During this time, I was growing spiritually and my heart was good soil and produced fruit.  Over the years, as I was raising a family, active in the church, my life became busier and sometimes I would find myself not spending time in the Word and not receiving fresh revelation and it was so much easier for the things of the world to creep in and some of that hunger for the Word to lessen.  Now I understand more than ever how important it is to put the Word first, to make it the foundation for every area of my life, to build my life around the Word.  It is my responsibility to stay hungry and stay excited about the Word, whether I am studying it or hearing it preached.

–Patricia

My hearts cry had been for God to speak to me, to show me something because I want to take that next level with Him.  When God spoke to me by the word, my heart was changed.  I got a new and fresh fire that I had been desperately seeking.  If your heart is not ready to receive the word, then it will go in one ear and out the other. Of course it will be sown on the inside of you but you won’t truly get the revelation of the word until you open your heart & be ready to take that step to change.  When you let the word transform you though, it will fill you with a joy & will change you from the inside out. Open up your heart to receive what God has. You will never be the same!

–Adrian

Words cannot describe how much God has moved in my life since I became a student at the River Bible Institute. Within just a few weeks God has shown so much to me. Even though I was raised in church my whole life, I felt I had been missing the true work of God and the Holy Spirit in my heart. One of my first services at the River, Pastor Rodney spoke on the farmer and seed parable in Mark 4. The message of the seed representing the word of God and the ground representing the heart of man revealed how important it was for me to truly study and receive God’s word in my heart. There are a number of times in my life where I have brushed off the word and not received it like the seed falling on the footpath, or where I initially received with joy but failed to establish “deep roots.” I fell away as soon as I encountered problems, like the seed falling on rocky soil. The part of the parable I most relate to is the seed falling among the thorns. This describes the enormous presence of worry and depression that has tended to overtake my life and cloud my daily walk with God. It was when I heard this message that I prayed for a receptive heart free from worry or depression. Since then, God has given me a freedom that I have desired my whole life. I now read God’s word wanting to be sown into and I have cast all cares toward my heavenly father. With this new heart spiritual fruit has flourished in my life, particularly with JOY and PEACE. I pray that God continues to soften my heart and to mold me into his perfect servant. Hallelujah!

–Cory