The subject of religion is a controversial one. In this provocative article, the author discusses how religion is commonly misunderstood. He develops a line of thought that shows how differently we view religion from God. The author helps us understand that our definition of religion causes us to relate with God in wrong ways. If you are willing to have your views of religion and Jesus challenged, this is interesting exploration on the issue that may take you outside your current boxes.

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols'' (Rev 2:20). You may challenge my using the above quote and addressing it to American churches. You may argue that not one of the pastors you know has anyone who openly instructs people to commit acts of immorality. I understand your sense of alarm. I agree that you probably know of no one who brazenly preaches that sexual lust and idolatry are not sins. When we speak of Jezebel, we are identifying the source in our society of obsessive sensuality, unbridled witchcraft and hatred for male authority.

To understand the conflict between the Elijah spirit and the spirit of Jezebel, we must understand these two adversaries as they are seen in the Scriptures. Each is the spiritual counterpart of the other. Is Elijah bold? Jezebel is brazen. Is Elijah ruthless toward evil? Jezebel is vicious toward righteousness. Does Elijah speak of the ways and words of God? Jezebel is full of systems of witchcraft and words of deceit. The war between Elijah and Jezebel continues today. The chief warriors on either side are the prophets of both foes; to the victor goes the soul of our nation.

Bob Mumford once said, “The Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded.” Regrettably, I have observed his statement to be all too true. As long as I’ve been a Christian I have watched friends and their families undergo untold pain and hurt because of the incredible power of gossip and slander. Years ago we were traveling and after speaking in a church a brother came up to me and said, “I heard that you had quit teaching in churches and took up potato farming.” How and why such a rumor got started is anybody’s guess! This rumor was fairly innocuous, but imagine the untold harm done by vicious judgments on the life and character of others.

In this article we examine one of the most critical question with which people struggle in coming to terms with God's existence. We uncover the topic of whether a good God would permit pain and suffering to happen as we find it in this world. Instead of dodging the difficult questions, we take them head on. We search for meaningful answers to this, one of the most signficant questions related to the existence, nature and character of God. Prepare to think outside of the box as we consider some important factors to this question.

A few years ago, I had a dream in which I found myself inside the mind of a dying man. The man had been in a coma for some time; his family had been praying, but they did not know whether or not he had accepted Christ. All they were sure of is that, throughout his life, he had resisted their efforts to lead him to Christ. In the dream, I became so acutely aware of the man's state of mind that his thoughts, feelings and struggles almost seemed my own. Although his eyes were nearly closed and his vision clouded, he could see his loved ones at his bedside. I watched as he tried to reach toward his family, but outwardly his arm never lifted.

In this insightful book, John Tisdale shares principles that separate the practice of true faith from humanistic, religious imitations. He helps uncover how God's purposes are designed to help us turn to Him in faith in our times of need and lack. When we combine faith and brokenness, we position ourselves to experience life in God and bring Him the glory He created us to give Him.

Whether they realize it or not, what many Christians practice is more a form of humanism than it is true faith in Christ. Their faith in Jesus didn’t carry much beyond their initial point of salvation. What they practice on a day-to-day basis doesn’t involve much faith at all. They live as if they’ve been abandoned by their Lord and left to carry out His commands entirely on their own. As a result, their lives are typified by emptiness, guilt and boredom.

This is a story of God's work of redemption in the life of an average man named John Tisdale. Here he shares his personal journey of searching and finding what he's been looking for his whole life. It is written in somewhat of a poetic style and uncovers the author's heart-felt cry to experience the touch and transforming power of God into his life.  It is obvious that it was written in the wake of a profound encounter with the Lord in which God reveals Himself and the result is a repentant heart to goes even lower in the awareness of God's glorious majesty.

This article is designed as a brief introduction to the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding love as well as a practical guide to help you take steps forward in putting those teachings to practice in your life. By the time you finish, you will have a basic understanding of how to experience the unconditional love of God and to allow His love to change you and empower you to love others unconditionally. As this article is simply an introduction, it is intended to be a springboard that leads to additional studies and practical steps to bring His love into your everyday life.

