Just recently I have had such a revelation of God’s love for me. It’s hard for me to comprehend the full nature of His love, but as I have been studying the Word of God and talking to God, I have truly felt His love like never before. It is amazing to me that first of all, God gave His one and only Son for me. He loves me so much, that He chose to send His son to die in my place. He sent Jesus to take on every sin that I would ever commit, nail it to the cross with him, and then die so that I wouldn’t have to live separate from God. And it is crazy for me to think that even though I do commit sins sometimes, God is quick to forgive me when I repent and ask for His forgiveness. The even greater part of that is that He still loves me the same!! He doesn’t love me any less because I made a mistake or I did something wrong. He loves me so unconditionally!!  I am his crowning beauty and the simple fact that it says in the Word of God that the very hairs on my head are numbered; it shocks me. To think that the God who created the heavens and the earth thinks of me and loves me with an unfailing love! No matter what I do, God loves me. Now, that doesn’t mean I am going to go live like hell and be all crazy; but because He loves me like that it makes me want to live righteously for Him! The revelation that I am continually feeling and experience of God’s love is honestly the biggest thing that I needed in my life right now, and the best thing is, it’s available to everyone!!!

–Nicole

This past Friday night we had the first ever Revivalist Conference for the Outreach department. All I can say is that God moved mightily in this meeting.  The core outreach team spent weeks in advance planning and preparing for this conference where the students could just come and hear the vision behind the outreach department and learn about Bible studies, community outreaches, and life builders.  We had a time of worship, two guest singers, and then Pastor John brought an amazing word about the call of God on our lives. Not only did this event take planning from the core team, but we also prayed and fasted the whole week of the meeting so that we would be in unity.  We really wanted this meeting to impact the lives of the people who were attending. Well, I will tell you what, the power of God fell in that place on Friday night, we began to just flow with the Holy Spirit and people were singing in the spirit and prophesying. Then at the end Pastor John, Pastor Needra, Pastors Daniel and Clover, and Tony and Karen all were ministering to people who wanted prayer. Pastor John gave them free reign to speak over the people what the Holy Spirit was saying if He dropped a word in their spirits. Then during our time of worship, God gave me a little tidbit of something that I just began to sing out about the revivalist and during the ministering time, it went from a little tidbit of something, to an entire writing that God downloaded to me. I have to say that the Revivalist Conference was an amazing and Holy Ghost filled meeting and I cannot begin to describe my excitement for the next one!

–Nicole

Well, this is the last day of my internship.  It has been a journey like no other that I have endeavored to take.  I can’t believe how fast it has gone by but at the same time there were times when it seemed like it would never end.  I can’t be thankful or grateful enough to Pastors Rodney and Adonica for doing what they do and being who they are, both publicly and privately.  They have not only been pastors to me from the pulpit but they have gone far above the call of duty in what they have done for me in my private life.  Words can never express my gratitude.  I also want to say how honored I have been to work so closely with Mr. Puder, our administrator, and Pastors Todd (our Dean) and his wife Pastor Katie.  All of you will never know how much you have meant to me and how much I cherish your wisdom and counsel. The other pastors on staff have also all poured so deeply into my life and I will always be thankful to you all.  I could have not made it this far without your constant words of encouragement and even correction when needed.  You have all been Godly examples to me of what real men and women of God are like and I love you all.  Your reward both here on this earth and in Heaven will be great for the work that you do.  Millions of lives will be touched because of you and you have trained hundreds of men and women who will wreck havoc in the kingdom of darkness and it is because of your real influence and Godly character.  Last night as I was going to bed I heard the Lord speak to my spirit and say that I had been through some tough times and some easy times and then asked me if I knew the difference.  I said no and he said something that will resound in my heart for eternity.  He said, “I used the tough times to build your character and I used the easy times to test it”.  Nothing more needs to be said!

–Darrell

Without the Word of God, a Christian’s heart cannot be right. I have just recently pushed myself deeper into the Word, and not just by reading it more, but rather allowing it to “read me” so to speak. It is very easy to simply the read the Bible. The question is, is it really getting in you? It is similar to hearing something and listening to something. There is a difference. You can hear something without listening to it. I have made the decision to really study and listen to the Word of God more than usual lately and it has made a huge difference. Allowing the Word to take root in my heart has changed my attitude toward a lot of things. It has helped me immensely in my love walk towards people. I am learning to listen to people better, and to be humble. Not allowing the Word to take root in your heart is like dumping out water in the middle of the desert. If you allow the Word to take root, eventually the “desert” (your heart) will become an “oasis” so to speak. It will become a soft, moldable heart that God can work with and use. We must allow the Word of God to take deep root in our heart. If you do not allow it to get in to your heart, then there really is no reason in reading it in the first place because you will only be simply reading it, not receiving it.

I appreciate your teaching on the sower in Matthew 13 and Mark 4. It cleared up some things in my understanding.

Our heart is the Soil, and there are things that can hinder the seed of the Word taking root in our hearts.

I liked that part that you taught about our part in how we receive the word, put it to practice and not let the devil steal it. The Word can be choked by the cares of this world, how we need to live by faith in God and His Word.

You taught that offenses coming in could choke the Word, preventing it from taking effect in our hearts as well. I had no offenses that I could recall but came forward and repented just in case.

It was a blessing to have prayer after each lesson to make sure our hearts were right. I went forward a couple of times and God met with me. I don’t want anything to hinder the Word having it’s full effect in my life.

I had asked the Lord before the service to soften and circumcise my heart and after prayer I felt the anointing present as you prayed for us and it did just that.

