Transforming Truth With Jeff Lyle

David was living in between his initial call and anointing and the throne that had been promised to him. Saul was a wicked king, and he occupied the position that God had declared would belong to David. Everyone knew the favor had been removed from Saul and given to David, but God had not yet made a way for David to be promoted to king over the people. What do you do when God shows you favor and people resent it? Jealousy and envy come against Christians who walk in the anointing and favor of God. Sometimes it causes deep trouble in life. For those who want the favor of God on who they are and what they do, know ahead of time that it comes with a cost.

The scandals among famous Christian leaders have been recurring for a few decades. They always make the headlines. Many sincere believers have become embittered, skeptical, or even fearful of human leaders within local churches. The exposure season has legitimately cleansed the Church of many unfit leaders, yet the vast majority of Christian leaders are actually true to their God. These God-appointed leaders are often paying a price for the sins of the false leaders. True leaders are frequently dishonored, rebelled against, viewed with suspicion, and treated far beneath the biblical dignity which God places upon them in the positions He has given them. This message shifts the focus for a moment from leaders in the Church to those who are followers. How are you treating your leaders? Do your words, attitudes, and actions please God? Human authority in the Church has always existed, and so have God’s clear expectations for how we treat those in spiritual authority. It is time for all Christians, both leaders and followers, to do a thorough inventory of how they are operating in this vital area of Kingdom living.

Every serious follower of Jesus Christ has to be tested with a season that holds no answers. Discipleship that cannot be tested should not be trusted. God develops our trust-muscle in some seasons by not giving easy answers to questions that we feel are crucial for us. We often find ourselves asking, “Why…how…when?” When Heaven’s response is silence, it can produce in us feelings of alarm, dread, or frustration. In John chapter 9, we meet a man whose life has been dramatically changed. The miracle he experienced causes quite the stir among others which produces no fewer than 17 different questions. The answers do not come, and the man himself is left for a moment in heaviness. When Jesus comes to him personally, we see an example of what it looks like to believe without answers.

Most of us are very familiar with the concept of demons. Fewer of us are informed concerning their origin. We know a little about Lucifer’s rebellion with one-third of the original holy angels but after that…things get a little murky. This message unpacks the origin and distinctions between the class of angels known. As the Watchers (Daniel 4), the Nephilim (giants) of the Old Testament, and the prevalent demons of the New Testament. Jeff Lyle makes an impassioned plea for Christians to come out of ignorance and numbness to the reality of demons and their aggressive activity among us. Jesus has disarmed them, but we are commanded to withstand their attacks and drive them out.

Christianity has become a spectator sport. So many people who consider themselves Christians have merely checked the box on a set of theological facts about Jesus Christ, presumably gotten their ticket punched to Heaven, and live as if there is nothing more to salvation and faith. An ancient passage from the book of Ezekiel reminds us that to walk in faith means a steady progress of being led by God into greater depths of experience with Him. If your feet can still touch bottom, then you have failed to move into the deep waters with Christ. Christians are meant to live in a state of being in over our heads. Flat-footed faith means you are still in control of everything. Moving into the deep currents of trust and surrender is where God wants to take you, and Ezekiel’s experience shows us both the process and benefits of moving into the deep with God.

Some Christians will wonder if Jeff Lyle has lost it by touching on the topic of the UAP/Extraterrestrial phenomena sweeping the globe. We can know longer deny that something is happening in the skies that warrants more than our curiosity. Offering biblical context for the growing UAP/Extraterrestrial phenomena, this message is the first of multiple wherein Jeff connects biblical teaching on demons with what is being seen around the planet. Could the so-called aliens actually be the ancient fallen angels whom most of us refer to as demons? Why would fallen angels need “spaceships”? Did God create separate classes of beings and place them in distant galaxies? Understanding ahead of time about things that will be crucial in the not too distant future is essential concerning these strange sightings and coming events. Very soon, what Christians say they believe will be tested by what everyone on the planet will see. Being informed ahead of time will help us pass the coming tests.