In this article, John defines the 4 primary stages of our spiritual journey. He provides insights to help define in which stage you are currently in, the characteristics of each stage and what typically causes someone to get stuck in one of those stages. We all start out in stage 1 along our journey. Most people get stuck along their journey in one of the first 3 stages. Few make it all the way to stage 4. This article will help you discover how to get unstuck in whichever stage you find yourself and advance into the next stage of spiritual maturity. Click the title above to read this fascinating article.

This article introduces the concept that you have been given a false sense of worth from others. It is the starting point for exploring your true worth and beauty. It challenges you to step outside of the box and see your true self from a different and higher perspective - God's. It goes against the grain of common social thinking that bases worth and value on many transient but worthless things.

This article walks the reader through a process of discovering the power bitterness has in robbing us of freedom and life. When we are trapped under its influence, we have difficulty finding lasting freedom. This journey takes you through some basic concepts of forgiveness and then walks you through practical steps to takes to find freedom from bitterness. It should help you get some handles on how to take steps out from under the heavy burden of unforgiveness on the road to inner healing and wholeness.

This article explores an important question. Jesus claimed that He was God and the Creator of everything. If this is the case, we should be able to compare His behavior and personality with clues we can gather about the kind of Being that would have created this universe and see if we find any similarities to support His claims. It makes some interesting comparison between Jesus and our Creator.

This is a powerful article that discusses a link between religious expression, hatred and violence. It touches on some of the most pressing contemporary issues facing our culture today. The author doesn't skirt the tough questions and complex issues with which many struggle. He goes head on to expose and explore why the practice of religious faith has historically resulted in so much hatred and bloodshed for thousands of years. The author illustrates how even Jesus' disciples were not immune to the tendency of allowing their personal ambitions and issues to get confused with their practice of faith in God and for that confusion to become distracting and destructive to their faith and purpose. It exposes common pitfalls practitioners of all faiths are susceptible to embracing. It provides an eye-opening perspective we would all do well to carefully consider.

We have been studying the influence that one mercy-motivated intercessor can have upon the heart of God. In this, we looked at Abraham and then expanded our study to Moses. The Lord heard the intercession of Moses as he stood between divine judgment and Israel's sin, and he stayed in the place of intercession until God's Word concerning Israel came to pass. The cycle of Israel's sin and God's justice repeated itself time and again. In essence, it was always the same: Israel rebelled; God threatened destruction; Moses interceded; God forgave.

To perceive America's future, we must appreciate its past. Without stepping into pride or blind nationalism, we need to esteem how God has used the United States, especially since the 1940s. Indeed, just as the Lord commanded Israel to recall their blessings and honor Him for their victories so, with humility, we should call to mind God's mighty hand upon this nation. Let us not forget how, during World War II, the Almighty empowered the U.S. to defeat Nazism and Japanese imperialism. Then, for the next forty-five years, the Lord manifested His resolve to arrest the advance of Soviet communism, ultimately using the spiritual, economic and military strength of America to topple this stronghold of atheism.

In this document we have identified 150 chapters in the Bible in which the End Times is the main subject. We have selected only the chapters in which the majority of the text (51 percent or more) is focused on some aspect of the End Times. The eighty-nine chapters of the four Gospels give us a record of Jesus' heart and power at His first coming when He came to pay the price for our redemption. The 150 chapters give us a record of Jesus’ heart and power at His Second Coming when He comes to take over the earth. These 150 chapters reveal the same Jesus operating in the same Holy Spirit as recorded in the same Bible. Almost twice as many chapters of Scripture describe Jesus’ Second Coming than His first coming.

The Bible describes our relationship with the Christ in strong symbolic pictures of oneness: He is Head of a body, Husband of a wife, God in His temple. In spite of these powerful metaphors, there remains a sense of distance between the Presence of the Lord and ourselves. This distance is a test. Our call is to possess that love of God which reaches even into eternity and brings the glory and Person of Christ into His earthly House.

This is a message containing an audio teaching, notes and downloadable notes and audio file. In this teaching author and teacher Mike Bickle begins a journey in which he helps uncover many of the aspects of the beauty of God's reality.

