Transforming Truth With Jeff Lyle: Recent Episodes
Jeff Lyle
There are 400+ years of prophetic silence between the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New Testament. Malachi’s prophecy ends with the promise of a God-sent messenger who will make the way for the King of kings. Matthew’s Gospel opens with that very prophet, John the Baptist, declaring that the Kingdom was now coming to earth. Jesus began His public ministry by calling people to repent and receive the Kingdom. His parables begin with the words, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” His first beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount promises the Kingdom. He taught His disciples, in the Lord’s Prayer, that their first request was to be for the Kingdom to come. Paul taught the Kingdom. Peter proclaimed the Kingdom. John, James and Jude all wrote of the Kingdom of God. So…maybe it is time we made the effort to comprehend just exactly what the Kingdom of God truly is. This message will stir your heart to learn more. After all, the Kingdom of God is the mission of God which never ends.
Could you imagine a church that was so impressive, so wealthy, so refined, and so admired that…not even Jesus could get into it? This is not a theoretical type of church. It is an actual historical church where Jesus was on the outside, knocking at the door, and waiting to be welcomed inside. The ancient church at Laodicea is not unique in this description of being lukewarm, unwelcoming, and nauseating to Jesus. While we see powerful moves of the Spirit resulting in many churches experiencing revival today, the other side of the coin is that many (most?) churches have closed doors to the deepest and truest desires of Jesus. This message helps us to evaluate our own individual hearts to see if our internal passion for Jesus has turned to room temperature. Fortunately, Jesus allows us this type of examination to awaken us and to bring us again on the pathway of deep satisfaction and great reward. It is the time for may. To open the door to the One who stands and knocks.
In our present generation, it seems that the desire to be “an influencer” is permeating every sector of our culture. Personalities, products, and perceptions fill our social media feeds. So much of what is being communicated is empty and even deceptive. Sadly, much of what we are being exposed to falls into the category of fake-news. Even more sadly, churches and ministries are sometimes a part of the problem. The ancient church of Sardis received a personal wake-up letter from King Jesus which exposed the reality that they were a dead church even though everyone thought that they were amazing. Jesus does not mince words in His rebuke of their empty life as a congregation. What can modern Christians and churches use from His words so that we do not fall into the same pit of having a name with others of being spiritually alive while Jesus shakes His head and declares that we are actually dead?
If God is truly good, why does He not prevent bad things from happening? This question has been a torment to many theologians and philosophers throughout the centuries. The answer for Christians is not really a mystery. Why God allows difficulty and pain to find us is answered clearly in the verses covered in this message. The issue is not whether the question can be answered, it is whether or not the answer will be received by us.
The ancient letter from Jesus to the church at Thyatira is intense. The echo of His words to that spiritually polluted church needs to be heeded by churches in America. The spirit of Jezebel, and those under her influence, must be driven forth from all places in our churches. Leaders frequently tolerate Jezebel because she seems to have much to offer in the beginning. Left unchecked, her influence and presence will destroy a local church. If she is not removed, Jesus pledges to shut that church down Himself. What do we do with his counsel? These are radical days which require radical response to the holy expectations of the King.
When Jesus wrote a personal letter to be delivered to the ancient church in Ephesus, He filled the note with all sorts of affirming words. These Christians were loyal, hard working, dedicated, and fiery against error and impurity. You can almost see King Jesus smiling as he dictated the opening words of the letter. Then, His beautiful smile over them is exchanged for a serious look of concern. This amazing group of believers was in danger of running completely out of their most essential resource: love for Jesus himself. These ancient words in Rev. 2:1-7 have served to help busy Christians and churches to stay aware of the risk of going through the motions of ministry without guarding their hearts against the danger of loveless work. The most dedicated believers we know occasionally need to revisit these words and do a deep soul-check. Jesus is ready to refill us when our love-tank for Him is near empty.
The issue of suffering as a Christian has become quite the controversy in the American Church in the last several decades. Interestingly, no other generation of believers in any other place has ever lastingly questioned the issue of suffering. It is only the modern American Christian that seems to feel entitled to a free pass on hardships. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world have no questions about the matter. They know that God allows suffering, and that He will harness it for our own good when we lean into Jesus during times of mistreatment. The words of Jesus to the ancient Church of Smyrna help us to both prepare for and to endure in real-time seasons of suffering as a believer. May Holy Spirit prepare us in body, mind, and spirit for the approaching time in America will it will cost much for all who are unashamed to be known as a follower of Jesus.
Near the very end of our bibles, the resurrected King of Kings sends seven precise messages to seven local churches. Each of the messages were as different as they local assemblies were. Most were warned and rebuked. Some were affirmed and encouraged. One of those churches, the one in the ancient city of Philadelphia, was applauded, affirmed, and advanced. What did Jesus see in them that He desires to see in us, and in the churches we have committed to? Among all the seven letters Jesus sent in Revelation 2 & 3, this one serves to motivate us in our journeys of faith and hope with Him.
Near the very end of our bibles, the resurrected King of Kings sends seven precise messages to seven local churches. Each of the messages were as different as they local assemblies were. Most were warned and rebuked. Some were affirmed and encouraged. One of those churches, the one in the ancient city of Philadelphia, was applauded, affirmed, and advanced. What did Jesus see in them that He desires to see in us, and in the churches we have committed to? Among all the seven letters Jesus sent in Revelation 2 & 3, this one serves to motivate us in our journeys of faith and hope with Him.
There are two extremes when Christians consider the topic of spiritual warfare: some Christians think nothing of it, and other Christians think of nothing else besides it. The Bible leaves us enough clearly presented truth to know that there is an ongoing cosmic war taking place on planet earth. While the final outcome is settled, there continue to be countless casualties of this war between the people of God and the evil spirits who advance the will of Satan on the earth. How do demons strategize? Are there wicked spirits assigned to cities, states, and regions in America? What part is the Church to play in this spiritual war? When we look at several different places in Scripture, we are equipped to begin to understand that the Church in America needs wisdom, consecration, faith, and initiative to drive the enemy out of our cities.
The entire biblical history of the relationship between God and His people contains elements of supernatural works. Visions, miracles, healings, conquests and deliverances from dark powers are all throughout the biblical narrative. God's portion of these miraculous moments is in the supply of power. Our portion is the exercise of faith. The question for many is whether or not we should reasonably expect these same types of occurrences in modern times. This message helps us to understand the dynamics of what can happen when our faith meets God's power. Healings, miracles and unassailable trust are gracious gifts provided to us today.
Hearing from God is an immeasurable privilege. To walk in such intimacy with the Almighty that you can personally hear His voice - what an amazing occurrence! Yet we are accountable for what we hear, and He sometimes calls us to share it with others. What does it mean to receive and release a word that we receive from God? What abut the faith that allows us to hear the word, believe that it is from God, and to release it in the way He desires? These three gifts of the Spirit are powerful tools to build up the body of Christ and to reveal God’s ways and will to one another.
In this latest Truth Shots episode, we are challenged to reconsider our understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The core teaching comes from 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul emphasizes that spiritual gifts are given to each believer for the common good of the church. We are reminded that these gifts aren't just for a select few or limited to a specific time in history, but are meant for all believers today. Or are they? Many Jesus-loving, Kingdom-advancing Christians emphatically deny that Holy Spirit gifts continue today. This episode encourages us to embrace both the Word of God and the gifts of the Spirit, rather than choosing between them ourselves or forcing others to do so. As we reflect on this, we're invited to examine our own beliefs and ask ourselves: Are we fully embracing all that God has for us through His Spirit?
As we continue to explore the gifts of the Holy Spirit on Truth Shots, we are challenged in this episode to reconsider our understanding of the Holy Spirit's active role in our lives today. Spiritual gifts are not just a theological debate, but a vital aspect of our Christian walk. The Bible alone must settle the ongoing debate about the modern validity of spiritual gifts. This teaching encourages us to study Scripture with an open mind, seeking God's truth rather than relying solely on denominational teachings. We are called to earnestly desire spiritual gifts – that has to mean something! Whoever reached you first with their teachings on Holy Spirit gifts is likely the source of what you still believe today. But what if you were taught error? This message invites us to examine our own beliefs and practices, challenging us to grow in our understanding and use of spiritual gifts for the benefit of the Body of Christ.
Perhaps we should no longer assume that everyone understands that the followers of Jesus will live in a way that reflects the character, commitments and passions of Jesus. The Church is the visible reflection of the heart of the Lord. As we walk in oneness with Him, He will live out His life through us as individuals. When we live in harmony with each other as believers, there is an even greater level of the revelation of the nature and purpose of God through us. Simply put, we should look like our Heavenly Father. What might that appear as in a local church where everyone was committed to owning the family resemblance? This message helps us to discern what a healthy spiritual family can look like. Our spiritual DNA is inseparable from the nature of God. As we live in humble trust, the world around us will be able to see who God is and what He is like.
God’s seasons of preparing us for victorious warfare eventually must give way to God actually releasing into the fight. Warfare is not some interesting topic for Christians to merely be curious about. Warfare comes to EVERY believer who is set for the glory of God. When it is time to put the enemy to flight and take hold of our inheritance form God, we must operate in holy precision along with zealous passion. As the Israelites approach Jericho under Joshua’s leadership, God gives them precise instructions which would test their humility and patience. God knew what it would require of them to take the city, but would they trust Him down to the most minute details? They did - and this is why they emerged victoriously.
We have wondered throughout the entire story of Samson how in the world he ended up in the New Testament’s Hebrews “Hall of Faith.” How did a man who struggled so immensely with his flesh get mentioned in one of the only places in Scripture where human beings are exalted as examples of what it means to trust God? We should be stunned - even scandalized - at the grace of God which Samson received. This message reveals the answer to this question of how Samson could be viewed as a hero of the faith. From the ashes of his humiliation, Samson commits one final act to the glory of God and, in so doing, fulfills the prophetic destiny assigned to his life. God never gave up on His servant. Well done, Samson. Well done.
The nation of Israel had consecrated themselves to God via the reaffirming of the covenant sign of circumcision. It was now time to begin to take the land. Yet, before they followed their leader into what would become seven years of warfare, Joshua needed to understand an important lesson to be learned. He was not the primary leader of the people. Before he could lead the people into battle, Goddard ensured that Joshua was reminded that he would need to remain a follower of the Captain of God’s Army.
Up to this point in his story, Samson has managed to avoid complete personal catastrophe in his dealings with women. They have been hurt by their relationships with him, but he has managed to escape with little personal loss. That streak comes to an abrupt halt in this message. Women can be incredibly persuasive. God’s daughters use that persuasion for Kingdom good. Women who act independently of the Holy Spirit will use that influence for selfish purposes, resulting in sinful manipulation. Undiscerning men are especially susceptible to this type of thing from women. And some women know this very well, and they use it to get what they want from men. This message reveals the demonic heart of Delilah in her intentional betrayal of Samson, the man who loved her.
After a short moment when Samson leaned in to surrender fully to the work of God, and after he experienced a measure of breakthrough, back he goes again to his old ways. Inexplicably, Samson goes and finds a prostitute down in the Philistine territory of Gaza. After narrowly escaping with his life from that sordid scene, he eventually links up with the infamous Delilah - a sensual relationship that would soon set in motion the events which would ultimately end Samson’s life. The Scriptures take sexual purity very seriously, and in our modern culture the Church must remain as committed as ever to preserving our bodies in honor. This message shows how young people become easily seduced by the enemy’s proven weapon of sexual temptation. May we respond to the grace of God and avoid the pitfalls that are attached to our passions.
Many Christians are unaware that the very first thing to happen to Jesus after He was baptized by John is that He was sent immediately into a personal war with Satan. The wicked tempter moved with urgency to derail the saving mission of Jesus as soon as the Father had released Him into it. For over a month, Jesus personally endured a nonstop cycle of temptation from His enemy. Why is this account in the Bible? What are we to learn from the temptation of Christ by Satan? Jesus’ example not only empowers us to triumph over temptation, but some very common tactics of the devil are exposed in this account of Jesus’ fight in the wilderness and, if we will pay close attention, we will become better equipped to overcome Satan when he comes after us.
At the end of the age, King Jesus will look upon two groups of people who will then be marked for eternity. One group will enter into everlasting punishment because they rejected the grace, sacrifice, mercy, and compassion offered to them by the Father through Jesus. The other group, who is the focus of this Truth Shot, will enter into glorious paradise with Jesus. These people are also marked for eternity because they humbled themselves and received the King of Compassion as their Lord while they were alive on earth. Jesus commends them, and in doing so, His words teach us something we must take note of: those who truly have the King of compassion living inside will also themselves live in compassion toward others.
It is a spectacular act of grace for Jesus to pursue lost sinners who are dead spiritually, and who have no ability to save themselves. He finds us all in that sad condition. Some, like the leper in this message, are living a life of decay and doom. Jesus is not repulsed by these types of lives. He moves in with grace, mercy and love to save and deliver anyone who comes to Him. But what about what comes next? He saves us out of sin and into a relationship with Him. He is not merely our Savior, but also our Lord. That new dynamic means He has expectations, promises, and instructions for how we live. The leper in this story gladly received his life-changing salvation, but he failed to honor the One who saved him. He did not honor Jesus, nor did he obey Him. This is a sadly recurring scenario in the lives of many who believe that they are saved by Jesus. It is a dilemma worthy of us investigating.
The New Testament paints a vivid picture of every believer waging war against their own sin. We are told to put sin to death. We are told what it looks like to beat our bodies into submission, and to slay every sinful longing. When we live successfully in this manner, victory is ours to the fullest. When we stumble and fail, we experience defeats that could have been avoided. In the end of these wars against sin, we find that God is faithful to His word. We return home from the war victorious - scarred but saved. Psalm 85 reveals what it looks like to be welcomed home after a long battle. More than anything, we see the heart of God and how welcomes us home in spite of the scars we cannot hide.
One of the greatest challenges for believers occurs when we find ourselves in a season where we cannot hear God’s voice. We read His written Word, and we know He speaks there, but Jesus did not merely say we would have His book. He said that His sheep would hear His voice. We pray and it seems that God does not respond. We plead for answers and they do not come. We feel we have endured and waited long enough but Heaven’s silence causes or despair. We begin to believe that nobody else has ever gone through the silence of God and made it out whole. What is the Christian to do in seasons of God’s silence? Today’s podcast will help us see that this experience is common among Christians and that there a few simple instructions available to us when we are waiting for God to speak.
When Jesus taught His listeners the value of learning how to turn the other cheek, was He instructing us to never, ever fight back? Is pacifism a pillar of the Gospel? A comprehensive view of what the Bible says about fighting back does not leave the Christian in a position of being a doormat to his or her enemies. There are times when God calls us to protect and defend our lives. Scripture even goes so far as to declare that the Lord is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). In the continuing story of Esther and the Jews, there is still a date on the calendar when they will be attacked by their enemies. This message reveals the amazing providence of God and how He leads His children to fight back against a hostile assault on their well-being. We can also learn much about how we are to fight our battles.
After John proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sin, his own ministry began to immediately and visibly decrease. As his followers became followers of Israel’s Messiah, John retained his ministry of proclamation and calling people to repent. When wicked Herod was rebuked for immorality by John, the angry ruler imprisoned him. Alone and isolated in a filthy cell, with his powerful ministry now shut down, John’s struggle revealed that he was merely human as he began to wrestle with intense doubts about Jesus. This message reveals the tenderness of God toward all believers when we enter our own moments of weakness, limitation and doubts. We will also see that Jesus is not so compassionate with us that He allows us to stay in the place of doubt. He calls us to remember and recommit. Jesus will not forsake us in the hour of our troubled soul.
Often lost in all the activity surrounding the other five-fold office is the Office of the Teacher. Apostles have the thrill of Kingdom adventure. Prophets hear and see the secret things from God. Evangelists rescue the souls of men. Pastors love, lead and protect the sheep. And then there are the teachers. What is so supernatural about the art of teaching people God’s truth? Far more than meets the eye. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, teachers are listed third in rank in the Church right behind apostles and prophets. Teachers impart the weaponry of wisdom for warfare. Teachers are God’s tool to open our eyes to His self-revelation. Teachers impart to us the biblical truth and principles for victory. Teachers take the sublime and impart it to us in ways that we can hear, understand and align ourselves with eternal truth. As we approach the end of the age, teachers will no longer be hidden in a classroom with a handful of saints who choose to go deeper. God will promote the teacher of the Word to a prioritized status as deception in the world continues to arise. Teachers are our guides into maturity, wisdom and power from God.
Let’s admit it: we get frustrated when the bad guys win and good guys lose. We usually prefer quick justice. Haman, the proud and dangerous anti-Semite keeps on walking in prosperity & victory while the Jews are all about to die. In this message from the story of Esther, we see the sovereign hand of God begin to turn the tide against evil Haman. Fewer things prove to be more satisfying in the book of Esther than the events in this chapter. Just when things looked so good for Haman and so terrible for Mordecai, Esther, and the Jews, God does the unthinkable! We learn here why it is so important to wait on God to take care of our enemies. He may seem to move slowly at times, but it is glorious when His moves begin to make sense.
When you commit your life as a follower of Jesus Christ, you are saying yes to a life of paradox. You will win, but only after battling. You will live in the Spirit, but only as you die to the flesh. You will experience God’s glory through your own groans. The Christian is called to a life of resurrection triumph, but the Christian only experiences that by first submitting to a crucifixion death. Jesus declared amazing victory, reward, and glory for those who endure unto the end. What then is it precisely that w must endure to receive the full reward? This episode of Truth Shots reminds you that though the life of the Christian is not easy, it is absolutely breathtaking when lived out by pressing on in the pose row the Spirit.
The world you live in is so incredibly confused and complicated that it cannot even produce an agreed-upon definition of what Love is. In fact, most of which is promoted as love today has little to do with what God defines love as being. When we look into Scripture, we are both confronted and blessed by how God describes love. When we adopt His definition as our own, we are liberated on the inside to love others in a way that freely gives and does not selfishly demand anything in return. This episode of Truth Shots unpacks three short passages of Scripture to help all of us understand better what true love looks like.
Flagrant pride in an individual is among the ugliest traits we can witness. The inflated sense of ego, the aroma of self-importance, the insistence on being the center of everyone’s orbit…these are things that repulse us. In Esther’s story, Haman was such a person. This message reveals with no restraints just how nauseatingly arrogant the enemy of the Jews is. As we behold his words and actions, we must be willing to examine our own hearts to see if anything similar might be growing in us. Pride and arrogance ALWAYS have the eventual, inevitable result of God’s resistance and destruction. God exalts the humble as is seen in the life of Esther, but He powerfully resists the proud of heart. Haman’s testimony makes this abundantly clear.
Are you feeling the weight of an invisible battle? Have you checked that voice in your head/heart/spirit to make sure it is the right voice to which you should be listening? This episode of Truth Shots plunges into the heart of spiritual warfare, and offers helpful equipping for defeating a primary tool of the enemy called Accusation. Shame, guilt, regret, and fear are all byproducts of the stranglehold of demonic accusation. This podcast reveals the three primary modes of accusation that Hell uses to undercut you, and you will discover the strength found in Jesus' blood while hearing about how to silence the accuser even while in the heat of spiritual conflict.
When it comes to how God has designed His Church to be led and cared for, He places the Office of Apostle first in sequence before the other four offices. It is not that Apostles are better than the other four, as we know that all the 5-Fold offices have equal validity. It is simply that God has ordained for Apostles to be the tip of the spear in Church structure and government. This message asks and answers the question if true Apostles still exist today. We will also see scripturally what Apostles do, how God equips them, and what happens when they faithfully discharge their God-given assignments. Apostolic leadership was crucial in the early Church. This message will help us to see why we still need apostolic leadership today, and what happens when we follow their spiritual leadership and authority in the Kingdom.
Most people who have some belief in God end up underestimating two things: His holiness & His kindness. Some are casual with the God of Heaven, believing Him to be just like us, tolerating evil, turning a blind eye to sin, and never responding to bring a hand of correction into their lives. Others are the exact opposite; they believe God to be angry, fed-up, distant, and uncaring. What is glorious is when a person can believe that God is both holy and kind at the highest possible levels. This is the God who is calling millions to return to Him in this generation. Few passages reveal this more poetically than Isaiah chapter 55. This is where we meet the God of holiness and compassion.
Sometimes, a Christian’s most important moments come through his or her most intense challenges. Many people do not realize that the most famous verse in the book of Esther flows forth from her own personal nightmare wherein she was being asked to put her life on the line. This message will reveal that God will sometimes bring about our divine destiny by presenting us with intense circumstantial disturbances. If you are in trouble during this current season, the disturbance you are experiencing may very well be the activity of God bringing you into what He has prepared for you from before the foundation of the world.
Nowhere in the Bible are believers promised full immunity from attacks, injustice, and wrongdoing from others. Being saved is not a shield from experiencing warfare from people and demons. What is guaranteed to the believer is that, during these times of attack and trouble, we will find the God is present with us. He has committed Himself to fight for you. He will not abandon you on your battlefields. By allowing attacks to find us, He strengthens us in the Spirit and makes us to become more like Jesus. We cannot learn fully His faithfulness until we experience His power and presence in times of conflict. He becomes to us the God who fights for us.
Many places in Scripture call for us to stop everything, get still and intentionally consider and rejoice in the BIGNESS of God. Psalm 145 serves as a call to ensure that God's people remain engaged in a lifestyle of verbally praising God as we live out our days. Worship of God can be done in silence, but praise cannot. Praise the outward and upward expression of our inward worship. For His own reasons, God delights to hear our voices praise Him - individually and collectively. As the psalmist releases his own boast in the Lord, we are impacted freshly of the goodness, bigness and faithfulness of our Father. This Psalm reminds us how good the Father is to us, and it empowers us to personally exercise and renew our praise-muscle.
Perhaps the most frequently misunderstood office of five-fold leadership in the church is the office of the Prophet. Who are these people and what exactly do they do? Some wonder if they even are still valid in the Church - so, are they still essential to church leadership and missional advance? What does the Bible say about the call and function of prophets? Some may be surprised to hear that not all prophetically gifted people are meant to hold the office of the Prophet - how does this work? Partnering alongside apostles, teachers, evangelists and pastors, the Prophet is an incredible gift to the Church in every generation. Yet, Scripture seems to mention false prophets just as often as true prophets are written of - how can we tell the difference? Do all prophets see into the future? Do they all work miracles? The modern Church so many conflicting opinions of this five-fold office. This message opens up a wealth of Scripture to help us understand the call and commitment of God’s Prophets. It will also likely help some who listen to conclude that this calling from God actually rests upon them in the present day.
By now, we all know that wicked people, deviant cultures, and demonic governments are an undeniable part of our experience here on earth. We would prefer that God remove all of these things because we know they stand in opposition to His heart. Perhaps no wickedness has been witnessed in human history more so than the repeated attempts to eradicate Jews from the planet through multiple attempts at holocaust. This message exposes the immeasurable demonization of a man named Haman, a government official of the king, who crafted a plan to rid the earth of all the Hebrews living at that time. Unfortunately for Haman, he did not know that he was not only fighting the Jews, but also the mighty God of the Jews who would be the defender and shield.
Stretched. Tired. Frazzled. Worn out. Beaten, Bruised. Broken.
Sound familiar?
