Richard Ellis Talks

Prayer isn't about running down our daily wish list to the "big Santa in the sky"! Prayer is our direct communication channel to the God of the universe. And the communication is meant to flow in both directions. As we grow in our relationship with Him, He begins to put things on our hearts to ask for, that are according to His will, and we see Him provide those things over and over!

Putting aside the influences that we may have been raised around when it comes to people who are different than us, Jesus unites us together and asks us to love one another. God’s family doesn't differentiate by race, economics, social standings, or anything else that our culture uses to distinguish people. We're ALL invited into salvation, because we're ALL equally loved by Him, and we can equally love Him, and equally love each other.

Richard Ellis puts it this way in today's Talk: We ALL make mistakes and stumble in our spiritual walk. But it's what happens afterwards in our response, as we accept and embrace our loving Father's discipline, that the power of grace and growth is most visible.

Salvation is a FREE GIFT from God, there's not one thing that we can do to earn it! However, once we receive that gift of God's grace, which places our names in the Book of Life, there are various "DNA tests" that can reflect that we're Christ followers, showing others that He lives in us and He's given us hope.

Walking "by faith and not by sight" is most vitally important when it comes to life's battles, struggles, trials, challenges. Those times when, on the surface, it seems like that battle's too big for us to fight. That's because, well, it is. We're not meant to fight alone. God promises to stand before us and fight the battle for us, if we just step out in faith and trust.

It's too simplistic and spiritually immature to presume that "God's protection" means that nothing bad will happen. That's just not the case. However, we can rest in the truth that He knows every detail of our lives, and cares for us as a Father cares for His children! So be assured that He's aware of our every need, and knows us intimately.

Sin is sin. It only takes one small sin to separate us from God for eternity. That's why He sent Jesus, to be the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins! We've ALL sinned, and fallen short of God's glory. So how dare we judge others against their sin! Let's be the first in line to LOVE the sinner, and let God take care of the sin.

The Bible’s clear about the reality of a spiritual battle going on for every eternal soul. As followers of Christ, we have the mighty protection of the armor of God available to utilize against the enemy’s attacks. But of course, in order for us to have victory in battle, we must PUT ON the armor of God!

The Bible’s clear about the “progression” of obedient responsibility. If God sees that we’re faithful in the small things, then He can trust us to be faithful in the larger things. In the same way, if we see that He’s faithful to us in the small things (which He is!), then when seemingly impossible things come up in life, we can trust Him to remain faithful!

It cost Jesus His life to get us delivered from the enemy. We sure don't need anyone delivering us back - especially ourselves and the sin that so easily entangles! So when we're being disciplined by God, trust Him that it's because He loves us and cares enough for our eternal souls to keep us on the path toward righteousness. Being mindful of that will help us respond with gratitude, repentance, and worship.

We've heard the old saying, "One bad apple spoils the whole barrel". That certainly applies to people who are "glass-half-empty" as well! They're not only no fun to be around, but their attitude can seep over into other people, corrupting others to live in negativity, bitterness, and even disobedience toward God.

God can do things that we don't even know about! We can't just look at what we can see, and see what God sees. He can also do what we can't do. He can do exceedingly and abundantly above whatever we could ask or think. When we put our faith in Him and step out as He leads, we'll be astonished at what He can do!

As humans born into a sinful world with a sinful nature, it's impossible to live a sinless life. However, with God's strength and discipline, we can live a "sin-less" life. Let's learn from our mistakes, confess them to Jesus, and ask Him for the strength to not repeat those sins in the future, trusting that "He who began a good work in us will finish it"!

During Jesus' ministry years, He was the perfect example of a servant leader. And now that the Church has been established, He remains the Leader. He's set up the healthy system in which servant leaders - who are always led by Him - protect and teach the people of the Church, fully embracing this honor and responsibility as servants of God and His people.

We've all heard the saying that "Whenever we point a finger at someone, our other fingers are pointing back at ourselves!" That can be so true when it comes to pointing out other people's faults and sins. Jesus is the only one who lived a perfect life and can say that everyone else has sinned, and it was His death that made it possible for us all to be made clean.