In a day of compromise and hidden idolatry, King Josiah shows us what radical reformation will look like in our generation. In this Truth Shot, we get to unpack how true cleansing begins with unified commitment to God’s Word, bold covenant renewal, and uncompromising action—tearing down every false altar, burning idols, exposing corrupt leaders, and refusing to tolerate sin in our own hearts and also the house of the Lord. If you’re ready for personal and corporate holiness, this message is a sobering and hope-filled call to let God’s fire purge what doesn’t belong. On the other side of our renewed commitment is a fresh release from Heaven.

Jesus declares that the hour has come—and is now here—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for God is Spirit, and He actively seeks such people. Drawing from Jesus’ teachings on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth (John 14–16), this message emphasizes that the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, testifies of Christ, guides us into all truth, and reveals the deep things of God. In an age of rampant deception, this sermon calls the church to reject both soulish emotionalism without biblical grounding and lifeless orthodoxy without the Spirit’s power, urging us to become Spirit-filled, Truth-anchored worshipers who live with deep loyalty to God and deception-proof discernment. A life of truth-based, heartfelt worship of Jesus is the single greatest safeguard against even the highest levels of deception.

Are you hungry for a fresh move of God in your life and in our generation? This episode of Truth Shots unpacks what true revival really is, what must precede it, the unmistakable marks that confirm it, and who carries the responsibility to see it released. From divine presence and holiness to bold witness, miraculous power, and cultural transformation—this is a timely call to repentance, prayer, and renewed obedience so that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

It is no secret that godly Kingdom men seem to be rare in this generation. They still exist, but the numbers seem fewer now than in previous generations as the culture and even some segments of the Church have moved away from biblical expectations for men. Yet there is also great cause for hope as countless men are experiencing an undeniable hunger for more than what the world offers them. Men are seeking God again. Younger men especially seem to be returning to elements of the faith, and they seem inclined not to settle for substitutes. This message compels men to ready themselves with both their convictions and their commissioning from Heaven. Together, Kingdom men are stronger, and it seems that God is raising up many to begin again to live intentionally and sacrificially for the destinies of their sons and daughters. We welcome this move of God to reshape the Church in America. Here’s what it can look like.

From the life of Jesus, we are able to learn how Satan seeks to divert all of us from our God-spoken identities and assignments in the Kingdom. In subtlety, the enemy is constantly seeking to redirect our minds and wills towards lesser investments of who we are in the Kingdom. Harnessing the world system and the different streams of influence from our culture, Satan and his demons are committed to the art of temptation, diversion, and distraction. If they can succeed in disconnecting and diverting us from our true identities as sons and daughters, then they are able to redirect our eternal focus unto a temporary focus. When they are successful at these diversions, Christians no longer live FOR the Kingdom of God even though they are living IN the Kingdom of God. The raw truth is that the enemy succeeds in this tactic of diversion in the lives of innumerable believers. We are able to learn how to consistently overcome Satan’s strategies by learning from Jesus himself as Satan sought to divert Jesus from the assignment He received from the Father.

The only lasting way to ensure your mind is never taken captive by deception is to be highly proactive in filling it with truth. Counterfeits cannot overtake the authentic - they can only replace them where the authentic fails to be established. When it comes to our thinking and belief systems, God both equips and commands us to regulate what we allow to shape our minds. This is 100% our individual responsibility. When we guard the gates of our minds, we allow only those things that are true and righteous by God’s standards to influence us. Deception does not stand a chance against the person who refuses to allow lies, toxins, or spiritual pollution to enter in. The Apostle Paul reveals to us what to choose and what to refuse at the gates of our minds.

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. In the end, we find that Jesus does not believe that anyone is a lost cause.

Who among us does not have a deep desire for joy and peace. Nobody volunteers for anxiety and distraction. While sometimes it seems elusive, every one of us prefers an internal atmosphere that is healthy, calm, and hopeful. One of the agendas of the enemy is to steal God’s peace from us and replace it with worry and fear. He seeks to devise Christians via intimidation and feelings of dread about the future. Happily, the Apostle Paul wrote clear instructions to us about how we can and must disarm the devil in his mission against us. All of us have the responsibility AND empowerment to protect and preserve our own internal atmospheres.

