Richard Ellis Talks

When we believe in our hearts that we've already won, we live our lives like winners! And that's never more true than when we live victoriously in the knowledge that Jesus has triumphed over death. We'll still face battles in this temporary life, but we can take heart in knowing He's already won the war -- and we're on the winning side.

As Christians, we can strive to stay on the right track and do all the right things. But sooner or later, we'll be tempted to slip back into our old sin habits, and the community we've surrounded ourselves with will largely determine whether or not we succumb to that temptation. As brothers and sisters in Christ, let's make sure we're here to pick one another up when we fall!

Our obedience to God isn't what saves us -- but it is what determines the "prize" that God's promised us in Heaven. The Apostle Paul encourages believers to live godly lives focused on Jesus as our prize, knowing that the suffering and trials in this world will all be made worthwhile in the end.

If the world could have one motto, it would be: "anything goes". But in a culture where there's no right and wrong, and we're encouraged to do whatever we want as long as it makes us happy, we not only have to make a conscious choice to hold onto the truth -- we also have to be bold enough to speak it. Scripture's clear that we're all born in sin, but it's up to us whether we choose to continue living in that sin or follow Christ and allow Him to transform our lives from the inside out.

When it comes to trusting God's provision for our lives, Jesus tells us that our Father makes sure that even the birds are taken care of. Instead of fearing the unknown or worrying about what lies ahead, we can have faith that He goes before us and that He'll meet our every need.

Christianity is not an individual sport! God designed His family to function in unity, as one team. When we work together, we can accomplish the seemingly impossible tasks He's called us to. And the biggest one of those is reaching the world with the Gospel -- but we've got to join the team in order to do it.

The Bible's packed with stories of people experiencing injustice. Yet God somehow uses their experiences for His good and for His glory. We have a responsibility to speak up when necessary, but to leave justice in His hands. When God puts something on our hearts, we have to hold on to what He tells us to do.

There are sins each of us struggle with that we find virtually impossible to quit. It can be hard to imagine trading in our temporary pleasures for eternal joy. But through Christ, we're given the strength to break any addiction, and He promises to replace the pain of our transgressions with the joy of His love when we obey.

It's both normal and acceptable to have questions and doubts -- about God, about Jesus, about life itself! But it's important that when we're looking for solutions, we seek them first and foremost in God's Word. When Scripture gives us the answers that we've been searching for, we've got to take them at face value because the cost of remaining skeptics is much too great.

Anyone can read words on a page. But the words of Scripture come alive in a new way when the Holy Spirit reveals their truth to us -- and it changes our lives forever! When we ask God to help His Word jump off the page and infiltrate our lives, we begin to better understand the depths of His love for us.