When it comes to the things we value -- our time, our money, our talents -- we tend to hold back from God because we're afraid He's going to take it away and leave us empty-handed. But when we give Him all we have, He can use it in miraculous ways. Instead of hoarding what He's given to us in the first place, let's offer it freely, knowing He can t…

Though this world is filled with evil, God's given us the ability to overcome it through the power and protection of His Holy Spirit. He's chosen to dwell in us so that we may become more like Him and able to fight against darkness. And once the Spirit lives within us, there's nothing that can ever separate us from Him!…

Even Christians who have seen the Light sometimes still choose to live in the dark. When we hide with our sin, we become prisoners of war. But God calls us to expose our sinful ways and walk in truth, embracing the abundant life He offers to us.By Richard Ellis

When Jesus died to save us from the power of sin, He replaced it with the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. We should live with confidence, not fear, knowing that whatever temptations and trials we face can be overcome through that same power.By Richard Ellis

As believers in the salvation power of Jesus Christ, we know this world is only a "terminal", a waiting room en route to our permanent destination of Heaven. But while we're here in transit, God's got a purpose for us to fulfill, and it's up to us to live out that purpose while we wait for Him to bring us home.…

When our relationship with the Lord is where it's supposed to be, our relationships with other people tend to flourish, too. And the greatest friend we can ever have is Jesus! Through Him, even the most broken relationships can be reconciled if we allow Him to intervene and heal those past and present hurts.…

God has the power to raise people from the dead -- He did that through Jesus, and He does that in us when we believe in Him. Christ died so we could live. But He didn't just sacrifice Himself to give us an abundant life in Heaven -- He did it to give us an abundant life here on earth, too.By Richard Ellis

We're our own worst critics, and when we mess up, if we're not careful, we can spend the rest of our lives wallowing in the mess and just surviving until our time on earth is done. But our purpose in this life is to live for Christ - not to merely exist, or to use this as a waiting room for heaven. God's given us a calling through His Son to be in …

Our life's purpose isn't to gain glory for ourselves -- it's to bring glory to the God of the universe by spreading the Gospel far and wide. And the best way we can do that is by allowing Him to use us as a "slingshot" for other believers who are looking to us to lead them forward. When we disciple those who are following behind us, we equip them t…

The devil will always try his hardest to get us to stumble when we're obeying the Lord. And that's never more true than in our relationships. When we're married, it's critical that we remain content in our own bed, and that we have people around us to hold us accountable. God is clear about the importance of staying sexually pure within marriage, b…

God sacrificed His Son to save us. That doesn't mean we should just grab our ticket to heaven and waste our time here. He desires to use our lives for His glory, to pour us out as an offering and to let us become part of His Kingdom's work.By Richard Ellis

In a world of 24/7 news and social media, it can sometimes feel impossible to not get caught up in criticizing those in leadership. But as Christians, we're called to pray for all who are in authority -- whether we voted for them or not. Instead of complaining about the way things are being run, let's try getting on our knees, praying for those in …

Jesus left His disciples with the Great Commission -- the directive to go and spread the Gospel throughout the whole world. But do you know what's even more amazing? The same power that was in those disciples, who took the Gospel to the ends of the earth, is also in us when we choose to follow Jesus. We're not meant to keep what He's done for us hi…

When we become Christians, we put our old life to death and begin a new life in which we submit to the Lord. But we often struggle to leave our sin behind in the process. Our flesh reminds us of the sin that we're "missing out" on, but when we hold fast to Jesus and learn to resist the temptation, we begin to miss the sin less and seek God more.…

It's easy for us to get caught up in our lives, just doing our own thing. But sometimes, God comes along, calls us out, and stops us in our tracks. And when the Lord uses something to get our attention, we'd better take notice and follow where He leads!By Richard Ellis

The world is filled with wolves in sheep's clothing -- and that includes in the Church. As Christians, it's important for us to always be discerning. Many churches today concern themselves more with pleasing a culture that's rooted in sin than with pleasing Jesus. That's why we need to pay attention to those who come into our church family, and tho…

The world is full of generally-accepted beliefs that are completely countered by Scriptural truth. No matter how much we've been told something, or how fervently we want to believe it, the fact remains: if it doesn't match up with what the Bible tells us, it isn't true. Before we can engage in productive conversations in our world today, we have to…

