The greatest thing we can do as Christians is to maintain and cultivate our time with God—to start, end, and fill the middle of our days by connecting with Him. Set time aside—in the corner of your basement, in a quiet spot in the woods, at the kitchen table—find a place to pray. Start your day ministering to the Lord. While you’re getting ready in the morning, just begin to tell Him you love Him. In the car, turn off the radio and talk to God.

There are challenges all around, all the time. Yet, we are not without the presenceof a Savior who came to this earth on a rescue mission. He conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:55), so He can take care of everything else! Situations may be far beyond your human skill, but Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and nothing is beyond Him. He is willing and able to deliver.

The following verses show the prophet Jeremiah at a time when he had lost hope and was depressed, and anxiety gripped his heart. Then he shifted his focus from his circumstances and began to focus on God’s faithfulness.

I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, His merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. Lamentations 3:19-24 The Message

God’s grace is covering your life. His love is steadfast. His mercies are hovering at your waking moment—new every morning. God is not vague and distant—He is present to help you in you time of need. Do you need wisdom? Ask God who gives to all generously (James 1:5). God’s arm is never too short to save you (Isaiah 59:1), and He is going to come through in your situation.

Seek 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. Lamentations scriptures taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Don’t be hijacked by anxiety or worry. Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, understood how challenging life could be: “I have been very thoroughly initiated into the human lot with all its ups and downs” (Philippians 4:12 NEB [1]). But, even in the middle of challenge, we can reject anxiety and cast our worries and cares on God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

Worry will distract us from a single-minded faith focus. The book of James warns that a “double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Here are five points from author John Edmund Haggai about the dividing nature of worry:

Worry divides your feelings—causing your emotions to become uneven and volatile.

Worry divides your understanding—making your convictions lose their grounding, sapping you of confidence.

Worry divides your perception—meaning you are distracted and often fail to see the whole situation confronting you.

Worry divides your judgment—making your decision-making ill-informed and unreliable.

Worry divides your will—producing lethargy and dulling your ability to pursue your goals with confidence. —From the book “How to Win Over Worry” [2]

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

Don’t let your feelings have the final say. It’s possible to throw off worry and stay faith-focused through high times and through hard times (Philippians 4:12-13). By taking everything to God in prayer, by maintaining a confession of thanksgiving, and by meditating on the good report, you can go through 2011 with renewed focus and walk in the next steps of what God has called you to.

God bless you in 2011,
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 taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [1] Scripture taken from the New English Bible. Copyright © 1961 by The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press. [2] “ How to Win Over Worry.” Copyright © 2001/2009 by John Edmund Haggai. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon.

The Bible is filled with amazing examples of people who obtained God’s promises. By following their examples and learning from their victories and mistakes we can see clear steps of how to claim all that God has for us!

With BOLDNESS Caleb claimed the promises of God.
Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land.
Joshua 14:10-11, 13 NLT

By FAITH Abraham obtained the promises of God.
For this reason it is by faith . . . that the promise will be guaranteed . . . to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all . . . in hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “so shall your descendants be.” Romans 4:16, 18

Through PRAYER David received the promises of God.
Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken. For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, “I will build you a house”; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. 2 Samuel 7:25, 27

Caleb, Abraham, and David were able to claim the promises of God with confidence because they knew with certainty what He had promised. So too for your life there is a promise in scripture for every difficulty you face. The devil always intimidates in areas of uncertainty, so if you are feeling double-minded, get in the Word and find out what God has for you. Spend time seeking God about the Promised Land He has for you.

Press On!
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.

There’s rich symbolism in those words that God inspired Ezekiel to write. The river is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and God has called every one of us believers to flow in it.

Ankle deep water symbolizes our walk in the Spirit. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Every day we are being invited to get out of our beds and not let our primal instincts govern us but, instead, to walk by the Spirit.

Knee deep water reveals the importance of getting on our knees and praying. “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). We are at our best when we make our prayer life central.