Outmatched. Outnumbered. Overwhelmed. This is sometimes exactly where God wants us in order for us to win. Scripture is filled with warfare. Many times we find that God’s people seem to be dwarfed by their opposition. The student of Scripture must conclude that God rarely ordains easy wins in the most important battles. In the end, He fulfills His promises for victory in all the battles He assigns to us, but we all must learn what it means to win God’s way. Gideon’s battle against the fierce Midianites is one such battle. God reduces Gideon’s outward strengths to the point where it almost seems cruel. Then, God compels His servant to trust, step forth, and obey. The result is one of the most captivating wins in all of the Old Testament. From Gideon’s victory, we learn how to submit our own wisdom to God’s ways, and walk out the impossibly intimidating assignments He sometimes hands to us. Winning is guaranteed, but we must learn repeatedly to do it all God’s way.

Where does deception reside? The easiest answer is “on the inside” of a person. Yet, how does deception get inside of someone? The widest gate for deception is the gate of the mind. How we think controls what we do. Beliefs determine behaviors. Once the mind is infected with deception, it grows like a cancer, and it ends up dominating not only one’s thoughts, but one’s emotions too. Paul writes some of the most helpful words of instruction in Philippians 4 concerning our need to take responsibility over what enters our minds. Everything from the relationships we have with others to the potential influences seeking permission to shape our thoughts must be treated with intentionality and precision. When we properly guard the gates of our minds, we control what is shaping us on the inside. To do this is one of the most essential disciplines of making your life deception-proof.

One of the most dangerous possibilities for all of us is to receive specific instructions from someone who doesn’t have precise clarity or understanding. We are surrounded by people who have eyes shut and mouths wide open. Politics, education, entertainment, and religion are all spheres that are filled with people who do plenty of communicating. Their bold speech is rarely backed by helpful wisdom. What may very well be needed for them (and for us!) is an eye opening encounter with the God of the Bible. The Prophet Isaiah had spent five chapters in non-stop talking. Then, in chapter six, Isaiah found himself in the middle of an overwhelming encounter with God. His eyes were opened, his mouth was closed, and his heart was made humble and wise. What would be the result if you and the people around you also had such an encounter? It needs to be more than a hypothetical question. It needs to become our prayer and quest.

The sequence of events at the close of this age are a fascinating topic for many Christians. Many do not pay much attention to these kinds of things. Still others have been taught and believed a theology that promises them an early escape before any of the disturbing deceptions and cataclysms hit the earth. The careful student of God’s Word discovers the numerous warnings about the Christian’s need to not allow himself/herself to be deceived. It is actually our responsibility to protect our minds and hearts from lies. Far from being clearly promised an evacuation via rapture, we are actually warned to insulate ourselves from the massive waves of deception that are prophesied and have already begun in seed form. How do we prepare? By falling in love with God’s truth and intentionally aligning our own lives with what is written. This is how we can become deception-proof now and overcome the powerfully manipulative lies, miracles, and signs that will be put on display by the Antichrist and others before the Second coming of Jesus.

The modern Christian is more than likely led more by what he/she feels than what he/she thinks. In the American Church great emphasis is placed upon how we feel about God, how we feel about others, and how we feel about ourselves. While our emotions are gifts from God, we are not to be primarily led by them. We are to be led by our beliefs and convictions, and these are more a matter of what we think than what we feel. In this Truth Shot, we center in on the Apostle Paul’s call for us to change our minds and own our thoughts. If our thought-life is properly cultivated, the pathway for our lives will be healthy, holy, and much happier. This teaching is crucial for the modern Christian to recapture so that he or she can escape deception, depression, and degradation and, instead, embrace the life of victory that comes via a mind that is changed and renewed by the Spirit and His truth.

Every mother understands the crests of valleys of conceiving, carrying, birthing, and raising children. Motherhood can carry the highest joys and the deepest groans. More than any other figure on earth, it is the mother that shapes destinies by shaping children. Moses remains the titan of Jewish history. The great redeemer of ancient Israel had a mother whose name most people do not know. Through her brief story, coupled with Moses’ surrogate mom, the daughter of Pharaoh, we see how God used two different women to shape one of the greatest heroes in human history. This message calls God’s daughters to embrace the unique call to be those who intentionally shape the generation to come.

