Richard Ellis Talks

When we hit the "F5" button on most keyboards, it refreshes our screen. But did you know that God wants us to hit the "F5" button in our spiritual lives, too? God designed us for a pattern of work and of rest, but unless that rest is found in Him, sooner or later, we're going to burn out. But when we follow Him, the "work" we do for Him doesn't even feel like work -- it feels like refreshment for our souls!

When we hit the "F5" button on most keyboards, it refreshes our screen. But did you know that God wants us to hit the "F5" button in our spiritual lives, too? God designed us for a pattern of work and of rest, but unless that rest is found in Him, sooner or later, we're going to burn out. But when we follow Him, the "work" we do for Him doesn't even feel like work -- it feels like refreshment for our souls!

God doesn't tell us that we might be tempted in this life -- He guarantees that we will be tempted in this life! Temptation's inevitable in a broken world, and many of us find ourselves tempted by the same things over and over and over again. The good news? God promises that He'll always give us a way out and an "exit sign" to escape temptation, if we're just willing to obey and follow Him!

God doesn't tell us that we might be tempted in this life -- He guarantees that we will be tempted in this life! Temptation's inevitable in a broken world, and many of us find ourselves tempted by the same things over and over and over again. The good news? God promises that He'll always give us a way out and an "exit sign" to escape temptation, if we're just willing to obey and follow Him!

What scares you about the future? It's easy to be afraid of the unknown, but our God knows the future and nothing takes Him by surprise! When we trust that God holds the future and He's always in control, He'll lead us according to His will.

What scares you about the future? It's easy to be afraid of the unknown, but our God knows the future and nothing takes Him by surprise! When we trust that God holds the future and He's always in control, He'll lead us according to His will.

We don't sin in a vacuum. Whether we do the right thing or the wrong thing, other people are always impacted by our choices. When Jonah resisted the instructions God gave him, so many other people were affected by his disobedience -- and in the same way, when we disobey God, other people suffer the consequences of our sin.  

We don't sin in a vacuum. Whether we do the right thing or the wrong thing, other people are always impacted by our choices. When Jonah resisted the instructions God gave him, so many other people were affected by his disobedience -- and in the same way, when we disobey God, other people suffer the consequences of our sin.  

We're born into a world of sin, a world in which we feel naked and ashamed. When Jesus paid the ultimate price by dying for us, He hung on the cross naked and exposed, and He took on not only our sin, but also our shame. He gave Himself for us so that when we come to Him, butt naked and in need, He can cover us with His sacrifice.

We're born into a world of sin, a world in which we feel naked and ashamed. When Jesus paid the ultimate price by dying for us, He hung on the cross naked and exposed, and He took on not only our sin, but also our shame. He gave Himself for us so that when we come to Him, butt naked and in need, He can cover us with His sacrifice.

Jesus prayed that His Church would be united together as one Body because He knew that we could do so much more for God's Kingdom together than we could alone. The devil will always do his best to stop the Body of Christ from fulfilling God's work by seeking to drive us apart, but when we're "whole in one" and there's unity, no power of hell can stop what's being accomplished!

Jesus prayed that His Church would be united together as one Body because He knew that we could do so much more for God's Kingdom together than we could alone. The devil will always do his best to stop the Body of Christ from fulfilling God's work by seeking to drive us apart, but when we're "whole in one" and there's unity, no power of hell can stop what's being accomplished!

The devil loves nothing more than to remind us of our mistakes, our flaws, and our sinful pasts. But God promises us that when we're saved and redeemed in Christ, He removes our sin from us and remembers it no more. In those moments when we hear the voice of the enemy try to creep in and bring up the past, the most powerful weapons we can fight back with are the Word of God and the spirit of praise as we thank God for the freedom He's given us and the future He's got in store for us.

One of the most well-known miracles in the Bible is the story of a group of men who had such great faith in Jesus that they lowered their paralyzed friend through a hole in a roof just so Jesus could touch and heal him. The faith of the man's friends and the man's obedient response to Jesus resulted not only in him being healed of his physical ailment, but in having his sins forgiven. Like the paralyzed man, when we have faith that God can do the impossible and we obey what He tells us to do, we're rewarded by seeing His power at work in us, through us, and all around us.

We do a pretty good job at following our own will for our lives -- but when it comes to following God's will for us, we tend to be a little more resistant to obeying! We can try to make things go the way we want, but if it's not God's will for us, then it's probably going to wind up getting us into a huge mess. So, how do we know God's will for our lives? It starts by spending time with Him, listening to Him, and then following Him where He leads!