My prayers seem to get answered quicker; I was blessed with gas money to fill my truck up to keep coming to Bible College.

I am not worried about my need for a place to Oil Paint and Water Color so I can sell my Art to support myself in R.B.I., or a place to stay, or the money needed for the rent, food, gas, or essentials, as well as seed to sow toward God’s will being done in me and through me. I just ask, knock, seek, and praise the Lord daily, hourly, all day long and thank Him for the answers.

Hallelujah! I am growing in faith

I want to testify about the awesome work God has been doing in my life through this ministry. I was born and raised in Holland and had a radical conversion during a mighty outpouring of the Spirit in the 1970’s. At that time I was also baptized in the Holy Spirit. I moved to the USA in the 1980’s and lived in Naples, FL the past seven years. Even though I had a great career I realized I had ended up in the worst spiritual desert ever. I started watching The Great Awakening in January, 2011 and was so excited to see that the same fire I had experienced in those earlier years in Holland was still available. I got so hungry for it that I would drive up to The River Church whenever I got a chance.

One day I was watching one of Pastor Rodney’s messages on You Tube. He was asking the question: “What are you going to do with the call of God in 2011”? That question hit me so hard and I kept hearing it in my spirit. God was stirring my heart to the extent that I knew He was calling me to come under the strong leadership of The River Church. Interesting enough, my job in Naples ended anyway.

I moved to Tampa in October, 2011. In the short time I have been here I have seen more fruit than in the past seven years! The uncompromising messages coming forth from the pulpit, along with the fire of the Spirit being released, is totally transforming my life. I am telling everybody about Jesus and have been able to lead many souls to Him.

In January, 2012 I answered the call of God on my life to full time ministry and started The River Bible Institute. I am receiving a special impartation for the End Time Harvest.

The day will come that I will take this fire back to the streets of Holland and wherever His Spirit leads me. I thank the Lord every day for the privilege to be a part of this amazing church and college.

This past month, I had the privilege and honor to go on my first GAT with the ministry to Jacksonville, FL.  I was blessed to have the ability to make all the soulwinning folders using Google maps. I was also able to scout the area for missed soulwinning locations and an outreach. It was great that I was able to learn so much in doing the folders that I didn’t know before. It was very challenging and fulfilling that the Holy Spirit enabled me to take on that responsibility. I was also able to learn how to find really good Great Awakening testimonies that would empower the people. Also, I took on a major responsibility of overseeing the petty cash and the offering. It taught me to pay very close attention to detail and to keep everything logged and recorded and private, and to have proper signatures on everything.

–Karen

This past year, has gone by way too fast for me, I can’t believe that it was a year ago that I started this journey. It’s been an awesome and an extremely tough year for me. I have learned that no matter what (and I know we hear people say this all the time), but no matter what; trust the Lord in your situation. I have learned that my private time with the Lord is needed more than anything, and to find time for it no matter what is going on. That time is so important that I cannot stress it enough or put into words how much it is needed. I learned a lot in my department and I also learned a lot more of where I am called.  Even though it seems impossible, I can see a TV station a lot like what pastor was talking about, where the world will want to watch it and many will come to accept God through it. I just do not know where, when, or how I’ll fit into this picture; I just know to trust in the Lord and do what I can, where I can for the time being. I have been through a lot since last year, and I can gladly say I have decreased a lot since last year. I’ll end with one very important thing I have come to understand; my RBI days may be over but this is only the beginning.

–Noble

Where to begin…… I have been touched by the Holy Ghost many many times and love the Lord so very much, but had never actually felt the burning heat of the fire of God. I want it ALL to where I am beside myself.   Therefore, I am determined to press in. So I told the Lord I want more, I need more, give me ALL you have for me. My goal is to poured out so He can fill me, burning in me to flow out of me to touch and transform others! Then, as I have taken care of areas  that God has spoken about and continue to open my heart, I have started to receive the actual fire.

As Pastor ran around the church  and passed by  where I was sitting on Sunday morning, the fire started to fall on me and has been increasing.  Glory to God! In January at the winter camp meeting, God had spoken to me to give my husbands wedding ring.  I gave it to my daughter, Danae.  She came over to me the other morning and told me she was giving his ring to the Lord.  That broke me, as I realized I had given it to her to keep it.  He then dealt with me to give my wedding rings.  Why? So I’m not holding onto the past.

It’s freedom!  What happened in the past is that, you remember but not hold it or let it hold you. I have always been concerned by the finances, even though God has always supplied for us.  Have been being released from the concern and the battle in my mind. All that I have, even all of my needs are given to Him…..

Since I have started attending the River School of Worship, I have had the privilege of working in the Great Awakening Prayer and Care Center. I have taken many calls, varying from needs such as a person who needed encouragement and direction in their life, a man who needed his marriage healed, and a woman who needed healing in her physical body. A person who has truly stood out to me was a woman who called for her nephew. As soon as I answered her call and asked what she was calling for she started crying and said that her nephew was going to have heart surgery.

I took down her contact information and asked if her nephew had accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior and she said yes. I proceeded to ask if she was a christian and living fully sold out for God. After she said yes to both of these questions I quoted healing scriptures and had her write down some scripture references so that she could stand on God’s word and his promises every day. We then linked our faith as I led in a prayer reminding God of his promises for health in our physical bodies and then spoke to the heart disease in her nephew’s body, cursing it and telling it to leave his body.

I then prayed for peace in her life and encouraged her to call back with her praise report. Taking calls and having the privilege of encouraging, helping and praying with people who are calling in already hungry for God and expecting results based on the word of God is definitely something that is helping stir up a hunger for God in my life…