Dr. Jim Richards

God is the God of Hope! Hope literally means a confident expectation of good things. He has made incredible promises through the Lord Jesus. In the history of the world, He has never broken His word on any promise. We have a reason to expect good things. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the power of living in the Expectation of Good Things.

There is a battle going on that will determine the quality of your life. The Bible says it’s the battle for your soul. As you know, our soul is the seat of our emotions. The battle that destroys many godly people is the seemingly unending struggle with negative emotions. The Bible tells us how to win this battle, and it starts by identifying the source of the conflict. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we reveal the true source of the Battle for Your Soul. This will be the beginning of a victory that may be greater than anything you’ve experienced since coming to Jesus!

Our soul is neither good nor evil. It is simply that part of us where we emotionally experience whatever we’re focused on. Before man fell, his soul was under the direct influence of his spirit, which meant that his emotions were continually influenced by the life of God. When man became a sinner, his soul became influenced by his flesh, which meant that his emotions were driven by the lusts of the flesh. Join me this week in CyberChurch for “Our Living Soul,” where we will explore our ability to once again have our soul filled with the emotions that come from being intimately connected to God.

God always seeks to lead us on the path that more effectively and efficiently fulfills our destiny and keeps His promises. Many times we seek a particular solution to a problem, but it isn’t based on God’s wisdom. Paul did this, and sadly we interpret God’s response as a “No” to Paul’s request. However, God didn’t say no, He guided Paul to a more biblical pursuit. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we discover the secret of always following the Holy Spirit so we can discover The More Excellent Way.

God doesn’t change when we change. According to Scripture, when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. But does He withhold His promises when we fall short? No! There are two key reasons He doesn’t. The Bible says it’s God's goodness that draws us to repentance, not the harshness or the wrath. If He withdraws His promises, we continue to run away in fear. When we encounter His goodness we feel safe turning our hearts back to Him. But the primary reason He doesn’t change when we change is that it would be a violation of His righteousness. If He withholds love, kindness, or forgiveness, He is no longer the Righteous One. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore The Righteousness of Yes! It will soothe your heart and give you peace with God, regardless of your past!

God made an eternal Covenant with Jesus, the New Covenant. Jesus fulfilled every requirement of that Covenant, thereby receiving an inheritance that is greater than anything we have ever imagined! When we are born again and baptized into the body of Christ, we get to share in His inheritance. The Bible calls us joint heirs! As joint heirs, we are qualified for every benefit given to Jesus. Join me this week and discover that which was freely given to Jesus, and is already yours, as we discuss the Covenant of Yes!

So many people are paralyzed. They are afraid they will miss God or experience disappointment. Religion has made knowing God's will complicated and beyond our grasp, but the truth is, God has gone to incredible lengths to make sure we understand Him and know what to expect. The God of “Yes” has made promises assuring us of what is ours in Christ. When an honest, faithful person makes a promise, it is a yes before we have even asked. Join me this week as we discuss the fact that Promises are “Prayers Answered” in advance. This will unravel the mystery where God says, “Before they ask, I will answer!”

Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. One of the things hidden in that name, in the Hebrew, is the priest who reveals the heart of “Yes!” Jesus’ answer for sharing His inheritance is always “yes.” He came to earth partially to reveal the true character and nature of God… the God of yes! Join me this week as we look at the Hebrew that presents Him as the priest that reveals the heart of “yes!” We will also discuss what this looks like in real-life applications.

The Apostle Paul said that the message he preached was not “yes” and “no!” In other words, God’s answer is always yes. It’s not sometimes yes, and sometimes no. It’s always yes. The key is allowing Him to meet our needs in a biblical way. Join me this week in CyberChurch as I launch a new series entitled “The God of Yes!” This will give you incredible confidence in God while simplifying your prayer life. God’s answer to your needs is “YES!”

God designed mankind to live in pleasure. Join me this week to look at the biblical reality of living heaven on earth! Every person has the drive for a better quality of life. Jesus said He had come so that we could have the very best quality of life. The original language defines this to be the quality of life possessed by the One giving it. So, Jesus Himself said we can have God’s quality of life! If that is not heaven on earth I can’t imagine what would be. We can participate in the realm of the Kingdom right now and enjoy safety, protection, provision, peace – all things pertaining to life and godliness!

