Richard Ellis Talks

The story of Esther shows us how she took the chance that God gave her to obey Him and ultimately save her people. Our purpose in life is not to be happy and live nonchalantly but rather to seek out the people God has placed in our lives so that we can take the chance when it comes to share the Gospel with them.

Before time began it was the plan for Jesus to leave His throne and come to earth, serving the lowest people and giving His life for us all. God calls us to live in the same way, walking out in our identity as a servant of the Most High God, reaching the world with His Gospel.

While we can take on many good things, they may not all be things that God is calling us to do. We need to listen to God when He gives us a task, and while we are accomplishing it we should feel rested instead of exhausted because He’ll give us all we need to accomplish His work.

We face a real spiritual enemy, the devil and his demons, whose whole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. Being aware of that enemy, our job is to look out for people who are broken down and help them get to God who is capable of fixing their brokenness.

Just as we can check the quality and level of oil in a car by pulling out the dipstick, God can check the health of a church or individual Christian whenever He pleases. We must live according to His Word, spreading the Gospel and expanding His Kingdom by building relationships with others through reaching out and listening.

The Bible teaches us that everything we have is given to us by God, and our job is to be a good steward of what He’s given us. We are to hold these possessions loosely if He decides He wants to use us to give it away. He has promised to always provide food and clothing, and with that we can learn to be content in any and all circumstances.

When we harbor sin in our life, we tend to hide from God and from others. In order to experience the true freedom and healing that God offers through His forgiveness and mercy, we need to confess our sins to Him and to another believer who will hold us accountable.

The Bible tells us that God’s angels are all around us, yet we cannot see them. He has more power for us, in and through us, than any kind of demonic power that could ever come against us. We must ask God to show us those who are not saved so that we can share the Good News of salvation with them and one day see them in Heaven.

We can easily find ourselves bound to certain sins until God breaks us of it, causing us to repent and change our ways. God can give us the power to overcome sin, but we have to first be broken so the He can change us and help us move forward.

Just like showing up at a gym doesn’t make any difference in our physical health, attending a church doesn’t change our lives. It’s when we engage with other believers who are bold enough to ask us the difficult questions and gracious enough to help us work through our sin that change happens. We need to be willing to do the work to make a difference in our lives.