Richard Ellis Talks

The story goes, that David only had 5 smooth stones when he readied to fight Goliath, because that's all his hand could hold! But of course, it only took one stone to bring the giant down, because God was on David's side (or rather, David was on God's side). When we're living in the will of God, He promises to give us what we need when we take a stand for Him!

Have you ever looked at a sunset, or a butterfly, or how our feet work? There are so many examples of God joyfully gifting mankind, blessing His children, and even coming up with imaginative treats (popcorn)! Every bit of His creation speaks of His great love for us!

Encouragement is like a dessert: welcomed, gives us joy, and leaves us fulfilled and refreshed. Discouragement is like a desert: void of any life-giving qualities. When we're encouraged, we feel loved and valued, and are motivated to then encourage others!

There’s a difference between just reading the Bible, and actually applying what it says to our lives. We only start growing spiritually when we allow what we’re reading to permeate our nature, motivate our purpose, and change our life! Once Scripture starts making a difference in us, we can begin to seek out other people to help them learn to do the same.

Sometimes, spiritual immaturity simply means that a person hasn't been a Christ follower long enough to move off of "milk" and on to "solid spiritual food" that'll help the growth process. But another common example of spiritual immaturity is simply choosing not to grow forward from childish and selfish attitudes, malice, envy, anger, unforgiveness.

The spiritual harvest of souls is a multi-layered, several-stepped process. If we’re each faithful with the part that God calls us to - whether it’s planting, watering, nurturing, weeding, or harvesting - every step is equally important! So instead of hesitating because of our own insecurities, we need to listen to God’s leading, step out in obedience, and do our part in His harvest.

God wants believers to pursue Him, because when we do, our hearts begin to change, and He places specific prayer-worthy desires in us. When we pray with persistence about these things that He's put on our hearts, He promises that He'll give us those desires, because they'll be aligned with what His will is for our lives!

When a person accepts God's offer of forgiveness over sin through Jesus' atoning sacrifice, that person is saved and headed to Heaven! However, Jesus has given every believer this calling: to share the Good News, to focus on the work God's given us to do, and to serve as soldiers in the Army of God fighting for the souls of others.

The Christian life isn't meant to be lived alone, but instead, God designed the Church to be His Body that supports each member through the struggles of life. And the more we maturer in our faith, the more clearly we notice those around us who need support, encouragement, and community.

As believers, we have God's strength to lean on when it comes to the temptation of sin! So when the "Dangerous Curves Ahead" warning signs are posted right in front of us, let's heed God's warning, let's not repeat that sin that we've already found victory over, and let's avoid the consequences of what continued sin can and will do to our relationship with God.

Being a member of God’s family involves putting our fears aside and letting people see us for who we really are - struggles included - so that we can get help and then help others. Growth in our relationship with God will only happen when we begin peeling back our layers and letting Him - and others - in!

"They won't care how much we know, until they know how much we care." We've all heard that phrase, probably in the context of reflecting God's love and hope to others, rather than "beating them up" with our God-knowledge. So here's a different angle: When times are tough, do we know how much God cares? It's a challenging reminder to live by faith, resting in the truth that God has PROMISED to never leave us, to never turn His back on us!

When it comes to the once-and-for-all blood sacrifice, able to cleanse us from all our sin, Jesus is the "Universal Donor". His blood came directly from the Father via the virgin birth, and therefore has the power to wash away every stain of sin, bringing with it both an abundant earthly life, and an eternal heavenly life!

God has designed in each person, unique gifting, talent, skills, and passions to accomplish His work in the world. When we discover what it is that we're passionate about, we can use that passion to help grow the Kingdom of God!

The simple message of the Gospel: I was once lost, but now I'm found, because of God's great love and grace shown to me through His son Jesus. Telling others about how Christ has redeemed us is important, but living an authentic and transparent life is the strongest form of evangelism!