This life can weigh us down with countless pains, losses and burdens. This is not a new thing. The human experience has always carried heaviness. When Jesus went to the masses in His day, He did not pretend that their lives were easy. Even His own followers would nod their heads when He mentioned the weariness of life to them. Yet, in the midst of all that might stretch us thin and wear us down, there is a beautiful invitation from Jesus. This message unpacks the simple call from the son of God to everyone who wonders if they can make it another day. Jesus is no distant King. He steps up to us in the midst of our heavy struggles and invites us with the relieving summons, “Come to Me."
Many highly publicized scandals have rocked the Church in America in recent years. Men who were honored as faithful leaders proved to be hypocrites and abusers. Each time this happens, the question is raised as to whether or not these men were ever even born again. On a smaller scale, we have all known someone who professes to be a Christian but then lives in a manner that is sinful and rebellious against Jesus and His truth. What doe we make of entire denominations that celebrate “freedoms” in things that Jesus actually died to deliver us from? The best thing we can do is to leave the final judgment to Jesus, but we also must maintain a biblical understanding concerning what Jesus himself said about people like this. To do this, in this episode of Truth Shots, we visit a startling teaching from Jesus that should warn and inform us all.
Too many voices seem inclined to hijack God’s communication to declare to us, “THIS IS WHAT GOD IS SAYING RIGHT NOW!” The truth is that God is actually saying many things to His people, and there is not a singular Word that he is presently releasing that stands as the lone Word of the hour. We need a touch of wisdom from Heaven to discern the many things which the Lord is speaking to His Church in this hour. There is an ancient statement in the Book of Ezra that I believe is presently communicating something that the Church in America should consider. In this episode of Truth Shots, I share this word in a desire that each listener will consider it form himself/herself because I believe it holds what is a temporary offer to us from God. This door is presently open, but it will not remain so if we do not walk through it.
Most churches in the modern day Western Hemisphere are led by a person with the title of Pastor. The pastor is responsible for providing visionary direction. The pastor is expected to win the lost and make them into disciples. The pastor is paid to visit the sick, marry the engaged, bury the deceased, counsel the struggling, resolve conflicts, study the Word and preach it with skill, mentor younger people, lead the church staff, and pray without ceasing. The Church in the West thinks of a one-stop-shop type of leader when it uses the term Pastor. Yet, God actually never endorsed this type of thinking. God’s blueprint for the Church does not include the notion that a pastor is to provide everything the local church needs. Is it any wonder that church members often find themselves disappointed in their Pastor? Is it any wonder why pastors frequently burn out and quit? The problem is found in our lack of understanding about what God actually gifts a true pastor for, and what He expects them to do. The solution to the problem is for pastors and churches to embrace what the Bible teaches about the office of the Pastor. As we continue our series on 5-Fold Ministry, it is time to realign with the biblical presentation of what a Pastor really is, and how he/she is to fulfill that calling in the plan of God for the Church.
Sometimes we cannot discern the presence or activity of God working for us. In weaker moments, we might struggle with the possibility of Him having forgotten who we are or where we are. Esther had everything removed from her, and now she was caught in a dangerous, potentially humiliating process that was totally beyond her control. A pagan king demands a night to “sample” her body to see if she met his standards. If he chose her afterward, she would become Queen of Persia. If he found her unspectacular, she would be unmarried concubine for the rest of her days. What would God do to help her? This message takes us on the roller-coaster ride of dark danger and glorious breakthrough. Esther would become the queen.
God often moves silently. Sometimes, it seems as if He does not move at all. While God is nowhere named in the entire book of Esther, the Holy Spirit reveals His intentional activity to the discerning reader. God is working in your life in ways that you cannot see and do not currently understand. This message teaches us to look for the invisible hand of God who is frequently planting the seeds of His providence in the normal, unspectacular moments of our lives. On any typical day of the believer’s life, God is silently, invisibly working on countless levels to accomplish His powerful plans for us.
God once asked a discouraged prophet what he planned on doing when the real troubles began to hit his life and homeland. As heavy as Jeremiah was struggling, we would think that God would tenderly encourage his servant. God didn’t do that at all. God actually told Jeremiah that the circumstances that had him presently overwhelmed were nothing compared to what was soon to come against Israel. In our present day, we need a similar shake up from Heaven. We are not inwardly prepared for the difficulty that Scripture promises will find us as we approach the time of the Second Coming. Truthfully, by comparison, we are actually living in times of relative ease. Preparing our hearts, minds, and wills for what is just ahead may be the most important message of the hour. This episode of Truth Shots explains why.
Nobody gets into the Kingdom of God without hearing a presentation of the Gospel of Jesus. We are justified by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Apart from this component, nobody gets in the Kingdom. We must honor and be grateful for those who are graced by God with an evangelistic 5-Fold leadership calling. These men and women live to share the Gospel, and they motivate and equip others to do the same. Jesus is the consummate evangelist, and from His earthly ministry, we learn much about the 5-Fold leadership office of Evangelist in the Church.
Perhaps more than anything else, the American culture values physical beauty in a woman. With little priority placed upon her character, her intelligence, her skills, or her dreams…America wants to size her up and sum her up by how pretty she is. Is it any wonder that so many women (both the beautiful and the plain) live in anxiety over their value? While Esther is clearly seen in Scripture as possessing physical beauty, that aspect in her story is insignificant compared the power of her character and courage. While her beauty was used by God to give her an entrance into her destiny, it is only spotlighted once in her heroic story. She was so much more. And every Christian woman alive today (whether beautiful or plain) is far more than her physical appearance. God treasures what cannot be seen with the eye.
There is a large, hungry group of Christians who are convinced in the Spirit that God fully intends to release unprecedented revival across the globe before the return of Christ. These zealots are people of prayer, fasting, consecration, witness and Kingdom love. Many who have joined themselves to movements which are led by these believers are also zealous for revival fire. What many of these latecomers do not realize is that the refining fire from God must precede the revival fire from God. There must be a cleansing before there can be a combustion. There must be purifying flame before there comes a power-flame. The ancient Book of Malachi helps us understand what this process looks like so we can be prepared to steward the refiner’s fire as we contend for the revival fire.
For a very long time, local churches have been operating under a less-than-biblical leadership paradigm. When answering the question, 'Who leads the church?’ most people will quickly give the answer, “The pastor!” Yet, this answer is incomplete. This answer is not even necessarily correct. This question and it’s hasty answer have gone unexamined for far too long. What does the Bible actually say about how God has designed His Church to be humanly led? Is the office of Pastor the God-ordained one-stop-shop for everything needed to lead a local church? This series of messages begins with an eye-opening glance at the foundational passage that reveals God’s blueprints for how He leads His church. If our design is not aligned with the Bible, two things will happen: the flock will become confused and frustrated, and the primary leader will burn out soon enough. When local churches take initiative to develop a biblical framework for church leadership, Kingdom-beauty flows from the design that God has ordained, and the Head of the church, King Jesus, advances His mission with love, harmony, and power.
Amy Lyle was invited to speak to 1300 women who gathered at the North Georgia Revival’s IGNITED women’s conference. This message deeply impacted all who were gathered as Amy revealed a look at the parable of the prodigal son that nobody had seen before. You will be blessed as she teaches this amazing passage.
Sometimes, before God does an amazing, earth-shaking work, He allows darkness to grow to an uncomfortable level. Sin will not ultimately prevail, but God has not promised to exterminate all sin as soon as it begins to grow. No, God’s ways often include allowing evil on earth to gain traction before He releases a move that will exterminate wickedness and establish righteousness. This is the case with the beginning of the story of Esther. This heroic woman is not even mentioned in the first chapter of the book which bears her name. Before she is raised up by God, we must stare at the wicked hearts of depraved men who are running the show in ancient Persia. Against the backdrop of their evil ways, God will soon raise up a Queen who will deliver he people. Where there is a need for a hero, there is already the presence of a villain. This is the harsh reality that Esther would be planted in by her wise and strategic God.
One of the most common reasons people cite for leaving the Church or having nothing to do with organized Christianity is the reality that there are hypocrites in the Church. While it is undeniable that there exist many people in the Church who intentionally seek to appear outwardly something better than what they are inwardly, these individuals do not actually exist in the vast numbers people seem to believe they do. Part of the problem is that people do not understand what hypocrisy truly is. They assume that, because a Christian sins or fails, then that Christian is nothing more than a hypocrite. But is this a biblical reality? What if those citing hypocrisy in the Church as a valid reason to leave the Church…are actually living as hypocrites themselves? This Truth Shot episode will offer an opportunity to learn what hypocrisy truly is, and another opportunity to learn if we ourselves are guilty of it.
Nearly 2500 years ago a man named Zerubbabel believed in freedom. He left an easier life in the Persian Empire and traveled to a desolate city - the city of his fathers - to build a temple for Jehovah in Jerusalem. He left with great zeal and visions of the splendor of a restored glory to the city of God and its people. Yet when the difficult task of rebuilding the temple began, Zerubbabel encountered an intimidating mountain of obstacles. God sends an empowering word through the prophet Zechariah to encourage Zerubbabel to put his hands to this great work and continue to spend himself for something greater than himself. The mountain of difficulty was immense indeed, but the grace of God was waiting to do something that had eluded Israel for nearly 100 years. It was time for God to work, and he needed his man to embrace the challenge. In the face of all immovable mountains, God has never once flinched. Not for Zerubbabel in his day, and not for you today. There is grace for you to forge ahead.
Two things must occur for us to walk in spiritual breakthrough: 1) we must remain desperate for the presence and power of Jesus and 2) we must ignore any and all voices that seek to talk us down from that inner desperation. We are all presently experiencing as much of God as we long for. If we can live without His touch, we will. If we cannot live without the hand of God on us, we will hunger and thirst…and then we will be touched and filled. One man’s example of desperation and determination for a touch from Jesus serves as a stirring example of how we must always press in, especially when those around us prefer that we stay where we currently are. Listen, learn, and lean in to receive what this man put on display.
God is always working to strengthen our trust-muscle. As in the physical realm, heavy weights are used to stretch and break down muscle each time we workout. When those broken down muscles repair themselves per God’s design, they are tighter, bigger and stronger. The fact of the matter is that physical muscles do not grow bigger without weight, resistance, and breaking down. This is also true in the spiritual realm. God intentionally uses heavily weighted circumstances to strengthen our trust. Resistance makes our trust-muscle larger. He breaks us down from where we were in order to build us up to where He has appointed us. The stretching and heaviness are the methods that God employs to build our ongoing trust in Him. Right now, there are plenty of heavy forces working to break us down. God wants to use those forces to build us up. This message reminds us that God is not working on us from a distance, but that He is actually as close to us in the Spirit as any personal trainer would be to us in the gym. He calls us to deeper levels of trust and empowers us to respond to Him by promising to always be by our side.
We should not glamorize or romanticize the early Church - they had major issues just like we do today. If we go back 2,000 years in Church history, you will find there a problem that is still around today. One of these problems is our tendency to divide and fragment the unity of the Body of Christ based on what particular leader (or what type of leader) we think is the best suited to lead us. Jesus first followers had a major problem with envy for positions, leader-worshipping, and faulty awareness of inferior motivations for Kingdom ministry. What is the cure for these types of ills? Remaining centered on the person of Christ, and remaining tenaciously committed to the big-picture of the Kingdom no matter what others might be doing around you. In the end, the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul empower us today to miss the landmines that the early Church repeatedly stepped on.
In this second of three messages concerning how Christians are to handle their disagreements about things not specifically mentioned in Scripture, we follow up on the previous message which introduced us to two groups: Christians with a free conscience & Christians with a fragile conscience. God’s word places a much higher responsibility on Christians whose consciences allow them greater levels of personal liberty. These Christians are commanded to deeply consider the examples they are setting wherever they utilize their freedom. Could their example cause weaker believers to struggle? Do these free believers assume that God has given the same liberties to all others which He has given to them? Are liberated Christians willing to set aside their liberties in order to seek the highest good of other believers? Just because we are free does not guarantee that we are mature! This message will challenge all of us to consider how we are living out our testimonies as Jesus-followers before the eyes of other people.
An ancient man with a funny named believed in freedom. Nearly 2500 years ago Zerubbabel left an easier life in the Persian Empire and traveled to a desolate city - the city of his fathers - to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. He left with great zeal and visions of the splendor of a restored glory to the city of God and its people. Yet when the difficult task of rebuilding the temple began, Zerubbabel encountered a massive mountain of obstacles. God then sends a word through His prophet to encourage Zerubbabel to put his hands to this great work and continue to spend himself for something greater than himself. The mountain of difficulty was immense indeed, but the grace of God was waiting to do something that had eluded Israel for nearly 100 years. It was time for God to work, and he called his man to embrace the challenge. In the face of immovable mountains, God has never flinched. Not for Zerubbabel in his day, and not for you today.
We have all heard sermons and teachings about unity within the Body of Christ. Unity is essential to God being glorified from the interactive life of a body of believers. But do we have to agree about everything? What about our personal opinions on issues? The Bible doesn’t speak precisely on every single matter about which Christians must develop a position or opinion. Are we ever free to disagree? The answer is YES. Christians can and do disagree about many issues concerning which the Bible does not offer a clear position. We are permitted to disagree, but how we treat those with whom we disagree is crucial. It is possible for us to have the right answers but an entirely wrong spirit towards those whom we consider to be wrong on the matter. The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 14:1-13 give powerful instruction about how to handle our differences of opinions with other believers.
There is a flagrant misrepresentation of God that has been aggressively communicated for many years in America. This presentation of God as the always happy, never angered, gleefully indulgent Papa in Heaven has produced some terrible fruit among professing Christians. God, in this false belief system about Him, is a naive enabler of wrongdoings among His children. They believe He never goes to extreme measures to correct us. Because of this, the Church is terribly polluted with sin and error that has weakened us in both our representation of Christ and our warfare against the enemy. What does the Bible actually teach about what God does when His children persist in sin? How can we recognize His correcting hand among us? How must we respond when the Father works to discipline us, and to bring us home from our waywardness? Is His correction of us actually a rejection of us? Three verses from Hosea’s prophetic book will help us discern both the heart and hand of God toward those among His children who have strayed.
It might sound somewhat simplistic to some, but it really is true that each Christian's life can be summed up with the headline of, "I am a Jesus-follower." As we enter into relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, Heaven's expectation is that we live all our days following Him in trusting obedience. As we all commit to keep our eyes on Jesus, many potential distractions come along that can result in us getting off track. One of the most common and lethal distractions to those who are to follow Jesus is our tendency to fixate upon what is happening with other people. The life of a Jesus-follower requires intense focus on the Lord as He leads us. When we become distracted by how He is leading others, or the degree to which we believe they are faithfully following Him, we become sidetracked as we take our eyes off of Him. No clearer example of this danger is found in Scripture than that of the Apostle Peter. From this pivotal moment in his life, we see how easy it is to get distracted from following Jesus, and how intense Jesus is in His command for us to keep our eyes on Him.
Few Christians have ever had it as easy as the believers in America have had it over the last 250 years. Because we have lived out our faith in a nation that has historically favored Christ, His good news, and His people, the American Church has grown accustomed to enjoying easy faith. Those times of national ease are already fading, and as we approach the end of the age, they will eventually give place to the type of Christianity that has been lived out in other parts of the globe for the last 2,000 years. It will be comparatively far more difficult than any of us have experienced as we follow Christ. How can we prepare now for what must come? The Apostle James trains us in how to handle troubled waters in our own individual lives. His counsel will ready us and steady us so that we finish our races for the glory of Jesus. We will cross the finish line faithful, fervent, and filled. We will not be casualties of the spiritual war raging against us. We will enter into the presence of our King to receive the rewards He has prepared for us. But we must be prepared ahead of time, and the words of James will help us.
We should not glamorize or romanticize the early Church - they had major issues just like we do today. If we go back 2,000 years in Church history, you will find there a problem that is still around today. One of these problems is our tendency to divide and fragment the unity of the Body of Christ based on what particular leader (or what type of leader) we think is the best suited to lead us. Jesus first followers had a major problem with envy for positions, leader-worshipping, and faulty awareness of inferior motivations for Kingdom ministry. What is the cure for these types of ills? Remaining centered on the person of Christ, and remaining tenaciously committed to the big-picture of the Kingdom no matter what others might be doing around you. In the end, the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul empower us today to miss the landmines that the early Church repeatedly stepped on.
Some aspects of the study on the end-times passages in the Bible hold more curiosity than others. Few of these topics cause people to lean in more than when the topic of the mark of the beast is brought up. What exactly is this mark that the Antichrist’s kingdom will enforce upon its citizens? What happens to those who refuse to take the mark of the beast? What happens to those who do take it? Is it possible that anyone has already received this mark and is ignorant of it? All of these questions will be answered in this message. Additionally, those who watch and listen will gain greater clarity on what is happening at the same time when the mark of the beast emerges into society. This is no small topic as Scripture plainly declares that those who take the mark of the beast will eventually end up in the lake of fire. Those who refuse the mark out of loyalty to Jesus Christ be tried and tested, but this will end in their eternal glory. We must be informed and prepared ahead of time.
If we are walking in the Spirit, then we are always hungry for more from God. We long for more of His presence to manifest. We see the great need for His power to change our own lives and the world around us. We pant after a greater experience of His ways becoming our ways. Yet, we also sense the struggles. We hit the bumps in the discipleship-road. Our flesh (and the flesh of others) hasn’t laid down and fully died. We live in the tension of knowing what God can and will do, versus the sometimes overwhelming reality that we are only experiencing a fraction of what we know is available to us from Him. In the end, we discover like the Prophet Isaiah long ago that we stand in need of a move from Heaven. This message reveals how we can position ourselves to receive and steward a move of God.
It is almost unthinkable that generations of God’s covenant people could live in complete disregard for His written Word. Yet, as we survey the landscape of most of America, we see this exact issue. It is Israel (not America!) that is God’s chosen nation and covenant people…and they once went through a very long season wherein nobody care about the Word of God. The nation had lost the Bible. This message from the powerful life of young King Josiah about revelation, repentance, and reformation serves as both a warning and motivation for the American Church which is also in great need of rediscovering the desperate need for the revelation of the written Word.
As global upheaval continues, and specifically as Israel is the current bullseye for war from her enemies, we do well to benefit from some concentrated emphasis on the man known as the Antichrist. This individual may already be living among us and making his way toward power. The Bible is not vague about identifying what type of man this will be, how he will rise to power, who will be controlling him, and what he will do once he has secured global authority and rule. As modern Christians keep a watchful eye on present global governments, religious trends across the planet, and what is occurring in Israel as we approach the end of days, we are able to see that many things are presently converging which will serve to set the stage for the arising of the Antichrist. While we have no doubts concerning his ultimate destiny, we should all be sobered and prepared for what he will unleash once he comes into power. Jesus Christ will decidedly defeat and destroy him, but before that occurs, he will bring unprecedented trouble to this planet.
One of the clearest appointments mentioned in scripture is the final day of reckoning and reward which all Christians have with King Jesus. Individually, one by one, every child of God will stand before the gracious, merciful and kind King who will then evaluate the eternal worth of the lives which we lived on the earth. Jesus promises full reward for all who lived for him. We should note, however, that while salvation is equal and free, rewards are not. Salvation is freely given through faith in Christ, but heavenly, eternal rewards are all earned. How we are living for Christ during this present life actually either merits or forfeits our eternal rewards. This is incredible motivation for all Jesus-followers to live proactively for eternal things with pure, spiritual motivations. This message places before us that moment when we stand before the One who loves us most, and we then find out how much our earthly lives mattered for His glory.
It is clear in Scripture that the world, the flesh, and the devil work in a concentrated effort to imprison people with deception. The difficult truth is that we do not rise above what we believe is true and prioritized. What we believe to be true owns us. While God has empowered us to defeat the enemies which seek to dominate our thinking, He expects us to personally and proactively enter into a strategy that secures the victory of the mind. This message equips us to know how to proactively protect our minds from deception. Once a believer masters these truths and the necessary disciplines that must accompany them, that same believer will know what it is to defeat demons, deception, and discouragement.
Perhaps the truest test of the depth of our faith is discovered in how, where, and when we praise God. When is He worthy enough for our full confidence? How do we feel about releasing praise when life has bottomed out? Will God see us pressing in to Him in our times and places of impossibility? The Prophet Jeremiah was living in a context of massive destruction and ruin. His words in those circumstances reveal the deep emotional struggle He was having with God, and why God had allowed catastrophe to find His people. Yet, in the midst of the ruin and devastation, Jeremiah gives some of the most important and motivating words for our faith in all of the Old Testament. His words must become our own when life is not lending itself to easy praise.
The war most frequently waged against believers occurs between the ears. Demonic warfare is lasered-in on our minds. If the enemy can deform our thoughts, he can more easily deceive us into walking pathways that are unfit for us. How do we fight back in this war against our minds? The Apostle Paul shared some truths with the ancient church at Corinth which remind us to take a highly proactive, militant, and disciplined stance in winning the war of the mind. He plays mind-games. It cannot be a game to us. We must view it as a war that we will win.
In the end, even the greatest heroes must die. It is a sobering reminder that there is only one King who reigns forever, and His name is not David. What does a man after God’s own heart do when he knows he is soon to leave earth? David prioritized passing the torch to the next generation via his son, Solomon. Rather than going out with a whimper, David gave a final roar from his lion-hearted life as he left Solomon some wise and daring counsel in order to ensure that Solomon reigned well in Israel. David, the great man of war and worship exited this earth with a kiss of grace as he entered into the eternal reign of his own King.
Because we are promised a battle, we need to ready ourselves with a mindset to win. In the Kingdom, you do not fight the same way people fight in the world. Our battle is not primarily a natural warfare. We fight in the Spirit, and we utilize spiritual weapons for waging war. When the struggle does not turn in our favor quickly, God calls us into overcoming the opposing thing via endurance, hope, and deep trust. The absence of battles is never offered to us by God. Victory, however, is the standing offer from Heaven. This passage reminds us that we will need to know what it is to undergo before we know what it is to overcome. Have you learned yet how to win in the Kingdom?
One of the greatest needs in this present hour is for believers to be prepared in HOW to win the victories which God appoints for us. For discerning believers, there is no denying the massive warfare that the Church is experiencing. One of the most alarming evidences that we may not be winning the war is that many Christians do not even sense that there is a war at all. For those who do discern the battle and are believing God for the victory, we must become more skilled in understanding the processes by which God defeats what opposes His children individually and collectively. The famous showdown between Israel and Egypt contains some of the most valuable pieces of strategy for how we cooperate with God to decidedly defeat our foes.
Everyone knows about David’s sin with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband. Yet, did you know that David himself classified a separate event in his life as an even greater sin? The cost for this sin was higher even though the action of this sin does not seem quite as scandalous. Once confronted with his transgression and having paid the full price, David chooses to build an altar to the God who forgave him and stopped the terrible consequences form going any further. In this scene from David’s life, we receive a core Kingdom key that every follower of Jesus must carry. If we will be invited to ascend God’s holy hill like David was, we will all do so along the pathway of sacrifice for the rest of our days on earth.
