Episode 131: Kingdom Danger Zone

In this episode of Mavericks & Misfits, Jeff Lyle welcomes his wife, Amy, into the studio to discuss a word that God gave Amy in December of 2022. After pondering this word privately for a few weeks, Amy shared it with Jeff, and he immediately felt like the warning was for many Christians who have unwisely wandered into a danger zone that is filled with destructive landmines. Because of this, an episode of Mavericks & misfits is being dedicated to it. An overlooked verse from the Book of James needs to be front and center in our minds as we make daily decisions about what we are communicating to those around us. Few passages in the New Testament give this specific of a warning to all believers concerning one particular dangerous and destructive behavior. Sadly, it would seem very few Christians are taking this warning seriously. We hope this episode will change their minds.

Episode 130: Is The Local Church Still Valid

Have you noticed the increase of people abandoning their commitments to local assemblies? Since Covid put local church gatherings on a temporary pause, we have discerned that many have since then seemingly concluded with the government that churches are non-essential. But is this true? Does God care if we are part of a local assembly of Christians on a regular basis? Today’s episode explores many of the reasons why people have given up on the local church. It also offers biblical pushback that God would ever approve such a notion. Our churches are terribly flawed –you don’t need nine spiritual gifts to discern that. Yet, with all her flaws, Jesus has not walked away nor given up on the local expression of His body. If you have done so, whatever the reasons, this podcast episode will offer you spiritual food for thought.

Episode 129: The Spirit Of The Age Has Infected The Climate Of The Church

It is a long title, but there was not a better way to describe what has happened to the Church in America. Jesus once rebuked two of His closest followers for not discerning what spirit they were operating in. This same rebuke is being spoken over much of the Church today. The divisive, hostile, hyper-sensitive, reactionary spirit in the culture has now infected local churches and the symptoms are primarily visible on Christian’s social media feeds. While it is plain to see in others, can I take a look in the mirror and discern it in myself? Today’s podcast calls us to decontaminate our hearts and churches before we get too much further into a new year. We must address the spirit of the age which is resisting the Spirit of God. We invited it in, we have to kick it out.

Episode 128: What God Said To Me

Sometimes we feel compelled to put our latest favorite song in our playlist on continuous play. It impacts us, speaks to us, stirs us, or settles us. We just want to hear it over and over in a loop. In the late Fall of 2022, God spoke one sentence to me that startled me. It actually hurt a little at first, but I knew it was Him speaking. As weeks went on, I would hear this same word from the Lord on repeat in my spirit, and it soon took on the scent of an invitation from Him. His continuous loop kept playing in my head and it began to shape my approach to the coming year. In today’s episode, I share that word and leave it for you, the listener, to decide if it also might be a call from Him to you.

Episode 127: Dethroning Jealousy & Envy

Jerry Bridges once wrote a book called Respectable Sins. I read it in 2010 and was both blessed and convicted by what God had the author reveal. More and more, many Christians are realizing the widening gap between the sins we publicly loathe versus the sins we seem to privately tolerate. Why are some sins horrific to us while others seem to be more…respectable. Today’s podcast lasers in on the two ugly twins of Jealousy & Envy. Not all of us understand the intensity with which Scripture addresses jealousy and envy. Do we even know the difference between the two? Have we searched our own hearts to see if either live there? Also, how can we get free from jealousy and envy if we find they have become a respectable, tolerable stronghold within us? All of this is addressed in this episode of Mavericks & Misfits.

Episode 126: It Is Not Hopeless

Some people were born to run marathons. Some were even born to win them. Most of us, however, prefer the short route and the quickest route from one point to another. Marathons just are not our thing, so we never enter the race. Upon the spiritual journey, we are not given a choice. The race of faith is long, and sometimes it is exhausting. We can be tempted to wonder if we will ever finish. We don’t always feel like we are winning. From a very obscure verse in the book of Isaiah, we hear the voice of God encouraging us, motivating us and affirming us when we get tired. He does not mind us getting weary. He understands. What He loves is when the weariness does not rob us of our hope. Hear what He has to say to any and all runners who are feeling the weight of the marathon stretch.

Episode 125: Out... But Not In

Most Christians know what it feels like to be stuck for a season. The in-between moments are not always easy to understand for those who are on their personal faith-journey. Others around us seem to motor on into a life that looks very different than what we are experiencing. Where are their roadblocks, detours, and delays? Some people may no longer believe that there is such a thing as a grand purpose for their lives. Others have never been told that God has an offer of destiny and purpose for them. They are simply content to be forgiven and headed to Heaven through faith in Christ. Yet, Jesus mentioned something beyond the mere reception of eternal life. He talked about the ABUNDANT life. What might that mean? In this episode, Jeff calls us to reawaken to the reality that there remains more for us. That means there remains so much more for you. What good is an escape if there isn’t an entrance which follows? It could be that you got out…but that you have not yet gotten in.

Episode 124: What Happens When We Won't Forgive?

In the days wherein Christianity has been consistently presented as a relationship solely between God and an individual, we have all but lost the concept that to be a Christian is not only to become one with God, but to become one with all other Christians. The early Christians knew nothing of a faith that could reconcile them to God but not reconcile them with others. The reason why is because Jesus never allowed for the idea that we could be made right with God, yet still live in a state of fractured fellowship with each other. In fact, Jesus actually taught that if will do not forgive others, it is evidence that we have never truly experienced the forgiveness of God for ourselves. Using a striking illustration, Jesus shows why Christians must be constantly and proactively forgiving people. Our willingness to forgive everyone for everything is evidence that we have an understanding and proper value for just how forgiven we are by God. The forgiven will not withhold forgiveness.

Episode 123: The Impossible Love

The ways, works and words of Jesus are repeatedly revealed in Scripture in such a way that we feel compelled to both learn and emulate all that He says and does. Jesus’ sermons were sometimes piercing because He went into the depths of the heart instead of just dealing with our external behaviors. He doesn’t want us just to behave differently, He wants to transform our beliefs and our hearts so that, as we live like He did on earth, we do so with the same heart that He placed on display. One of His most challenging messages centered on how we love those who have wronged us. He challenged the way the normal culture taught people how to handle their enemies. He brings revelation about how God expects us to handle those who oppose us today. We are Kingdom Citizens, but we cannot claim to be like Jesus until we gain victory over this extremely challenging issue of becoming like Jesus when dealing with those who have treated us wrongly. In the end, the person who masters this teaching from Jesus enters a sustained maturity and victory that cannot otherwise be attained. Jesus does not budge on this expectation of drawing out the impossible love from His followers.

Episode 122: Why Closed Doors?

It can be a challenging thing when the zeal inside of you is not matched with opportunities outside of you. The closed-door season can become one of the most frustrating episodes in a believer’s life if we do not respond properly to it. Why would God place a desire or a calling within us, but then not give us the opportunity to fulfill that desire and calling? This episode explores the reality of closed doors that find us when we were certain they would be opened doors. From one small set of verse sin Acts 16, we gain some incredibly valuable guidance about why God closes certain doors and why He opens other doors. It is not simply that these closed-door seasons are tests, they are actually a very practical part of how He leads His children into His very best plans for them.