Dr. Jim Richards

No matter what is going on in the world around us, no matter what challenges we face, there’s always going to be much more grace, much more power and strength of God working in us to prevail than is working against us. “...But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). The world around us may be getting darker, but God’s light can light our way through the darkness. God is still with us and is not against us. The more we anchor our hearts in how good and faithful God is, the more hope and stability we will have. When we believe that God is good and only good, our hearts will ever be open to Him for solutions, answers, leadership, and direction. What God wants to offer us is so much better than anything we’ve ever asked or imagined. The problem is that we just don’t believe He is that good. To live victoriously in the months and years to come we have to realize that God is better than anything we’ve ever imagined, seen, heard, or thought. Then, we can walk in a world that’s falling apart an

Please enjoy this encore Cyberchurch episode from July, 2020. "Spiritual Secrets For A Brand New Beginning" will return soon. So many people have asked me if this is the end of time. If you’re asking that question, you don’t really understand what the Bible means when it talks about “the end.” In Matthew 24, when Jesus talks about the many things happening and says, “This is not the end”; He is talking about reaching the end or completion of the goal (the reason all these things are happening), not the end of time. These things are happening to destroy people’s confidence in God. The good news is that Jesus isn’t coming back to bring about the end of time. Jesus is coming back to bring an end of the destruction that’s done by wickedness and lawlessness and to give us a thousand years of peace before we reach the end of time. Don’t let your heart be troubled. In the end, we win because, in the end, God has already won. I want to help deliver you from the fear that comes from the deception happening in the

Please enjoy this encore Cyberchurch episode from July, 2020. "Spiritual Secrets For A Brand New Beginning" will return soon. When Jesus returns, it will not be to bring an end to the world but to prevent the antichrist and evildoers from destroying the world and mankind. Until He returns, there are ways we can manage ourselves so that we can be overcomers no matter what’s going on around us. Part of this is knowing how to read the signs and being aware of what’s going on in our country, our city, our state, and even in our own lives. Once you know how to read the signs, then you know the kinds of decisions you need to make. God wants you to make decisions that lead to life, peace, and joy. And I want to do everything I can to help you get there. If you want to discover more about how to read the signs and how to usher in the return of the Lord, watch this week’s CyberChurch message, “How to Read the Signs”, where I give you simple, practical, biblical wisdom that you can put into practice and put you ahead o

Please enjoy this encore Cyberchurch episode from July, 2020. "Spiritual Secrets For A Brand New Beginning" will return soon. Anyone can look around and see what is happening in the world today. But God wants us to see what’s happening and properly understand “the times.” Unless we understand the times, i.e. "why" these things are happening, we can never properly understand what actions to take.Observing an event is like standing on a boat and looking at the surface of the water. Seeing the surface doesn't reveal what is going on beneath the surface. God's Word explains how you can get beneath the surface to see and understand the times. Then, and only then, can you know what to do!

2021 is upon us, and here in America, we’re facing what is probably the most perilous times our country has ever faced. Many are living in fear and dread, trying to predict what kind of year it will be. While I can’t tell you what’s coming next, I can assure you that we can still be overcomers regardless of what happens. We can face the obstacles, and we can win. God can do something in us that supersedes everything happening in the world around us and in our own lives. Every promise God has ever made is still true for you personally. The curse may surround us, but I want to take you on a journey that will help you rise above what’s happening in the world today. You can turn the curse into a blessing and live like an overcomer! Watch this week’s CyberChurch message, “Turn the Curse into a Blessing,” to learn how.

Every year at Christmastime, the phrase “peace on earth” is declared around the world. However, in Luke 2:14, when it says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” the angels weren’t saying that at His coming, Jesus would establish peace among men. The Bible specifically says there would be peace toward men. In other words; for the first time since man rebelled in the Garden, there will be peace between God and man. The Bible calls God the God of Peace, (Romans 16:20). As such, He sent the Messiah to be the Prince of Peace and to establish a covenant of peace between God and the Man Jesus. We enter into that covenant through the Lord Jesus, and our commission is to go and preach the gospel of peace, which is this: Christ is our righteousness. When we believe and receive His righteousness in our hearts we experience the peace of God, which gives us the sense of a clear conscience and awareness of everything we have in Jesus. I don’t want a single person to believe that what’s g

I hope you’re preparing for a meaningful Christmas. By that, I mean a Christmas that honors God and celebrates what Jesus came to earth to give us. You can bring the life of God to your family and friends in an incredibly meaningful way. In this week’s CyberChurch message, I’m talking to you about The Star of Bethlehem. The Star of Bethlehem brings us to an incredible truth - that all of what we call the twelve signs of the Zodiac (not for fortune-telling or nonsense) and the Constellations tell the story of the entire Gospel truth. When the Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” (Psalm 19:1) it’s not only that they are glorious in their creation, although that’s true. It’s the fact that God declared the story of the glory of God. In this incredible true story, you’ll discover that because of the witness of Daniel after he was taken into captivity, God was able to guide the Chaldeans to the star of the coming Messiah. This will cause you to rejoice and will change the way you see this traditiona