There are certain topics which can almost instantly divide Christians who are gathered in a room together. Bible translations, worship music preferences, whether or not a Christian can ever partake of alcohol, the role of women in ministry…Christians certainly know how to have heated debates on these issues. Another controversy surrounds the practice of speaking and praying in tongues. Perhaps above any other spiritual gift mentioned in the Bible, the gift of tongues brings forth strong opinions. This episode of Truth Shots removes our opinions off the table and leaves us staring at only the Scriptures to decide whether or not speaking in tongues is for the present day among God’s people.
The rebel son, Absalom, is dead. David has grieved the death of his son, but the Kingdom keeps moving in spite of David’s personal loss. Now, Israel has no clear king. In this season of David’s life and leadership, the people in the kingdom of Israel are actually the focus. What do they do after rejecting their true king, welcoming Absalom to rule, witnessing his tragic failure and death…and now having nowhere to turn for help and leadership as a nation? David extends his people a merciful opportunity to welcome him back for a fresh start as king of the people. In this narrative, modern believers find a beautiful picture of the greater King, Jesus Christ, and how He reaches out to us even when we have spent a dark season spurning his authority and rejecting His rulership in our lives. None who will repent and welcome Him to rule again need ever fear that He will refuse them as they once refused Him. He is the King who graciously reaches back out to rebels and offers them a second chance.
As David’s son, Absalom steals the throne from his father, the king of Israel is forced to flee Jerusalem. On his way out he encounters one of the most reprehensible characters in the entire Old Testament. A man named Shimei unleashes upon David years of pent-up bitterness, anger and contempt. What will King David do - how will the man after God’s own heart respond when verbally, publicly attacked? From this moment in David’s life, we can gain both wisdom and empowerment from God when we find ourselves treated wrongly by others. Bitterness and resentment are poison to the soul. David’s response helps us to see a higher road to choose when we are attacked. This road is steep, so it is not easy; but it leads to a powerful place with God.
One of the battles that most believers must occasionally fight is our tendency to drift. We can slip into neutral in our spiritual journey. We get distracted, fail to prioritize our personal relationship with Christ, and give the best of ourselves to lesser things. Sometimes, when we drift too far, we can actually fall into spiritual slumber. When we close our spiritual eyes, we fail to see the glories of God and the dangers of the devil. Jesus wanted His followers about this, and He spoke in a way that conveys He was certain is was already happening to some. What was His counsel to these people who are spiritually asleep? He told them to wake up and recognize that spiritual slumber can become a disaster.
“The concept of spiritual life being spoken of as Light is a frequent occurrence in the bible. God Himself is Light, and in Him there is no darkness. Jesus Christ declared Himself to be the Light of the world. Jesus also taught in the sermon on the mount that all Christians are Light. We are familiar with the concept, but what is the practical outflow of us being the Light of God in this present world? This episode of Truth Shots reveals three components of our lives that are represented by Light: illumination, heat, and power. These three things will flow from the life of a believer who is in deep fellowship with Christ.”
King David is living out some of the hardest and darkest days of his otherwise amazing life. His family has been rocked by vice and violence. Now, nearly a decade after Absalom murdered Ammon, David is about to experience the penetrating sting of betrayal from his own son. The scriptures reveal Absalom to be an attractive, impressive, gifted, and cunning man. He wanted the throne of Israel for himself because he was inwardly fouled by bitterness toward his own father, the current king. God had not given Absalom the throne of Israel. God would not ever give it to Absalom. But Absalom wanted to be the king, so Absalom knew that he had to get the position for himself. From this determination to be seen, heard, and recognized as Israel’s chief leader, Absalom had only one option: he had to gain the throne via manipulation and rebellion. This was Absalom’s way, and it would not end well for him. This is the destiny of every person in God’s Kingdom who thirsts for a place higher than the one appointed to them by God. If God has called you to be a David, He has also called you to discern the Absaloms nearby.
All throughout the Scriptures, God reveals that He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Ultimately, the believer’s sin was judged and punished when Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for sin on the cross. Yet, the reality still lingers that God is holy, and when a people group rebelliously defies Him, there is an expiration date for His mercy to them. Could it be that the United States has already crossed that mercy-threshold? I believe this is absolutely true. Because of this, God is sending prophetic and scriptural warnings for any who have ears to hear Him. Judgment will eventually come to the United States in full force (as it will to the entire planet). Before that moment arrives, God is warning people to turn to Him to experience His grace, forgiveness, mercy, and redemption. This Truth Shot focuses much more on the sobering warnings than the offer of grace - it will not be a popular message with many, but it is still urgent and true.
Let’s be truthful - most of us avoid suffering at any cost. It’s normal. It’s natural. Nobody in their right mind naturally purses pain, problems, or persecution. In fact, the devil usually gets blamed for any and all suffering in the lives of Christians. Non-Christians typically blame God when suffering finds their lives. The Apostle Peter had much to say about suffering in a letter he wrote 2,000 years ago. Have we ever considered that there is eternal profit in our temporary pains? While God does not cause suffering for His children, it is clear that He does not always prevent it. What good might come from any suffering that He would allows in our lives? This episode of Truth Shots offers us some considerations about suffering.
There is a false doctrine commonly referred to as “hyper-grace.” Within this system of belief is the false notion that a truly saved person can continue to live in indifference or rebellion concerning the ways of God and the Word of God. In essence, individuals who believe and teach this doctrine believe that grace allows us to sin with no fear of present or eternal consequences. These people wrongly believe they can enter the Kingdom of God having never come out of the kingdom of darkness. Scripture is clear that the person who has experienced the redeeming grace of God will have an entirely different life after receiving Christ. This message calls us to consider the powerful promises of God to those who are saved. His grace empowers us to live free from the power of sin. Hyper-grace never teaches us this. Biblical grace always does, and this freedom from sin’s power is the beautiful inheritance of the all the children of God.
In the present season, we are seeing the work of God in bringing runaways back home. We all know what is meant by the phrase “prodigal child.” When someone rebels against his or her parents, lives in entitlement, rejects wisdom, and chooses to go stubbornly down a wayward path…this person is a prodigal child. This not only happens in our families, it happens in the spiritual family that has God as its Heavenly Father. For those who wander from God into sin, pain, and shame, there is a present call going out which welcomes them to come back home to Father today. May those who hear this message never fail to remember that grace tells them that they can come fully home. The invitation is still there from God. His door is still open for now. He will meet any and all as they turn to Him. He does not give up on His prodigal child…even when they have given up on themselves.
The good news is that you are not alone in your desire to have a problem-free life. We all desire this. The bad news is that you will never experience this until your life on earth concludes. There is no getting around it: being a follower of Jesus does not immunize us in any way from problems and pain in life. For those who live by faith in the goodness of God, there is an offer to us from Heaven to enter into a deeper understanding of why God allows problems in our lives. The testimony of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 helps us to learn from his extreme privileges as a follower of Jesus, and his example of suffering for Christ as we consider our own apportioned troubles that God permits to find us. There is always a greater gift of grace that far surpasses the weight of our groans. To learn this lesson early in your faith-journey is extremely helpful. For those who learn it later in life, there is the ability to look back and make sense of why God permitted the problems and the pain.
Did you know that God has desires that go unfulfilled? While God rules the cosmos in sovereign authority and total dominion, He does not force all of His desires to come to fruition. God desires for all to be saved, but they are not. God desires all Christians to live Spirit-filled lives, but they do not. God desires all churches to glorify Him and advance the Kingdom, but they do not. So then, where can we learn ore about what God desires for individual Christians and for the churches they form? In John 17, Jesus Christ offers a prayer to the Father that reveals four essential components of what it means to be a people who live in a commitment to fulfill the desires of God. Any Christian can do these things. So can every local church. We are being offered an opportunity to rise to the divine expectation contained in Jesus prayer to the Father.
There really is no such thing as hidden sin. We can fool one another - sometimes for a lifetime. Yet, even if we succeed in fooling one another by keeping secret sins, God is never fooled by us. David seemed to have gotten away with adultery and murder, yet it would not be long before the prophet Nathan directly confronted David. Before that confrontation occurred, however, David lived in increasing torment about what he had done and what he was hiding. Psalm 32 is the account of those months wherein David was living under the disciplining hand of God. His words serve as a great warning and motivation for all of us to never hide our own sins. To confess and forsake a sin is to be restored into the beautiful fellowship we have with God. David learned this the hard way, and his words in Psalm 32 help us to never have to learn it the hard way for ourselves.
Do you know about the time when Jesus sent a word to a church that informed them that He appreciated all that they were doing for Him, but that He was about to completely shut them down? This really happened. King Jesus really did send that message to a church and it is recorded in the Bible for everyone to read and learn from. These Christians were loyal in service, doctrinally sound, willing to oppose evil, refusing to quit on the mission…but Jesus stacked all that against the one thing they were missing, and then sent word to them that He couldn’t let them continue the way they were living. He exposed the fatal flaw in their midst and instructed them what to do about it. This message to the ancient church at Ephesus holds so much important revelation for Christians today. What was the fatal flaw that the Ephesian Church needed to fix? It wasn’t their zeal and commitment to a mission. The thing which threatened their future as a church had to do with their lack of prioritizing love.
It is a heartbreaking thing to watch a child of God fall. The moral implosion of a formerly faithful believer often leaves a trail of destruction. David had been powerfully committed to his God for decades, but in a prolonged season when the battles were few and the blessings were many, David, the man after God’s own heart, dropped his guard. Through the study of David's infamous encounter with Bathsheba, we are instructed and warned about how sin can ambush and defeat a true believer. Nobody is immune from temptations, but we can deny them access to our lives if we are wisely informed and inwardly prepared before the temptations arise. From David’s personal collapse, we can learn about how the faithful fall, and how we can keep our names off the long list of believers who have gone before us and experienced the devastation of painful sin.
Christianity has been made to be overly individualized in the last 75 years. We talk about personal faith. We claim Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. We have personal prayer lives and personal ministries. It seems that we have sacrificed the big-picture components of Christianity on the narrow altar of what it means personally to each of us. God’s word is clear that Christianity is a group-event. We are meant to do life together - and all the more as we approach the end of the age. Much strength is gained when the many function as one. We are together a family, an army, a team, and a spiritual organism. This message reminds us of what God does when we not only embrace Him, but one another. If we fail to do so, we forfeit some components of Christianity that we cannot survive without.
Spiritual maturity will result in a Christian refusing to cooperate with panic when troubles arise. While there may be multiple measures that can serve to reveal the level of our spiritual growth, it is certain that peace in the midst of life’s storms will be on the list. What do you do when trouble finds you? Many people fear that God has disappeared when trouble comes to stay. Interestingly, God actually chooses to use trouble for some of His most important desires for our lives. This message takes us with the disciples of a Jesus straight into some very troubling circumstances. Jesus won’t panic alongside of them. Instead, He trains them about how to respond to difficulties, fears, and negative forecasts.
Have you noticed that there are scores of different (often conflicting!) opinions about what it means to be a Christian. People communicate everything from easy-believism to hardcore legalism as the means by which someone becomes a follower of Jesus Christ. But what did Jesus say? If we want to truly know whether or not we are a Christian, we should welcome the Savior Himself to tell us what is required to rightfully claim that we are His. This is not a matter upon which we can remain unclear. What is the actual call to us from Jesus?
At some point, all Christians get hung up on a decision because we just are not sure what God wants us to do in a particular matter. There is not a clear Bible verse for every important decision in life. When it isn’t clear in Scripture, we have to patiently seek the Lord to reveal His will to us. Yet, there are some VERY clear verses which can either help or hinder us in knowing God’s will, depending on how we respond to those verses. Could it be that God is speaking but we cannot hear Him due to our ignorance or disobedience in what these handful of verses tell us? He is not hiding from us when we need to know His will. Yet, we need to ensure we are in the right position to hear His direction.
Sometimes we are tempted to wonder how it is that continues to work with us. We sense our weakness. We can identify moments of carnality, selfishness, and even outright sin. We stare in a spiritual mirror and it seems like we see anything but Jesus staring back at us. It would be so easy to lose hope that we will ever become the type of Christian we know that God desires us to be. The reason we do not, cannot, and will not lose hope is because we do not trust in ourselves. God is committed to finishing you one day. Until then, we need biblical help in not giving up during the long process of the Father making us into the likeness of the Son.
No follower of Jesus wants to fail. We hate our sins. We groan when we cannot discern measurable growth in our spirit. When the accusations of the enemy (both human and demon) come our way, we recoil because those accusations sometimes contain a grain of the truth. Yet, in all of the battling and belittling, there is a power place for refuge. We stand in the grace of God and in the relentless commitment of Holy Spirit to bring us out of all defeat and into greater victories as we grow in Christ. It is extremely important to remember that the enemy cannot and will not have the final word over the Christian.
If you are not willing to wait on God, you are not ready to influence anyone for God. Gifts, talents, callings, skills, and anointing are marvelous assets as we follow Jesus. Yet, if in any way, we believe we are qualified to set the pace and establish the timing of how God moves in and through our lives, we are bordering on unholy presumption. God owns the calendar and the clock. David had been anointed by Samuel as a pre-teen. Through painful losses and long delays, he finally receives the full throne of Israel at thirty-seven years old. You can do math and discern that this would have been a very long wait. From his amazing endurance, we receive an example of what it looks like to truly honor God with our lives and callings. If you put yourself in a place, it is on you to keep yourself there. If you wait on God’s timing, your promotion in the Kingdom will be His to anoint, prosper and protect. Will you continue to wait upon the Lord
How we respond when our enemies are brought down will reveal much about what kind of heart we have. David has been on the run from Saul for a decade. His life has been one of nonstop drama and danger - all because of the demonized paranoia of King Saul. When word arrives to David of Saul’s death, David knows that the man who has sought to kill him for years is now dead himself. His response to this news is both inspiring and instructional. What do we do when we see our own opposition fall? When the one(s) who hurt us find their own pain, what happens in our hearts? This big step toward the throne of Israel required David to operate with a heart that God could bless. Once again, David passes the test. Will we?
Fear distorts your reality. It messes up your perception of others. It lies to you, steals from you, and accuses the character of God to you. Fear is a spike in the soul and, if you’re consistently living with it, I can tell you confidently that it is sourced in a demonic attack on you. I talk about fear in this episode of Truth Shots.
It is a historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on a Roman cross around the age of 33. While we look back in time and view the death of Jesus Christ as a monumental event, for most who were living at that time, absolutely nothing changed about their daily lives. Many modern Christians have never paused to intentionally learn some of the people, conversations, and other elements that immediately surrounded the cross of Christ. This message reveals the cross from the vantage point of several people and groups, including God the Father’s point of view of the cross. Why was the Son allowed to be killed? That is one of the most important questions a person can ever ask and have answered. And what do we make of all the different responses? We realize we must make our own response. On this Sunday before Resurrection Sunday, we will engage in a Cross Examination.
When we win, we are called to repent. Repentance occurs when we come into alignment with what God says about what we have sinfully done. We confess the sin, and then we forsake it, relying upon the grace of God to immediately and fully cleanse us. We also rely upon the Spirit to break the power of that sin so that we walk in freedom. Psalm 51 reveals precisely what repentance look likes in the life of a believer. After David morally failed, God brought him to repentance so that David could be free of the destructive powers from what he had done. His words reveal a heart that is spiritually turning around. We are greatly benefitted by studying his words so that, when the time comes for us, we understand how to return and be restored to God.
With the large number of Bible passages that warn Christians about the dangers of false prophets, we should be amazed at how little attention is currently being paid toward these dangerous mouthpieces for the devil. In this episode of Truth Shots, Jeff Lyle takes us through several different places in the Bible where we are warned and empowered to defeat false prophets. Weaving in counsel gained from personal experience, plus some personal stories of how Jeff has handled this issue over the years, you will be equipped to protect yourself and others from this danger in the Church.
As Jesus-followers, we should desire the same atmosphere that our Savior desires. Remember, He is the Prince of Peace. How is it then that so many who claim to belong to Him are anything but peaceful? What should we think of those Christians who seem to thrive on drama and create discord wherever they go? Surely, this cannot be the work of God the Son in them. A long time ago, the Apostle James had something to write about this very thing. Strife always arises from some contamination in the heart. When jealousy, envy, pride, bitterness, and compromise dwell in someone’s heart, it will soon manifest in their actions. Even worse, the demonic realm feeds in a frenzy on this type of person. In our culture of chaos, Christians must embrace a wisdom that solidifies us as people of pure (not compromised!) peace. The world needs to hear our harmonizing voices together as we represent our King in a generation of hostility and strife.
It seems Christians simply do not believe Jesus’ cryptic warning in Matthew 12:36 where He promised that we would all somehow give an account for every idle word we speak. We may not be exactly sure how that reckoning is going to play out, but it tells us enough to know that we had better make it a priority to properly guard what we speak. In today’s world, because of social media, everyone has a platform and an audience. No generation before us has had this type of opportunity, and not everyone is using wisdom when they speak, write, and post. This Truth Shot episode reminds us of all the good that come from our words. It also warns us of all the pain and destruction. May each one of us consider STRONGLY how they are using their tongues in light of all that James 3 teaches about the weight of our words.
When things get dry, we need a refreshing. When circumstances become intimidating, we need a rescue. When life turns heavy and fearful, we need a word from Heaven to encourage and embolden us. By this point on our journey, we all recognize that there are seasons that come and go. One of the greatest seasons of impact is when God determines to intervene on our behalf and to place fresh oil on our lives and new wind within our sails. The prophet Isaiah once released a word to ancient Israel about their coming season of impact and, through the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf, these prophetic words can also rest upon you if you choose to wait, trust, and obey.
The Apostle James wrote that our words can be like a roaring inferno that leave a terrible wake of destruction. Most everyone has endured verbal assaults during their lifetime. When we are young, those words can enter into our souls like a curse, and wound us well into adulthood. Satan uses the weapon of word curses to keep us from walking in our true identities and fulfilling God’s destiny for our lives. Honestly, word curses are some of the enemy’s favorite weapons of mass destruction. This episode of Truth Shots exposes six different types of word curses that we can diagnose and overcome when they have been aimed at our souls by the enemy and the people he used against us.
Joseph was given a great gift from God. He had trusted, waited, endured and believed God for the best. God matured Joseph during painful delays and mistreatment from others. Eventually, Joseph began to walk in the power of those dreams that God gave to him. Now, Joseph would face the most difficult testing moments in his life. When he came face to face with his brothers who had hated him, abused him, abandoned him and sold him as a slave, would Joseph forgive them? Everything was on the line because God will not promote an unforgiving heart in His Kingdom. This moment in Joseph’s life solidifies his testimony, and serves as a powerful summons for us to forgive others if we ever hope to walk out the dreams of God for our own lives.
This spontaneous message was unplanned, and released with the weight of the Spirit heavily upon Jeff Lyle as he spoke it forth. In these last chapters before the return of our King, it is of highest importance that the Church return to the original understanding of what it means for someone to have eternal life in Jesus Christ. What does the born again life look like? Could it be that scores of church goers are deceived into a false Gospel? The answer is Yes. Listen and consider your own profession of faith. Is it authentic according to God’s Word?
Breakthroughs always prove to be worth waiting for. We often struggle because we know that He is truly the God of our breakthroughs, but He is clearly not the God of full disclosure concerning how and when those breakthroughs will come. He stretches our faith and calls us to continue firming up our own trust-muscle. As Joseph has been waiting for God to bring Joseph’s prophetic dreams into reality, thirteen difficult years have gone by. Now, in the perfection of God’s timing, Joseph steps into long seasons of favor, breakthroughs, blessings and abundance. From his faithful example, we learn how to wait on God for those things which He has spoken over us. It is not easy to do so - but it is always glorious when we continue to trust and obey the designs of God for our lives. This message is for all who are hungry for breakthrough to find them in their season of trust and patience.
Most every Christian understands the idea that we are to be people of faith. We are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus’ redeeming work. We know that we are to trust God by faith as we live our daily lives. In recent years, cultural and global difficulties have provided an opportunity for many Jesus-followers to diagnose just how much of their lives are truly being lived out by trusting God. We have been made aware of things that have served as replacements for our trust in God. We often call these things “crutches" that prop us up. God is ushering in a season for His people where we will no longer be allowed any lesser loyalties to rob us from living lives of deep trust and confident faith in who He is. This message highlights some important issues about our need for greater faith, and it also asks us some questions that we need to be able to answer for ourselves. What God is offering his people will only be experienced by those who deepen in their trust of Him. Now is the time for our biggest YES ever to what God is offering.
When many believers enter glory after they die, there will be awaiting for them a startling revelation. What will this blazing moment of enlightenment contain? A sudden awareness of how many times on earth that they quit right before their breakthrough would have occurred. We who follow Jesus by faith can often be tempted to become frustrated and untrusting as we wait on God’s timing to come to pass. It is unusual for God to give us an exact calendar date in the future for something we believe He will do for us. He does not always disclose the means by which He will bring our breakthroughs or answers to us. He is most often calling us to a deeper level of trust, and to resist the urge to take matters into our own hands. In this scene from Joseph’s life, we learn the beautiful reward that comes to those who wait upon the Lord. When our dreams meet His timing, soul-enriching breakthrough occurs.
In this episode, Amy Lyle joins Jeff to discuss a strong warning she heard from God about a common and growing danger among Christians. Far more are walking in great risk and likely minimizing in their hearts what the Lord thinks (and has said in Scripture!) about this troubling trend. Listen carefully, and analyze your own steps to see if you may have already stepped into this danger zone.
Every servant of God eventually acknowledges his or her own limitations. We discover that there is only one Savior, one rescuer, one omni-capable individual who can handle any load at any time. The rest of us eventually come to that humbling season when our truest and best prayer becomes, “Help me.” Thankfully, none of this surprises nor disappoints God. He knows better than we do the point of our limitations. He understands that, try as we might, we are not spiritual super-heroes. Eventually, we have to remove our cape and wisely admit that life is just too much for our own strengths and gifts. In this message, we explore a famous offer from Jesus to all who are overtaxed and under-resourced. What doe sit mean to get under the yoke with Jesus? What does it mean for the christian to exchange his or her load for getting under the load to which Jesus invites us? There is no need to fear because He graciously and powerfully invites the weak and weary to come to His side. He invites us all to remove our capes.
Christians living for the glory of God will be assigned territory to claim for His glory. Sometimes this territory is geographical. Sometimes it is relational. Sometimes it is cultural. Regardless of how the territory is defined and assigned by God, the Christian life is one of Kingdom advancement. And all of Hell will fight against that victory happening through you. This is why we need an impartation of holy, Spirit-filled confidence. In this episode of Truth Shots, Jeff challenges the listener to be emboldened in the will of God. What if you were called to believe that you were invincible as you walk out God’s will for your life? Joshua was told exactly that, and then he was able to impart that same truth to others. The result? Israel brought conquest to the promised territory wherein there were fortified cities, trained armies, and demonized opposition awaiting them. Joshua needed to hear from God at the onset that God would not let him fall. We need to hear the same thing for our own lives.
From time to time, people will ask a spiritual leader what the keys are for a victorious, satisfying life that brings glory to God. Often this type of question comes from a newer convert or from a younger Christian who is now learning how to walk out their own faith. The question itself is GOOD because it indicates spiritual hunger. What may be lacking, however, is the awareness that there is no existing quick-fix answer to a spiritual life which is victorious, satisfying and brings God glory. Nonetheless, there is a beginning point for those who are in it for the long haul. In this episode of Truth Shots, Jeff offers us four words that he is convinced that all Christians must receive and embrace as an ongoing part of their faith journeys. While we never graduate from what is represented by these four words, we can surely begin and grow in the expression of them.