As we approach the end of the age, the teaching and learning of the Scriptures will no longer be hidden in a classroom with a handful of saints who choose to go deeper. God will promote the urgency to understand the truth of the written Word to a prioritized status as deception in the world continues to arise. The Bible serves as our guide into maturity, wisdom and power from God. So essential is the need for us to be anchored in the truth of God’s Word that Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica that only those who love the Truth will survive the end-times deception and delusion that will rock the planet. How is your relationship with your Bible? Casual? Uninterested? Committed? Convicted? Consuming? What you believe from the Word will serve as your rescue as we approach the end of days. To neglect the written word will be for some the losing of their souls.

If there has ever been a time of urgency for us all to get anchored in the truth, it is right now. Scripture is crystal clear that the time prior to the Second Coming of Jesus will be characterized primarily by an atmosphere of intense and persuasive deception. Jesus actually taught that the deception will be so strong that, if God did not sovereignly prevent it, even the elect saints of God would believe the lies. This should get our attention. In the first of several messages on the coming deception, we learn from Jesus how we all must take seriously our need to be people of the truth so that we remain untouched by both the spirits of deception and the messages that are coming forth from them.

One of the healthiest and most helpful thing for a Christian to occasionally do is to remind himself of the end of the story. If we ever lose our grasp on the truth that WE WIN, we will likely find ourselves in a deep struggle. There is no denying that the Christian life is a war. It is more than war, but it is never NOT war. In the present day when evil is abounding, deception is increasing, division is multiplying, and warfare is exploding, we must stay locked in to the promise that an unavoidable victory belongs to the followers of Christ. In Revelation chapter 21, we are promised four new and never-ending realities that will be ours. These promises motivate and empower us to continue on during the wars and pains of this earthly life. Jesus Himself has promised all who trust Him a full and final victory.

In the Apostle Paul's writings, the concept of sonship refers to the spiritual adoption of believers into God's family as His children through faith in Jesus Christ. This adoption transforms a person's status from being enslaved to sin, fear, or religious legalism into one of freedom, intimacy, and inheritance as a beloved heir of God. It's not about striving, working, or earning a good standing with God. It is all about but a divine act of grace, where the Holy Spirit is given to believers as a seal and witness of this new relationship, enabling them to approach God as "Father" with confidence and cry out to Him in a personal, relational way. Knowing this is a powerful key to transforming our understanding of the Christian experience.

In this generation of American Christians, God is doing both demolition and renovation to the churches we attend. Much like the seven letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation, we see how Holy Spirit is exposing what is lacking in our own local churches. Apathetic church members, disqualified leaders, false doctrines, and immoral living have been tolerated by Christians for decades. The Lord is saying, "No more!” Hollow reputations of superficially “successful” churches are in the crosshairs of Holy Spirit. He desires the reputation of Jesus to be the focus, not the reputation of churches and leaders that seem alive but are actually dead. Jesus has words for churches like this, and He calls us all to listen to Him.

In a world saturated with voices competing for our attention, we are confronted with an urgent question: how do we protect ourselves from deception in these last days? We find help in 2 Timothy chapters 3 and 4, where the Apostle Paul, writing his final letter before martyrdom, warns us about perilous times characterized by self-love, pride, and a form of godliness that denies real spiritual power. We discover that the primary gateway to deception is loving ourselves more than we love truth—a stark contrast to Jesus' first requirement for discipleship: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him daily. The antidote to deception isn't found in jumping from conference to conference or prophet to prophet, but in a radical commitment to continuing in God's Word. This message cuts through cultural compromise, addressing how the church has accommodated lies about morality, identity, and truth itself. Paul's final testimony becomes our roadmap: fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith by loving Christ's appearing more than anything else. This isn't about casual Christianity—it's about deception-proofing our lives through intentional, sustained immersion in biblical truth, because only those who love the truth will stand firm when the ultimate deception arrives.

All Christians are Holy Spirit people. In fact, if you are not a Holy Spirit person, you cannot even be a Christian. While denominations have robustly fought one another over the gifts of the Spirit, there are many powerful and clear passages in the New Testament which force us all into the same room to learn together what the Spirit of God unquestionably does for and in all true followers of Christ. Romans 8:5-14 is one such passage, and in it we discover some profoundly encouraging truth about Holy Spirit’s work within us. These are things about which we cannot argue - they are undeniable truths clearly stated in the written Word. We must learn these, live these, and agree upon these.

