Richard Ellis Talks

Sometimes we bring suffering on ourselves. Other times, God allows it to come -- not to hurt us, but to grow and strengthen us. In times of struggle it's important to lean into His goodness and trust in His love for us. He's promised to meet all of our needs, and He's faithful to keep that promise.

We're Christ's representatives on earth -- which means we're the candles that He left behind in this spiritually dark world in order to light the way to Him. Instead of hiding our light because we're ashamed or fearful of what people will think, we need to go out into the darkness and "contaminate" others (in a good way!) with the light that leads them to the Lord.

Often, we sacrifice rest in favor of work. But if we come to Jesus and do things His way, it's possible to do both at the same time. When we surrender and seek Him first, He lifts from our shoulders the heavy burdens that weigh us down and exhaust us.

Sometimes fighting a battle looks like picking up a sword. But other times, it simply looks like standing up against the enemy. We face a spiritual battle each and every day, and we've got to put on our spiritual armor and take a stand. Prayer is a powerful weapon: it keeps our focus on the Lord and what He's doing in and around us, even as we're fighting on the battlefield.

Ever find yourself disagreeing with a law or a political issue? We're entitled to our opinions, but we're not entitled to use those opinions as a basis to break the law. Whether we agree with the legality of an issue or not, and whether we like who's in office or not, Scripture tells us that God placed those specific people in charge -- and we're called to submit to their authority. In the same way that we obey God when we obey the law, we disobey God when we disobey the law.

God gave us the Law through Moses to show us that we're incapable of adhering to it perfectly and completely without Him. We're not meant to simply follow a set of rules; we're meant to be in a relationship with God Himself.

We like to give our time and energy to everything and everyone except the thing and the One that matter the most: the Kingdom of God, and God Himself. Scripture tells us that we can't serve two masters, but when we serve God first, everything else falls into place. If you want to be successful, here's a "pro" tip: Seek after the Lord, and you'll find eternal success.

There's a difference between a "know-it-all" person and a "knows-it-all" God. He doesn't want us to just know facts about Him; He wants us to know Him. The more time we spend with Him, the deeper our relationship grows -- and the more intimately we know Him, the more we can hear and obey His voice when He speaks.

Scripture tells us that the message of the cross is "foolishness" to many who hear it. The Gospel is a crazy story, and only the Holy Spirit can give us the power to believe it. It's not our job to convince people to believe in God or follow Jesus -- but it is our job to plant the seeds of truth in their hearts and pray that the Spirit will grow them.

Do you find yourself caught in a sin habit that you can't break on your own? Sometimes, all we need to do is ask for help -- but we're too afraid to do so. Until we go before the Lord and godly people around us with our struggles and imperfections, we'll never be able to break free.

Have you ever been defended when you were accused of wrongdoing? If so, you know the power of having someone else stand up for you. When we say "yes" to Jesus, we're pardoned for all our wrongs, because He stood up for us and sacrificed His life for ours. He was destined to be executed so that our sins could be erased and forgiven -- and because of His love, we're free to receive our "stay of execution".

God takes obedience to Him seriously -- but He also knows we can't obey Him through our own effort. None of us can be perfectly like Christ, but we can let Him work as Himself in us and through us. He alone can provide us with the power and the strength to say "yes" to what He asks.

Anyone can set a random goal -- but not everyone will set a godly goal. God places specific desires within each of our hearts that are honoring and pleasing to Him, and working towards the plans He's set for our lives helps make us ready for His calling when it becomes clear that we're being prompted to respond and obey.

Jesus tells us that He's the bread from Heaven that gives life -- and that we must fill ourselves with Him in order to receive that life. If we hunger and thirst after Him and His righteousness, He promises to satisfy us.

Name above all names. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. He's the ultimate "Jefe de Jefes" -- "boss of bosses" -- and there is great power found in His name. There are opposing forces that will try to prevent us from accessing His authority, but in faith and through prayer, each one of us can tap into the powerful world of God's mighty name.