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you...” (Job 22:28, AMP). To be true people of faith, we must understand that we are made in the likeness and image of God, and regardless of whether we deserve it or not, we have authority here on Planet Earth simply because we are human beings. Likewise, we have authority in heaven because we are in Jesus, and He has authority in heaven and earth. Because we are in Jesus, we have authority to harmonize what God has created in heaven here on Planet Earth. We often operate in our own concepts of faith instead of operating in the faith of God - faith the way God showed us. God wants us to walk in a faith that is not only immovable, but that sees the end from the beginning and takes hold of His promises, bringing them to ourselves. The parables have what I call the “golden thread of personal responsibility” woven into the fabric of every single message Jesus taught. Jesus was teaching us how to live and function in the kingdom of God and t

Everything that happens in the supernatural between us and God is supposed to happen from and through the heart. At creation; God conceived and believed each element in His own heart. Once He conceived and believed it in His heart He spoke it into existence. He spoke with intention and it manifested exactly the way He believed. Speaking with intention is faith that says, “This is already mine.” We know what it looks like and what it feels like. We experience it as being real. When it does come into existence, it will be in exact harmony with what was conceived in our heart. Our hearts can interconnect with the invisible world in ways our mind can’t. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, He taught them how to use their authority by using the keys of the kingdom. This is where Jesus functioned and where we are supposed to function. We must decide what we want and if it is provided for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If it is, we must make a faith (trust) decision and start using

Everything about our faith begins with what we believe about creation. The first and simplest place to understand what it looks like to be created in God’s likeness and image is in the life of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t just with God; He WAS God. When He came to Planet Earth, He emptied Himself and became a man. This means that everything Jesus did on Planet Earth required the same abilities to get things done that we possess today. In other words, since we are created in the likeness and image of God, we have all of the same power and authority Jesus did. Everything happening in the world is happening because of our beliefs and decisions. “... the heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man” (Psalm 115:16). God is not in control of the world. God is in control of Himself. We are only controlled by God to the degree we choose to be because He cannot and will not violate our free will. If He tells us we have free will, that we are created in His likeness and image, and then tries to control us, that

God wants us to be able to move past the pain of our bad decisions. In order to do that, we must first identify and own it. Then, we have to decide what we will do with it - send it away or keep it and allow it to destroy our lives. Once we make a bad decision, it’s like having a rock in our shoe. When there’s a rock in our shoe, in order to remove it, we have to take hold of it and throw it away, otherwise, it irritates us and causes continued problems. Jesus has already died for every sin we’ve ever committed or will commit, and He’s already paid the price for every decision we’ve ever made. We can enter into that by faith and then experience God’s grace (His power working in us) to overcome the pain of those choices. You can overcome the bad decisions that have been affecting your life, come out on top, and get your life back on track. I want to give you the tools to help!

We all make bad decisions. When we do, God doesn’t beat us up, put us down, or try to make us feel guilty. However, the people around us often do. Some people use our failures as an opportunity to express their envies and jealousies towards us, in order to build themselves up, making it difficult for us to overcome our bad decisions by making new and good choices. Unfortunately, God is usually blamed for the actions of angry, wrathful people. But the Bible tells us that God teaches us by His Word and His Spirit. He brings us to repentance by His goodness and His kindness, not by anger and wrath. David made some horrible decisions, and he suffered the consequences for the rest of his life. At one point, David even believed God was telling people to be cruel to him. However, after dealing with his issues from a biblical perspective, David no longer believed it was God and was set free to live out his calling. You, too, can move past the consequences of your bad decisions. You can live your dreams. There may be

My new series, “Overcoming Bad Decisions,” starts today! Everything happening in our lives at this moment is, to some degree, related to a very specific decision that we’ve made. A single bad decision can take us down a road that we never intended to walk. That doesn’t mean we caused it, but we are where we are because of our decisions. As children of God, one of the most spiritual things that will ever happen in our lives is choosing to understand and accept personal responsibility. Responsibility answers the question, “Who has the authority (the right and responsibility) to take action and change what’s happening in my life?” God doesn’t have that responsibility. He gave it to us. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it flows the “issues” of life. The word “issues” means boundaries. Every boundary in our lives is determined by the beliefs of our hearts. Our lives can get no better or no worse than the beliefs of our hearts. When we mess up and make bad decisions, God

The one thing Jesus said more than anything else is, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15) In the days to come, we will see some of the most phenomenal miracles that have ever happened. Most of them won’t happen at the altars of churches, or at the hands of the clergy. Most of the miracles will happen with real believers, facing real-life situations. We have to make a decision that we are going to walk with God. We need to read the Bible, pray, know God for ourselves, develop the capacity to hear and recognize the voice of God in our own hearts, and follow His voice, regardless of what everyone else is saying or doing. God will teach us how to have victory in every situation, regardless of what is going on around us, no matter how difficult or challenging it is. We can rise above the opposition and live an incredibly victorious life. You can live in victory and I want to do everything I can to help you!