It is interesting that when Jesus confronted people to make a full and final choice to repent, believe, and follow God, He intentionally pitted our potential love for God against the potential love for money. Jesus declared that we will not be able to faithfully serve God and live for money at the same time. He forced us to choose. This is not a challenge only for the wealthy - it is for all of us. This Truth Shot walks us through multiple Bible passages wherein a strong warning is given about the dangers of living for wealth. Ancient truth is still binding truth. We must check our hearts to see if there is generosity or greed, Kingdom or mammon, taking or releasing.

How do we respond to the presence, power, and glory of God? In one sensational account of the life of Jesus, He briefly displayed His radiant nature as God the Son. Three of His disciples were with Him on a mountain when this occurred. Glory broke through, and then one of the disciples responded by immediately speaking and moving into action. God the Father interrupted the noise and motion, and He told Peter to be quiet and listen to what Jesus would say. From this encounter involving both Heaven and earth, we can find instruction for ourselves as we seek for the glory of God to be put on display in our generation. For us to steward an ongoing move of God’s presence and power, we must be committed to stillness with quietness, and prioritize the essential listening season.

There is no such thing as growing up without growing pains. Everyone who survived adolescence can remember those strange times as the body lengthens that there were occasional times of physical discomfort. The same is true in our spiritual growth: our God allows our sense of being stretched beyond our comfort. Psalm 30 walks us through one believer’s roller coaster ride of the ups and downs of his circumstantial and emotional stretching season. He knows God is good, trustworthy, and faithful…but he is also aware that what he is going through in life feels overwhelming. We are allowed to go on his journey with him and recognize that we also have been stretched by God at times. In the end, if we remain anchored in Him, we find our shout of praise and victory.

The timing of God is a repeated testing that many believers do not succeed in passing. Christians are unconsciously driven by formulas - we believe that is we do what we think is our part, then God is obliged to make similarly predictable corresponding moves in a timing which makes sense to us. When God does not do what we desire Him to do within the timeframe we believe is best, we can experience weariness, frustration, and a crisis of faith. In the Old Testament, Isaac was a simple man seeking to do the right thing. He was much more of a worker than a worshiper. God blessed the work of his hands, but also allowed much conflict and strife to find Isaac. It seemed that the enemy would not leave this dutiful man of faith alone. This message reveals how endurance turned Isaac from a hard worker into a genuine worshiper. God employed a formula, but it looked nothing like what Isaac thought. In the end, his heart was powerfully changed.

There are many phrases in Christianity that we may have heard but do not really understand. One such phrase that has somewhat disappeared is “break up the fallow ground.” It is a loss that this phrase is rarely used anymore. It is even sadder that is less frequently examined because it describes the need for the believer to consistently inspect his/her heart, and gauge where they presently are in their journey with Jesus. Weeds, thorns, and hardness of heart-soil can easily happen in the unexamined life. By unpacking what it means to break up the fallow ground, we can avoid unnecessary seasons of spiritual stagnation or even backsliding. This episode of Truth Shots empowers us to understand, commit, and exercise our ability to keep our hearts right before God in a world that seeks to pull us away from Him inch by inch.

Amy Lyle delivers a powerful word for women at the North Georgia Revival women's conference.

There are many testing seasons which await the Christian. One is particularly challenging to pass. The testing of God’s silence has the profound effect of maturing some and shipwrecking others. What do we do when we lose all sense of God’s voice and presence? The suffering servant, Job, went through this season while his entire life was falling apart. From his questions and their answers, modern believers can find great wisdom and help when God goes silent on them. Pass this particular test, and most of the rest seem easier.

When Jesus Christ emerged from the tomb, it shattered the forces of hell and forever banished all world religions into the realm of impotence and irrelevance. The ultimate philosophical questions are 1) what is the meaning of life and 2) what happens after death. When the Son of God willingly became a curse for us and then triumphed over that curse via the resurrection, humanity discovered that, in Jesus, the most vital questions have an answer. This Resurrection Sunday message helps us to dive back into awe at the greatest event which has ever occurred on earth up to this time. Because He is invincible, we have a solid and sure foundation for eternity.