What if someone told you that God’s ultimate plans are never thwarted by people’s sins? If your understanding of God mistakenly reduces His power down to something that cannot overcome our failures, then you have not understood Him properly. God’s plans for Joseph were so deep, so complex, so intense that there was nothing that could be done to stop those plans. However, Joseph would be tested for years as to whether or not he could believe that God being for him was stronger than all of those who were against him. This message highlights the destructive nature of unchecked sin in the hearts of people. Yet, in the end we learn again that people mean for evil God will turn for good.
Victorious, abundant living never happens accidentally for Christians. While it is true that God is in full, sovereign control of everything that takes place in the universe, we should never allow that reality to rob us of living with purposed intentionality. We are responsible for living lives that are situated to bring glory to Jesus Christ. As we live those kinds of lives, we discover that we also live at high levels of fulfillment and pleasure. Paul’s words to the Christians at Philippi reveal to us some of the necessary mindsets and actions that all Christians must embrace in order to live in victory. From the hungers of our hearts unto our assurance about eternity, how we think and who we follow are essential elements that will help determine the level of victory we each experience as we follow Jesus.
From time to time, the Scriptures present us with a situation so impossibly hopeless, that we wonder what can be done to bring remedy. One man’s life in Luke’s Gospel was so powerfully dominated by evil, that there appeared no hope. Jesus was not intimidated in the least. From this encounter between Jesus and the tormented man who lived in the graveyard, we are reminded that we should never consider anyone in our own lives beyond the grasp of God. Where Jesus is welcomed to bring pardon, He will soon thereafter release purpose. This message reminds all of us that the rampant power of evil in every generation will bow to the power of God. God is simply looking for those who will believe this, and then move forward din faith and breakthrough for themselves and those around them.
Most of the world thinks of peace as the absence of conflict. Beyond that, many of those same people assume that peace is unattainable unless that absence of conflict is their current reality. Wouldn’t it be terrible if that were true? That would mean that would be zero possibility of peace unless everything in our lives was pleasant, friction-free and easy on our souls. In this message, we will learn that peace is something that is to be prized, and especially when it is attained in the midst of real-life struggles. Because we live in a world conditioned by sin and brokenness, we will only experience spiritual peace to the degree that prioritize and pursue it. The Apostle Paul teaches us how to do exactly that as he instructs the Philippian believers to fight for peace in their human relationships, their relationship with God and their own minds.
There are very few people whose stories are told in the Bible about whom you can find almost nothing negative. Joseph is one of those rare gems. His life is a shining example of what it looks like to overcome the most cruel of circumstances, and still emerge with glory and breakthrough on a life. His story begins with a set of God-released dreams, and much later, the power of his dream-gift is what God uses to promote Joseph from the dungeon to the palace. For any believers who have endured mistreatment, abandonment, loss and long seasons waiting on God, the life of Joseph offers instruction, encouragement and powerful hope.
Some scenes in the Bible feel ripe for a powerful move of God. Moses at the Red Sea, David in the shadow of Goliath, Isaiah in the temple as he sees the visible presence of God - these radical encounters in the Bible make sense to us. Yet, there was a day when Jesus was holding a teaching session in someone’s living room in the presence of a religiously hostile crowd…and then the glory and power of Heaven broke in. What might it look like if the Church began to expect God to move in mighty ways without all the propped-up, illuminated, high-gloss marketed ministry machinery that so man people rely on? Can God move without us adding any hype? Do we leave room for Him to anoint what seems boring and mundane on the outside? This scene from Luke 5 shows us how mightily God can move in any setting, as long as their humble and hungry hearts pressing in for His presence and power. If your life feels boring, it may very well be the perfect season for a setup from Heaven to bring glory to your walk with Jesus.
With God and mankind, it all began in a garden together. Eden’s paradise fell into curse and decay via the sin of Adam. The beautiful oneness between God and man was spoiled. Yet, the story continued with the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, who redeemed all that Adam forfeited. In the 2,000 years since Jesus rose and ascended back to the Father, all of humanity has been awaiting the restoration of that paradise. In this final message in the Discerning the Days sermon series, God creates an eternal paradise in which He will dwell alongside of a rescued Bride for all of eternity. This is the beautiful ending of a stunning story of sin, forgiveness, loss and restoration. It began in a paradise lost and will end in a paradise secured. This is the climax of grace and faith: God and mankind dwell together again. This time it is forever.
Many people are living weeks, months years - even decades - in a state of being stuck. This often occurs because of an inability to put their past behind them and then move forward from the present into the future. They live in limbo and practice purgatory as they go through the motions of daily tasks. There was a remnant of ancient Hebrews who were battling this very thing. Unable to accept closure on a once glorious past that had been lost, as God was opening up their futures to them in astounding ways, they struggled to move forward into all that He was offering. This message will equip us to diagnose if we are stuck in the same way they were. How do we become unstuck people? It is primarily about perspective, trust and a commitment to move in what God is presently doing while closing the chapter on what He once did. God is not doing anything yesterday, therefore it is a terrible place for us to try to live today.
Since Lucifer’s rebellion against God in the throne room of heaven, there has never existed a single moment wherein there was absolute, perfect peace and harmony in the realm of creation. Rebellion, hostility, sin, seduction, war and strife have been interwoven into all aspects of the created order since that dreadful moment when Lucifer sought God’s throne for Himself. The decree of God is that He would some day restore perfect harmony, order and righteousness to His creation. Before that happens, all rebellion must be eradicated from existence. The battle of Gog and Magog is the final stage of all that is not of God being forever purged from existence. After God & Magog comes the final judgment, and then God ushers in paradise forever. This message takes us to that final scene of rebellion and hatred against God and His Son, Jesus Christ. In the end, there is not really a fight - just a fatal finality for the enemies of God.
A great moment in the Christian’s life occurs when he or she understands what God has gifted and called them to do in the Kingdom. Everyone desires to know their purpose, and life takes on new dimension when God clearly communicates His desire for the direction of our lives. What God assigns to the believer He also anoints for the believer. He infuses the right gifting, the right spiritual resources, the right location, and the right recipients of what He will pour through us. Oh, yes, there is also this: He assigns the right timing. And that is where most of us will be tested. Most Christians receive their call and anointing from God before they receive their full release to what God has determined for them. David’s example carries rich lessons for those who know their Kingdom purpose, but who have not yet found themselves able to fulfill it. These lessons are crucial for all of us. If we cannot pass the present waiting test, we will likely not pass all the future tests which accompany our assignments. What do we do when we are in the challenging season of being anointed but waiting? King David helps us to find the answers.
What if I told you that God’s eternal plan was NOT not to gather all His children home to Heaven to live there forever with Him? What if I told you that His plan was less about the mysterious Heaven in the sky and more about a literal Kingdom on a renewed planet earth? Some people would be shocked to hear this. Others would be relieved to finally hear from someone willing to ask Christians to think more deeply about eternity. When we realize that God’s plans for humans have always been about establishing His Kingdom on earth, it changes the way we view eternity - and also the present days in which we currently live. This message is structured to open our spiritual understanding about what God has always been doing and what He continues to do right now. If we do not begin to think KINGDOM, we will live far beneath the plans and purposes of God. An overview of Scripture leaves us with no other own conclusion but that God has always been establishing His dominion on the earth, and that is the precise work He is doing right now. These truths from the Bible will expose how easy it is to be a little-k Christian (our kingdoms) instead of becoming a big-K Christian (His KINGDOM).
God has some significant plans for each of His children. He doesn’t have any throwaways. He has assigned some territory to belong to you. If you trust Him, that territory will become your very own. And, by the way, all of Hell will fight against that victory happening through you. All of Hell will lose that battle if you keep following Him - this is why we need an impartation of Holy Spirit-filled confidence. What if you were called to believe that you were invincible as you walk out God’s will for your life? Joshua was told exactly that, and then he was able to impart that same truth to others. The result? Israel brought conquest to the promised territory wherein there were fortified cities, trained armies, and demonized opposition awaiting them. Joshua needed to hear from God at the onset that God would not let him fall. We need to hear the same thing, and today’s podcast is an ear-opener.
What happens when a prophet, a king, a worship team and an army all show up in one chapter of the Bible? GLORY - that is what happens! In the second part of a two-part mini-series on King Jehoshaphat’s greatest victory, this message imparts to those watching and listening an opportunity to consider that they may be fighting some of their own battles in a way that is different than God would have them to presently fight. In our generation where brute force, skill & savvy, experience & education, might & marketing are usually what gains the win, God wants Christians to choose a better way. Jehoshaphat and Israel would have never won if they had not listened to the prophetic word, bowed low their hearts and wills, and stood up to worship their way through the warfare. So much can be learned by us in these days when God has committed to get all the glory, and to give His faithful, trusting ones all the breakthrough required.
The Tribulation is over. God’s full and final wrath has been poured out upon the unrepentant rebels of planet earth. The Antichrist and False Prophet have been thrown alive into the lake of fire. Jesus has returned to the planet with His glorified saints. So, now what? The revelation in scripture of the 1,000 year reign of King Jesus on earth now commences. This time period, known as the millennium, ushers in a return of paradise on earth where righteousness and peace will be supreme. For the first time in our pants history, God will be ruling both literally and visibly in an undeniable theocracy. Another powerful reality is that the saints will be governing the planet alongside of their King. This message helps unpack some of the practical elements of this somewhat mysterious (and lengthy!) time period that Scripture promises will occur on this planet. This is where our faith in Jesus as our King becomes undeniable and breathtaking sight!
The Church in America has a speech impediment. The issue is not in our ability to speak, it is in our discernment of what to actually say. Pastors, prophets and teachers have a call from God to speak His words in His way to all people assigned to them. The widescale prostitution of the call to preach has undermined the authority and relevance of the American Church. When Christians in the pews and seats presume to be authorized to tell the prophets and pastors what needs to be proclaimed, they trespass on what God has established as holy ground. Worse yet, when those prophets and pastors submit their callings to the demands of the people, they have committed an even worse sin. This message calls the viewer to consider becoming one of the unwavering voices that refuses to cave in to the demands of a culture and Church which has lost its way.
“God will never give you more than you can handle!”
That declaration is a complete lie. God will REGULARLY more than you can handle. He will not, however, give you more than He can handle. Difficulty is meant to cultivate dependence. Trouble is meant to birth trust. Problems are meant to produce power. This is how God works on behalf of His children. He does not immunize any of us from difficulty. He joins us in it. One of the greatest illustrations of this principle is discovered in the life of ancient Israel as they found themselves terribly outmatched by opposing armies headed their way. God allowed the impossible circumstances in order to show them (and us!) some vital principles for overcoming the odds stacked against us. This is the first of a two-part message that will reveal some unorthodox strategies we can employ when the battle rages against us and our own breakthrough seems unlikely.
The world population has forgotten that God has appointed a Divine King to forever reign upon this planet. This King is His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This hostile planet hates the idea of being ruled by God, therefore rebellion against God has been revealed as its atmosphere all throughout this study on the end of the age. The events leading up to the apocalyptic unveiling of King Jesus climax in what is commonly referred to as the Battle of Armageddon. This message presents us with an understanding of the major events surrounding this hellish revolt against the Lordship of Christ and the battle against the city from which He will rule, Jerusalem. In the end, a mighty river dries up, armies of the world converge outside of Jerusalem, Jesus and His glorious army appear…and the birds of the skies are fed with the results of the battle. This is the war of all wars - and it is ended in a blistering moment from Christ.
Most Christians would recognize the words of Jesus in John 14:27 where He promises His peace to all His followers. When He commands us to “let not your hearts be troubled”, we tend to experience a sense of reassurance and comfort. We all know these words of Jesus…but are we actually obeying them? In this episode of Truth Shots, Jeff Lyle calls us to pinpoint the thing(s) that may be causing us to be living with a consistent thread of anxiety or fear in their lives. Then Jeff asks us to discern where it is that we turn to find relief or protection from what we fear. In the end, Jesus expects us to receive by faith the Peace that He promised each of us. It is not necessarily a feeling of peace in the beginning – it’s a confidence in His peace, that leads to the feelings of peace. Also included in this episode is a strong pastoral challenge for Christians to take ownership of limiting the voices that undermine the peace of Jesus in our lives.
One of the most important components of the life of faith is that we must believe even when we cannot understand. Faith does not reside primary in the Christian’s intellect. Faith is housed in the spirit. We operate in confidence in God from the spirit, and our intellect is then informed by what we believe rather than our spirit being led by what we understand. It might sound like a hair-split, but it is not. When we have confidence in God within in our spirit, we are empowered to make our minds about how we will respond to all that life presents us. Faith often defies the facts. Our hope in God grows beyond our intellectual understanding of God. Yes, it is true: you must trust God beyond what you presently understand about God. This is how trust and hope grow within the Christian. This message harnesses the psalmist’s testimony of how he made up his mind to praise God, trust God, defy what he was sensing in the natural, and joyfully wait on the Lord to bring to pass what the psalmist was confident would happen in his favor.
After somewhere close to three years of the fury of God being unleashed upon His defiant foes, the last portion of His wrath begins to be poured out in Revelation 16. The seven seals and the seven trumpets brought irreversible destruction to earth and its inhabitants. Combined with god’s righteous wrath was the demonic assault against unredeemed humanity by Satan and his armies. Now, God releases seven bowls of wrath which He pours out upon earth. This final outpouring of judgment form heaven leads to the Battle of Armageddon which will culminate in the destruction of the Antichrist and the imprisonment of Satan for 1,000 years. From this point forward, it is a full-scale glorious momentum for King Jesus and His faithful followers. This is where an otherwise horrifying account of the end of the age begins to turn from fiery ruin to fullest redemption.
The Holy Spirit is the grand unifier of the individuals who comprise the Body of Christ. He is the lone common denominator which all Christians share. We were created as distinct individuals, and are not called to lose that unique identity when we come to Christ. We have many things which could potentially separate us: geography, gender, age, race, spiritual gifting, philosophy, personalities, social class, economic status, particular preferences on certain elements of Christianity… and dozens more. We are all called, however, to submit our individuality to the supreme calling of oneness in Christ. The Holy Spirit is our bond who makes one Church out of many. It is He who teaches and empowers us to love as God loves. He does not destroy our individuality but, rather, perfects it as we discover our greatest use of who we are is in glorifying God by serving others. The Holy Spirit abolishes all things which we might allow to divide His people, and He binds us together in the supreme identifying mark that we all share: sons and daughters of God who are unified followers of Jesus Christ.
In the last decade, much helpful emphasis has been placed by pastors, worship leaders and teachers on the need for Christians to rest in their identity in Jesus. While this is a healthy and powerful truth to communicate, the pendulum may have swung a bit too far for some. Resting does not equal apathy. To be at peace with your identity as God’s child should never dull your sense of missional urgency. Neglecting the intense call of discipleship is never to be confused with abiding at His feet. God remains intensely committed to finishing what He began. He is not finished, and He has not lost His creativity in our day. Every generation of Christians must remain aware that God initiates new methods, new trajectories, new emphases…and new moves. Yesterday’s Yes from us will not fit today’s offer from God to us. This message calls us to consider that we are all in the midst of a season of a new move being sent to us from Heaven’s throne.
As the seven-year Tribulation period enters the back half known as the Great Tribulation, things will grow mind-glowingly intense. Truthfully, no human who has ever lived has the capacity to fathom the magnitude of what will occur as the 7 Seals give way to the 7 Trumpets of God’s wrath. The Trumpet judgments also have embedded within them 3 Woes which describe the unparalleled intensity of what will be poured out on planet earth before the Second coming of Jesus Christ. We are not permitted to avoid these striking and highly uncomfortable truths. These events WILL come to pass. The Church must proclaim these sobering realities with deeper conviction as the time for their manifestation draws nearer.
It may be that we are living in a generation of Christians who have forgotten that the Scriptures present us with a God who actually watches over our lives. God is interested and aware of how we are living. He cares deeply that our lives as individuals and also as the gathered church bring Him glory. Our thoughts, words, actions are witnessed by God as He daily guides and governs us. Our pursuits and priorities matter to Him. Mostly, He analyzes whether or not His children are still living with a prioritized first-love for Him and His will. Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus serve as a beautiful display of what this oversight from Heaven looks like. He connects, He affirms, He rebukes and He motivates this group of believers who were living in a culture that wanted nothing to do with their King. This message will help us discern if He is saying similar things to His people today. Can we receive His affirmation, His correction and His motivation? It is clear from Jesus’ own words that we can and that we must.
Perhaps among all issues related to end-time events, people struggle most with the idea that a loving God might pour out His wrath on the people of earth. Because we are no longer a biblically informed population (or Church for that matter!), we emotionally protest the idea of a God who brings a full and final punishment against those who have rejected and refused Him. Nonetheless, the Bible is clear that wrath is coming to planet earth. The period of God’s wrath being poured out upon the inhabitants of earth is known as The Great Tribulation. In this message, we witness the beginning of that wrath as the seven seals of Revelation 6 are opened. Be sobered by what is shared. Be prepared by examining your own heart to determine how to be prepared. Be encouraged that God’s people will never experience the fullness of His wrath because we are secured by God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the grand unifier of the individuals who comprise the Body of Christ. He is the lone common denominator which all Christians share. We were created as distinct individuals, and are not called to lose that unique identity when we come to Christ. We have many things which could potentially separate us: geography, gender, age, race, spiritual gifting, philosophy, personalities, social class, economic status, particular preferences on certain elements of Christianity… and dozens more. We are all called, however, to submit our individuality to the supreme calling of oneness in Christ. The Holy Spirit is our bond who makes one Church out of many. It is He who teaches and empowers us to love as God loves. He does not destroy our individuality but, rather, perfects it as we discover our greatest use of who we are is in glorifying God by serving others. The Holy Spirit abolishes all things which we might allow to divide His people, and He binds us together in the supreme identifying mark that we all share: sons and daughters of God who are unified followers of Jesus Christ.
Have you found it occasionally difficult to get along well with other Christians? Isn’t there some magical abracadabra that automatically makes all Jesus-followers reasonable, pleasant, kindhearted and enjoyable? Why do we frequently have to process contention, strife, division and other unhealthy elements from people who claim to belong to God’s Son? The answer is found in recognizing that none of us are yet fully glorified. We are saved, but we are in the process of being made like unto Christ. During that time, we are called to work hard toward unity and oneness in the Spirit. In this message, the Apostle Paul appeals to early Christians to do away with tribalism, division and arrogance. In his words, we find for ourselves some foundational principles that will empower us also to press forward and bring healing when fellowship with other believers gets fractured. We must get it right with one another in order to walk uprightly with God.
Jesus’ longest recorded prayer is found in John 17, and He had two main things about which He was praying to the Father. Jesus talked about the glory in the Godhead and the unity in the Body of Christ. From His words, we learn that He made those two things permanently intertwined. His glory will be more greatly manifested through our own growing unity in the Church. If unity is contaminated, His manifest glory is dimmed on earth. Over and over, the Scriptures magnify the need for Christians to pursue deeper oneness with each other. Because we are all very different, this is impossible to succeed at without the help of Holy Spirit. To grow in unity, we must deny ourselves, prefer others and move together in committed love and purpose. It all begins with a sobering awareness of what Jesus expects from all of His followers. That awareness leads to humility which leads to unity…which leads to His glory on earth.
Some aspects of the study on the end-times passages in the Bible hold more curiosity than others. Few of these topics cause people to lean in than when the topic of the mark of the beast is brought up. What exactly is this mark that the Antichrist’s kingdom will enforce upon its citizens? What happens to those who refuse to take the mark of the beast? What happens to those who do take it? Is it possible that anyone has already received this mark and is ignorant of it? All of these questions will be answered din this message. Additionally, those who watch and listen will gain greater clarity on what is happening at the same time when the mark of the beast emerges into society. This is no small topic as Scripture plainly declares that those who take the mark of the beast will eventually end up in the lake of fire. Those who refuse the mark out of loyalty to Jesus Christ will suffer, but their suffering will end in eternal glory. We must be prepared ahead of time.
There is a certain representation of Christianity that almost exclusively focuses on our behavior. While the bible is clear on what it means to live outwardly in alignment with the heart of God and the ways of God, following Jesus by faith is not primarily about modifying our behavior. We are not a rules-driven people as the Church of Jesus Christ. Christian activity flows from Christian identity – and identity is internal. The spirit of religion seeks to modify external behavior with little to no regard for the internal atmosphere of a person. If we can understand that God works on us from the inside out, we will be better positioned to live lives externally that bring Him glory and bring us deep contentment. One clear verse from the writings of the Apostle Paul helps us to see the deep need to prioritize what is happening inside of us (our spirit) while remaining committed to honoring the Lord with external actions (our bodies). This need to diagnose our own hearts and align our own personal spirit with the Holy Spirit is the subject of this important Truth shot message.
There can be no biblical study on the end of the age without some concentrated emphasis on the man known as the Antichrist. This individual may already be living among us and making his way toward power. The Bible is not vague about identifying what type of man this will be, how he will rise to power, who will be controlling him, and what he will do once he has secured global authority and rule. As modern Christians keep a watchful eye on present global governments, religious trends across the planet, and what is occurring in Israel as we approach the end of days, we are able to see that many things are presently converging which will serve to set the stage for the arising of the Antichrist. While we have no doubts concerning his ultimate destiny, we should all be sobered and prepared for what he will unleash once he comes into power. Jesus Christ will decidedly defeat and destroy him, but before that occurs, he will bring unprecedented trouble to this planet.
There can be no biblical study on the end of the age without some concentrated emphasis on the man known as the Antichrist. This individual may already be living among us and making his way toward power. The Bible is not vague about identifying what type of man this will be, how he will rise to power, who will be controlling him, and what he will do once he has secured global authority and rule. As modern Christians keep a watchful eye on present global governments, religious trends across the planet, and what is occurring in Israel as we approach the end of days, we are able to see that many things are presently converging which will serve to set the stage for the arising of the Antichrist. While we have no doubts concerning his ultimate destiny, we should all be sobered and prepared for what he will unleash once he comes into power. Jesus Christ will decidedly defeat and destroy him, but before that occurs, he will bring unprecedented trouble to this planet.
The modern Christian man often finds himself wrestling. He wrestles with questions about identity, faith and God. He wrestles in his singleness, his role as a husband, his effectiveness as a father and his limitations when he is pulled between family, faith and career. The modern Christian man wrestles with his flesh at times. And then there remains the reality that faithful sons of God always carry a bullseye on their backs from the enemy of their souls. These realities, coupled with a world full of pressures, deception, and danger leave many Christian men feeling as if they are running out of air. God once spoke to an ancient prophet of His who was wrestling with some of these same issues. You may be surprised at how God responded to His servant’s complaints. Men today need to heed the immeasurably wise counsel of God to sons who are tempted to tap-out on the wrestling match. It is time for Christian men to reclaim their confidence and motivation for the fight.
There can be no biblical study on the end of the age without some concentrated emphasis on the man known as the Antichrist. This individual may already be living among us and making his way toward power. The Bible is not vague about identifying what type of man this will be, how he will rise to power, who will be controlling him, and what he will do once he has secured global authority and rule. As modern Christians keep a watchful eye on present global governments, religious trends across the planet, and what is occurring in Israel as we approach the end of days, we are able to see that many things are presently converging which will serve to set the stage for the arising of the Antichrist. While we have no doubts concerning his ultimate destiny, we should all be sobered and prepared for what he will unleash once he comes into power. Jesus Christ will decidedly defeat and destroy him, but before that occurs, he will bring unprecedented trouble to this planet.