Man has created a concept of God that has nothing to do with who God revealed Himself to be. The doctrine of sovereignty is the greatest theological misunderstanding that probably negatively affects more people in the world than any other doctrine. We have redefined sovereignty to mean that God is in control and can do anything He wants. All sovereignty really means is that God acts without being influenced by any outside sources. God gave all authority of Planet Earth to man, therefore we decide what’s going to happen. God is not in control beyond the degree that we yield to and follow Him. By listening to Him and following the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can avoid almost all tragedies of life and live a relatively peaceful life. The reason the very foundation of the world is destroyed is because we are supposed to be ruling and reigning in righteousness. Instead, we wanted to create a world in our own image that gave us permission to be wicked, ungodly, and immoral, where our standards and values replace

Everyone wants to be treated fairly, but we want to define fairness based on our own personal perspective. We feel like victims, but never go back and look at how we got where we are. We choose to blame others Instead of taking personal responsibility for our problems. The justice we need in our world today doesn’t come from any type of legislation but from the hearts of people who love righteousness. Unfortunately, most believers have little knowledge of what righteousness is and that righteousness in our hearts is the beginning of justice. We can’t have justice in our world if we aren’t applying it in our own hearts. The Commandments were given to show us how to treat others and should be our “signposts” for walking in love. When we choose not to use the Word of God as our reference for how to treat people, we come up with our own subjective definitions of fairness that only benefit us personally, not the other person. Every Commandment that tells us how we should treat others is an instruction showing us h

God’s justice is far more than a code of laws and consequences. God’s justice has the inherent power to transform the believer into a fair, merciful person. God doesn’t merely give us a standard; He gives us the power to live in that standard. We will never understand what it means to have a fair and just society, city, state, country, or workplace until we understand what God says about it. Once we choose God’s justice, which begins with righteousness, then the grace of God works in us to be, live, walk righteously, and conduct ourselves in a fair and just way. Righteousness, in the most basic sense, is to be in harmony with God. We make a choice, “I want to be like God. I want to have the character and nature of God. I want to be kind, merciful, compassionate, forgiving, patient.” We might not always know the right thing to do in a given situation, but if we are committed to righteousness, to staying in harmony with God, then we will always end up getting to the right place. No matter what our country does,

Most people define original sin as Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Original sin was not just them eating from the tree. Original sin was that they ate from the tree for a particular purpose - because they believed a lie. They believed God wasn’t good, that they weren’t created in His likeness and His image. They believed the only reason God didn’t want them to eat from the tree was because, if they did, they would become like God and would get to decide good and evil for themselves. That is the heart of all sin, unbelief, and all the wickedness going on in the world. Once we start deciding good and evil independent of what God says it is, we set ourselves on a course that seems right, but only leads to death. The entire world is in chaos because we’ve created our own concepts and ideas of good and evil. And as always, when we choose independently of God’s truth, we end up in disharmony with God, disharmony with one another, and a world full

In our world today, most everything is based on rumor rather than fact. The Bible speaks very strongly against liars, and people who exaggerate and spread rumors. It clearly shows us the destruction this type of communication causes. Once a rumor is accepted as truth and begins to pass through the population, the rumor does more damage than the activity that is actually taking place. The news media has become nothing more than a gossip mill. By daily exaggerating and distorting the facts, they stir hatred and anger among ethnic groups, filling people’s hearts with fear, and creating the very racism they claim they’re trying to stop. Are there real problems? Of course. There are always real problems. But God’s Word gives us ways to solve those problems. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” [Gal. 3:28]. In Jesus, there are no races or ethnic groups. We are one kingdom. We do not have to buy into the deceptions and manipulat

A lot of people want to know what’s going on in America and the world. Is this the end? Is Jesus coming back? People don’t know who or what to trust. We are distracted through fear and trepidation. We are living in a time the Bible calls “the beginning of sorrows.” Times are bad, no doubt. But no matter what is going on around us or how bad it is, we can connect with God and experience strength, peace, and joy on the inside. In this week’s CyberChurch message you’ll learn more about what’s happening in the world than you might have learned in the entire past year. I want to help you have the courage and boldness to face what other people are too scared to even talk about, and understand how to face these things with God and do something about it.