Doing what is right in the sight of God comes at a cost in a world that rejects God’s will and ways. Every Jesus-follower is called to align with the righteous will of God. We are to consecrate ourselves privately and inwardly, and we are to ensure that what is inside of us also flows outside of us. In the life of Gideon, God called the young man to go public with his allegiance to God by tearing down the false altar in his town. We cheer Gideon…but the people around him wanted him dead for making a stand that caused a mess. This conflict between Gideon and the people around him resulted in Gideon being publicly rebranded. His new name merged seamlessly with his new pathway in God’s Kingdom. Gideon risked it all for loyalty and obedience, and his decision defined the next forty years in the nation of Israel.

God is releasing a renewed word in a new generation. We are all in a season where spiritual transfers are taking place. Gen Z is discerning the corrosion in places where Gen X and Millennials did not guard the Kingdom truths and treasures. God is calling a generation of Gideons to know who they are in Christ, discern the false altars of their parents’ generation, and to move decisively to fix what is broken. While some see what is wrong with the Church and choose to abandon it, others will receive a call similar to Gideon in the Book of Judges to restore an uncompromised testimony for Jesus in the next wave of the works of God through His church. Two altars must come down for this to happen: internal altars of false identity and generational altars of unholy allegiance. As these come down, and as sacred altars are built for the glory of Christ, great works will return to the Church. 

There are too many Christians who believe they are called to live as spiritual superheroes. Meeting every need, rescuing every struggler, answering every question, and ending every debate…they put on a cape as they leave the house each day. Scripture actually goes out of its way to remind us to take off our capes and to welcome Jesus to be the lone hero. We watch Him in the Gospels and see Him modeling and commanding this important thing called REST. He knows our limitations and actually prioritized rest for us as we run the marathon of faith. This message unpacks several Bible passages where it is clear that Jesus wants us to pace ourselves for enduring effectiveness in the Kingdom. Superhero? No, not you, and not me. Jesus is the only one who is considered the star of the show. And even He stopped to rest when He walked the earth.

God is releasing a renewed word in a new generation. We are all in a season where spiritual transfers are taking place. Gen Z is discerning the corrosion in places where Gen X and Millennials did not guard the Kingdom truths and treasures. God is calling a generation of Gideons to know who they are in Christ, discern the false altars of their parents’ generation, and to move decisively to fix what is broken. While some see what is wrong with the Church and choose to abandon it, others will receive a call similar to Gideon in the Book of Judges to restore an uncompromised testimony for Jesus in the next wave of the works of God through His church. Two altars must come down for this to happen: internal altars of false identity and generational altars of unholy allegiance. As these come down, and as sacred altars are built for the glory of Christ, great works will return to the Church. 

Sometimes we just need a little reassurance from God that He and we are okay. Most of us can fluctuate at times concerning how confident we feel that God is pleased with us. We know that we are fully accepted by the sacrifice of Jesus, but we also are aware that we do not always live up to the place we have been graciously given by God. We have rebellious thoughts, unkind words, and sinful moments when we fall short of God’s holy expectation. In Psalm 103, we are granted entrance into some unchanging elements of who God is. These character traits of the Almighty never change. They are what theologians call ‘immutable.’ From our confidence in who God declares himself to be, we can find deep and meaningful reassurance for our souls that He cannot change toward us. For the rebellious ones and the repentant ones, there is constant hope.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the single distinguishing element which separates Christianity from all world religions. No other religious leader had an answer for physical and spiritual death. Jesus fulfilled the Father’s assignment to die as the substitute for sinners on the cross. He cried out, “It is finished!” The Resurrection was the Father’s way of declaring, “Amen, My Son! It is finished indeed!” The empty tomb testifies of Jesus’ victory over death, sin, and hell. We also need to live in such a way that the testimony of the empty tomb flows forth from our lips and our daily lives. Resurrection is the ultimate victory…and the greatest need of all mankind.

A life of victory does not occur accidentally. No, for the followers of Jesus, victory is promised but is not automatically procured. So much of a life of breakthrough, overcoming, and winning hinges upon how Christians respond to the opposition in life and the offers from God. The words of God to an up and coming leader in ancient Israel are so simple, but they are actually crucially strategic. When Joshua was commissioned by God to lead Israel, the Lord told front what he would need to continually do in order to win in the warfare. His five statements to this new leader help us today to both chase and embrace a life of victory and overcoming.

