Richard Ellis Talks

In John 15, Jesus tells us that if the world hates us, we should keep in mind that it hated Him first. When we follow and obey Him, sooner or later we'll experience persecution from those who are against us. God might even put someone in our lives who hates us at first, but He can use us to bring them to Him.

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how God's going to come through for us. But we forget that our only job is to obey what He tells us to do! When we put aside the things that keep us from stepping out in obedience, we're able to watch God work and move in our lives. And when we obey Him in whatever He tells us to do, He's got a way of taking care of all the details and blessing our obedience.

God's grace is what paves the way for our salvation -- but His desire is that we'd continue to grow and mature in Him. When we build a strong foundation of faith, we're able to stand firm through the fires of life -- and from that faith come good works that allow Him to use us for His glory.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive and clothe ourselves in the "armor of God" to fight our spiritual battles. And when we put our hands together and pray, we unleash one of the most powerful weapons God's made available to us. There will still be casualties and we'll still get wounded in the fight, but through Christ, we're given the assurance that He'll defeat the enemy and have the ultimate victory.

Martin Luther once said, "The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” In other words: as Christians we should be the best workers in our workplaces, because we're called to do everything for God, not for men! It's tempting sometimes to be lazy and not develop the skills we have. But if God's our true boss, then it's critical that we give it all we've got and bring our best work ethic to the table as a reflection -- not of ourselves, but of Him.  

When we give our lives to Christ, we become "reborn" -- and that's a good thing! But it also puts a "birth mark" on us that's like a bullseye to the devil. When the enemy sees us drawing closer to the Lord, he'll do whatever it takes to stop that from happening, including luring us with temptation. The Bible tells us that if we submit to God and resist the devil, he'll flee from us.

When it comes to following Jesus, there's no going halfway. We're all faced with a choice, and we have to pick one or the other: are we going to deny ourselves, or are we going to deny God? Jesus gave His life so we could have ours -- are we ready to stand up and proclaim Him to everyone around us?

By His very nature, God is a good God. But He's also a good Father, and He cares for us and our needs like the best of dads would do! When we submit to living the way He instructs, our good Lord has promised to never withhold any good thing from us -- and we can trust that anything we face, whether blessing or suffering, is for what He sees as good.

In the same way as a baby's growth starts by consuming milk from its mother, new Christians need someone to feed them, teach them, and help them grow, too. A healthy church will always have two kinds of people -- those who are new in their faith, and those who are helping those new believers mature to the point where they, too, can help feed and grow others.

It's hard to run full-speed ahead when we're holding onto something heavy that's dragging us down -- and there's no heavier burden in life than the weight of our own sin. When we let go of the baggage that's holding us back, we're free to run with endurance towards Christ. Nothing in this world that we hold on to is better than the life that He offers us!

A blue flame is usually the hottest and most intense part of a fire, and that blue flame has the ability to cut through just about anything! But have we ever considered that God uses the difficulties we experience to develop a "blue flame" in us spiritually? Sometimes God "turns up the heat" in our lives by walking us through tough circumstances -- because when we become blue flames for Him, He can use us to do incredible things.

How many of us, if we're being honest, can remember a time when God called us to be obedient and we responded with "but" or "I can't" or "maybe later"?! No matter how legitimate our justification might seem to us, every excuse not to obey God is a lame excuse. But it's not too late to ask His forgiveness and be obedient in what He's calling us to do -- He commits to taking care of our needs when we commit to following Him!

When it comes to your spiritual growth, are you maturing, or staying stuck in "toddlerhood"? Just as an infant develops and grows, we're also meant to develop and grow in our relationship with God. One of the ways we do that is with help and nurturing from other believers.

Most of us would probably agree that it's wrong to steal. But do we ever stop to think that it's possible for us to steal from God by not tithing back to Him what's already His? When we give to the Lord what He's called us to give, He blesses us and uses us to bless others.

The devil's always been out to steal, kill, and destroy. And because we have free will and the ability to choose sin, he does a pretty good job at it. But God's offered us another way, an abundant life, when we yield our will to His and walk in obedience to Him.