Episode 207: The Gifts of the Spirit

In this latest episode of Mavericks & Misfits, 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?

Episode 206: The Waiting Season

In this exploration of waiting seasons, we are reminded that God's timing is often different from our own. This episode emphasizes that waiting isn't about inactivity, but about faithful service and character development. We're encouraged to embrace these seasons as opportunities for growth, learning to trust in God's perfect plan. Jeff draws from the words of Jesus in Luke 21:19, 'In your patience possess your souls,' highlighting the spiritual importance of endurance and steadfastness. This message challenges us to shift our focus from seeking immediate success to developing Christ-like character, reminding us that our ultimate calling is to become more like Jesus.

Episode 205: Why I Vote Conservative

Neither political party in America perfectly represents Christian values. We won’t be electing a Messiah in 2024. Yet, to vote is to give expression into the direction our nation is heading. Christians should cast a vote in order to help advance in America a platform that best represents the values which God assigns blessing to, and to avoid any held values which God has promised that He will curse. This episode of Mavericks & Misfits speaks boldly into two primary issues, and the spiritual convictions behind those issues, which serve to secure the political vote of host Jeff Lyle.

Episode 204: How To Repent

In this episode of mavericks & Misfits, we are challenged to examine our understanding of true repentance. It's not just a one-time event, but a lifestyle for Christians who value intimate fellowship with God. We are reminded that repentance begins with the Holy Spirit's conviction, followed by our confession and forsaking of sin. This teaching emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's forgiveness and cleansing, as stated in 1 John 1:9. We are encouraged to advance in our faith journey, even after stumbling, knowing that God's grace empowers us to keep moving forward. This teaching offers practical steps for maintaining a repentant heart, crucial for our spiritual growth and maintaining a close relationship with God.

Episode 203: To Wrestle With God

If you are unsure as to whether or not you have ever wrestled with God, it is likely that you already have done so, but you likely did not know it was Him. Jacob had the same experience, and only identified God as the one who pinned Him AFTER the match was over. In our wrestling-with-God season there is both profit and pain. How we cooperate with the wrestling determines which one of these two results we live more with. If we welcome Him to pin us, He blesses us and gives us new starts and greater revelation. If we continue to fight for self, we live with a greater awareness of the pain and miss the value of the profit. This episode is going to connect so many dots for those who listen.

Episode 202: Understanding Suffering

If there is one area where it seems that Christians have strong opinions, it is the topic of suffering in the life of a believer. There are, as I mentioned, strong opinions…but who has a strong biblical grasp of the topic of suffering? Because of an out-of-bounds teaching on prosperity and health over the last four decades, there now exists a generation of Jesus-followers who have no grid of how to respond to or communicate upon the issue of suffering in the lives of faithful Christians. Today’s episode offers some counterbalance to the false notion that God has obligated Himself to prevent any and all suffering in the lives of His children. Buckle up, because this episode will take you somewhere your flesh will not wish to go.

Episode 201: Protecting Your Personal Peace

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 episode of Mavericks & Misfits, 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 prioritize and protect peace in their own minds. We are personally responsible for our own personal peace and there are things we can do every day to either enlarge our peace or to undermine it.

Episode 200: Turn Up Your Volume

Celebrating 200 episodes of Mavericks & Misfits, Jeff goes for the jugular in this episode. Without apology, the listener will be called into a radical commitment to Word & Spirit, which was the foundational purpose of the M&M podcast. If there was ever a time to refuse to settle for mediocrity as a follower of Jesus, it is now. In this episode, Jeff challenges both evangelicals and charismatics to learn from one another and to embrace a passionate commitment to Word & Spirit. This message serves as a rekindling of the original Mavericks & Misfits flame in Episode 200.

Episode 199: Knowing Your Calling

Most Christians sincerely want to know what their life-purpose is. The American Dream is not satisfying for the Spirit-filled believer. We know we are here for more than success, pleasure, money, and comfort. Yet not all believers have discerned their purpose from God. Today’s episode supplies three components for what it means to discern and live out God’s call upon our individual lives. There is plenty of substance supplied in this episode regarding God’s assigning, defining, and refining of His call on our lives. How do receive the initial call and steward it throughout the various seasons in our lifetime? Jeff shares some of his own story along with the testimony of Amy, his bride, as he helps the listener consider their own calling from God.

Episode 198: Receiving What God Is Releasing

It may surprise you to learn that many followers of Jesus do not live with an actual awareness of who they are in Him. When we are foggy about this key piece of what it means to be God’s child, then there arises a skewing of so much of our lives. This podcast unpacks three elements that we need to become proactive in if we are to be who God desires us to be, and to do what God has purposed us to do. These three components are, Identity, Activity, and Trajectory. This episode of Mavericks and Misfits and the one that will be released after it will help you to discern your calling/assignment and to proactively live it out in a manner that never becomes attached from your identity.