Have you lost some of what once caused you to hope and dream beyond your limitations? This short and simply article considers the impact that lost dreams have had on your life. It's message is inspirational. It challenges you to reconsider your dreams and to believe in that which is bigger than you. Dreams serve a purpose of casting vision, focusing our efforts and moving us against the flow of apathy.

The posture we assume affects the circumstances and opportunities of life. Here is what I’ve discovered so far about assuming a posture that enables me to experience the deepest measure of life in Jesus Christ.

1. Assume that I don’t have all the answers
2. Assume that I don’t see things clearly
3. Assume that I don’t see myself clearly

This article takes you on a journey of discovery into the question of whether God's existence can be proven. Many people try to prove God's existence and yet it is apparent that God has intentionally hidden Himself from us. This article explores this interesting dynamic to uncover some foundational principles about the person of God that aren't often discussed or understood by most people. You may end up thinking outside of the box and considering some new possibilities.

It is incredible, but many Christians actually believe that the only unity there will be in the last days is in the apostate church. The very spirit they think they are avoiding, the antichrist, is what has divided them from the rest of the church! (see I John 2:18-19) It is simply unscriptural and a sin for the believing, citywide church of Jesus Christ not to maintain the unity of the Spirit! One need not be a biblical scholar to recognize the Jews had to be uncompromisingly united in their worship of God. All Israel was required to come to Jerusalem three times a year to worship during the feasts. If their worship was compromised to where they began to serve the pagan gods of the region, they were quickly defeated in their battles.

The spirit of Jezebel will target, and then seek to divide, the relationship between a pastor and the church intercessors. The antidote? Let the senior leader appreciate, communicate and support his intercessors and esteem their contribution, and let the intercessors set their prayer focus to first seek the spiritual fulfillment of the senior pastor's vision. Pastors are under siege. At every conference where I speak, various pastors approach and tell of terrible experiences with Jezebel-like battles in their churches. But I don't have to travel to be informed, for not a week passes where I do not hear from pastors from many places via phone, letters or emails; each desperate for specific prayer concerning the conflict in their churches. The war is over one thing: satan seeks to neutralize spiritual authority, and no enemy of hell does this more efficiently than the spirit of Jezebel.

In this article, you will learn how to do the spiritual limbo. Like the popular party game, it’s all about seeing how low can you go? Instead of winning party favors, the spiritual version is all about winning favor with God. What you will need is a desire to experience more of God in your life and a willingness to do whatever it takes to make that happen. The path isn’t for the faint-of-heart. But, if you’re willing to make the journey, the reward can be exceptional.

Let me begin with a personal story to set some context for this discussion. In the 90’s, my career was taking off. I was writing for several technology magazines. I was producing television shows on technology. I was working with executives of many of the largest technology firms in the world.

There is no greater opportunity to become Christlike than in the midst of pain and injustice. When Satan is raging with evil, God is planning to turn it to good. If we maintain our integrity in battle; if we let love rise to its purest expression, we will touch the heart of God. Such is the path to God's power. I have set my heart to eliminate many of the vulnerabilities to, and effects of, church splits and other ungodly divisions. At the same time, I realize that we can do almost everything right as pastors and churches and still suffer divisions. For some of us, this may actually be part of God's greater plan for our lives--that we should endure rejection, conflict and slander as part of the process of truly becoming Christlike.

This article discusses what happens when freedom and oppression collide. It does so through the lens of the Hollywood film Braveheart. It is something with which we are all intimately familiar. How we choose to respond to oppression determines the amount of life we will experience in its aftermath. How will you respond to the forces that trap you in fear and oppression?

There is a war, a very ancient war, between the spirit of Elijah and the spirit of Jezebel. In this age-old battle, Elijah represents the voice of Heaven: the call to repentance and the return to God. Jezebel, on the other hand, embodies that unique principality whose purpose is to hinder and defeat the work of repentance. Its goal is to silence the prophetic call.