It’s the elephant in the room: sometimes Christians’ breakthrough doesn’t arrive when we want or in the way we had hoped. Sometimes all the faith in the world doesn’t make it happen. Sometimes, that thing we were convinced would happen in six months doesn’t happen in six years…or more. What is God doing when He clearly isn’t doing what we had hoped He would do? Why would He delay our breakthrough? Most of us have wondered this at some point, and ancient account from the life of Moses helps us understand what might be occurring behind the scenes when we thought God would move like a cheetah and He seems to have chosen to move like a turtle.
Jesus taught much about the time right before He would return to planet earth to establish His coming Kingdom. One of the clearest marks of His teachings (and of the writings of the Apostles) reveals the emphasis that vast amounts of people will simply (and dangerously) be unprepared when He returns. Sadly, there will be no second chances for these people. Even more sadly, many of these people will seemingly be close to the Kingdom…but not actually in the Kingdom. In the parable of the lanterns and the oil - also known as the parable of the Foolish Virgins - Jesus speaks with urgency about not putting off becoming prepared for His return. The lack of oil in the lamps provides a symbolic picture of one aspect that is of particular importance for us as we approach the return of Christ. What might be represented by a lantern with no oil? What is the warning we need to discern and heed as we prepare for Jesus to return to earth?
Most Christians think of salvation as a singular event which occurred for them at some point in their past when they repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for them upon the cross. This is where they experienced His forgiveness and were brought into the family of God by God’s grace. This is a valid way of viewing the moment of salvation, yet many do not understand that this was merely the beginning of them being saved. That event describes the moment of their justification, but did you know that there are two more components of what the bible describes as the salvation of a human soul? In this message, we will learn more about all three components that take place for the believer along the spectrum of salvation. We begin with justification; we continue in sanctification, and we conclude with glorification. All three of these elements comprise the full redemption of the sinner as God brings them into the fullness and finality of the salvation bought for them by the blood of Jesus Christ.
There are at least two things that all Christians need to experience in their walk with God: His intimate presence and His holy power. Yes, we need the voice of God and the fire of God to mark us as individuals, families cites and churches. This message takes two biblical snapshots separated by about 1500 years and shows us how God sometimes operates with those who have positioned themselves by faith to hear His voice and receive His fire. You may be surprised to learn that sometimes the fire hits before we hear His voice, and sometimes the voice speaks while we wait for the fire. Which of these two seasons might you be in right now - waiting on the voice, or waiting on the fire? Or are you presently experiencing both?
One of the clearest appointments mentioned in scripture is the day of reckoning which all Christians have with King Jesus. Individually, one by one, every child of God will stand before the gracious, merciful dn kind King who will then evaluate the eternal worth of the lives which we live don earth. Jesus promises reward for all who lived for him. Interestingly, while salvation is equal and free, rewards are not. Salvation is freely given through faith in Christ, but rewards are all earned. How we are living for Christ during this present life actually merits or forfeits eternal reward. This is incredible motivation for all Jesus-followers to live proactively for eternal things with pure, spiritual motivations. This message places before us that moment when we stand before the One who loves us most, and we then find out how much our lives mattered for his glory.
Wandering from God is no small thing. Drifting away from Him is a scary thought. Running from God is even worse. There is something about the tendency in a Christian to allow distance between himself and God that should sober us up. It can happen at times without us even noticing it. We awake one day to discover we have lost our joy, our peace, and our sense of identity and purpose which we once enjoyed in Jesus. God is actually much more concerned about this type of thing than we are. That is why He sometimes works in purposed and painful ways to bring us back to Him in nearness, trust and obedience. This message highlights such a time in the life of King David. In a different place, David would write, “It was good for me to be afflicted. Before eI was afflicted, I went astray.” May those who receive this message awaken before the affliction arrives. May they return before God’s hand strongly brings them home. May they listen to His voice so that they do not experience His tightening grip. Now is the time to consider if there is distance between us and the One who loves us the most.
The vast majority of Christians live with an eager expectation of Jesus Christ returning to earth. This is our blessed hope. This event will begin the vindication of His holy name. Yet, Christians hold to different views concerning how and when the return of our King will take place. Many believe that Jesus will return and rapture the Church before the beginning of the Tribulation period. Because of this, they do not live with much concern about what happens during the awful time period decried as the Tribulation. This message shares a deep concern that those who believe in a pre-trip rapture are not biblically informed. Where does the Bible teach a secret catching away of the Church that prevents the elect from the reign of the Antichrist? Practically speaking, if the pre-trim rapture theory is not true, is it reasonable to be concerned that many are not prepared to endure the unparalleled difficulties that belong to the Tribulation which are recorded in Scripture? This message presents a biblical framework for a post-Triublaitonal rapture, and is filled with practical exhortations for believers at the end of the age to prepare for the trouble to come. In the end, we must remember the all-sufficient grace of God who knows how to preserve His people in times of warfare.
Just how saved are we? Most people want to know where they are going after they die - and most people know by now that Christians are very confident that you can be 100% sure that you can know that you are going to heaven. But why do Christians hold that level of certainty? Is it supported with Scripture? There is also the question of what happens to those who “get saved” but then slide backwards from their original commitment to Jesus. Some wonder if there is a specific sin - or a specific amount of sins - that we can commit and consequently forfeit salvation. Ultimately, is the matter of our eternity in God’s hands or is it left to us? All of these issues have objective answers. Yet, none of them are able to be rested upon until we come to a greater rest in God’s extravagant grace.
Human beings are awe-factories. We are hardwired to give our worship to something. Realistically, the vast majority of people give their awe to things that are not worth it. We worship beauty, pleasure, money and fame. Sometimes we make idle of good things like family, a work ethic, disciplines and serving. When we get still and quiet in heart-searching seasons, however, we rediscover that what we are really hungering for is the presence and glory of God. It is true that we cannot be satisfied until we find our satisfaction in Him. This is our highest hunger: the presence and glory of God. This message harnesses the words and actions of Moses to help us reconnect with our own desire to know God at the deepest level. By now we know that nothing less will satisfy our highest hunger.
There are just some things that only a mother can understand. Carrying a baby, birthing that child and then doing her best to raise the one entrusted to her is a never-ending labor of love and letting go. A snapshot story of one woman and her son from an ancient book of the Bible reveals the rich yet challenging realities of motherhood. The roller coaster ride of emotion as a mother is called to lay her heart’s longing - and later her heart’s breaking - at the feet of God captures our attention. In the end, her story reveals her to be a woman of relentless trust and authentic emotion. In her story, we uncover the stories of countless other women who are also called Mom.
If there in one singular topic that we almost never hear sermons on anymore, it is the subject of Hell. It was once normal for a congregation to hear something about the dangers of eternal hell in their pastor’s sermons. Not anymore. Our culture has no tolerance for such things. Yet, as uncomfortable as modern Christians seem to be at the mention of this reality, the teachings of Scripture remain unchanged. Those who die outside of faith in Christ will spend eternity separated from Him in that place which Jesus described as utter darkness and tormenting flame. Moving forward in our study of the end of the age, we focus in this message on that forever and final separation of the believer and the nonbeliever. Jesus Christ made it clear: a punctuation of the coming series of events will include the banishment of unsaved humans to the place of eternal punishment. It’s uncomfortable…but it is true. We must remember this. And me must not fail to warn people of this.
We live in some heavy and often depressing days. Threats of another World War, a struggling economy, impossible gas prices, racial strife and constant political hostility - this is the culture we awake in each day. If we are not careful, the nastiness on the outside can creep inside. We have to push back hard against fear, worry and the clouds of dread. In Psalm 42, we read the inspired words of someone who refused to give in to the season of gloom. His hunger for the presence and power of God was His strongest weapon. From his words, we learn how to fight back against the darkness outside of us so that it never finds its residence inside of us. It’s time to talk to your own soul with words that bring victory!
When it comes to how God has designed His Church to be led and cared for, He places the Office of Apostle first in line before the other four offices. It is not that Apostles are better than the other four, as we know that all the 5-fold offices have equal validity. It is simply that God has ordained for Apostles to be the tip of the spear in Church structure and government. This message asks and answers the question if true Apostles still exist today. We will also see scripturally what Apostles do, how God equips them, and what happens when they faithfully discharge their God-given assignments. Apostolic leadership was crucial in the early Church. This message will help us to see why we still need apostolic leadership today, and what happens when we follow their spiritual leadership and authority in the Kingdom.
The Church needs to get one thing straight and leave it settled forever: Jesus Christ plainly declared that nobody can predict the hour nor day of His return to Earth. Anybody that tries to do so is dishonoring Him. The sensationalized predictions of the date of the Second coming are not something Jesus signs off on. Yet…Jesus did say MUCH about the season surrounding His return. He also taught quite a bit about some precise things we should expect once that season begins to unfold. In this message, we will take a look at what is going to be happening on earth just prior to the season in which Christ returns. Jesus connects this future season to one in the very distant past which caught humanity by surprise. Why does Jesus connect these two events? Because He does not want for the future generation to be unprepared like that past generation was. This message is a call to quit staring at the prophetic clocks and instead start preparing our lives for His return - no matter how near or distant that may be
Everyone gets in trouble. Honestly, we are born into trouble the moment we take our first breath. The book of Job says that “man’s days are filled with trouble.” Because of this inescapable reality, we often find ourselves in need of rescue. And God is a specialist in countless types of rescues! This message takes the testimony of King David in a season of his own gut wrenching pain and tribulation. How he prays, trusts and waits helps us know how to anticipate the rescue of God to find us when we are in over our head. Don’t waste your time of trouble - respond like David and watch God begin to move on your behalf.
Perhaps the least understood office of five-fold leadership in the church is the office of prophet. Who are these people and what exactly do they do? Some wonder if they even are still valid in the Church - are they? What does the Bible say about the call and function of prophets? Some may be surprised to hear that not all prophetically gifted people are meant to hold the office of the prophet - how does this work? Partnering alongside apostles, teachers, evangelists and pastors, the prophet is an incredible gift to the Church in every generation. Yet, Scripture seems to mention false prophets just as often as true prophets - how can we tell the difference? This five-fold series message opens up a wealth of Scripture to help us understand the call and commitment of God’s prophets. It will also likely help some who listen to conclude that this calling from God rests upon them.
All Christians desire to honor God by understanding His will for their lives and then faithfully living it out. Some of those very same Christians struggle to have confidence that they are rightly discerning God’s will. They can become anxious in times of decision making - What do I do? Where do I go? How do I respond? What does God desire? While these anxious moments about discerning His will are born from a sincere desire to do the right thing, it is nonetheless a heavy weight if we do not know how to trust what we believe is His voice. Scripture is actually filled with many verses that state, “this is the will of the Lord…” If we can obey the clearly revealed will of God in scripture, then we are powerfully positioned to know God’s will that isn’t addressed in Scripture, This Truth Shot episode helps us to be best positioned to hear the voice of God, recognize it and obey it with confidence.
Resurrection is not just a theme for one Sunday each calendar year in churches. Resurrection is the core component of the Christian life. This singular event is what separates Christianity from religion. It is the emerging of Jesus from the borrowed tomb which shatters the finality of death and opens up an entirely different realm of existence to all who trust in Him. The message of Resurrection Sunday is one of extremes: hopelessness, death and fear are violently moved away by the power of life and victory. Jesus rising from the grace forever establishes that there is never a need for hopelessness for any of us who are placed in Him. His victory truly becomes ours forever - both in eternity and this present life.
Sometimes, the Lord releases a right-now prophetic word from the eternally-true written Word. This message from Amos 9 is the public release of a private prophetic word Jeff received on March 3, 2022. As Holy Spirit opened Jeff’s spiritual eyes to what He is offering His people in this season, Jeff discerned quickly that this word was given to be shared with anyone who would receive it. Those committed to a Word and Spirit representation of Christianity will be receiving a new, fresh release of Kingdom wine that will shift and accelerate normal seasons of ministry harvests. This is not a word for years down the road - this is already happening.
While many Christians engage in ceaseless debate about the precise timelines of the return of Jesus Christ, there is a danger of them debating the event more than they are personally preparing for it. God did not release revelation about the end of the age in order for his people to fight about it. God wants our understanding of the return of Christ to be received as both a source of warning and a source of joyful hope. The words from Jesus in Matthew 24 serve primarily as a warning. He wants all mankind to be prepared for His return. While the majority of people on the planet remain unconcerned about Jesus returning as Earth’s King, those who have bowed their knees to Him in faith are called to think often and deeply about how this earth-shaking event is to be impacting our lives right now in this present day. Everything is about to change. Are we living as those who are prepared and expectant?
Most of us came to faith in Christ by hearing some version of the Gospel that included an offer for us to ask Jesus into our hearts so that we can go to Heaven when we die. While God certainly uses evangelistic pleas like these to bring people into the Kingdom, we discover later that becoming a follower of Jesus has less to do with us going to Heaven when we die and more to do with Heaven coming to earth in us while we are still alive. Sometimes, we just need to revisit what the Scriptures say about what we have RIGHT NOW as those who are saved, born again and redeemed. The right-now realities of the faith shape the way we live once we understand them and believe them. Christians, let’s not make the mistake of waiting to get to Heaven before we embrace all that God has provided for us in His Son, Jesus. It’s not about transportation to Heaven. It’s about transformation in us as we grow in knowing our Savior.
Often lost in all the activity surrounding the other five-fold office is the Office of the Teacher. Apostles have the thrill of Kingdom adventure. Prophets hear and see the secret things from God. Evangelists rescue the souls of men. Pastors love, lead and protect the sheep. And then there are the teachers. What is so supernatural about the art of teaching people God’s truth? Far more than meets the eye. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, teachers are listed third in rank in the Church right behind apostles and prophets. Teachers impart the weaponry of wisdom for warfare. Teachers are God’s tool to open our eyes to His self-revelation. Teachers impart to us the biblical truth and principles for victory. Teachers take the sublime and impart it to us in ways that we can hear, understand and align ourselves with eternal truth. As we approach the end of the age, teachers will no longer be hidden in a classroom with a handful of saints who choose to go deeper. God will promote the teacher of the Word to a prioritized status as deception in the world continues to arise. Teachers are our guides into maturity, wisdom and power from God.
The Second coming of Jesus Christ is the future event that all Christians long for. Apart from this drastic occasion, the Christian can never be truly satisfied to the fullest. We are blessed. We are empowered. We enjoy the gift of life and all that it contains. Yet, we are not perfectly content until the moment arrives when we see our King. This is the blessed hope of the Christian life, and it will not be denied us. Having said that, before Jesus returns, things will become very dark on planet earth. In this next section of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesies some very dark storms which must arise before He returns. These events will shake the planet in ways that Jesus declared would be the worst days humanity has ever experienced. Why is it important that we understand these things? So we may be prepared in heart, mind, spirit and soul for them when they occur. Be sobered as we learn about the coming storms and how to be ready for them.
In Georgia, Transforming Truth’s home state, the largest piece of granite in existence rises high above the earth. Stone Mountain just appears like a big rock to most, but it not only rises high above the ground, most of it is underground and cannot be seen. This giant piece of rock sits unchanged year after year. Hard as granite, gray and cold and totally immovable, Stone Mountain is a permanent fixture in the Georgia landscape. It just sits there, never changing. Christians, if they are not wise, can become just like this. Immovable, unchangeable, cold and hard, with most of what they are made of lying well beneath the surface. This message takes Paul’s words to a younger Timothy and calls us all to get going, keep moving, never stop growing and live with the spiritual heat and fire which God has given us. When we get stuck in our journey, we need words like this to remind us who we are in Christ and not waste another day in an idleness that makes no sense for the followers of Jesus.
Most churches in the modern day Western Hemisphere are led by a person with the title of Pastor. The pastor is responsible for providing visionary direction. The pastor is expected to win the lost and make them into disciples. The pastor is paid to visit the sick, marry the engaged, bury the deceased, counsel the struggling, resolve conflicts, study the Word and preach it with skill, mentor and lead the church staff, and pray without ceasing. The Church in the West thinks of a one-stop-shop type of leader when it uses the term Pastor. Yet, God actually never endorsed this type of thinking. God’s blueprint for the Church does not include the notion that a pastor is to provide everything the local church needs. Is it any wonder that church members often find themselves disappointed in their Pastor? Is it any wonder why pastors frequently burn out and quit. The problem is found in our lack of understanding about what God actually gifts a true pastor for, and what He expects them to do. The solution to the problem is for pastors and churches to embrace what the Bible teaches about the office of the Pastor. As we continue our series on 5-Fold Ministry, it is time to realign with the biblical presentation of what a Pastor really is, and how he/she is to fulfill that calling in the plan of God for the Church.
Would it surprise you to know that the Jesus’ original disciples had questions about the end of the age? The ones who lived side-by-side with Jesus were startled one day when He made an alarming statement about what would happen in Jerusalem in a short time. This conversation led to them asking deeper questions about the full establishing of His Kingdom on earth. The details Jesus shared with them went mostly over the heads. We, however, have the ability to examine what Jesus said and apply His answers in a way that makes it crystal clear that we are extremely close to the final fulfillment of what He shared nearly 2,000 years ago. While Matthew 24 is not all that the scriptures say about the end of the age, these words are certainly the strongest jumping-off point in this series of messages that will equip us to live as those who are properly discerning the days.
Countless people have stepped into the Kingdom of God after responding to the ministry of the Evangelist. Among all of the 5-Fold offices, the evangelist lives with the passion of bringing the message of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to those who do not yet know Him. An evangelist’s heart is centered around the burden to see lost people brought into the Kingdom of God through repentance and faith. These precious Christians believe emphatically that God can save anybody, and thus view all people as souls in need of Jesus. The evangelist helps the Church to see and feel the heart of God in highly valuing every single human soul, and they remind us all to share the Gospel proactively. As they serve in local churches with the other four offices of 5-Fold ministry, these people serve to equip and train church members to share their faith effectively. Jesus himself was the Evangelist who came to seek and to save those who are lost. More than anyone, the evangelists in the Church help us to never forget this part of the heart of the King.
Most people think about what they wear at the beginning of the day. We dress for school, work, the gym, or maybe a ballgame or job interview. When special occasions arise, we are more intentional about what we put on. A fancy dinner, a costume party or a dance require us to be a little more thoughtful about our attire. The United States armed forces all have strict requirements for how military dress is displayed. Did you know that God’s word teaches us all how to dress for the occasion when it comes to spiritual war? God expects us to put on the proper battle gear so we can fight well and win. This familiar passage from Ephesians 6 calls us all to check our armor and discern if we have put on what it takes to win the battle against the intensifying forces of darkness coming against us.
For a very long time, local churches have been operating under a less-than-biblical leadership paradigm. When answering the question, 'Who leads the church?’ most people will quickly give the answer, “The pastor!” Yet, this answer is incomplete. This answer is not even necessarily correct. This question and it’s hasty answer has gone unexamined for far too long. What does the Bible actually say about how God has designed His Church to be humanly led? Is the office of Pastor the God-ordained one-stop-shop for everything needed to lead a local church? This series of messages begins with an eye-opening glance at the foundational passage that reveals God’s blueprints for how He leads His church. If our design is not aligned with the Bible, two things will happen: the flock will become confused and frustrated, and the pastor will burn out soon enough. When local churches take initiative to develop a biblical framework for church leadership, beauty flows from the design that God has ordained, and the Head of the church, King Jesus, advances His mission with love, harmony and power.
Perhaps one of the most practical needs when considering the big picture of what it means to be a Jesus-follower is our need to trust God to meet every single one of our legitimate needs. Christians can sometimes struggle with the foundational elements of trusting God in this life. We need to develop the ability to discern His goodness towards due when life is often…NOT good. God is present and near, but we often feel distant from Him. He pledges to shepherd us through danger and difficulty, yet we frequently find ourselves in the midst of troubles. In what way is God committed to the welfare of His children? What is your part in this equation of abiding in His committed care for you? Our experience in the Kingdom is never separate from the level of our confidence that God is a committed, competent and ever-present Father to us.
One component in the believer’s trust of God is that the believer has learned to look to God, expect from God and wait upon God to fully impart all of the believer’s material and spiritual needs. Yes, faith and spiritual growth never graduate us away from the place of a trusting dependence upon the Father to meet ALL of our needs and FULLY satisfy us. The predominant theme of eternity is the glory of God as the all-sufficient Lord who cares for His people. The journey of faith calls us to believe that truth now, and to live this present life with the awareness that the eternal Kingdom (with all of its keys) is already active. The Father is true, strong, committed, creative and swift in covenant to love us, to provide for us, to guide us and to protect us. The big-picture of the Christian life is that we are increasingly convinced of the goodness of God and His willingness to pour that goodness on our behalf. He is able, He is competent, and He will fulfill all that He has promised to you.
Every Christian begins his or her journey with a commitment of some sort to Jesus Christ. It is impossible to become a follower of Jesus without…well…actually following Him. We all said Yes to the Son when we began. The Scriptures actually reveal that a genuine commitment to Jesus which results in authentic salvation will be evidenced by an ongoing commitment that endures. No Christian is perfect, but we are all proven as genuine followers by our continuance by faith with Christ. This life of following Him is called discipleship. In these final verses from Luke 9, Jesus is painfully clear that He summons all of His followers to live with His Kingdom as their highest loyalty. His words reveal that He never offered humanity a salvation that did not include progression as disciples. Those who begin with Him will end with Him. His words here highlight three common obstacles that get in the way of those who seemingly began well from finishing well. If we continually overcome these tests of loyalty, we should have deep assurance that we are truly His.
Have you ever considered that God might call you to be one whom He uses to raise up an altar to His glory in your generation? Do not be too quick to push that thought aside. Gideon was the last person you would have called to enter into a life of tearing down false altars, raising up new ones in their place, and initiate a move that would crush the enemies coming against his people. In this present generation, the eyes of the Lord are seeking those who have enough loyalty to Him to obediently expose and bring down false altars before which people have been bowing for too long. He is also imparting courage to men and women to raise up new altars - from their words, their works and their ways - so that His glory might once again be central among His people. Some who hear this message need to receive this assignment form God as we approach the end of the age.
The Book of Genesis declares that God made mankind in His own image. It seems that we humans have been trying to return the favor ever since. What is it about us that seeks to view God through self-created lenses that actually distort His character? Why do we have a tendency to dilute the character of God down to us - how we think, how we respond, how we feel about others? Why must we insist on shrinking God down to be just slightly above the way we are? God is wholly different than us, and part of understanding the big-picture of Christianity is to know God’s ways and to conform to them. This message highlights several specific attributes of God, and brings us great comfort and reassurance that He is exalted far above the ways of humanity. His grace, mercy, patience, power and love are abounding towards us. Even non-believers benefit from these characteristics of God every single day. All of humanity needs to awaken to the glorious character of the God of the Bible.
Have you ever heard of the Coming Delusion? When Christians speak of this aspect of future events, they are usually referencing what is written by the Apostle Paul in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2. Many of those Christians make the mistake of making the Coming Delusion synonymous the great deception of the Antichrist and/or the great apostasy from the professing church at the end of the age. These things are not exactly the same, and it is important to our understanding of the End Times that we understand how they are different but also interconnected.