One thing has been true for the entire existence of the Christian Church: we do not value the acts of worship and sacrifice at the level which our Savior does. So much of modern worship, church activity, ministry, and what happens in Christians’ lives is done in tradition and costless routine. Extravagant acts of sacrifice and devotion are often seen as fanatical. Leaving comforts, laying down resources, denying our dignity…these seem rather unreasonable to the average churchgoer. In this episode of Truth Shots, we see how deeply pleased Jesus was with one extremely lavish act of worship. His disciples put a price tag on it, and viewed it as a waste. Jesus swiftly told them that they were 100% wrong in their assessment. May we observe today and learn what costly worship means to the King.

We have heard since childhood that God loves us and has a great plan for our lives. While those words are factual, they are certainly incomplete. The modern, American view of God having “a great plan” for our lives somewhat lends itself to us believing that God is committed to our lives being easy, prosperous, unhindered, and free of street or strain. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the life of Jesus via the words of Paul, we see how God works in the lives of those people whom He intends to use for His own glory. Jesus is placed before us as the ultimate sacrificial Servant as Paul calls us to the same pathway as the Lord. Paul calls us to prepare our minds to experience spiritual victory in the same manner which Jesus experienced it while He lived on the earth. The breakthroughs come to the Christian via bowing low, not self-promotion. When we bow like Jesus did, we can expect to be elevated by God as Jesus was. This is the way.

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? Could it be that we have misplaced the truth of what God actually does to us, in us, for us, and through us when we are saved? This Truth Shot 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 have ever dared to believe!

Continuing in a series of messages about what makes for healthy spiritual DNA, Jeff Lyle continues his unpacking of Colossians 1:9-14. The focus of this message begins with exiting orphaned and embracing sonship. Doing this equips us to stand strongly against the demonic realm and come out victorious when the enemy tries to rob us of any part of our inheritance in Jesus. In the end, the DNA we receive in our second birth will powerfully equip us to stand strongly in bold confidence of our salvation and victory. In short, our spiritual DNA brings us a life of overcoming victories.

Whoever told us that following Jesus Christ would immunize us from deep pain in life did not tell us the truth. Many people stumble in their faith journey when our experiences make it undeniable that being a Christian does not prevent losses, pains, and suffering in this life. What the Gospel truth actually communicates is that we WILL have our own rock-bottom experiences…but that Jesus will be there with us when the moments occur. The story of the widow at Nain is a powerful reminder of both the depths of despair and the heights of restoration that find the believer during his/her journey. Jesus will encounter us when life hits rock-bottom. The question is whether or not we will welcome Him to join us there, or if we will wrongly believe that He has failed us. This woman’s story fosters deep hope in our hearts that is not rooted in our circumstances, but instead is rooted in the presence of God in the midst of our most difficult seasons.

Most Christians have at least considered once or twice whether they may have committed the unpardonable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus was clear in saying that this particular sin could never be forgiven. Knowing this can produce dread in our hearts. Adding to the dilemma is the reality that there is a lot of confusion about the exact nature of this sin. What does it actually mean to blaspheme the Spirit of God? This episode of Truth Shots clarifies what Jesus meant, reveals what is involved in the guilt of committing this sin, and offers help and guidance for any who may fear they have violated God’s will in this area.

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 entire New Testament. In no other place do we find the Son and the Father appearing in the company of Moses and Elijah - all before the unprepared hearts and eyes of three of the disciples. How would you respond if God opened your eyes to a divine 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. It is here we learn from Peter’s mistake to value listening above talking when the fullness of God is manifesting around us. Don’t assume you instinctively know how to honor His presence and dignify the experience. These moments are holy ground which requires holy wisdom from us.

Certain seasons in the Christian’s life contain what are commonly referred to as “open doors.” An open door from God indicates opportunity, invitation, and expectation. It represents the end of a closed-doors waiting season, and an entrance into what is next in the life of a Jesus-following disciple. How should we approach and steward an open-door season? What are the risks, and what are the results when we walk through? From the life of the ancient Hebrew leader, Joshua, we find out about the powerful privileges of open doors, and what glory awaits our obedience to walk through them. Challenges and responsibilities come with these types of seasons, but so do moments of destiny in the life of the child of God.