Richard Ellis Talks

From the moment we take our first breaths until the moment we take our last, we're engaged in a spiritual battle for our souls. Scripture tells us that God will give us all the strength we need to take a stand against the enemy, but we have to be willing to do just that -- stand up and fight. And one of the best ways we can ready ourselves to take a stand in the big things is to take a stand in seemingly small things along the way.

First question: How many decisions do you make in a day, big or small? Second question: How many of those decisions do you make without ever consulting God about them? Too often we ask Him to bless our choices after we've already made them, instead of seeking His wisdom first and letting Him spare us from the unnecessary consequences of our own immaturity.

God hears us when we cry and He promises to answer. But sometimes, His answer lies in other people! That's why He designed the Church: to be a family, a community, and a place for us to seek help and to offer help in return.

Our purpose in this world is about so much more than just receiving salvation and a ticket to heaven like it's a "get out of jail free" card. Jesus left us here so we could pass on the baton of the Gospel to others. When we disciple people in their relationship with the Lord, we equip them to go on and do the same work of expanding His Kingdom.

Jesus committed Himself to us when He went so far as to die on the cross for our sins. Now it's our turn to follow Him with the same kind of whole-hearted devotion. When we're wholly committed to Jesus, our whole lives become a living testament to His love and His glory.

We'll face tough times in this life that shock us because we never saw them coming. But when we allow God to use us in those moments and trust Him in the trial, He awes us with His response. And sometimes, our own struggles can even serve as a bridge to reach others and expand His Kingdom.

When God opens doors for us, He doesn't play guessing games about whether or not we should enter! He opens them because He knows that when we go through, what lies on the other side is an opportunity to bring Him glory. The closer we are in relationship with Him, the more we can trust His direction and the better we're able to see those doors when He leads us to them and through them.

Scripture reminds us that God made us just the way we are, with all of our unique intricacies. He knows us completely and loves us more than anybody else could. From the moment we became life in the womb, He had plans for each one of us, and He's able to fulfill those plans no matter the mistakes we make along the way if only we're willing to submit ourselves in obedience to Him.

History is filled with examples of people being deceived into believing that something being legal was the same as it being right. But it's never okay to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, and we have to be willing to take a stand and call sin out for what it is. Legal or not, abortion is a tragic epidemic in our society, and as Christians, we have a responsibility to advocate for the lives of the unborn.

We're going to be on fire one way or another -- not only in this life, but for all eternity. We can get caught up chasing our sin and being burned by its consequences. Or, God can light a fire in us through His Holy Spirit that can burn away our sinful desires and stoke an all-consuming passion in our hearts to chase after Him, instead.