The more we understand that it's only by God's grace that we're part of His family, the more humbled we feel. And with that humility comes a desire to share the Gospel message with others. As we draw closer to Jesus, we realize the diversity of all those whom He calls His children, and that we're all brought together in unity because of Him.…

The Bible promises that we'll have trouble in this life. But God has a bigger plan for us -- and out of our mourning comes His glory. Only He can provide the kind of lasting joy that persists even when tragedy strikes. And when He puts that gladness in our hearts that those around us may not understand, nothing will be able to steal it from us.…

It's all too easy for us to make judgments about other people when we're ignorant about their lives and their backgrounds. But that's not a justification for us to stay ignorant. Instead, let's seek to learn from and about others so we're better able to share the Gospel with them in ways they can understand.…

If you are not for Christ, you're anti-Christ. Scripture makes it clear that there's a distinct line separating those who proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and those who don't. There's no room to be on the fence; either we live for Him, or we live against Him.By Richard Ellis

We all need encouragement. So why are we so reluctant to give it away? When we have an opportunity to build someone up, let's take it as a chance to encourage them and not worry that it'll give them a big ego. And when it comes to giving praises, let's start by praising our God for all He's done for us!…

In order to "run the race" that Scripture talks about, we have to find our strength and source in Jesus. And before we can do that, we have to allow ourselves to receive God's free gift of grace. When we keep our eyes on Him and allow ourselves to be used for His glory, He equips us to run not just any race, but a winning race.…

Scripture tells us that no matter how "good" a person thinks they are, we're each lost and adrift in this world. Regardless of our status or title in life, we're all shipwrecked and in need of a Savior. And while we're on this "island" of a temporary home called earth, we should be using our time to share the Good News so others can find rescue, to…

Men tend to find their value in their work -- and when they lose a job, they often lose their sense of value along with it. But when a man finds his identity in Christ, He can rest in the Lord's will for his life knowing God will take care of him no matter his work. Instead of trusting in earthly positions, let's put our trust in the Father who pro…

The Proverbs 31 woman is the kind of woman who works hard at the tasks God's given her -- but that can look like a lot of different things, depending on the season! When we become parents, it's important for us to learn to work around our kids, not make our kids work around our jobs. And if the Lord is laying on our hearts to stay home with our kid…

The workplace is a prime location for relationships to start innocently, only to ultimately lead down a path of ungodly behavior. And when we're married, it's not only to the detriment of ourselves, but also to our spouses. Instead of "playing with fire", we're called to live up to a standard of integrity with everyone we encounter -- including our…

God's placed us at our jobs for His purpose, not our own. And in those workplaces, we're to be reflections of Him to those with whom we work. Instead of gossiping about others, or chasing after our own gains, let's be diligent in our responsibilities and remember that ultimately, we're working for the Lord.…

When we step into a saving relationship with Jesus, we simultaneously step into an "all-access pass" to every blessing, every power, and every piece of knowledge we need to live a God-honoring life. But to actually take advantage of this access, we have to be consistently growing in our walk with God, and one of the best ways to do that is through …

When we continue to entertain thoughts of sin, we're living in disobedience to God and we'll inevitably suffer the consequences. But Jesus didn't die for us to stay captive to sin -- He gave His life so we could be set free. What happens when we surrender to Him and live in the freedom that He offers?…

Scripture tells us how the Apostle Peter learned what it meant to love and accept all people -- even those society viewed as "unclean". In the same way, we have to learn to look at others through God's eyes. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable, but we've got to be willing to say "yes" when He calls us to reach out to other people, because they migh…

Regardless of how we see ourselves, God sees us as His own sons and daughters -- people of greatness because Christ made it so. When we look in the mirror, we might not see ourselves as anything special. But when we choose to follow Jesus, we're adopted into God's family, and He instills greatness in us.…

We believe God is all-knowing and all-powerful, and that He is more than capable of intervening on our behalf. But He's also invited us into the practice of intercessory prayer. There have likely been more times than we realize that we've been held up by the power of people's prayers; we have a responsibility to obey the Holy Spirit's prompting and…

