Richard Ellis Talks

We can study the Bible all we want, but until we're given fresh eyes through the Holy Spirit, we will never be able to truly see and know God. In order to grow deeper in our relationship with Him, we can start by asking Him to reveal Himself to us through His Spirit in Scripture.

When we're born again as new Christians, it's important that we receive "milk", or spiritual nourishment, from more mature believers. But eventually, we have to be weaned off and learn to chew on "solid food"! As we grow in our relationship with God, we're then able to turn and help feed other new Christians in their faith.

 

The most effective way for someone to become a truly great leader is for them to already be following someone else. And when we follow Jesus Christ, we're called to become leaders ourselves, make disciples, and teach others to do the same. Discipleship and leadership have to be the focus of the Church -- otherwise, we get out of focus and lose our purpose as the Body of Christ.

When God gave us Scripture, He documented His works and His promises in writing -- all so that we might believe and be changed. But knowing the Word of God and believing the Word of God are two different things. And when we believe it, the power of His Word transforms our lives and we bear spiritual fruit as a result.

There's a difference between saying "I'm sorry" and actually meaning it! Just because God offers us mercy and forgiveness doesn't mean we get to take it lightly. True repentance comes with deep sorrow when we realize what we've done wrong -- and genuine change follows as a result.

God isn't interested in sharing the glory He deserves. That's why we often experience situations that require us to put our full trust in Him and Him alone. We need to first start believing that He's for us, not against us -- and then we need to put that faith into action. When we trust God in seemingly impossible circumstances, we get to see His glory shine through our lives in a way that reflects back on Him.

God's Word has the power to work in us to expose our hearts -- and our sin. But it also has the power to renew and redeem us. Instead of running from biblical conviction, let's lean into it with a desire to be more obedient to Him.

All over the world, you can find monuments that have been built to remember men and women who gave their lives for a cause. It's important for us to remember the cost of these earthly battles -- but we also need to keep in mind that there's another battle raging constantly for the eternal future of our souls. Jesus gave His life to win that battle for us, but it's up to us to choose which side we're on.

We tend to seek a mate first and then ask for God's blessing later. But what would it look like if we reversed that by seeking God and then allowing Him to direct our steps? When we put God first before moving forward in a relationship, He guides and directs us to the blessing of marriage the way He intended it to be.

Before He returned to Heaven, Jesus promised that one day, He'd come back for His followers -- and it's our job to be ready and spread the word. God's desire is for every single person to know Him so that they could spend eternity with Him. Sadly, not all will choose to follow Him, but it's up to those of us who do to anxiously await our King, and to tell everybody we meet about Him in the meantime.