There will be an actual point in time when the salvation, power and kingdom of God, as well as the authority of Christ, is manifested in the earth. While we wait patiently for the final fulfillment of that glorious event at the return of Jesus Christ, the spirit of this reality can be possessed any time a people determine to walk free of criticism and faultfinding, and turn their sights toward love and prayer for each other. There are God-ordained procedures to initiate correction within a church. These corrections should be done by "you who are spiritual . . . in a spirit of gentleness . . . looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." Your motive should not be to destroy, but to "restore such a one" (Gal. 6:1). Accusations against an elder, though, should not even be received except on the basis of two or three witnesses (1 Tim. 5:19). The "witnesses" spoken of here are eye -witnesses, not the intuitive "witness" or "sense" someone receives apart from hard and visible facts. All too often, these sense "witnesses" are sent by hell to destroy the harmony of a church with rumors and gossip.

This article explores a possible explanation for the reason why you are alive and breathing on planet earth right now. In it, we explore the unique worth and value of who you are. This article helps you think outside of your boxes and to see yourself outside of the mundane and ordinary. It helps you get a higher perspective on the unique value that is you. Beware, you may just experience an epiphany along this brief little journey.

Whether or not we find God answering our presidential prayers as we expect; regardless if we must continue to deal with delays in our quest for revival, God remains our ally. Indeed, even in the most terrible of times, He still commands, "Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance." The Great Revolt - As though Jesus were reading a news summary of recent years, His prophecies of two thousand years ago clearly describe our times. He warned, "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars...in various places there will be famines and earthquakes...many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many...because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" (Matt 24:6- 7,11-12).

Moses sent twelve spies to Canaan to bring back a report of the land. When they returned, ten said that, though the land was good, Israel would surely be defeated by the inhabitants. Although Joshua and Caleb argued that Israel certainly could drive out their enemies, the people moaned, complained, and rebelled, even seeking to stone Joshua and Caleb and return with new leaders to Egypt. And again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and threatened to bring judgment (see Num 12-14).

We often will hear messages on sin and lawlessness, but the idea that the Lord will not only remove sinners from His kingdom, but specifically people who willfully cause others to stumble, needs to be addressed. This is no small issue with the Lord. Just as "dead flies make a perfumer's ointment stink," so a few stumbling blocks in a local church can cause an otherwise loving congregation to repel the unsaved, rather than draw them.

Here's the scene: You're in a battle with sickness, oppression or some similar need. However, you seek God and, in some way, the grace of God touches your life. Your victory may have come through a word or prayer or some other encouragement, but you absolutely know the Lord delivered you. Using the five smooth stones of divine grace, you defeated your Goliath.

God-like-ness is a gift given by the One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ. He gives it to those He is in a relationship with, and it can’t be obtained any other way. Read more to broaden your understanding of godliness and what can be attained by living a godly life. This article provides an excellent launching point for a bible studio as it provides plenty of scripture references.

The Covenant- Keeping God - Throughout the history of God's dealings with man, He has revealed Himself as a covenant-making God. The Almighty covenanted with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David; He renewed His Abrahamic covenant in His call to Isaac and Jacob. Each covenant initiated a new wave of redemptive power into the world and forever impacted the human condition. The word covenant means "to fetter" or chain together. It was the highest form of commitment that two individuals could share. Any of several rituals were employed to express the covenant partners' unity: A sword might be passed, signifying that the two would be united against the enemy as one. They might pass a sandal between themselves, which symbolized they would travel any distance to be at one another's side. Or, they might cut an animal in two and pass between its halves. As the two halves, though separated, were still one animal, so the two covenant partners would become as one individual.

This is a combination resource in which we've combined an article containing teaching notes, a downloadable PDF document containing the teaching notes, an audio version of the message as well as a video presentation of the message. Choose whichever format or combination of formats that best fits your need. In this teaching, Mike Bickle takes you on a journey of discovering God's emotions based on what He has revealed about Himself in scripture.

We began this book by asking you to consider what the civilized world would be like without the United States. Now, I'm going to ask you to consider a world with America in revival. I do not mean a revival merely of emotional religion, but a deep revival, born of genuine Christlikeness in the church. Picture America experiencing a Christ awakening, where a priesthood of mature believers join the Lamb before the throne of God's grace; where the Lamb is offered as sacrifice for America's sin, God receives the sacrifice and, according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, He heals our land.