Life comes with suffering and tragedy -- they're a package deal in our broken world. But trusting God through our trials allows Him to use them (and us) for His greater good. Let's allow Him to work through us in every circumstance, knowing He is greater than anything we face.By Richard Ellis

When people encounter Christians, they're coming so close to Christ without even knowing it. We're carriers of God's love to the world -- and that means we have to take advantage of every opportunity to spread the Gospel. Whether or not they choose to be close-minded, we have a responsibility to obey the Lord's leading to share the Good News.…

We don't have to do huge things or make grand gestures in order to please God. On the contrary, it's when we sacrifice ourselves for His sake in little, everyday ways that we honor Him. The key is to start small and obey His leading, so that when He prompts us to make bigger changes down the road, we'll be available to be used by Him in amazing way…

The true mark of a Christ follower is that we bear spiritual fruit that points to God's work in us. When we repent, He takes the "dung" in our lives - our sin - and uses it to fertilize us in a way that produces fruitful impact, which in turn glorifies Him.By Richard Ellis

When we accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we're born again spiritually. And when we've been born again, we need to be cared for and nurtured like...well...a newborn! When we're new believers, we've got to seek out mature Christians who can disciple us. And when we're mature Christians, we've got to seek out new believers who need he…

No matter who's in charge of governments here on earth, here's the good news: God is sovereign over all. We may not always understand His reasons for putting those in authority in charge, but Scripture commands us to honor and submit to them. Not only that, but as Christians, it's our job to lift our leaders up in prayer to the Lord.…

Entertaining temptation is like playing with fire: no one gets out without getting burned. The Bible gives us specific instructions on resisting the temptation of sexual sin. The devil will always try to lure us with tempting thoughts in order to distract us, and in those moments it's as important as ever that we go to God in repentance and receive…

Have you ever looked at the Bible and thought it was like reading a foreign language?! That's why discipleship is such an important part of our spiritual development. We all need people along the way who can help us to connect the dots of Scriptural truth -- and in turn, we need to be those people for new believers in faith.…

Jesus was the ultimate example of what it means to put love into action. He humbled Himself to be a servant in the most significant ways, including doing the job of washing dirty feet and serving someone who He knew would betray Him. If we want to follow Christ, then it means serving regardless of who we're called to serve or how messy the job migh…

Whether it's our job, our house, or even the situations we face on a regular basis, it's so easy for us to become discontent with our circumstances. But we're not where we are by random chance -- we're there by God's design. Instead of focusing on our location all the time, let's ask Him how He wants to use us in the very places where He's put us.…

Scripture tells us that one day, all of our thoughts and our actions will be judged and rewarded accordingly in eternity. We're saved through faith in Jesus Christ, but that doesn't lessen our responsibility to live obedient lives that glorify God in the process.By Richard Ellis

There are people around the world who have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some may suffer the loss of a job or a reputation -- others suffer the loss of their own lives. But following Jesus means being prepared to do whatever it takes to proclaim His love, because He was willing to die for us first.…

A crucial part of the Christian life is finding a God-honoring church and then committing to it as God leads -- even if it gets hard, or we don't like what's being said all the time! God created us to be connected, and that connection is found in building relationships and being together with our church family.…

Sometimes it feels scary to speak up for the Gospel, especially when there's a risk of persecution in some way. But God is the provider of all our needs, and He's bigger than any consequence we might face, whether it's being hated by somebody or losing something. When the Spirit leads us to speak, it's up to us to open our mouths in obedience and t…

When Jesus walked this earth, He healed many people, and He taught His disciples to do the same. God still wants to use us to do His work today. As Christians, we're called to be the hands and feet of Jesus -- but we have to obey when He prompts us instead of fearing what He's asking of us.By Richard Ellis

The world is full of people striving for self-made success. But true success can only be found in following Jesus. When we submit our lives to Him, we not only are able to experience that true success ourselves, but we grow into a position of leading and discipling others, leaving successors behind when we leave this earth for eternity.…

We serve a God Who's capable of doing the impossible! And He wants to do those kinds of "impossible" things in us and through us, but we have to surrender our will and obey His, first. When we yield to Jesus, we experience first-hand His amazing power and miraculous blessings.By Richard Ellis