Jesus, exalted in heaven from before creation was equal to God in righteousness and holiness. He gave that up for a time to come humbly to earth. He lived a poor and unknown life instead of the exalted, honored life that He deserved. Today, Pastor Ricky will discuss the incredible exchange that Jesus made in order to come to earth, containing His awesome power within a human man. He was rejected and despised and He endured a cross of punishment for the sake of all mankind.
Behold - Listen and Look, Part 2
Are you afraid of what people will think of you or change the way they treat you if you live your life according to Jesus’ values? You may experience mocking or rejection for holding fast to your values from God’s Word. However as Pastor Ricky will remind you today, the world's values, opinions, and ways will fade to nothing and only God will remain. Christ was mocked and rejected yet is exalted and in glory. You too will experience rejection but if you hold fast to Jesus you’ll also experience the glory that only He can give.
Behold - Listen and Look, Part 1
Sometimes it feels hard to muster the desire to continue following the Lord. Circumstances are hard, emotions are out of control and God may not be immediately stepping in. You may even wonder if you'll have the strength, endurance, or perseverance to continue on. Yet Pastor Ricky will remind you today that if you follow the Lord and rely on Him, then your resources will never run out. In fact, they'll grow in your life. You'll have more strength, more hope, more resilience, as you move forward.
Behold - Looking for Revival in All the Wrong Places, Part 3
God gives you good things in life that can quickly and suddenly become warped into idols. Instead of pointing to the goodness of God, it ends up pulling you away from God. Idols can't deliver you, save you, or help you in any way but there is good news. Today, Pastor Ricky will explain that there is a way to deliverance and redemption and that's through Jesus. You must however acknowledge your sin and idols to God who desires to forgive and to save you. Recognizing God is the only source of abundant life now and eternally.
Behold - Looking for Revival in All the Wrong Places, Part 2
Do you long for the renewal and refreshment that God can bring to your life but continue to feel dry and barren? Then as Pastor Ricky will explain, perhaps you're too reliant on idols in your life. All the things that you devote your heart, mind, and hopes on, that are not God, actually lead you farther from true peace. Pastor Ricky will challenge you to examine what idols you’ve placed above God or what things you've shaped for your purpose instead of God's purposes. None of these things will give you abundant life and transformation.
Behold - Looking for Revival in All the Wrong Places, Part 1
Are you feeling weary and unfulfilled in this life? Often what you look for to renew or revitalize you leaves you more discouraged than before. Today, Pastor Ricky will remind you that only God can bring new abundant life in a way that nothing else can. He brings transformation to you through the Holy Spirit within you. The Spirit will empower and fill you to cause you to become more like Christ. He's like water in a dry desert to your soul. When you seek Him, He will refresh you, and renew you, and fill your life with Himself.
Behold - Good News for the Bruised and Fainthearted, Part 2
When you’re bruised and damaged from trials and pain in this life, the help the world offers is empty. All the self-help books, meditation, positive thoughts won’t do for you what the Lord God offers to do for you. Pastor Ricky will explain today the tenderness in which God cares for you. God sees the justice needed throughout the whole world but He also sees and knows your hurt. He's a personal and intimate savior who deeply loves you. He will tenderly restore you. He will strengthen you to continue in this world.
Behold - Good News for the Bruised and Fainthearted, Part 1
Idols. They're not just statues of gold that you worship. They are in fact anything you worship, serve or elevate above God. You may seek joy, peace, comfort, and justice in an idol, you'll eventually become enslaved to it. Yet, it's completely empty and useless. Today, Pastor Ricky will reveal that Jesus is the only good, powerful One who can and will accomplish all things like joy and peace in your life and heart. What He gives is lasting and strong. He won't leave you empty and disappointed but fulfilled and satisfied.
Behold - Four Words of Comfort, Part 2
It's easy to believe, after failing the Lord again, that maybe this time, God's plan or purposes would fail. The enemy will try to convince you that you've ruined all God intends to do. Yet as Pastor Ricky will explain today, because of God's faithfulness, all of His plans will be accomplished. And amazingly, He will still use you as a part of what He's doing despite your flaws and failings. He’ll remake you, bit by bit, and lead you in amazing ways towards fulfilling His purpose if you cling to Him in humility and repentance.
Behold - Four Words of Comfort, Part 1
God’s people time and time again turned away from Him despite prophetic warnings and discipline. So God sent His people into exile with their enemies. But the miracle of the story is that God didn't leave them there. He didn't abandon them. He came to them after their failure in discipline and offered them comfort. As Pastor Ricky will remind you, He reminded them that they were still His people and He was still their God. Despite any of your failures, He still loves you and He still longs for you to return to Him.