There is a difference between being religious and being a Christian. There is a difference between being spiritual and being born-again. There is a difference between owning a concept of a higher power and living in faith toward a real and interactive God. All across the land, there are multiple millions of worshipers. We are all worship-factories - giving our hearts, minds, wills and lives for something greater than ourselves. But most people rarely stop to consider what they worship. Even fewer ask themselves why they are worshiping that thing, that idea or that person. This is nothing knew. In Ancient Greece there was an altar built to The Unknown God. Paul came across this altar one day and seized the moment to take this awareness among the people that there was a God whom they didn’t know, and he made known to them the God whose name is Jesus Christ. In our secularized culture, we can and must do the same. We can make known to the ignorant the God of the Bible.
Most Christians understand and embrace the expectation from God that we are to trust Him and obey Him. A regularly disobedient Christian simply does not make spiritual sense. While we all fail to perfectly obey God at all times, the normal bend of the Christian who walks in the Spirit is that of an obedient life. Yet, there is a type of obedience which God hates. More than once in His Word, God denounces this type of obedience to those who say that they belong to Him. What could move God so strongly about a human display of obedience that He would thunder to those obeying, “I hate what you are doing!”? It is important that we learn the answer to this question because we certainly want to examine our own lives to see if anything like this is happening. The ancient words through the Prophet Isaiah will help us to investigate, discern and change our ways in any place there is need. Obedience is good and holy. But it can also be evil daw worthy of rejection.
One of the greatest needs of people today is to grasp the big picture of the what, how and why of God’s Kingdom. Religion presents duties, demands, rules and requirements and places them upon people. Very rarely do we find churches, ministries and leaders who slow down to ensure that God’s people actually understand the big picture of what it means to belong to Him. Apart from the big-picture context of why we trust, love, obey and serve God, Christianity just feels like another heavy, empty religion. This series from Psalm 145 will place the character, worth and glory of God right back in the center of our Christian lives. From the big-picture clarity, all the other things begin to make sense.
Jesus left no rooms for doubts about His approach to stale religion. Consistently He warned religious people that their priorities, traditions, prejudices and addiction to the familiar was costing them greatly. Their spirits are stale. Their souls were running dry. To make matters worse, Jesus indicted them for reproducing their empty religious ways in the lives of others. He did not come to join them. Jesus intended to exchange dead religion for new wine. Any commitment to clutching old wineskins would result in the people missing what Jesus came to pour out. When God ordains a time of refreshing, the old has to go so that the new can come. This message both enlightens and motivates us to part with all our old wineskins and anticipate that new wine from Heaven is already being poured out by the Spirit.
The story of Issac in the Book of Genesis is one filled with drama. When his daddy, Abraham, laid Isaac on an altar and was willing to sacrifice him to God, the stunning incident must have impacted Isaac for the rest of his life. Interestingly, Isaac followed in the footsteps of his daddy in many areas - both good and bad. Yet, when it comes to building his own altars of worship to God, Isaac was seemingly unwilling to model the faith of his own earthly father. This message highlights the reality that each of us must come to our own understanding and encounter with God before we can truly worship and sacrifice unto Him with a genuine faith. Our parents' altars, our spiritual leaders’ altars, or our denominational altars won’t suffice for us. We need to build our own in meaningful worship to God. Isaac’s first altar helps us to see when it’s time to start building our own altars in our individual journeys of faith.
Spiritual family is not just about coming together and enjoying one another’s company. While quality time is certainly one of the Kingdom love-languages, God also ordains that Christians partner together to advance His mission. There are battles to be fought and one. There are callings to be answered and obeyed. And there are mountains to claim and to conquer. From the Old Testament figure named Caleb, we can learn what it looks like for a faith family to wait, to war, and to win. All three of these prized components must remain active in any healthy church or Christian organization. Enduring until the end in the center of God’s will is the means by which we al bring Him glory together. It s also the only way for us to receive the inheritance He has appointed for us.
In the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, we find the language that establishes the concept of separation of Church and State. In summary, this amendment prevents Congress from either establishing by law or prohibiting by law the expression of religious beliefs and practices by the citizenry of the United States. Americans are free to worship as they choose. Increasingly, how the First Amendment plays out in our culture is being questioned. When churches were deemed nonessential by the government during the initial Covid pandemic, we all witnessed the diverse opinions about where the government could and could not regulate worship. Does the Bible help us at all concerning the issue of what to do when the worship of God is hijacked by government? While specific instructions to us on how to respond are not found in this passage of scripture, 1 Kings 13:1-10 may reveal some helpful components of what it looks like when human government seeks to modify God’s altars of worship. May be wise to discern what is taught here. This will be very important in immediate seasons to come.
When the clock gets down to the final minutes, our instinct is to make sure that we are ready for when that final buzzer sounds - we know then that the game is over and the score in final. There is something about a deadline that seems to sharpen our focus on what is most important. For modern followers of Jesus, there is a tendency to wrongly think that the end of the race occurs when we die, therefore many Christians live to maximize this earthly life. We try to work hard, get an education, succeed in a career, raise a family, earn lots of money and retire with wealth at the earliest possible convenience. Many who do this successfully believe they have won. But have they? This message reminds us that the place where it is determined whether or not our lives truly mattered is at the Judgment Seat of Christ where Jesus himself will fully analyze and reveal the value of our earthly lives. Many will be saddened to learn that their “successful” lives did not amount to much in the eyes of the King. If we live with this divine appointment in mind, we will be ready to receive a reward from our King when we stand before Him. If we fail to remember this unavoidable moment, we will suffer loss and forfeit our reward.
Any honest Christian will admit that somewhere along the line they have encountered a stubborn issue in their lives in which it is/was difficult to experience lasting victory. We have weaknesses that are unique to us. Some of us struggle in one particular area even though we have total breakthrough in a hundred other areas. What are we to make of the occasional reality that a certain sin recurs in our lives? Words, attitudes and actions that do not align with God’s Word and ways have to go – but what are we to do when they don’t? In this message, Jeff walks the listener through Romans Chapter 7 wherein Paul explains what happens in our lives when we are struggling with a recurring sin. Many Christians make the mistake of learning to live with recurring sin. Others defeatedly succumb to the despair that they will never get free. Listen to the precision of teaching here which explains what all is in play and how we can all get free.
Altars in the Bible are most often places where a believer raises up a standing memorial connected to some encounter they have had with God. In one instance, God moved upon Joshua to build Him an altar - but Joshua was sobered and careful to do so in a precise manner that he knew would honor the Lord. What can we learn from God’s instructions about how this altars to be built? If altars represent a surrendered and sacrificial life today, we need to take an intentional look at the clear instructions He gave about how Joshua’s altar must be built. Here’s a hint: God wanted something kept off the altar, and He commanded that something be engraved upon the altar. So must it be with the altar of our own lives as we live to honor Christ.
Jesus' longest recorded prayer is found in John 17, and it focuses heavily on one primary component: the unity of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared in Ephesians 4 that there is only one faith and one Church. How is it then that Christians are known for being some of the most divisive, fractured and contentious people? Why do we fight so much among ourselves? Those called to build Kingdom bridges seem more inclined to construct Kingdom walls. How do we guard the truth of the Gospel while still allowing for differences of opinion, possible interpretations and sincere representation of all that God’s Word says? And what is our heart posture to be towards those who want nothing to do with our Gospel message? How are we to treat them? In one short passage from Luke Chapter 9, we find Jesus’ own disciples fumbling His ways three different times. Jockeying for position, seeking to control those who serve Jesus differently, and calling for judgment and destruction upon those who say no to their message - is this what Jesus came to instill in us? We all know the answer, but we clearly need to hear it again in this season before Jesus returns.
We might assume that if God entrusted to us the leading of the greatest revival in history, then we would be thrilled to watch it unfold. Widespread repentance leading to mass salvation and a ceasing of cultural sins - who would not want to witness this? Well, the ancient prophet Jonah was appointed to lead a massive revival in Nineveh and, when the entire city turned t God, Jonah was anything but pleased. In this glimpse into the life of Jonah we are able to see how God works against our internal bias, our hidden prejudices and our sinful sense of superiority. God wants to bring all people to Himself, but how do we respond when a person or people group that we do not care for experiences the blessing of God? Jonah is about to find out that God is no respecter of persons…therefore we should not be either.
Abraham is the only person called “the friend of God” in the entire bible. Many follow. Many serve. Many worship. But God said that Abraham was His friend. One component of Abraham’s friendship with God is seen in his committed lifestyle of building altars at important moments where God revealed Himself to Abraham in new ways. Abraham made time and took the effort to throw down markers where his relationship with his God went deeper. Abraham learned the value of worship and sacrifice as the means to go deeper with God. From his story, we can discover four altars that we also must all build in our own lives. Friendship with God is not limited to building altars - but it cannot be absent of building altars either. If these four altars are built by us, we are well on our way to enjoying God in similar ways that Abraham enjoyed Him.
What if someone told you that the greatest singular revival that has ever occurred on earth came through the message of a prophet who did not want any results? Well, if someone told you that, you would be hearing the truth. Jonah’s second chance from God was met by Jonah’s obedience, but not his enthusiasm. Fortunately for the people of Nineveh, God had a desire to see them delivered, so He worked on their behalf in spite of His servant’s bad attitude. This message reveals the magnitude of God’s love for the lost, and the lengths He goes to in order to bring them into His family.
Two ancient verses from a fiery prophet unlock some of the most priceless substance about the meaning of Christmas. Isaiah’s words from chapter nine of his prophecy remind us of exactly who Jesus is and what His eternal mission has always been. We cannot afford to get twisted in the tinsel and lost in the lights this Christmas. We are so close to the second coming of Christ that we must slow down and deeply consider what was prophesied about His first coming. His titles mean something. The prophecies mean something. The promises hold something for all who believe. A new world is coming and it will be ruled by a new King - new to this generation that is, but ruling and reigning in Heaven since eternity past. Jesus is our Christmas joy.
We all know that the glorious event known as The Incarnation of Christ has been somewhat overshadowed in our generation by the cultural presentation of Christmas. While we should be grateful that, for one day each year on December 25th, the entire lost world at least gives a token nod to the birth of Jesus, we who actually follow Him cannot stop at merely viewing Christmas as a sentimental holiday season centered around decor, food and gifts. The birth of God’s Son was the most monumental event to ever take place up to that time. When Isaiah prophesied about the Son of God being given to humanity, his message was to shake all of history. A child was to be born, Isaiah declared, and a Son was to be given. In this message we explore the prophetic majesty of the birth of God’s Son. We unpack what it means for Him to be called Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father, Mighty God and Prince of Peace. So, let’s take a moment to step away from the tinsel on the tree, the lights and the wrapping paper, the cider and the sleighs...and let’s retrace our steps to that moment when eternity came into time and the Savior of the world was born.
There is one moment in the Gospels where a few of Jesus’ disciples got a rare glimpse of who He truly is as God’s Son. This encounter on the hillside was one of the most supernatural events in the New Testament. In no other place do we find the Son, the Father appearing in the company of Moses and Elijah - all before he unprepared hearts and eyes of three of the disciples. How would you respond if God opened your eyes as He opened a portal to glory? There is much for us to learn from this supernatural scene on the mount of transfiguration. Encountering glory calls for a very measured response from us. Don’t assume you would know how to honor His presence and dignify the experience.
In America, Christmas time is almost exclusively sentimental. We meet. We greet. We eat. We spend. We give. We receive. Decorations are pretty and the Christmas songs are sweet. Only among Christians is the actual meaning behind this holiday kept in focus. Sadly, for most in America, Christmas has lost its biblical substance and prophetic edge. Yet, when we read the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4, the enormity of God’s prophetic pop behind the incarnation of the Son of God can stun us. In this message, we move right past shallow sentimentality and find ourselves squarely rooted in the divine plan of the ages. Why did Jesus come when He did? What does the phrase “fullness of time” mean? Should we consider the first coming of Christ and dare not consider ahis second coming? This is our prophetic glimpse at Christmas.
God makes plans that He doesn’t always fully disclose at the beginning. Sometimes He chooses individuals for this plans. Sometimes He chooses tribes or naitions. Sometimes, God does it all by Himself. Every now and then, however, God appoints a city. Yes, the infinite God of the cosmos sometimes assigns prophetic destiny to a singular city on planet earth. One of those cities that God chose to harness was the city of Bethlehem, whose name means “house of bread.” This message traces the prophetic and historical significance all the way through Scripture and up to its crowning moment as the birthplace of the Incarnate son of God who would be born as a baby to eventually rule as the King of all creation. Bethlehem is a city of prophetic significance.
It is no small thing that God has anchored the eternal destination of every human soul to how they answer the question, “What do you believe about Jesus Christ?” While there is an immeasurable amount of additional truth that carries weight in the Kingdom of God, one’s eternity hangs on the answer to this singular question. So, who is Jesus Christ to you? More importantly, who did Jesus declare that He was, and do we believe that? While Christians are free to disagree about many things concerning our faith and practice, the issue of Jesus Christ - who is He, what did He accomplish, what does He require of us - is not up for debate. We must get the issue of the identity of Jesus right before anything else can matter.
There is a certain type of season wherein a certain type of person experiences a “timeout” from God. For Jonah, running from God had led to disastrous consequences, but God was not content to allow Jonah to end his story in tragedy. Jonah was sequestered by God in the belly of a fish in order to gain understanding about the most important things in life. What Jonah eventually discovered is that God is merciful to rebels and is eager to offer all of us second chances.
Faith gets us into the Kingdom of God. Shockingly, that is also the moment where some truly saved people stop living by faith. They trust Jesus Christ is Lord, believe by faith that His death and resurrection provide them eternal life…and then they start right back living according to their own wisdom, resources and desires. This could not be farther from the plan of God for the life of each Christian. This message reveals how God calls every believer to intentionally structure their lives so that they must live by faith. We are to seek, listen, receive and obey the will of God in every life-season. When we do, we live out an adventure that brings God great pleasure and glory. Churches are to do the same thing. Every local assembly is to intentionally press in to the Lord to learn His vision for them. Then, together, they press in to His plans as He leads them forth into their established purpose in each generation. In the end, we learn that the christian life includes faithing ourselves forward.
What would you say if you reached the conclusion that God seemed to be calling you to fulfill a nearly impossible mission? You would need faith to say Yes. What if that same impossible mission was to help a people group that you considered to be your enemy? You would need a lot of humility to say Yes. What if God did not seemed to care what you felt about those people or the calling He laid at your feet? You would need deep obedience to say Yes to the call. Jonah, that rebellious, prejudiced prophet had none of these things, therefore he told God NO. This message goes deep into our hearts to help us see how we respond to the authority of God when He commands us to trust and obey. Jonah would learn the hard way the danger of digging in our heels.
Spiritual family is not just about coming together and enjoying one another’s company. While quality time is certainly one of the Kingdom love-languages, God also ordains that Christians partner together to advance His mission. There are battles to be fought and one. There are callings to be answered and obeyed. And there are mountains to claim and to conquer. From the Old Testament figure named Caleb, we can learn what it looks like for a faith family to wait, to war, and to win. All three of these prized components must remain active in any healthy church or Christian organization. Enduring until the end in the center of God’s will is the means by which we al bring Him glory together. It s also the only way for us to receive the inheritance He has appointed for us.
God sets the universal calendar. God decrees The Who, The What, The When and The Where of all occurrences in His Kingdom. When the Al mighty sets His intentions on a people, He will see His plans through the end. In the ancient Book of Jonah, God marks the wicked people of Nineveh with an evangelistic bullseye. He wants to save them. Because of this, God also marks a Jewish prophet named Jonah, whom He plans to send with His message of repentance. From these two determinations, we learn so much about the merciful heart of God and the rebellious heart of humankind. This is the first of five messages in a mini series of teachings from the incredible life of Jonah. Pay close attention to learn what it looks like when God stirs the pot.
If spiritual family is going to be lived out in a way that pleases God and enriches us, there is a non-negotiable ingredient that must remain near the top of the list of our shared priorities: HUMILITY. Jesus modeled humility every day of His earthly life in His relationships, His conflicts, His ministry to others and in His submission to the Father’s will. We cannot fail to do the same as we follow Him. This message unpacks a famous passage in Philippians chapter two, known as the kenosis passage. Watch how the most glorious human who ever lived, Jesus, operated in such depth of humility that from His intentional selflessness a provision of everlasting life flowed into others. We must live similarly if He will impart that life to others through us - and He will!
Jesus doesn’t waste any time when He calls someone to follow Him in Kingdom mission. He recruits, empowers and then trains us as we go. Kingdom living is full of on the job training. This scene from Luke 9 reveals Jesus pouring into His followers, and then requiring them to pour into others. Questions about finance, material resources and trust all arise as Jesus commands His followers to accomplish what cannot be done in the power of the flesh. They have to see the unseen and believe for the impossible. This is what it looks like to learn Kingdom math. In the end, their release resulted in a massive receiving and every single need was met. It is to be the same with us as we follow and serve the Son.
The Gospels contain many rapid-fire chapters where Jesus seems to move with intensity, speed and elevated purpose as He leads His disciples. Luke Chapter 9 is a record of moments like this in the life of Jesus and His followers. As the Son of God, Jesus begins to recruit and release followers to come near to Him for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom. Much of what He initiated then is still occurring today through the ministry of the Holy Spirit filled Church. This message begins to open our eyes to what it looks like for us to wholeheartedly follow in the steps of the Son. Kiss convenient, comfortable, status-quo living goodbye as you depend your YES to the leadership of the Lord. Jesus is calling us all to step up in identification and to step out in trust.
The warnings in the Bible about false prophets are not subtle. They are not inconspicuous. They are not infrequent. Both Old and New Testaments hold for us numerous cautions about the existence and activities of people who claim to speak on behalf of God but do not. No other passage of Scripture has more focus on this crucial issue than Jeremiah chapter 23. God Himself is doing all the talking as He pulls back the curtain on false prophets in the ancient Israel. From what God says, we are greatly equipped to mark false prophets in our own generation and to avoid ever coming under their dangerous influence.
When you mention the concept of spiritual family to Christians, you will find that many people have different ideas about what that might look like. For some, it means quality time and deep relationship. For others it means providing discipleship and mentoring. Still others think of providing acts of kindness and material care for others. Some believe spiritual family is all about pooling resources to fulfill a mission. But what does Scripture teach about how spiritual family flows? This message helps us all to get a panoramic view from the earliest days of the Church about what spiritual family is to be. God has called us to a spiritual AND functional oneness. It will never happen on accident, so we need to commit together to the direction that the Lord has established for all Christians in every generation.
It is undeniable that God allows for extreme circumstances to find His children. He is a protector - but He only protects us from that which would ultimately harm us. He is not obligated to protect us from extremes that serve to develop us. In fact, He harnesses difficulty in order to fashion us into His own likeness. When a distress or difficulty accomplishes His purposes for us, God enacts powerful reversals. He literally overhauls the circumstances and brings forth treasure from the trial. For those who are oppressed, smothered, persecuted or opposed, God will take care of what threatens you and accomplish a full and final deliverance. This Psalm reveals what this process often looks like in the life of a believer.
Jesus taught much about the time right before He would return to planet earth to establish His coming Kingdom. One of the clearest marks of His teachings (and of the writings of the Apostles) reveals the emphasis that vast amounts of people will not be prepared when He returns. Sadly, there will be no second chances for these people. Even more sadly, many of these people will be close to the Kingdom…but not actually in the Kingdom. In the parable of the lanterns and the oil - also known as the parable of the Foolish Virgins - Jesus speaks with urgency about not putting off becoming prepared for His return. The lack of oil in the lamps provides a symbolic picture of one aspect that is of particular importance for us as we approach the return of Christ. What might be represented by a lantern with no oil?
Hezekiah knew by this time that his enemy was ruthless and relentless. Accusations, threats, blasphemies and psychological warfare had all been released by the wicked ones who opposed Hezekiah’s godly mission. Now it was go-time. The enemy needed to be dealt a final blow by the people of God so that they could resume the worship and work assigned to them by Him. What would Hezekiah do in the final stages of the collision between himself and the king of Assyria? He would fight in the Spirit, partner with God in prayer, welcome angelic help, and stand still to see the salvation of the Lord against his enemies. From his ancient approach to warfare, we modern believers can be strengthened in our own commitments to wage warfare against Satan and his demons to send them running from the territory assigned to us by God for His own glory.
The greatest storms to ever hit the Church are still future. Jesus said so. Paul said so. Peter said so. John, in the book of Revelation, clearly said so. Before eternal rescue, relief and reward there will be an unprecedented span of intense storms that Jesus-followers will be called to endure. So the question for us all is, “Am I ready?” In this message, Jesus offers a prophetic warning for us to examine what our lives are currently founded upon. Sinking sand will never support us in the coming storms. We must know beyond a fact that we are anchored upon the rock, and wisely building thereupon. Without intentional inspection of our life-foundation, we are presuming to be able to endure what is coming. Jesus calls us to be intentional, ask the tough questions, and come away knowing we are prepared.
Some Christian tend to believe that God is only eager to help those who get in a difficult circumstances due to the fault of others. Maybe the devil attacked and made life hard. It could be that some other human made a mistake that put us in a major challenge. When the fault is someone else’s, most of us believe God will almost always come to our rescue. But what about when we ourselves blew it and are now reaping what we sowed? Should we expect God to help us then? This portion of Psalm 107 highlights the goodness and willingness of God to come to the rescue to deliver us from our self-imposed messes and distresses. We need relief from our troubles, and only God can meet our desperation with Heavenly intervention and powerful remedy. The question is whether or not we posses elevated confidence to expect Him to come to our rescue when we are in trouble due to our own poor decisions and sinful actions. This is a Psalm of hope for that very issue!
The dark, sad secret in the Church is that many Christians rarely pray. All of us as Jesus-followers began our journeys with the understanding that praying is vital and healthy. Yet, as time went on, many believers just let prayer fade away. For many, the reason they stopped praying is because of their experience of routinely unanswered prayers. Why bother praying if God doesn’t respond the way I desired? This message takes multiple bible passages to help us understand the massive promises attached to our prayers. It also reveals some painful reason why many prayers do not and cannot get answered by God. If we can understand what potentially wrecks our prayer life, we will be emboldened to address these issues and become again a praying Christian who calls out in confidence to God.
Satan knows that godly leaders remain vigilant and aware of his constant attacks. Godly leaders walk in personal purity which results in elevated spiritual discernment and power. Their hearts are clean from bitterness and selfish ambition. Godly leaders have robust prayer lives which keeps them ready and equipped for spiritual warfare. Because Satan and his demons cannot always defeat human spiritual leaders who are prepared for war, they intentionally target the hearts and minds of followers to poison them against their spiritual leaders. Sadly, this attack has a frequently high success rate in churches and other Kingdom works. In this portion of 2 Chronicles 32, we learn the tactics of the enemy’s ministry of accusation through the strategy of wicked King Sennacherib as he seeks to destroy the leadership of Hezekiah. The modern Church needs to know of this type of warfare, and to be prepared when it comes against a Kingdom movement that God is seeking to release through their leaders, through their Church and through them.
