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.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2

When Jesus was nailed to the Cross, He paid the price for humanity, and you were freed from sin! The old law of sin and death has been displaced by the higher and better law of life. Walk in this new life. “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life” (Romans 6:4b AMP).

Physicists make it their life to study the laws governing the natural world. They now know that the law of thrust and lift will supersede the law of gravity. As followers of Jesus, we invest our lives to understand those spiritual laws that have overridden the law of sin and death. We look in the mirror of the Word to learn what the new things are of this life in Christ Jesus: who Jesus is, what we have as a result of Him, and what we can do in Him. Then, we can carry these revelations to our daily living.

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

God has given you an abundant new life, but the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy your vision so you don’t walk in it (John 10:10). The gravitational pull of lesser things can keep you in a place where you aren’t soaring to your full potential. Delving into God’s Word, praying in tongues, and maintaining a grateful heart are some key things that will help you understand the law of life and bring victory to your thoughts, words, and actions. Don’t stay victimized by gravity; break out, because the higher law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free!

It’s good to know Jesus.
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 taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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.