Loin deep water represents serving in the Spirit. Your loins are the part of your body where your leverage comes from, and when these muscles are being worked, you have a greater bounce in your step. We are to translate our walk and prayer in the Spirit into action by serving in the Spirit. “Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials . . .” (Acts 20:19).

Enough to swim in. Now you are completely saturated with the rivers of living water: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Let’s get filled with the Holy Spirit and let it spill out into all of life.

Jesus said, “‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit.” (John 7:37b-38). Christianity is not meant to be a sub-culture contained in a reservoir, but a mighty flowing river of God bringing healing to the nations.

Jump in – the water’s fine!
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.

I’m dedicating the month of January to prayer and fasting as we seek God about the next steps for the church and our personal lives. God has some significant things up ahead. Let’s increase our Word intake and sensitize ourselves to the Holy Spirit so we’ll be ready to walk out His plan in 2010.

Here are the five points we are continuing to pray. They make a great New Year’s resolution list!

1. Pray for the removal of obstacles.
2. Pray for the increase of love.
3. Pray for personal growth.
4. Pray for the 100% will of God.
5. Pray with the end in mind.

Don’t let the devil steal your joy this New Year. If you’ve let your love toward God grow cold, meditate on God’s great love for you, on His promises for your life found in the Word. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

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.

We are called to a dynamic life of prayer, but not alone: we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit’s help. Prayer is going before the Lord with the authority He’s delegated to us and exerting that influence by the power of the name of Jesus to impact the world we live in. Great social changes are attributed to believers who prayed.

Pray frequently. God has called us to pray all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is not a dutiful thing—the Holy Spirit is activating us to do business with God and push back darkness. So get in the habit of praying the first two minutes of everything you do: when you get on an airplane, right before an important phone call, before a test, in the car. Get in the habit of taking everything to God in prayer.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 NKJV*

Pray passionately. “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16b AMP**). Pray specifically. Know specifically what you are believing God for. And if you don’t know exactly what to pray, the Holy Spirit is right there to intercede on your behalf.

God wants our church to have a revolutionary experience in terms of fruitfulness. Revolutionary things happen in these times of prayer. When you get up in the morning pray 120 seconds: praise God and worship Him, pray for wisdom, pray out what you know to pray, pray in the Spirit, pray out things about your future, pray out things that bug you. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

God is able,
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. *New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.** Amplified Bible. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

We have been given the opportunity to choose our attitude in life. The bad report wants to indoctrinate our thinking. But when we go to the Word, we can get an attitude adjustment by “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV).

This doesn’t mean you need to bury your head in the sand; however, you are to guard your thoughts and not focus on the problem, but on what brings peace to you and glory to God. Turn every problem into a prayer. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 Phillips).

Attitude is defined as “a position assumed for a specific purpose.”* We are to assume the position of real Christians who look for broken moments and God-given opportunities to share the love of Jesus in a tangible way. That kind of attitude will change the world.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company . . . a church . . . a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you . . . we are in charge of our Attitudes. —Chuck Swindoll

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. New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. John Bertram Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English. London: G. Bles, 1958.

*Attitude.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009.

Let that verse steep in your spirit. What God begins, He brings to completion. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Whether your life is humming or you feel fatigued, God is faithful yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8; 1 Corinthians 1:9a; Psalm 33:4).

If you feel unsure of where you are in life right now, the confidence-producing Word of God can lock you back into the purpose for which you’ve been set apart. Cast down the weirdness in your head. Get your mind renewed by searching the Scriptures and finding promises concerning God’s faithfulness to complete the good work in your life.

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

Get confident when you pray. God hears you and He gets a kick out of answering prayer — so pray huge prayers. Find the promises in the Bible that correspond with the problem and take the situation to God in prayer. His ear is inclined to the upright (Psalm 17:6).

Wherever there has been laziness or sin, repent; wherever there has been unbelief and doubt, get single-minded. Keep presenting your heart on the altar and remember that it’s not your performance that saves you, but it’s God who saves you. As Paul said: “We learn to not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

God is completing the work in you. What He initiates He sustains; what He sustains He brings to completion. Your greatest days haven’t happened yet!

God is faithful,

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.