Richard Ellis Talks

When the devil continues to remind you of your sin, allow God to remind you of your redemption through His Son's sacrifice on the cross. We have a hard time letting go of our past mistakes, but God already forgot them when we were washed clean in the blood of Christ.

Have you ever heard the saying, "be ready in and out of season"? It might surprise you to learn that phrase came straight out of Scripture! It was Paul's advice to Timothy, and it's still sound advice for us today as Christians. God will put us in the spiritual game in due season, in whatever capacity He has planned for us. Whether we're scoring the winning point, carrying water, washing feet, or sometimes even warming the bench, it's important that we show up with humility and patience and an attitude that says we're ready to follow His command.

There's a famous story in the Bible about a paralyzed man whose friends had such great faith in Jesus that they cut a hole through a roof in order to get their friend in front of Him to be healed. Not only did Jesus heal the man's physical ailment -- He also forgave the man's sins. When we have faith that God can do the seemingly "impossible", and when we ask things according to His will, we get a front-row seat to watch His power at work in us and around us.

We think we hold the keys to our own lives -- but we don't. We can try and try to "make" things happen, but if they're not God's will for our life, they're probably not going to work out as well as we planned. The only way to know His will is to walk with Him and spend time with Him, in prayer and through Scripture, and to follow where He leads.

Jesus assures us that if we choose to follow Him and obey His direction, the world will surely hate us. But although there will be people who are against us and what we believe, God may put some of them in our lives so He can use us to draw them closer to Him.

It's not your job to figure out how or if God's going to come through for you. And it's not my job to figure out how or if God's going to come through for me! It's our job to do what He tells us to do -- period. Whatever's holding us back from stepping out in obedience and surrender to Him has to be put aside if we're going to build our faith and watch Him work in our lives.

Have you ever found yourself in a job where you were just passing time? Maybe that's the season or the workplace that you find yourself in right now. It's tempting in that situation to be lazy -- but we're called to do everything for the glory of God. Christians should be known as the hardest-working people in the workplace, because we're working for the Lord, not for the approval of men.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we're branded with a "rebirth mark" that appears like a bullseye to the devil. He comes after us with temptations he knows we'll fall for. And while temptation may be inevitable, Scripture tells us that if we submit to God and resist the devil, he'll flee from us.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. These are the fruits of the Spirit, and should be the natural byproduct of every follower of Jesus. Tasted any lately? 

Every day, we're faced with the choice to deny ourselves or to deny God. Jesus could have denied us for being sinful, but instead, He chose us when He died on a cross, was buried and raised from the dead for our sins. Are you willing to deny yourself so that you can stand up and proclaim Him to those around you?