It is not difficult for us to understand that God will rescue His children from the attacks of the enemy. It is easy to grasp how He swoops in, destroys what threatens us, and then brings us back safely to His appointed places. Yes, God clearly protects and rescues His own.
But how eager are we to believe in a rescue from trouble that we ourselves have created? Should we expect God to mov win the same zeal to bring us out of messes that arise from our own sin and rebellion?
This portion of Psalm 107 reveals how our Redeemer moves in grace and mercy to bring us out of some awful circumstances that come about because of our own failures. If we cannot envision His love and kindness to us when we least deserve it, then we do not yet comprehend the fullness of His merciful heart.
How we respond toward God when we have failed is a deep indicator of what we believe about Him. Sin separates us from God. While the relationship remains intact, sin separates and breaks off our sense of closeness with God. He works hard to allow the discomfort to find us. He does not gloss over our sin. He seems to take a step back. Why? Because we won’t likely return to Him apart from His allowing us to feel the damage done when we disobey Him. God is a good Father, and He takes each of us through a similar process when we experience a moment or season of ignoring His ways and His word. When we recognize our sin, we are able to immediately make it right with Him. This message walks us through the aftermath of David’s great sin with Bathsheba, and reveals to us what we can know about God’s heart when we also fail Him. We should grieve over our sin, but we must learn to rejoice in the grace of God which abounds above the level of our sin. God is a forgiving, restoring Father when we confess and forsake our sins.
The modern Church must awaken to the reality that we are already living in intense spiritual warfare. We don’t get a vote, and its only going to grow in size and scope. We aren’t allowed to resign from the fight and go AWOL. The enemy has declared aggressive war against the glory of God, and he is advancing accordingly. We must become intentional towards the battle or we will become casualties of the war. This message reveals the response of godly King Hezekiah to wicked King Sennacherib’s determination to invade and capture Israel’s possession. From Hezekiah’s response to the attack, we can be instructed on how we Christians also must engage in spiritual warfare coming from Satan and the demonic realm. We cannot afford to remain un-strategized and reactive. God is calling us to become well-planning and highly proactive in repelling the enemy, and running him our of our individual lives, our families, our cities and our regions. We must send him fleeing.
Nobody enjoys the feeling of helplessness. We much prefer feeling large and in charge. Weakness, lack, dependence and hungers are not the things we desire to describe the core of our daily lives. Yet, for those who live by faith, it is nearly impossible to experience spiritual growth without God allowing these types of elements to cycle in and out of our lives. God does not wish for us to live in our own strengths or sufficiency. As we begin to explore the 107th Psalm, the first nine verses remind us that, apart from the Father’s intervening grace and supply, we are all lost, spiritually homeless, scattered, troubled and destined for distress. The joy of these verses is that we are NOT forgotten by the Father and left on our own. His compassionate heart goes after all wanderers. He moves when we cry out to Him for help. God will not forget you.
Most devoted Christians will admit that wrestling with the timing of God has been occasionally difficult as they seek to live by faith. We understand that we are to seek to discern the will of God, operate in the ways of God and complete the works of God as He leads us in life. It is not uncommon for us to wonder why God does not move at what seems to us like a logical pace. Why does God sometimes seem to spring big events on us before we feel ready? Or, more commonly, why does it seem like God drags His heels when we feel like the clock is ticking too fast? We cannot always know the answers to these questions, but we CAN become more resolved to learn how to devotedly align with God’s timing. When He moves quickly, He is wise. When He seems to go to slowly, He is wise. He knows what He is doing as He leads our steps and He will always give us understanding later on as to why He determined the pace in which He leads us. Our job? Follow Him, wait on Him, trust Him and obey Him.
Christians must live daily with the understanding that they are in a war. When we were saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we were also enlisted into the army of God. Together, the church advances the mission of God unto the eventual establishing of His Kingdom on earth. Satan and the demonic army have only one agenda: to resist that with all their evil power and fury. Because of this, spiritual warfare is the context for every Christian, family and church that has committed to live and die for the glory fo Christ. I n this message, we see an ancient picture of some of what it looks like when God begins to release grace, glory and revival to His people. Joy, sacrifice, holiness and celebration bring Him great pleasure. This atmosphere also stirs the enemy and motivates him to furiously fight what God begins to do. This is the beautiful backdrop for breakthrough…and for all spiritual warfare.
The warnings in the Bible about false prophets are not subtle. They are not inconspicuous. They are not infrequent. Both Old and New Testaments hold for us numerous cautions about the existence and activities of people who claim to speak on behalf of God but do not. No other passage of Scripture has more focus on this crucial issue than Jeremiah chapter 23. God Himself is doing all the talking as He pulls back the curtain on false prophets in the ancient Israel. From what God says, we are greatly equipped to mark false prophets in our own generation and to avoid ever coming under their dangerous influence.
On one occasion, Jesus cast a demon out of a man and it led to a debate about whose power Jesus was operating under. The religious crowd accused Jesus of using Satan’s power to cast out demons. Others demanded further proof beyond His casting out demons. Jesus, instead of walking away from His detractors, used this opportunity to teach about the dynamics of demonic possession and what is required to set people free from them. Demons are real and they are fully active in the present day. How can we defeat them? Does it require traditions, disciplines or counseling? Well, you may be surprised that none of those things intimidate a demon. There is only one thing to which they respond: the power and authority of Christ in us. This message highlights why Jesus says this is true.
If there is one thing that should be received as absolutely true it is this:
This planet is not ready for the return of Jesus Christ.
Many Christians are ignorant of what the Bible declares about the Second Coming. The Jesus we see in the Gospels at His first coming acted as One who is merciful, gracious, kind and patient. He laid down His life and allowed His enemies to reject and crucify Him. When He. Comes the second time to earth…it will be nothing like the first time. King Jesus is coming back to make war. Most people are not living as though they believe this indisputable bible fact. This message harnesses what John saw in Revelation 19. It serves as a dire warning to all who have not yet surrendered to the King of kings. For those who have already trusted Jesus and confessed Him as Lord, this message reminds us of the destiny He has secured for all of us.
Most of the world thinks of peace as the absence of conflict. Beyond that, many of those same people assume that peace is unattainable unless that absence of conflict is their current reality. Wouldn’t it be terrible if that were true? That would mean that there would be zero possibility of peace unless everything in our lives was pleasant, friction-free and easy on our souls. In this message, we will learn that peace is something that is to be prized by us, and especially when it is attained in the midst of real-life struggles. Peace is the spiritual byproduct of a life rooted in prayer and trust in God. Because we live in a world conditioned by sin and brokenness, we will only experience spiritual peace to the degree that prioritize and pursue it. Prayerlessness disqualifies us from living in true peace and spiritual rest. The Apostle Paul teaches us how to create the place for peace and how to aim our prayers and thoughts in a way that breed deep peace within. This message instructs us to fight for peace in our human relationships, our relationship with God and in our own minds.
King David once lived in a season of being backslidden. This short, painful scene in David’s life became a turning point that brought him face to face with the consequences of living outside of the will of God and beneath his destiny. When we make decisions that do not honor the Lord, there will be consequences. Sometimes those consequences are intense. How do we respond when our sins catch up with us? Do we run further from God, or do we have enough assurance of His committed love to turn to Him in our moment of deep need? David temporarily lost everything he treasured. Even his own life hung in the balance. Yet, a gracious God met the struggling king and brought him to the place where he could receive back what the enemy had stolen. Something happened in David’s encounter with God that changed everything. David’s bad decisions had created an impossible knot for himself. God was going to prove that He knows how to untie impossible knots.
God the Spirit brings you into the faith. Nobody gets saved and delivered from sin apart from the advance work of Holy Spirit in our hearts. When we trust Christ, the Spirit of God begins to live in us and transform us. He sets us free from the grip of the enemy and brings us into the family of God. He delivers us from destruction Yes, we are all led by the Spirit into our salvation…but do we listen to Him after we are saved? The voice of Holy Spirit is to be learned, discerned and obeyed. There is a passage in the book of Ecclesiastes that uses some enlightening human imagery that drives home to us all the importance of our continuing to listen to Holy Spirit after He delivers us from the enemy. To stop listening to the Spirit is to welcome our own downfall. To learn His leadership and to value His voice is what leads us to victories and breakthroughs.
If you have never had your faith rattled for even a short time, then you likely are not attempting to do much for the glory of God in your life. When we consider that God is always stretching our faith to enlarge our trust-muscle, we should not be surprised that we frequently find ourselves in over our heads. Add to this the reality of intense spiritual warfare from the enemy, plus the inherent weaknesses of our flesh, then it is reasonable to conclude that sometimes strong Christians can have their faith shaken. Yet, the Lord will never leave us in the place of shaking. He meets us where we are, asks us some tough questions, and then begins to graciously lead us from our dark cave of doubt and distrust back into the fulness of confidence in Him and His plans for our lives. Shaken faith is to become strengthened faith. If we don’t quit in the cave, this will become our reality.
It is not a question of if the enemy will strike, but when. Attached to when the enemy will come against the people of God is the issue of how the enemy will come against us. We cannot win in spiritual warfare if we are ignorant of the enemy and his strategies. Not surprisingly, we also know that we cannot win spiritual battles with fleshly means. On our own, none of us are smart enough, experienced enough nor strong enough to defeat the devil. We must be empowered by Holy Spirit to fight and win. Part of this empowerment arrives when He opens our eyes for the fight. From an ancient account of warfare, we learn some holy and helpful means by which we can be assisted in fighting the enemy. It is never too soon for us to pray that God would enable us to see what He sees in the spirit realm. When this occurs, we are heavily positioned to win our battles.
How do you believe you would feel if you were empowered to experience and seek satisfaction in every possible available human pleasure? Seriously, what if you had all the money and all the material possessions that you desired? If you could enjoy the finest wines, the most amazing entertainment, the strongest sensual pleasures available on earth - do you think you could live happily? If your name was globally famous and your intellectual abilities beyond comparison - do you believe that your soul would be fulfilled? There was a man named Solomon who conducted a long experiment in his life to see if these things would satisfy his own soul. While he did not deny the pleasure he experienced, he leaves us all with the startling results that revealed that he actually became less satisfied with life when he chose to live for his own pleasures. This message calls us to consider Solomon’s failed experiment and how we ourselves can profit from what he learned.
For several days before this message was released, Jeff sensed an intentional assault from the enemy against God’s people at the Church at Winder and in the surrounding region. Being led of the Holy Spirit to set aside his previously prepared message for that Sunday, Jeff released this prophetic pushback against fear and intimidation, and exhorted those listening to take ownership of the condition of their own hearts and minds by refusing to feed their fears.
For close to 100 years, easy-believism has plagued the American Church. In a zeal for evangelistic results, somebody reduced the message of biblical salvation to a prayer that is to be repeated by a person in order to go to Heaven when they die. None of us know just how many people have been led to pray a religious prayer to invite Jesus into their hearts…but have never repented of their sins and bowed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The result? Countless people who have a fondness for Jesus but have come up short of a transformational relationship with Him. The Book of First John can be startling as we read it because it gives us several diagnostic tools to determine whether or not we have been truly born again. This message walks us through these truths so that we can discern in our own lives if we have the evidence of true salvation.
Once a person has been brought to God through faith in Jesus Christ, it may be argued that the most vital experience to follow is to become transformationally convinced of the majesty, holiness and supremacy of God. Isaiah had spent five chapters pronouncing woe upon other people. When he sees for himself the glory of God in the temple in chapter six, Isaiah pronounces woe upon…Isaiah. How he is ministered to in the throne room of God reveals much about the heart of God towards His people. Isaiah was never the same after this personal and transformational encounter. We cannot be Christians who live off of the encounters, experiences and testimonies of others. We need our very own. This message calls all of us to consider the supremacy of God over all of creation, and to cause us to press in for our own encounter with Him which will prove to be transformational for the rest of our days.
One of the longest debated questions in Scripture is whether or not eternal life is…well…eternal. Does the Bible teach that a truly saved person can somehow lose that salvation? Can a person who says they trust Jesus as Lord live in unbroken patterns of sin? If someone renounces Christ after initially accepting Him go to Heaven when they die? If a true Christian can forfeit eternal life, what sin causes that - or what amount of sins? Does the Bible say? These are important issues worthy of our examination. This message gives us plenty of scripture to consider when seeking to answer the question, “Can we lose our salvation?"
Shame is one of the devil’s most effective weapons. In our generation, we can experience shame for our appearance, our income status, our personal failures, the abuse which happened to us and, of course, the shame from religious people and systems that constantly remind us that we do not measure up. Jesus is not willing that any of His people live in a constant sense of shame. Part of His ministry includes His power to facilitate shame crushing encounters. In this famous passage of Scripture, Jesus comes to the defense of a woman whose sin had caught up with her. While the religious leaders of her day wanted to make a public example out of her, Jesus wanted to make a new creation out of her. The way He treats her is a great lesson for how we should expect Him to treat us when a sense of shame tries to swallow us whole.
When God brings a person’s mind into wisdom and revelation, He has won that person to Himself forever. An ancient passage of Scripture holds some extremely relevant guidance for today’s Christian pertaining how we step into spiritual breakthrough and continue there. So much of the Christian life hinges on how we think. Listening, believing and responding to God’s ways and words result in powerfully transformed lives that are no longer enslaved to what is happening in this world. We are able to rise above and triumph over anything which life throws at us. This is not some religious self-help rah-rah message. This is a message grounded in ancient truth that welcomes God to capture and hold our attention for breakthrough. If you seem to always be waiting on Kingdom breakthrough and not actually experiencing it, these ancient verses may hold the key for you.
Cozy Christianity has never been a healthy option for Jesus-followers. We live out our loyalties to Christ in a world that has rejected Him, His teachings and His ways. In a misguided effort to appear loving, the Church has for many years tried to play nice with the culture. This has been tragic because the culture has still not embraced the Spirit of the Church while it is obvious that the Church has become contaminated with the spirit of the culture. Christians should expect resistance, rejection and persecution. When that becomes the overwhelmingly undeniable reality, will we be ready for what comes? We certainly will if we are living as those who have embraced lifestyles of crying out to God. This riveting account from Acts 12 reveals what it looks like for Christians to overcome cultural and spiritual foes. God has plans to release supernatural breakthrough to all who will press in to Him for wisdom, trust and power. He is unlimited in how He can answer our breakthrough prayers.
God has never created a single human whose life is absent of divine purpose. You and I are expressions of God’s heart, will and glory. He had an eternal purpose, wrapped it in human DNA and called it YOU. This is why our lives are rich with meaningful potential. Second only to coming to faith in Christ, our life-purpose is to define all of our days. Yes, God has a reason for you being here. He always has. The life of Moses is a beautiful example of just how committed God is to revealing and completing His purpose for our lives. It is never too late in life for us to experience an encounter with God which changes everything from that point forward. Each Christian, if he or she is still not aware of God’s purpose, should pursue the Lord to know His will for their lives. Even if we are slow to do so, God is not. He may very well appoint a burning-bush encounter for you in order to communicate to you that He is still inviting you step into your life’s assignment.
Stretched. Tired. Frazzled. Worn out. Beaten, Bruised. Broken.
Sound familiar?
This life can weigh us down with countless pains, losses and burdens. This is not a new thing. The human experience has always carried heaviness. When Jesus went to the masses in His day, He did not pretend that their lives were easy. Even His own followers would nod their heads when He mentioned the weariness of life to them. Yet, in the midst of all that might stretch us thin and wear us down, there is a beautiful invitation from Jesus. This message unpacks the simple call from the son of God to everyone who wonders if they can make it another day. Jesus is no distant King. He steps up to us in the midst of our heavy struggles and invites us with the relieving summons, “Come to Me."
We all know that Christians are to be people of prayer. But do we know why we are to prioritize prayer? Jesus taught so simply on the activity of prayer that it can leave us wondering sometimes why we seem to make it so complex. This first message in the new series focusing on prayer will provide us opportunity to un-complicate this vital aspect of the christian life. Prayer is not the activity of presenting a list of demands to God. Nor should prayer be as flimsy as some hollow wish that we offer up while never knowing how God might respond. The better our understanding of what Scripture teaches us about prayer, the better equipped we are to pray like God invites us to, and to experience breakthroughs which He releases when our prayers link up with his desires.
God doesn't simply desire to tell us things, His purpose is to spend time with us - to personally intersect with us as His individual children. His purpose in creation and redemption is to walk with us in life so that we may know him, love Him and enjoy Him. This first message in the Divine Encounters series sets the table for the other messages which will follow. This passage from the ancient prophet, Zephaniah, shows us the degree to which God delights in us as His beloved children. Very few places in Scripture allow us the opportunity to clearly visualize how God feels about His children like this passage does. You may be astounded to learn how God the Father feels about us. So, will you have courage to believe that God feels this way even about you?
The subject of the return of Jesus Christ to earth intrigues all Christians and even provokes the curiosity of non-Christians. Because the mission of the New Testament Church is to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus, we who follow Him should be eager to understand all that is said about His return. What if I told you that this subject, perhaps more than any other in the Bible, must properly affect our normal day-to-day lives. In this message, the Apostle Paul shares with us how we can be prepared as individuals for the tings which immediately precede the return of Jesus to earth. These verses are willed with wisdom, warning and deep comfort as we consider what is toga-pen just before Jesus comes back. Our lives can be aligned accordingly so that we are fully prepared for this monumental future event.
World events are playing out right before our eyes in a manner that is perfectly aligned with biblical prophecy. Long ago, a group of His followers asked Jesus what people should be looking for in the season where Jesus would establish His Kingdom on earth. Jesus answered them in a way that they could not have expected. His words in this passage of Scripture help us to see that the very things which Jesus prophesied are building in their fulfillment in this present generation. The upheavals on earth are growing more intense and more frequent. Jesus wants His followers to recognize the indicators and prepare. It is clear that the hour of His return is close at hand. Skeptical? Listen to this message and ask yourself if it is not time for you to spiritually sober up and get ready.
Nobody gets into Heaven apart from personally, intentionally surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord. In this sense, sinners are saved through their own personal faith. Yet, it is also true that nobody gets into Heaven apart from God sovereignly initiating, continuing and completing their salvation by His grace. Remove sovereign grace, there will be no salvation. Remove personal faith, there will be no salvation. So, what does it look like when God goes after a soul? This message spotlights the testimony of one man who desired to know God and His truth. The visible means by which God brought this man to Himself help us to discern what saving love in action looks like. May we worship God for His sovereign grace, and may we also be sobered to recognize that God uses human commitment to accomplish His divine plan.
When God calls an individual or a people to a Kingdom mission, it is always the case that the enemy will oppose the work. Satan hates Kingdom advancement, and he is a committed foe as he seeks to undermine whatever God’s people are doing for the glory of God. Relentlessly, the enemy uses any means available to bring a halt to the work. He seeks to intimidate, debilitate and frustrate the people and the mission. In this message, we see two humans who are raised up to oppose the mission of Nehemiah. From their tactics we are made aware of how our enemy fights us today. From Nehemiah’s response to the opposition, we learn how to resist, respond and endure until the work is completed. When the enemy fights you, it is not game-over. It’s game-on. And God has determined a breakthrough for you. Whoever chooses not to quit is the one who wins.
In your Bible, the life of faith is likened to many different things. It has been called a fight, a journey, a flight, a valley, a marriage, a crucifixion, a voyage, a race, a pursuit, a birth, and even a death. These metaphors, along with others, bring the concepts which incorporate our lives of faith down to earth. One word the Bible never uses to describe the believer’s life is convenient. The fact of the matter is that life is often difficult whether you are a Christian or not. The difference between the Christian’s difficulties and the non-Christian’s is that we have the sure-fire promise of eventual and ultimate victory. Yet, in the midst of impossibilities, challenges and wearisome routine, there are moments wherein God works in such a mighty way that we can never forget. Sometimes, nothing short of a fiery display of breakthrough power will suffice. In this message, Elijah not only needed a display of power like that from God, he unapologetically set up circumstances wherein, if God did not show up, Elijah would have lost everything including his own life. These moments are when we are all reminded that fire works. God is willing to release His fire into your impossibility.
When the story of planet earth and its inhabitants comes to an end, all the strategies of Satan and the demonic realm will be fully and forever exposed. Each redeemed saint of God will bet made aware of any and all lies we believed while we were alive on earth. Though we will be forgiven and justified before Holy God, we will, no about, be brokenhearted about the lies we believed. Chief among those demonic lies will be the notion that abortion was a debatable issue. From God’s perspective, there is no fog surrounding the issue of abortion. God Himself speaks His position concerning innocent life in the womb. It is Satan and his host of demons that has planted the lie that abortion is permitted by God. This message takes us through the clear teaching of Scripture concerning the damnable practice of abortion. This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue from which the Church in America has departed and sided, in many instances, with the demonic strategy to exterminate life that God has ordained. Christians should listen carefully, inspect their own position on the issue of abortion, and immediately align with the heart of God.
Who among us has not known what it is to become the target of someone’s intentional attempts to verbally wound us? Whereas the old children’s saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” may be popular, it could not be farther from the truth. The impact of someone’s verbal assault against us can potentially remain in our memories for decades. Our identities can take severe blows and become misshapen if we put stock in foul things spoken over our lives. Satan traffics in accusation and, if we do not walk in the Spirit, we might become one who speaks his words over others, or one who believe what others have spoken wickedly over us. This message teaches us from the life of King David what it means to overcome days of slander and shaming. It is impossible to always dodge the sinful words of others against us, but it is entirely possible to live free from having perpetually offended hearts. David helps us to see how this refusal of living offended looks in live action.
"Frequently, God will move in a generation of His people to bring them to a deep level of truth and repentance. Before God releases a fresh move of the Spirit, He first moves within His own people to acknowledge their deep need for His presence and power. What does it look like when God has determined to restore His people to Himself? He stirs internal hunger. He exposes an unhealthy tolerance for sin. He reveals the apathy of our hearts toward His Kingdom. Then…He places His love, grace and mercy on full display until we can no longer resist His call for us to return home to Him. This message walks us through a time of generational restoration to God. We are in need of such a move in this present hour."
“The Bible teaches the unconditional love of God for people. That is not to say that people are unconditionally accepted by God, but His love is simply offered because it is who He is in His nature. Not as easily received is the truth that God’s children are to love others in this same way. Jesus taught that we are to intentionally love those around us without conditions. He even tells us to press in to loving our very enemies. Of all that Jesus taught, this may be the hardest for us to embrace. We are to love all others just as we ourselves are loved by God. This message unpacks this teaching from the King and exposes how often we fall short of His command to love. How will we ever arrive to this level? By trusting in the One who will pour His love through us."
Many people understand and believe in a literal devil. the Bible teaches that he exists. Jesus was fully aware of the reality of Satan and He battled Satan in the wilderness. But where did the devil come from? How did he become what he is today? This message unpacks one of the rare Old Testament passages that serves to reveal to us how Lucifer, a once-glorious angel in Heaven, became Satan, the evil dragon whom God cast out of Heaven and destined for destruction. If you know your enemy, you are better equipped to defeat him. Here is the story that the devil hates to be told.
