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.Oleh 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.Oleh 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.Oleh 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.Oleh 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.Oleh Richard Ellis

It's easy to compare ourselves to others. And when we compare -- whether it's our appearances, our finances, or our circumstances -- we tend to question God. But in the same way that the pot doesn't question the potter, we've got to trust God's plan and purpose for our life and allow Him to use us however He sees fit.…

The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden shows the consequence of sin, the shame that comes after it, and the necessity of death to cover it. But that is the Gospel story: that Jesus took on our nakedness and guilt when He died on the cross on our behalf, offering us a covering and right relationship with God.…

Every believer is called to share the Gospel with those around them. And in the places where we work, God's called us to be "on the job" for Him. The single greatest way we can demonstrate the love of Christ and the impact of the Gospel on our lives is to be salt and light to those around us -- and to show the world that we live differently because…

Changing our actions means nothing unless we allow God to come in and change our hearts. Instead of judging other people for the lifestyle choices they make, let's examine ourselves first and realize we need Jesus just as much as they do! When we allow Him to come in and change us on the inside, it will reflect through our actions on the outside.…

The Bible tells us over and over again that God always pairs truth with mercy. Without mercy, truth becomes too difficult to grasp, and without truth, mercy allows for too much freedom. In the same way that God pairs the two, it's up to us to do the same when dealing with others.Oleh Richard Ellis

Jesus died not only to give us eternal life in Heaven, but also so that we can live this earthly life in freedom. We don't have to live our lives in a prison cell where we're caught up in sin. Jesus offers us the opportunity to be free, and it's in that freedom that we find our purpose and fulfillment through Him.…

God extends His love and mercy to all of us -- no matter the mistakes we've made. And when it comes to abortion, He wants to offer grace and forgiveness so there can be a fresh start. As Christians, may we pray for our leaders and the decisions they make on behalf of the unborn.Oleh Richard Ellis

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He restores the "maker's mark" within us that was lost from the fall of creation. We're redeemed, never to be condemned again. But we have to actually believe in the promise that because of Christ, we've been made new -- restored to bear the image of God because that's how He created us to be.…

Jesus did everything in order to be in relationship with us. And when we're in relationship with Him, He draws us into relationship with others, too. The Church is God's people, and we're called to be with each other, disciple one another, and advance His Kingdom together.Oleh Richard Ellis

Jesus accepted the cup of suffering that God gave Him in order to fulfill the greater good of saving us from our sins. We have to be willing to drink from the cup God gives us in order to experience His blessings for us. Sometimes that cup may be filled with suffering and we won't experience the blessing until Heaven -- but if we're going to suffer…

The devil will try to remind us of our past sins in order to cripple us from moving forward. That's why it's so important that we cling to the forgiveness God offers us so freely. We can overcome the enemy's accusations through Christ's sacrifice on the cross -- and in doing so, we can continue to move forward in what God's called us to do knowing …

Sometimes we face challenges that seem impossible to overcome. But with God, all things are possible. When we remember how He's brought us through difficulties before, it reminds us that we can approach future trials with faith, knowing that the Lord will see us through.Oleh Richard Ellis

As Christians, we often say we're willing to die for Jesus -- yet we're not willing to die to ourselves in order to live for Him. To follow Christ requires that we die to ourselves, surrender our sinful desires, and allow Him to work within us in order to work through us.Oleh Richard Ellis

When it comes to any kind of ball sport, the ball itself can't do anything on its own to score points -- it needs to be placed in the hands of the player in order to have any value or purpose. In the same way, none of us can accomplish anything of eternal value without God. We have to place ourselves in His hands before we can be used to bring Him …

This life is full of trials. The only way that we'll be able to face the hardships of life and be victorious over them is by having faith in Jesus. When we realize the power that lives in us through Him, our faith can diminish all fear and we can have victory over all circumstances.Oleh Richard Ellis

In most areas of life, if we fail to make deposits but continue to make withdrawals, we'll wind up with a negative balance in our "account". But when it comes to sin, we have to stop depositing the things of this world if we don't want to experience withdrawals from them later. God promises to help us overcome those temptations, but first we have t…

It's easy to have a "sacred cow" in our lives -- something that we hold as an idol, even if we don't realize it. But in dying as the sacrificial payment for our sin, Jesus gave us the freedom to let go of false idols and to reach out and take hold of God's love instead. When we continue to cling to sacred cows, we abuse the grace that's been given …

You don't need to be a football fan to understand this truth: the mere fact that we're living and breathing makes us "eligible receivers" of God's mercy and love. The entirety of the Gospel is centered around God offering us the gift of salvation, free of charge. Instead of trying so hard to pay for it ourselves, we simply need to open our hands an…

We all make mistakes. But the goal of leading a spirit-filled life is to make more right turns than wrong ones. And the good news is this: no matter how many wrong turns we've taken before, Jesus is always inviting us to walk a different path where we can start making better choices as we follow His lead.…

When we look back on our lives in playback mode, the most significant clips might not have been the happy times, but the moments we chose to be faithful to God even in the midst of trial and pain. The Bible tells story after story of people who stayed close to God and chose to obey Him no matter their circumstances -- and in return, God honored the…

We can only see a part of the work God's doing, but we have to trust that there are others who see the big picture. We'll never be able to lead well until we first learn to follow and obey. When we submit to the authorities God put over us within His Church, we're better able to work together as one Body -- the Body of Christ.…

The Bible reminds us that we all have wicked hearts -- and that we all struggle with sin. Because God is a loving Father, He allows for us to experience the consequences of our sin in order for us to repent and submit to Him instead. And when we turn away from our sinful nature and turn to God instead, He produces fruit in our lives through the pro…

Our time on earth is limited, and one day, it will run out. There's nothing we can do to change that, but we do have a choice in how we live the life we've been given. God created us to glorify Him, loving one another and proclaiming the Gospel. When we stand before Him one day, will we be able to give an account that we used our time wisely?…

Ministry can be a draining endeavor, but it's worth it when we see lives transformed by the Gospel. We can find encouragement to press on in what God's called us to do when we see even one life changed. Not only that, but when those who have encouraged us see our own progress in our walk with Christ, we serve as an encouragement to them, too.…

When it comes to fixing our problems or walking away from our sin, it's often easier said than done. But we're not alone when it comes to facing our greatest challenges. Jesus has given us His power, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome any obstacle we face.Oleh Richard Ellis

Too many of us count on making important decisions or big changes tomorrow. But we're not promised tomorrow, and life can change in a single moment. There are no “almost” Christians in Heaven; if you hear Jesus’ voice calling you to follow Him, now's the time to say yes.Oleh Richard Ellis

The devil has made no secret about his primary goal: to steal, kill, and destroy the life that God has for us. As believers, our salvation is already secured, but that doesn't mean the enemy has stopped attacking us. We have to be able to resist temptation, take up our cross, and follow Jesus in order to experience the abundant life He's promised u…

The Kingdom of God is a motley crew -- and knowing this, it's especially important for us to reach out to those around us whether they're similar to us or not. We may have our differences, but as believers, we all have one purpose: to fulfill the work of God. Let's pay attention to the hurting people around us so we can give them the same hope we h…