Behold - Failing and Unfailing Leadership, Part 2
Every leader both in the world and in the Bible have failed and will continue to fail. However, there's one man who never failed. Only Jesus is perfectly seamless and good. Only Jesus will forever do what is good and right. Pastor Ricky will remind you today that those leaders who truly seek to live under Jesus's rule and reign and who seek Him above all other things, will be strong. Only by relying on His power and righteousness can you lead well. And thankfully God uses flawed but faithful people in amazing ways.
Behold - Failing and Unfailing Leadership, Part 1
One thing that the Bible clearly demonstrates is that all humans fail. All of God's leaders failed God and their people, even the good ones. Humans are weak and sinful, even when you believe in God. Yet His plans and promises still stand despite all of the human failings. Today, Pastor Ricky will challenge you to recognize the imperfections of those in a place of leadership in your life. Don't place your hope and trust in them. God must be your object of trust. Trust Him, obey Him and continually return to Him when you fail.
Behold - Lean In, Part 3
Sometimes in the middle of crisis, it's hard to see the Lord. Is He even with you? Does He really have control? Today, Pastor Ricky will encourage you with the truth of God's promises. His power is unmatched by anything in the world. His wisdom far surpasses even the wisest people. When you really think about who the Lord is, you see He alone is trustworthy. Trust the Lord to act even before you know if He will. You must trust and believe in God's goodness to know that He'll act in a way that is best.
Behold - Lean In, Part 2
When the world is trying with all its might to convince you to turn to the world for comfort, it's a test of sorts to see if you’ll give up trusting God in that moment. Today, Pastor Ricky will demonstrate how the good kings of Judah, especially Hezekiah, turned immediately to the Lord in crisis. Instead of being swept away with fear and doubt, he sought the Lord. This is a call to you today. Don't pull away from God in scary moments. Instead, moment by moment, turn to Him. Remember His works and who He is.
Behold - Lean In, Part 1
In a moment of crisis, where will you turn? The world will try to convince you to give up on God and to join them. The world is against God and pressures you as a believer to turn away from trusting God, the only thing to trust is the tangible invisible things, not God or His promises. Yet today, Pastor Ricky will challenge you to recognize the lies you hear in the world and remember that God is the only solid thing that can hold you together. He is the only source of hope and strength and the only one worthy of trust.
Behold - We Have a Strong City, Part 2
Everything you experience in this world has the power to cause despair and hopelessness if you allow it to. However, there is a better way to experience life's big and little circumstances. If you can, bit by bit, daily learn to trust the Lord. He will prove himself faithful and trustworthy. Pastor Ricky will encourage you today with many reasons why God is worthy of your trust in all circumstances. If you remember that He's never been defeated by the enemy and is for your good, you can continue to grow in trust of Him.
Behold - We Have a Strong City, Part 1
When you face attack, or pain, or desperation, where do you turn for peace and security? Often people think that inward peace and safety from the outside will come from money, friends, or knowledge but you can't find it with some desired results or a certain feeling. Pastor Ricky will explain today that you can only find peace and security in the strong city, dwelling with God through faith in Jesus where the walls are your salvation and Jesus is your righteousness to enter. Don't turn to anyone or anything else.
Behold - The Death of Death, Part 2
Life is hard. Death is tragic. Because in the garden man chose to sin, death entered creation yet thankfully that's not the end of the story. Today, Pastor Ricky will encourage you with the hope available to those that have put their faith in Jesus. He, as God, paid the penalty for sin and death is no longer victorious. Because He rose from the dead, He conquered death and took away its power. Because of His resurrection, you can have hope in the eternity to come. All pain will be gone. Every tear will be wiped away.
Behold - The Death of Death, Part 1
People react to the reality of death in different ways. Some may avoid the topic altogether, some try to numb themselves against it, and some fight. Death is a reality that God never intended for humanity. Pastor Ricky reminds you today that death reigns in the world because of sin. Humans chose to rebel and the consequence of sin is death, individual physical death and spiritual death apart from God. His justice demands it. However, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, death is swallowed up forever in the end.
Behold - The Valley of Vision, Part 2
Admitting you're wrong and confessing sin is a difficult thing to do but as God disciplines you and you recognize areas of sin in your life causing this discipline, you may desire to repent. However, as Pastor Ricky will point out today, trying hard to change, working to be better, will not work. It's not good enough and you're not strong enough to change on your own. The true way to salvation, forgiveness, and change is through Jesus. He alone can do what you can't. Through the Holy Spirit, He will transform you.