There may not be a more dramatic calling in the entire New Testament than the one that came to Saul of Tarsus. Everything changed for Saul, including his name, after Jesus saved him, set him apart and sent him forth. Saul became known as Paul and he became the pioneer of apostolic missions, evangelism, discipleship and signs and wonders. When we examine the consecration and calling to the Apostle Paul, we can see some of the Kingdom dynamics that are active in each of our Kingdom callings. While our own calling may not be as dramatic as Paul’s, the God who called and commissioned him is the the same God who has a life-purpose for us. Learn from Paul’s life about the intensity of a calling from God. It is to be stunning from the moment of the call until the day when we exit that calling and enter into His presence.
Jesus was accomplishing mind-blowing works that were stunning the people. Yet, when He revisited His own hometown of Nazareth, the people were not impressed with Jesus. In fact, they were offended at Him because they chose to view Jesus through natural eyes that had watched Him grow up there among them in previous years. Because they viewed Him as common and ordinary, Nazareth experienced absolutely nothing supernatural from Jesus. In fact, Jesus actually walked away from them and never returned. What can we learn today from the offer of Jesus and the failure of Nazareth to receive it? When we are bored with Jesus, when we get used to His name, His story, His ways and His teachings, we can risk taking up offense with Him, minimizing how much we need Him, downgrading what He does for others, and missing out on all that He wants to do for us. This message calls us to protect our awe of the King.
While God has specific, individual designs for each and every life He creates, there are some shared callings that we all must answer from Him. The level of our answers to these callings found in Titus 2:11-15 will deeply impact the quality of Christian life we each experience. Additionally, how we respond to these four calls to us all will impact the amount of eternal reward we receive from God at the end of the age. We are living in the final chapters of this age, and there has never been a more crucial time for any of us to ensure that we are moving deeper into intentionally consecrated commitment to the King.
There is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is simply called “faith”. Paul writes briefly about it to both the Romans and the Corinthians. Faith is a growing work of God in the lives of all Jesus-followers. As we learn of Him and become more like Him, our faith-muscle will grow. We are to be maturing in our ability to believe and trust the Lord. In this message we see the differences between refusing to believe, being slow to believe, and then growing in our ability to believe and trust as we follow Him in days of challenge. If you struggle in the area of living by surrendered faith and trust in God, do not fear. As long as your heart is not hard, Jesus will not reject you for being slow to believe. He bears with us, challenges us and then empowers us to grow in our ability to have hearts that are growing in fuller trust. He is working in you for that goal even now.
There is a deep commitment in God’s heart to continually draw His own people back to Himself. It is no secret that, on our own, we are prone to wander and quick to drift away from God’s ways. Our love can grow dim. When we drift or grow dim, we tend to look to other places to satisfy our spiritual hungers. Sadly, we learn the hard lesson that only God can satisfy those desires. When we refuse to listen to His call to return back to Him, He comes after us. This message reveals the great lengths that God goes to in order to bring His straying children home.
Everyone has an opinion about who Jesus is. Most of those opinions are wrong, simply because they are incomplete. Sadly, even the modern Church is releasing incomplete, insufficient messages about who Jesus Christ is and what is required of us to be called one of His followers. In this message, we find a scene where Jesus probes us to help us come to terms with what we truly believe about Him. In the process, Jesus states with clarity what He has designed for all who would be called by His name as Christians. The Church must recapture the heart of what the Lord says in these verses. If we do not present Jesus as He presented Himself, then we must soberly consider that countless people have believed an incomplete, insufficient version of who He truly is. There is great reward in knowing Him. There is immense consequence for believing that He is something other than what He presented.
You haven’t been a Christian very long before you encounter your first door that God refuses to open. When we talk about open doors and closed doors in the Kingdom, we are usually referring to our desire to step into something and, as we attempt to do so, we discover if God is saying Yes or saying No to us. These are important moments for all Jesus-followers because they reveal so much about where we are in our own hearts with the Lord. The Apsotle Paul had a massive calling to pioneer the Gospel in his day. He lived to take the message of Jesus to places where nobody had gone before. Sounds like a tremendous ministry, right? Yet, this message reveals that Paul was met frequently with closed doors…with the answer No from God. We can learn much about how God powerfully uses closed doors in our lives. When we cannot go where we want to go, when we cannot leave where we want to leave, when we cannot receive that which our hearts long for, we cannot give what we powerfully desire to release…these are closed doors that God uses to fulfill His master plan for our lives.
To believe that He is a caring God is one thing. To believe that He is a God who cares personally for you is another. In a world full of problems, pain and poison, how can we daily live with the confidence that God truly cares for us? This message revisits the timeless words of the 23rd Psalm to walk us through the determined communication from God that He personally chose to reassure us time and again that we are loved and cared for by Him. This care for us is seen - not in the absence of our trouble - but in His unwavering promise to accompany us in our trouble and deliver us out of our trouble. He is the God who cares for you, no matter whatever else life may be communicating to you.
None of us is called by God into half-hearted Christianity. The Word is clear that our response to such a full and free salvation in Jesus is to become a full and free surrender to Jesus. There is so much that He offers us as we increasingly grow in our belonging to Him. Paul had experienced a radical conversion to Christ, and his own response was a full and committed surrender. He longed for this same response in all of us, so God inspired him to pen a prayer for fullness to the Colossian church. From this written prayer we discover the depths and treasures of growing into a fuller life in the Spirit. His words are meant to stir our spiritual hunger and to boldly call his to step up and step in to the fullness that is offered us through a fuller surrender to Jesus. Are you hungry for more? Is there a certainty that the Christian life is greater than your past and current experience? You are feeling what God has placed within each of us. It is coming alive again. He is stirring you. This is what we need. This is what we long for. Now is the season to pursue this with all of our being.
In one scene, found only in Luke’s Gospel, we behold a Kingdom encounter between a lady, the Lord and a legalist. Her life had been dominated by demonic power for close to two decades and religion had not helped her a bit. On this life-changing day, Jesus delivered her from both the power of demons and the powerlessness of religion. As one might expect, those loyal to their religious ways protested what Jesus did for her which led to a strong rebuke from the Lord. In this message we have opportunity to examine our own hearts to discover if we make the same mistake of prioritizing policy above people and religion over rescue.
All Christians would vote YES for revival to break out. We all want to see powerful conversions from spiritual death to eternal life. We want to witness an awakening sweep across a dull and dusty Church in America. We believe in healings and miracles…but we don’t see nearly enough of either one of these beautiful manifestations of the power of God. Who among us would not want to operate in a daily, uninterrupted flow of Holy Spirit power that sets people free from their strongholds and demonic oppression? What about Christians forsaking all and committing to take the Gospel to the farthest and darkest places on earth? Yes, we all desire revival. But true revival is not cheap. This message helps us as individual believers to know how to prepare our own hearts for the revival that God will send.
Everyone wants to get a promise from God. Occasionally, God makes a personal promise known to His individual children. More often, He shows us a promise in His written word and calls us to believe it by faith. God made massive promises to Abraham. Nobody had ever received promises like Abraham. Yet, to build his faith, God then tested Abraham by allowing him to choose to promote and protect his own interests connected to the promise, or to allow his nephew, Lot, to have the upper hand in a huge decision that would effect both of their destinies. Abram allowed Lot to make the choice instead of asserting his own rights to make the choice to benefit himself and to protect God’s promise by means of fleshly actions. In essence, Abraham chose to temporarily lose so that He became more fully reliant upon God for his future. This message will reveal how God often calls us to do the same: letting go of something in the moment in confidence that God will secure something better for us in the future.
There is a longstanding strand of Kingdom DNA that has come fully unraveled in the modern Church. God's people have always been called to maintain a distinction from the corrupt cultures in which they live. As citizens of an entirely different Kingdom, we are to reflect the priorities, beliefs and pursuits of the Heavenly realm. To keep us in generational awareness of this call to live consecrated to God, there have always been voices which He has raised to communicate this essential calling. When those voices fade or fail, that generation will inevitably lose its way. In ancient Israel, God brought a strong indictment against those whom He had appointed to be the watching eyes and warning voices of a generation. When spiritual watchmen sleep and Kingdom watchdogs refuse to bark, evil creeps in. God is not content to allow this to happen without sounding a wakeup alarm. Our generation, soaked in political correctness, needs to heed this ancient message from God to Israel. If the Church presses the mute button on herself, refusing to speak the hard messages, evil will continue to creed in and take many captive. We are called to keep the bite in our bark.
It has been said that God is good…but He is not safe. What does this mean? the Bible portrays God as being perfect in wisdom, motivation and action. All He does is holy and good. We are to rest and trust in His flawless character. However, we should never interpret His goodness as being obligated to create for us here a life of ease, empty of risk. God calls all of His children to a journey of faith which removes the notion that we are ever in full control. Gods stretches us, bends us and breaks us. He does this in order to create within us a heart and life that is fully dependent upon Him so that all of the glory ends up with Him. Because of this, we should not ever assume that the life of faith in him is going to be easy. Abram was 75 years old when he began to learn these truths. God called an old man to uproot from all his comforts and familiarities to enter into a season of redirection. God is doing the same thing with many of you in this season. Learn from how God and Abram interact as they partner together in a covenant that would change the course of human history forever.
When Jesus assumed the role of the lowest household servant by washing the feet of the disciples, He left us an example. He told the disciples that they could not comprehend in the moment what exactly He was doing when He washed their feet. He told them that they would understand later as they followed His example by showing honor to each other. What does Jesus want us to learn about humility, serving others and showing honor to each other? How do we wash each other’s feet today? When we take the time to consider in depth the great differences between the disciples whose feet Jesus washed that day, we can understand the richness of His call for us to show honor to one another - especially those who are very different from us in the Body of Christ. God honors those who honor others. At some point, He will call us to show honor to those with whom we have great differences. This message shows us what that looks like.
When you received Jesus as Lord over your life, there was one component that He made a reality without asking for your input. Jesus made you a SOLDIER in His army. That’s right, none of us come into the Kingdom without also being drafted into the Army of God. So, the question is not IF we will fight but, rather, when and how we will fight. Spiritual warfare is a constant activity in the life of all Jesus-followers. Though the final outcome has already been decided, each of us is called to take territory for the King while also defending territory that the enemy seeks to reclaim from us. This constant warfare can be both exhausting and isolating - especially when so many Christians have gone AWOL. This message features two obscure Old Testament warriors whose examples can help us remain in the fight, crush the enemy and bring God the glory…even if we find ourselves fighting alone.
Christians are constantly being saved. Most of us define salvation as that act whereby God declares us no longer guilty for our sins after we have placed our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Yet, that is only the beginning of salvation. That moment of faith in Jesus seals our justification, but salvation is also seen in the acts of sanctification and glorification. Justification is the beginning and glorification is the final destination. But what about sanctification? God is saving all of us every day from the power of sin. He is delivering us from the fallen ways of humanity. He is crushing the enemy’s power in our lives. He is making us more like Jesus through the activity of the Holy Spirit. This message focuses on the differences between those walking in their flesh versus those walking in the Spirit. If our justification has truly taken place, our sanctification will surely follow. Sanctification is the evidence of what winning looks like for the followers of Jesus.
We all have a tendency to drift from God. If we are not proactive in our pressing in to God for intimacy, wisdom and encounter, then our natural movement is actually away from Him. The world system can pull us away. Our flesh opposes His will. Then there is the added factor of the enemy’s work against our souls that never ceases. Yes, it is sad but true that we tend to drift. But do not fear! God himself is always pursuing us. He calls out to us. He shepherds us and keeps us from wandering too far off. This message highlights God’s constant ministry of invitation. He loves to remind us of all the goodness that He has for His children. He reminds us that He does not think nor act like a mere human, and that His grace and compassion are immeasurably grand toward us. Listen for His voice calling out to you, inviting you to no longer drift. Answer His repeated to call to come…come…come home to Him.
If you ask me what I believe is the #1 key requirement for spiritual victory, I would answer quickly that it is desperation. We must remain in a spiritual state of longing for God’s presence, wisdom and power. We are wired in both the body and the spirit to pursue that for which are the most hungry. We pursue what we desire. For this reason, we must cooperate with Holy Spirit to long for nearness with Abba Father. The words in this Psalm are a beautiful example of what it looks like to press in to the Lord to know Him and experience His goodness. When we are desperate for Him, we will eventually leave off from anything lesser and make knowing Him our greatest pursuit. When we pursue God, we discover the riches of His greatness and the thrill of revelation in learning who He discloses Himself to be. If you feel like you are spiritually suffocating under the stale air of emptiness, then the words from this Psalm will help you breathe again in the presence of the One who most loves you.
The great debate on whether or not a true Christian can sin their way out of salvation will likely continue until the return of Jesus to earth. For nearly the entire history of the Church, people who equally love Jesus have disagreed on this issue. What is clear in Scripture is that there can be no reasonable expectation of entering Heaven for those who live their lives in unbroken patterns of sin. But the question remains, “Do those who profess Christ lose their salvation by sinning or do those who profess Christ, and yet practice habitual sin, ever possess salvation in the first place? Well, the answer must be determined by what the whole of Scripture teaches. This message offers us some of the most important verses on this frequently debated issue.
God has promised to discipline His children if they go astray. But that promise is attached to another promise - a more desirable promise: God says that he will restore and bless His children when they humbly respond to His discipline and return to Him. God had told Israel that they had strayed and that He would be sending correction to them. Lest they believe that He had cast them off forever, He also reassures them in this message that He knew that Israel would return to Him, and that they would experience great blessing from Him once again. Their correction was not the end of the story! This message reminds us that the ways of God include both correction for the disobedient and blessings for the repentant. For any and all who may have wondered if God was through with them because of past failures, this message reassures us that God is not yet finished with us.
God makes us wait…and we need to accept that as reality. Yet, when God determines to move, He calls us to be ready in a moment’s notice. The Book of Joshua is a beautiful narrative about what it means for God’s people to step into the fullness of their inheritance. When the waiting season ends, the warring season begins. From the details of this passage of Scripture we can learn so much about what it looks like when God raises up an individual to step into destiny. Additionally, everyone has a role to play in the plan of God and we need to understand what He requires of us. This message will unveil four requirements that find us in the season where God calls us forth to be ready to move into all that He has for us.
Most of us in America heard from an early age the story of Jesus dying on the cross. If we are honest, most of us also struggled on some level to understand exactly what that had to do with us. 750 years before Jesus actually died on the cross, a prophecy was released by Isaiah that explained so much of what Jesus would accomplish for us when he died there on Mount Calvary outside of Jerusalem. This message reveals some of the immeasurable treasure provided for us through Jesus’ sacrificial death. Beyond that, we can also learn how we can follow in His footsteps as we personally encounter rejection, injustice and affliction during our own lives. To live like Jesus also involves us learning how to die like Jesus. What does that activity look like in our modern-day lives, and how do we cooperate with it?
We hear many sermons on our need to be good stewards of the money God gives us. We also hear messages on the importance of stewarding the time He gives us along with the spiritual gifts & natural abilities given to us by God. Not as frequently do we hear the preachers call us to be good stewards of all the opportunities which God presents to us. Yes, God is still opening doors of purpose for us. He is still calling us to step though those doors by faith. This message from the life of Joshua connects his calling, purpose and opportunity from God with our own lives today. In these verses, we find the essential elements to recognizing an opportunity from God, remembering all that He has said to us in the past, and then taking trusting steps to walk through those kingdom doors into those things which He purposes for us.
The very essence of what it means to be saved can be summarized by saying, “God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, graciously and permanently removed the hostility between us and Him.” What an immeasurable gift it is to have all of our sins forgiven and to be welcomed into the life of God. Is it any wonder then that God expects us to live in that same way with all others? We are to refuse the presence of hostility in our hearts toward others. As our culture is promoting division, outrage, lovelessness and hostility, the followers of Christ are to live intentionally in such a way that we are killing hostility anywhere we are able. This message from Ephesians shows us why we must kill hostility in our hearts and how God empowers us to accomplish this. Our commitment to biblical, Gospel-centered kindness to others will magnify Jesus to a lost and hostile culture that expects the Christian to be no different than others. But for this to happen, we must learn to kill the hostility.
The history of God’s people reveals that, before they encounter strong correction from the hand of God, they receive from Him multiple warnings. God never “flies off the handle.” God is not an erratic Father who unpredictably loses His temper. When the time comes for God to correct His children, He usually issues many calm warnings before unleashing the stormy season that is meant to bring them to repentance. This message shows how God told His children what He was about to do because of their rebellion. Their proud sin had reached its tipping point, and God was soon to send a storm into their lives to bring His straying children back to Him. The Church today is wise to recognize this mode of operation from the Lord. Do we hear His warnings to us and our own nation? Do we presume that we will be the exception to God’s ways, and that He will not send storms to correct us? May the listener evaluate his or her own heart, and may we all be moved to pray for our nation as we discern that we are equally guilty of the very same sins for which God judged His people long ago. His warnings are present. The storm is still future. But the gap between the warnings and the storm of correction is shrinking.
Jesus promises His followers a life of freedom in Himself. Being made right with God through the sacrifice of Jesus results in our lives being transformed and set free. Far from living a life of dead religion, mundane rules or smothering weights of demand, Christianity brings us to a place wherein we become joyful and free to embrace the lives Christ has purchased for us. But, for this to occur, we must be trained in what it means to partner with the Holy Spirit. Nobody lives the life of freedom and victory apart from a growing oneness with God the Spirit. This message magnifies the freedom God declares over us and offers us some healthy guidance in how to daily partner with Holy Spirit in order to experience spiritual freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
History tells us that more believers fall due to becoming distracted from God than they do because of some in-the-moment moral implosion. Satan prefers to erode us than to explode us. He likes the slow kill. In Psalm 73 we find the amazing testimony of a believer who confesses how he almost fell away from God, but was rescued right before falling apart. How did God keep this person from crumbling? He showed him that his envious heart was the problem. Then, God gave him a private revelation that woke this straying believer up from his spiritual slumber. In our day of cultural class-warfare, we need to be on guard against being eroded by envy. There is a key component to protect us from this possibility. Psalm 73 unveils the secret to coming out of envy and finishing our race with confidence and joy.
Most of us have heard the good news of the Gospel. We have heard that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, laid down His life on the cross as the payment for sin, and rose again three days after He was buried. We know that when we repent and trust in His sacrifice, we experience the new birth and are saved from the wrath of God through faith in Jesus. This part of the Gospel is known and believed by all Christians. But do we know the rest of the good news? Do we really understand what happened to us and for us when we were saved? This message uses an Old Testament passage of scripture to show us what God does for us when He brings out of sin and into redemption. It’s far greater than most Christians would dare to believe!
It will not be too long before these verses become illegal to preach in America. Mark it down: Romans 1:18-32 will become classified as hate-speech and will be banned as such in the United States. Until that time comes, those who preach and teach need to assert the truths of these difficult verses and show great love as they communicate these truths to a generation who hates what they say. What does the wrath of God look like? You may be surprised that it is not necessarily all fire and brimstone. Sometimes, God releases wrath by withdrawing quietly from determined sinners and giving them what they most desire: full independence from Him. This message tackles the sins of our present generation and offers a heartfelt plea for those who are willing to return unto a merciful and gracious God while there is still opportunity. May we sorely acknowledge these crucial truths. The clock is ticking.
The Bible is filled with miraculous accounts of God’s supernatural healing power. Most Christians have found themselves at one time or another praying for a miracle of healing, provision or divine intervention from God. In the last days there will be an increase of supernatural release of spiritual gifts and Holy Spirit power. Yet, Scripture also reveals that experiencing miracles and the power of God does not necessarily connect us with the heart of God. This message reveals that trust and obedience are more important than experiencing the supernatural, the miraculous or the unexplainable. Jesus has deep compassion and desire for His sheep - we must turn and desire Him as He desires us.
We get saved. Things begin to change. Previous beliefs, behaviors and attitudes begin to change. New ways of living begin to appear in our lives. Then it happens: we find a stubborn patch in our lives that simply won’t change. There is something we cannot overcome. Maybe it’s a previously held attitude towards others. Maybe it’s an emotional struggle. Maybe it’s a recurring sin. This message takes one of the most important bible passages on the struggle in the lives of Christians against sin. How do we overcome those issues in our lives that we know fall short of Jesus’ expectation? Can we ever get victory over long-standing sin struggles? The answer is Yes. Romans 7 tells us how to better win this war within.
Everyone wants to be successful. Sadly, not everyone agrees on the definition of a successful life. For all Christians, God has both defined the successful life and the means to achieve it. This message gives us Heaven’s perspective on what it means to live a successful life in the sight of God. Mark it down: the American Dream is almost completely devoid of what success looks like in the Kingdom of God. Material success if vastly overrated, while Kingdom success remains greatly undefined among so many believers. Don’t be fooled by what the world is offering us - God wants to unpack His version of success for us so we can put it on every day of our lives.
Few things dent the human soul than the experience of rejection, abandonment and betrayal. Nearly every family you know has been impacted by one or more of these painful events. When these experiences occur during one’s childhood, it can be catastrophic and result in lifelong struggle for the one who experienced them. This message reveals the grace and faithfulness of God to a mom and teenage son who were rejected by their husband and father. While there is complexity in the reasons behind their rejection, the bottom line is that it bruised their souls. How does God minister to those who have been rejected and abandoned? From the story of Hagar and Ishmael we see the caring heart and restoring hand of God on behalf of those with an orphan-spirit.
In God’s Word there is frequently found a call to engagement with Him. The Father summons us to partner with Him to accomplish whatever it is that He is doing. In ancient times, a king’s invitation was not meant to be answered but, rather, obeyed. It is no different with God’s call on our lives. In this message, God cautions us about our procrastination, excuses and reluctance concerning His mission. He points believers to one of the smallest creatures on the planet - the ant- and asks us to learn from it. How can an ant teach us about living with Kingdom urgency? In the example from the ant, God calls us to preparation, proactivity and persistence. Anything less reveals that we lack the urgency that faithful believers are called to manifest in every generation.
Once a person has been brought to God through faith in Jesus Christ, it may be argued that the most vital experience to follow is to become convinced of the majesty, holiness and supremacy of God. While it is true that God is love, His holiness defines and regulates that love which comes from Him. He is not so holy that He remains distant from us, but He is not so loving that He endorses our indulgences. Isaiah had spent five chapters pronouncing woe upon others. When he sees the glory of God in the temple in chapter six, Isaiah pronounces woe upon himself. How he is ministered to in the throne room of God reveals much about the heart of God towards His people. This message calls all of us to consider the supremacy of God over all of creation, and brings us to an encounter which should cause us all to bow in submission and honor before His throne of grace.
Sometimes, because of what we are seeing and what we are feeling, we wonder if God might have forgotten about us or, worse yet, forsaken us. When the enemy appears to have the upper hand, when God is not stopping the growing tide of evil in our culture, when our past sins accuse us, we can find ourselves living with our backs pinned against the wall. This message reveals how the Father uses these seasons to develop a deep sense of urgency in His children. Sometimes, God lets the enemy advance so that it will produce an urgent cry for help from His people. These are the seasons when we cannot go a day longer without the breakthrough of God’s glory exploding upon the world in which we are living.
Isaiah chapters 24-26 are extremely important for us right now. These three chapters are filled with promises, principles and prophecy. Isaiah’s words predict a future global outpouring of judgment. Might we be entering those times? For the people of God, there is protection and provision during global shakings. But what are we to actually do when the judgment that is hitting the planet is negatively impacting our lives, troubling our minds, and diminishing our strength. We need to know these answers and this message from Isaiah 26 lends us help in doing so.