God wants to pour out His strength on every moment of every day. Meditate on these verses and trust God!

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.

That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:6 NKJV

When we acknowledge every good thing in us in Christ Jesus our effectiveness increases. As we acknowledge who God is, what He has done for us through Jesus, and who we are in Christ, we get out of lethargy and into action, out of dullness and into cutting edge. And we have God’s wisdom to understand the times and what we
are to do.

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

Jesus came on the scene and brought light to darkness (Isaiah 9:2a). But instead of finding the light, many people have adjusted their eyes to the darkness of the fall.

Something awful has happened; something terrible. Something worse, even, than the fall of man. For in that greatest of all tragedies, we merely lost Paradise – and with it, everything that made life worth living. What has happened since is unthinkable: we’ve gotten used to it. –John Eldredge, “The Journey of Desire”

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I don’t ever want to adjust my eyes to darkness and live below the amazing standard Jesus provided for us when He died on the Cross and rose again. New things have come! We now have wisdom. We now can know the mind of Christ to help us deal with issues. We are now new creatures and we have God’s righteousness—we are whole and clean.

Jesus cleansed us so thoroughly that we are actually containers of the Holy Spirit! Sure you have scars and some grooves that have been worn into your life from hurt. Sure you’re locked up in some of your thinking. That’s why you need to be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:23) by studying and meditating on God’s Word. Get up in the morning, get hold of the Scriptures, and look in the mirror of God’s Word. Remind yourself of what the Bible says about who you are in Christ. As you do, light will come and dissipate the darkness!

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. NKJV scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Desire” by John Eldredge. Copyright © 2000, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

God designed us to be seekers and find what He has prepared for us (Luke 11:9-10). As we seek God, we’ll understand things about our world and the times we live in: “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things” (Proverbs 28:5). Seeking God is also the cure for depression: “Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad” (Psalm 105:3). Here are some practical steps to help you seek God in your daily life.

Thanksgiving. Every day enter into thanksgiving for what God has given you and for what He’s doing in your life. Psalm 100:4

Praise. Offer up praise—tell God you love Him! Hebrews 13:15

Fellowship. Spend time talking with God apart from request-making. John 15:4

Church. Nothing can substitute for corporate worship and praise. Hebrews 10:25

Meditate. Stop and ponder a verse. Marinate in it. Psalm 1:1-3

Read. Read the Bible. Just sit down and read a chapter and watch how it refreshes your soul. Psalm 119

Think of Jesus. Every few moments acknowledge Him. Philippians 4:8; Psalm 105:4

Jesus said to seek first His kingdom. The Greek word used here for “first” is proton, which means “first in time, place, order, and importance.” Whenever you wake up, before you put your feet on the floor, put Jesus first in time, place, order, and importance. Focus on Him.

God is working mightily on the inside of you. He is beckoning and prompting you to know Him more. He is not allowing you to be comfortable with a fleshly, subordinate, minimized approach toward life. He’s giving you big dreams and big visions because He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond the natural (Ephesians 3:20). Break out of the mundane and the monotonous and go after it with God. He has promised that “they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Psalm 34:10).

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.

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem . . . He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. 2 Chronicles 26:3-5

As Uzziah sought the Lord, God blessed him in every feature and aspect of his life. Uzziah built, restored, reigned, prospered, went forth, warred, and broke down walls, and he became famous. Uzziah didn’t prosper automatically—he prospered as long as he sought God. The phrase “as long as” comes from the Hebrew word yowm, which means “from sunrise to sunset.” That’s daily devotion—keeping Jesus continually before us from morning to night.

Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong. But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God. 2 Chronicles 26:15b-16a

When Uzziah became strong he stopped seeking God. Through pride he became corrupt, and at the end of his life he was remembered not as a powerful king who accomplished mighty things, but as a leper. His persistent wrongdoing should be a warning, and provoke us to explore the depths of the wisdom of the riches of the knowledge of God. God is calling us to stick with this thing by constantly seeking Him. As long as we do so, He promises to prosper us.

I want everyone reading this to get the breakthrough that Jesus died to give. Start your day by reading your Bible. Turn off the TV and read even just one verse before bed. Meditate on the Word. Don’t underestimate the value of a devoted life. “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 16.9).

Seek God!
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.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! Psalm 8:3-5

On the next clear night, bundle up and go look at the stars. Consider the One who made them and how much He cares about you personally. The quiet moments are more important than you may realize. The call to meditate is not just for people with the aptitude to ponder; there is something important found in being still before God.

“If we really want some things to count, if we genuinely desire some depth to emerge, some impact to be made, some profound and enduring investment to cast a comforting shadow across another’s life (your child, a friend, whomever), it is essential that we slow down . . . at times, stop completely. And think. Now . . . not later. Don’t you dare put this off another day!” –Charles Swindoll

Slow down when you read the Bible. Years ago, a pastor told me that one verse from the Bible properly understood and acted on will change your life forever. Next time you get in the Word, stop on a verse and chew on it and digest it. Read a verse you know and get to know it better. It’s not about how many chapters you can tuck under your belt—it’s what you get out of it.

Despite how sophisticated your thinking is, or how much you may have been through, humble yourself and turn to Jesus. “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3). When Jesus died on the Cross, the enemy was gleeful because everything looked like a failure. But it turned into victory over death and sin. God can take the failures of your life and turn them into triumph.

Consider Jesus (Hebrews 3:1). Set some time aside in this busy season to quiet yourself and contemplate what God has done for you. Get your brain off the negative and remember God’s faithfulness. We all have a series of testimonies—remember yours and write them down. God has big, beautiful plans for your life. We are enrolled as participants in something bigger than we can imagine; so get ready for God to use you to change someone’s life.

God is faithful,

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.