Mavericks & Misfits with Jeff Lyle

What does an unknown radio host from the late 1970’s have in common with two ancient tribes of the people of Israel? It might be faint, but there is a connecting line between them. Here is a hint: God does not desire any of His children to live out their lives in safe, cozy and comfortable isolation. The place of promise is offered to those who refuse to settle and join in the risk-taking commitme...

None of us wants to fail. We are super dependent upon God’s grace to be applied when we do stumble in our words, thoughts and actions. It is awesome to rest in the fact that when we sin, God’s grace will abound above our sin and get between us and the ultimate penalty. Yet, there is a clear understanding from Scripture that we often reap what we sow. It disheartens many Jesus-followers when they l...

Sometimes strong people experience shaken faith. 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 spiri...

There are some intensely bold statements in the bible about the effective power of our prayers. God’s Word calls Christians to pray consistently with the expectation of Him answering our prayers and creating shifts according to what we are praying. There is no mistaking that prayer is one of the most vital tools and gifts that exists in the Church. Why then do our prayers sometimes go unanswered?...

Many who come from a denominational version of Christianity were caught off guard the first time they witnessed someone falling out in a Charismatic worship gathering. Because of their lack of exposure to such things, they found themselves confused when they observed someone falling to the ground and remaining there, presumably under the weight of the presence of the Lord. Even among those who hav...

The Church needs to go on record and declare that there is a desperate need for more God-sent prophets today who speak the true word of the Lord. Our generation is being pulled with deception from multiple directions each and every day. Holy Spirit-guided prophets gain the attention of the people and refocus them on what God has said and is still saying. This present generation needs an authoritat...

Jesus foretold the growing number of pestilences (pandemics) that will hit the planet at the end of the age. The last twenty years has clearly initiated the beginning of the fulfillment of His prophecy. Multiple pestilences will continue to spread across the planet as we near the Second Coming. Governments across the globe will have to respond to the growing health crisis. Medical teams will resea...

This crazy culture is full of dark deception and frenzied with audacious lies. From the media, the government, the elites in Hollywood and the power-gripping cabals scattered across the globe, it’s a constant sewage-stream of lies. Jesus Christ came to set us free from all inward deception, and within that spiritual freedom, He also wants us to live in an outward freedom. There is no way to escape...

We have all heard the term religious spirit . We typically think of someone who is critical, judgmental, sanctimonious, and possibly controlling. Nobody wants to be that person and, frankly, nobody wants to be around that person. Sometimes, people make the mistake that any talk of consecration, sanctification, obedience, and holiness is nothing more than the communication of a person with a religi...

The go-to passage for those who believe that a truly born again Christian can fall away from the faith is typically Hebrews 6:4-6. But does this passage actually teach that? If so, how does it get reconciled with the enormous amount of other bible passages that teach the opposite? On a surface reading, it is easy to conclude with trembling that Hebrews 6:4-6 warns us that we must hold ourselves in...

In this final of four episodes on the topic of the great falling away at the end of the age, we take time to consider whether or not the idea that truly saved people can ever become lost is consistent with the character of God. In each of these episodes, we have submitted dozens of passages of Scripture that clearly teach that part of genuine saving faith is the element of enduring unto the end. I...

In this third episode on the topic of the great falling away at the end of the age, we give our ear to the words of the Apostle John and the words of Jesus Christ. Both Jesus and John spoke specifically about the issue of whether or not a genuinely converted believer can commit apostasy or renounce the faith. Surprisingly, what they teach is not complicated to understand, yet many seem to gloss ov...

In this second episode on the topic of those who fall away and commit apostasy at the end of the age, we dive into several passage of Scriptures that help clear up some of the surrounding issues to this difficult topic. Clearly, there are people within the visible church who once seemed zealous for Jesus, who later fade away, fall into sin, or abandon the faith all together. What are we to think o...

Scripture is clear that there will be a massive rebellion and rejection of Christ at the end of the age. The teachings of Jesus, along with the writings of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John all declare that the coming of the antichrist will be connected to a global repudiation of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. Additionally, God will send a massive delusion into the earth whereby untold...

Operating under the anointing is a non-negotiable for the servant of God. Mark it down: God NEVER gives an assignment that can be sustained apart from His abiding anointing. He does not want His children to think they can do anything apart from His touch. This is why God makes advancing the Kingdom impossible apart from His presence. Solomon once wrote a strange statement apart flies that spoil th...

If there is one thing we should never be known for, it is the reputation of being a generational critic. What is it about some Christians who seek to grow in the art of pointing out all that is wrong with the generation coming behind them? How did that become something so easily done by us as we get older? Let’s also point out that younger Christians can tend to be dismissive of older Christians,...

All Christians understand on some level that we are get along with each other. Fewer understand the intense spiritual reality that God has established that makes our unity a priority. Jesus did not merely die for individuals so that they could go to Heaven. Jesus died to make people who are vastly different from one another to become one in Him. Sadly, this reality of oneness with each other has b...

Many Christians pursue deeper encounters with God. The God of the bible is highly interactive. In fact, God so desired interaction with humans that He became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. God the Son experienced what it meant to be fully human. Ultimately, Jesus was born, lived, grew, died and arose so that God might interact with us forever as His children. But what do we make of those...

In ancient times, an actor on stage was often known as a comes from the Greek word  hypókrisis , meaning “play acting”. It referred to a person who wore a mask in front of others to pretend they were someone else. This is the essence of all hypocrisy. The hypocrite thinks himself or herself to be something other than what they truly are. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus warns His followers that we all have...

In the dream, everyone was dirty, struggling, hungry and without direction. The scene was a dusty, third-world marketplace. A handful of Americans were ministering to Africans and Middle Easterners who were flooding the marketplace needing food and assistance. The need was great, but the resources were insufficient. Somehow, Jesus was meeting the needs through the small number of servants that He...

What if you were actually loading the weapon that the devil is about to shoot you with? The issue of spiritual combat is not something any of us get to opt out from. You are being targeted by the demonic realm. The primary place where they wage ware is against your thinking. For anyone who experiences crippling doubt, shame, fear and guilt, there needs to be a wake-up alarm sounded because that pe...

The life of faith is sometimes pictured as God calling us out into the deep waters where we quickly find ourselves in over our heads. This is actually an accurate illustration of what following Jesus is supposed to look like. God does give you more than you can handle. God does put impossibilities in front of you. God does ordain circumstances that are not within your strength to handle, fix, or o...

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? In this episode of Mavericks & Misfits , Jeff unpacks two rare Old Testament passages that serve to reveal to us how Lucifer, a once-glorious angel in He...

What if I told you that one of the most significant prophetic words I have ever heard came from a 5-point Calvinist Baptist preacher in the year 1855? You might very well choke on your skepticism. But it is the truth. One of the most famous historical Baptist pastors who ever lived released a word about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that I believe is coming to pass in this present generation....

It seems that there is no shortage of talk about spiritual warfare. It is always a hot topic among believers and most Christians are interested in it on some level. In fact, Christians love to debate one another on the issues of spiritual warfare, demons, the devil and what it means to wage war in the Spirit. Sadly, we are more skilled at talking about it and debating it than we are in actually wi...