Jesus taught principles of living by priority. Join me this week to explore the proper order of things in the Kingdom. Priority living can make the difference in how successful your efforts are! When Jesus instructed His listeners to do something first, there was a reason for the priority that directly affected the result. Even obedience can turn out bad if you’ve missed the point for obeying. When first things are truly considered first, your heart is in the best place for receiving the maximum benefit available for whatever you are doing!

Join me this week to hear how you can abide in the realm of the Kingdom rather than survive from miracle to miracle or rescue to rescue. The greatest witness is the person who draws others to God by their joy, peace, and demonstrations of love. The way we become such a witness is by abiding in the realm Jesus said is within. It is the realm where Jesus is fully Lord of our heart, and where all the resources of God are available and accessible. This is truly more than a state of mind; it is a way of living!

Join me this week where I will help you enter the realm in which you recognize and know how to access all the resources of God! The New Covenant is a covenant of promise. It has the same promises as the Old Covenant, but the Bible says the New Covenant is better than the old. Why? It is a covenant between God and Jesus, not God and man. Jesus Himself obtained the promises for all and for eternity. Now, everything we need for life is available to us and this covenant can never be broken!

God has revealed Himself to mankind from the time of creation. Join me this week and let’s explore the abundance of both His existing and intended evidence in the earth. God’s intention has always been for His people to represent Him. He established the nation of Israel as a kingdom to whom He would demonstrate His heart and the other nations of the world could see His goodness and character. King Solomon was filled with the wisdom of God and many kings from other nations came to him for answers. Jesus came as the exact representation of the Father. Jesus said we are the light of the world and as our light shines men will see our good works and glorify God! We are the reason people see God as they do!

It’s difficult to have bold faith if you’re unsure about your perception! Join me this week as I share what Jesus taught about entering and accessing the Kingdom of God. Jesus said becoming born again allowed us to SEE the Kingdom of God; He didn’t say we ENTERED the Kingdom. Seeing the Kingdom of God is more than perceiving that a kingdom exists. It is perceiving the resources and truths of that Kingdom, or realm, being made available to us and operating in our lives! We have to perceive the Kingdom before we can participate in it. Join me this week in CyberChurch for an encore presentation of "Perceiving The Kingdom Of God".

Join me this week to gain greater understanding of how to live in and access the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven right now while living on earth! Jesus taught more about the kingdom of heaven than any other topic. His model prayer demonstrated the need to understand the gospel of the kingdom. It is clearly about far more than just going to heaven after you die; it is intended to be an integral part of our daily lives on earth!

Jesus talked about heaven on earth which when heard by His audience held meaning tied to history that has been mostly lost in our present day. His listeners knew that the reference to heaven on earth was a reference to the Garden of Eden. Well, who doesn’t want to live in the paradise described as Eden? However, many of us have believed the promises, but have been frustrated by not seeing their fulfillment. It might seem as though they are a hidden treasure to which the map is missing. Join me this week as I reveal the map leading directly to the treasures of heaven we should be enjoying on earth now!

The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet creates a picture of Heaven and Earth coming into harmony through the faith and authority of mankind, representing God as His ambassadors. Some would argue that we can’t take on such a responsibility, because we don’t know what God wants. Jesus gave us the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and said whatever has been declared illegal in Heaven, we should declare illegal on Earth. Likewise, what has been declared legal in heaven must be declared legal on Earth. But how can we know what has been declared legal and illegal in Heaven? This is easier to discover than religion would have us believe. Join me this week as we discover what has been Forever Settled in Heaven.

Everyone struggles with unbelief in certain situations. But in many circles, if you admit your unbelief, you are made to feel carnal or unspiritual. Jesus never condemned anyone for their unbelief without first seeking to help them overcome it. One of the most powerful miracles under His ministry happened with someone whose child struggled with a severe illness. Only when the man admitted his unbelief was he able to break through to see his child set free. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we discover how to move from unbelief to faith and see the power of God manifest.

Do you trust God to meet the need in your life or do you feel He will let you down? Lack is a feeling of desperation that leads us to seek an alternative source or not trust God to meet the need in our lives. When we come to God from the perspective that He will let us down, we have moved from lack to limits. Then, even though He floods our heart with His goodness, we judge God as being unfaithful. The only two battles of faith you will ever fight in your whole life are: is God who He says He is and am I who God says I am?