirt of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:2). God knows how to lift us out of the miry clay and put our feet on the solid rock (Psalm 40:2). If you’ve been through a thing or two lately, you’ve gained credibility to speak encouragement into others’ lives. Your answer to any challenge is found in seeking God and reading His Word—don’t back down!

Receive God’s strength,

Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2008 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.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

We are not powerless. God has clothed us with power from on high to meet every situation we encounter; to be witnesses and love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27; Luke 24:48). Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5b). Our authority is rooted in relationship and connection with Jesus. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1a). But through Jesus we can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

“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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:5-7

Let God’s Word settle in your heart and life. It is thunderously powerful. It is your sharp sword to combat the attacks of the enemy (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Meditate on the promises of God until they bring a renewal to your mind and strength to your soul that push you past impotence into the effectiveness for which you’ve been created. “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

In order to make a meaningful difference in the world, to see impossible situations in our lives turn around, we must connect with Jesus and abide in His Word. Talk to Him when you get up in the morning. Pull out your Bible over breakfast. God will help you to be able to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Even if you don’t feel like it, sing praises about God’s faithfulness. It’s impossible to keep worrying when you are praising God. His power is not for just an elite few. It is for you, for your everyday life (Acts 2:17).

Thank God for His Power!

Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2008 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.