Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

RENEW YOUR PERSPECTIVE. There is more to life than meets the eye—more than maintenance, survival, or just coping. Your perspective is renewed when you seek the things above and start seeing yourself as God sees you. You can live the Christian life. You can pray amazing prayers and experience victory. And you can identify the call on your life and see it come to pass.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

RELEASE YOUR PAST. When you get your perspective renewed in the Word, then you can release your past. In Ephesians, Paul reflects on past failures just long enough to amplify God’s faithfulness, but he doesn’t get stuck there (Ephesians 2:1-3). He goes on to tell us how God, being “rich in mercy, because of His great love,” has made us “alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4). If we’re going to lead strong lives, we can’t hold on to our old selves and our old citizenship. Let the past show you how faithful God is, but press on toward the prize as a “new creation” (Philippians 3:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work . . . Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” John 4:34-35

REMEMBER YOUR PURPOSE. God is looking for people who respond to Him, who take a stand and don’t let their minds get clouded by the accuser (2 Chronicles 16:9). I pray you get ridiculously hungry for the Word of God, where you just want to turn off the TV and renew your perspective. Use this beginning of the year to shake off any heaviness and sharpen your awareness of who you are in Christ. We might as well be those daring people who lift up their eyes and walk in confidence and faith, believing that one act of obedience, prompted by God, can change the world.

God bless you!
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.

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chronicles 16:9a

God is looking for people who will give their hearts to Him. He’s not looking for methodology or fancy pants know-it-alls. God is looking for people He can use—people of prayer, people who are yielded to and following Him, people who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

Don’t underestimate the value of everyday life. The least-noticed things are facilitating the greatest impact. The real world changers in World War II were not just the guys on the battlefield—they were also the people under the ground digging up the coal to fuel the world. The real changers are the Rosa Parks of the world, who take a stand for justice at the end of a hard work day, or Mrs. Everest, Winston Churchill’s nanny, who cared for him when no one else did and took the time to tell him about Jesus. These people in their normal everyday lives shaped the future.

You and I have this little life moment to communicate Jesus to our generation. It’s about lifting up Jesus and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit when you go to the grocery store, when you get gas, at the office, with your kids at the playground—God loves doing extravagant things in what seems like common moments.

Your life is valuable. The rest of the world won’t reinforce that—it will either belittle and undermine your life and mission, or support narcissism. So lay aside the mindset of “How am I going to figure out my deal?” and just go to the feet of Jesus and say, “Okay, God, accomplish through me what You desire.” It’s amazing what God can do with an obedient heart.

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

God bless you!
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.

Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

In 2010, God is calling us to remove obstacles. He wants to rain down righteousness, but in order to receive it we must break up any hard ground in our hearts. The ground becomes hard when it’s trampled. In the same way, life can make our hearts harden so that fresh rain runs off instead of entering the soil of the heart. A tender heart is absorbent.

Water is essential to life. In Genesis, the Philistines filled Isaac’s wells with dirt, which stopped them up and blocked the flow of life-giving water. Isaac had to work at re-digging the wells until he finally reached a place where water flowed and he could live in peace.

He went on from there and dug yet another well. But there was no fighting over this one so he named it Rehoboth (Wide-Open Spaces), saying, “Now God has given us plenty of space to spread out in the land.” Genesis 26:22 The Message*

Just as Isaac literally dug wells to restart the flow of life-giving water, God is asking us to break up the fallow ground in our hearts to clear the way for His flow of life. Analyze the places where the enemy has thrown dirt down your wells and cultivate your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23). Bitterness, hurt, and the flesh can clog up your heart. Be careful what you watch and listen to, and bridle your tongue. There is so much at stake!

The world doesn’t need your limited human resourcefulness; it needs living water flowing out of you. You are designed by God to be a dispenser of wisdom, an answer to someone’s problem, help for the hurting, and a carrier of the presence of God. Believers are designed to be conduits of God’s love and care. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). Clear out the obstacles and let rivers of living water flow through you!

Press On!
Pastor Jeff

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 taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.