This is a combination resource containing a video and audio message, a transcript of the message, downloadable PDF teaching notes and a downloadable MP3 audio file. In this message, Mike Bickle takes us on a journey of exploring what it takes to position ourselves to be the recipients of knowledge of God that transforms us. He outlines 5 conditions we must meet in order to align ourselves with the knowledge of His goodness.

We have three foundational standards in our home church, River of Life Ministries. One is to be a house of prayer. That means our hearts are positioned to stand in the gap in prayer between the judgment and the mercy of God. Our earnest goal is to manifest the intercession of Christ Himself, where redemption brings an end to sin rather than God using His wrath.

To live for God is to be nourished by the nectar of heaven. As the days unfold toward Christ's return, an ever increasing number of voices will clamor for our attention. There will be church programs and prayer strategies, activities and powerful movements. Signs and wonders will splatter the world, dazzling the religious mind of man. Remember also, the days ahead shall increase in pressure and troubles. Jesus warned that, because iniquity abounds, the love of many shall grow cold. Do we not know too many whose heart, once hungry for God, is now stricken dead with cold love? Angry Christians: the world is full of them. We must not assume it cannot happen to us.

In this powerful article, the author poetically awakens the reader to the reality that all of life is about a dance between us and our Creator. He reveals insights into why the pains and difficulties of life play an important strategic purpose in this romantic tango for two. It is a call to look past the distractions, offenses, and false accusations life brings our way so that we can flow with the purposes and dealings of God in our life. It is an invitation to awaken the dance within us that's yearning to break us free. God invites each of us into a tango with Him and this is the fundamental purpose of life. All the dynamics and pressures of life create a context or stage upon which our divine dance is set. This article helps you see the bigger picture of life and to see past the offenses and false accusations so that you say seize the opportunities God makes available to us on a daily basis.

In our rapidly changing times people are desperate to know the future. Barely do we adjust to the last changes, when totally new realities explode into our world. In answer to the common fears spawned by change, society has seen a plethora of occult and demonic sources--fortune tellers, astrologers and psychic hotlines-- all pretending to be able peek into the mystery of tomorrow. Indeed, how many otherwise intelligent individuals glimpse, at least occasionally, at their "astrological signs" trying to get an edge on knowing the future!

The disciples came to Him, saying, 'The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' But Jesus said to them, 'They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!' And they said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves and two fish'" (Matt 14:15-17).

The battles we face are often intense times of weakness, distress and confusion. If the events of our lives were charted upon a graph, these would be the lowest points. Yet, God is no less with us during difficulties than at other times. In fact, these valleys are often as much the plan of God as our mountaintop experiences. There is a story in the Bible which speaks plainly to this truth. Israel had recently defeated the Arameans in a mountain battle.

This is the 7th part of a biblical study on the beauty of God. In this bible study, author and teacher Mike Bickle takes us on a survey through scripture to uncover insights into God's beauty.

As Christians, we spend too much time battling basic, elementary battles: "Am I truly saved?" "Am I really forgiven?" "Is there really a heaven?" God has so much more for us. He seeks to form in our thought-life the very mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit comes, not just to give us goose bumps and chills, but to restructure our attitudes and perceptions until we think with the thoughts of Jesus Himself.

This page examines the possibility that there is more to life than what meets the eye. It does so through the lens of the Hollywood film The Matrix. It looks at life in terms of how invisible spiritual dynamics are at play in it.

Without fail, as long as we live in this world, pressures and heartaches will hunt the human soul, often springing upon us when we least expect them. Jesus, too, faced conflicts, but He did so from the perspective of one who lived in the fullness of God's Presence. For all He endured of spiritual warfare or frustration with His disciples or attacks from the Pharisees, His spirit always was full of life in abundance.

Death is a subject with which many people struggle. Yet, it's as much a natural part of life as dreaming and sleeping. In this short article we see that death was an essential part of God's plan. He had to design us as both temporary and eternal beings if our purpose was to be fulfilled. It explores the purpose life and death play in God's plan for the human face.