Richard Ellis Talks

Just as Jesus followed His Father’s direction to the Olive Garden and then the cross, leading to His death and resurrection, we must be willing to give up our own lives, take up our cross of suffering and follow Him. The only way our lives will work well is if we give up control and let Him have it all.

There may be times when God tells us to do something, but He may also tell us that we need to wait on Him to do it. When God’s power is present in our lives because we are waiting on Him, it is evident to everyone around us. When we try to do something in our own power we will always fail, so it is better to wait on God for His leadership, guidance and power.

Sometimes it’s the most religious people who question the truth, rather than the unreligious atheists, because they are too caught up in their traditions that they fail to see the light. We need to evaluate ourselves and make sure that we are not too caught up in our own ways and playing the devil’s advocate to what God may be trying to show us.

Giving thanks is something that does not happen as often as it should. As we look at our lives, we need to make a point to thank the people around us who deserve our gratitude, and we need to thank God for all the blessings He gives.

The world is full of things that we think may be good for us, but instead they come with consequence in the long run. God gives us instructions in His Word to follow that keep us on a path that truly is good for us. When we choose to submit our lives to Him, we find fulfillment in obeying Him and staying on the right path.

While becoming a Christian gets us a ticket into Heaven, it’s about so much more than that. Jesus offers us freedom from sin in our lives that continually drags us down and brings consequence. When we apply Scripture to our lives we can live in that freedom.

The Bible clearly states that we are slaves, but the master is up to us. We can choose to be slaves to sin, allowing the devil to run our lives, or we can be slaves to God and live in obedience. Even when we disobey God, His grace is still extended to us and sometimes that comes through consequence.

There are people in this world that have no idea that there is a spiritual battle going on for their soul and they live wickedly, allowing the devil to win. We must put on the armor of God and fight for them, telling them passionately about God’s love and His offer for salvation.

Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean we are saved from facing any kind of storm in our lives. However, when we stand firm in Christ we become weathered to face those storms and not crumble under them.

We all face situations in our daily lives that can grind on us and often seem unbearable for much longer. While it is important that we pray with persistence in asking God to change the situation, we also need to be open to allowing Him to change us. Our peace comes from faith in Him regardless of our circumstances.