Ex-astrologer Marcia Montenegro is on a mission to warn people about horoscopes, divination and the many ways people turn to sources outside of God to try and find “truth.”

“[Divination is] when you’re seeking information supernaturally, but outside of God, outside of God’s will,” host Jenn Nizza explained at the start of the most recent “Ex-Psychic Saved Podcast.” “God absolutely condemns it.”

Montenegro agreed, noting divination is an attempt to get information “beyond the normal means,” and noting it can take the form of turning to Tarot cards, astrology, numerology and tea-leaf reading, among other practices.

She went on to speak about the fact some will try to use the Bible to validate astrology—the belief celestial bodies have an impact on human affairs—or act as though using the stars to predict the future somehow comports with the gospel.

“A lot of confused over it,” Montenegro said, explaining why astrology and the Bible simply don’t mix. She specifically clarified the differences between astrology and astronomy.

“Astrology and astronomy are two different things. Astronomy is a science, and it’s based on observation of data,” she said. “They are observing the heavenly bodies … and it’s strictly concerned with facts and trying to figure things out about those heavenly bodies.”

Montenegro continued. “Astrology is focused on the idea that there’s a meaning there.”

As a former professional astrologer, she recounted being so “in” on her beliefs that she once refused to sign an apartment lease while mercury was in retrograde, fearing what might happen if she did.

Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion that unfolds a few times each year and appears to show mercury moving backward in its orbit. When mercury laps earth in its 88-day move around the sun, it causes mercury’s appearance to be retrograde from earth’s perspective.

Astrologists believe happenings in the sky impact life on earth. Thus, mercury retrograde has people engaging in speculation and superstition over purported disruptions they think it can cause.

With that belief in mind, Montenegro was afraid to sign the lease. Flash-forward to today, though, and she is a Christian who pushes back against the beliefs she once held dear.

“What astrology is … it’s a form of divination, because you’re reading a meaning into the planets that isn’t there,” she said. “Astrology … looks kind of innocent to a lot of people, because it’s so common … the internet has made this information more accessible.”

But Montenegro explained precisely why it’s anything but innocent, and sounded the alarm over the prevalence of such content on the internet today.

“[Generation Z is] captivated by all this and, because of the internet, it’s so very accessible. You could go online and find an astrologer,” she said. “Because it’s more accessible, and more popular, and more mainstream, people don’t realize what it really is.”

Montenegro continued, “Behind all this kind of glitzy, kind of interesting, fun facts about ‘who you are’ is this belief system that’s set up completely opposed to God and denounced by God.”

She likened horoscopes and astrology to a pretty house that looks gorgeous on the outside but, upon looking inside, is dilapidated. While it seems innocent and fun, she said astrology is plagued by darkness.

“It looks gorgeous on the outside and it has maybe a beautiful wreath on the door and the lights are glowing in the window and you think, ‘Oh, what a beautiful home!'” she said. “And then you open up the front door and you go in and it’s dark and the floors have holes in them, and there’s pieces of wood sticking up.”

While astrology is often treated like a game that’s laughed off, Montenegro warned people to see it as far more sinister.

“God has completely forbidden it and denounced it, so that should be the end of the story for a Christian,” she said.

Click here to listen to Montenegro’s story. {eoa}

This story originally appeared on .

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

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When God’s spirit leads people to worship and to repent, he doesn’t put those things in a box. Therefore, He isn’t limiting the recent wave of revival across America to only Christian universities.

reported Wednesday that students at Texas A&M University in College Station, which has no religious or denominational affiliation, have obeyed the Spirit’s prompting for revival like Christian schools like Asbury University, Lee University and Samford University in recent weeks.

In an article titled “Revival Happening with Texas A&M University Students: Worship, Repentance, Prayers, Healing, Baptism,” Christa reports that TAMU has joined the list of campus revivals happening in America.

Grant Bynum, a student at Texas A&M, shared on his Facebook page “a glimpse in to the zeal and hunger students have for revival in their community. The worship gathering was spontaneous and student-led.

“Student led spontaneous event next to Kyle Field, no leader wanted. Worship breaks out. Testimonies. Prayers for miraculous healings. Prayers for the lost and boldness to witness to the entire campus. This is a MIRACLE!”

reported that there was a second day of “healing and repentance.”

“Jesus is moving at Texas A&M. It’s real! No program. Closest things I’ve ever seen to ACTS. … SUPPPORT/PRAY for the Holy Spirit to lead and to continue this. Jesus is just getting started at Texas A&M.”

Bynum says the crowds are getting “bigger and bigger,” and that they have even extended to water baptisms.

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Author and evangelist Anne Graham Lotz raised the idea in a recent blog post that the Asbury revival could be a sign of Jesus’ return.

The daughter of the late Billy Graham, Lotz quoted the New Testament’s James 5:7:

“Therefore, be the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”

Lotz suggested this passage of scripture could help answer the question that many people, including the mainstream media who have covered the new revival, are asking—What was going on at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky?

She also included a text from her husband’s nephew, Dr. John-Paul Lotz. He was recently sent to Asbury by Regent University to observe the event.

Lotz shared a text she received from John-Paul describing what he saw.

“There was no leader, no rival, no envy, no pride, all humility, meekness, gentle hearts, stumbling sinners, tender students serving thousands of curious visitors in their love for mercy without knowing they are doing so! It is legit,” he wrote.

“GenZ write-offs are graciously allowing us to peek in on this surprising work of God as they serve us like priests, unconsciously dragging us into the presence of the Lord through young, redeemed, romantic hearts for God. Christ is being honored, God is being glorified, the Spirit is at liberty.”

“The real awkward cringe-worthy gawkers are the over forty’s like myself who can’t put down their phones. The Z’s left theirs at home …” John-Paul added.

“Could what John-Paul observed be the beginning of the ‘latter rain?'” Lotz asked. “An outpouring of God’s Spirit in one last great awakening before Jesus returns? Lord God, let it be so … for the glory of Your great name, for the salvation of our nation, for the revival of Your people.”

For the original article, visit our content partners at . {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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One month ago, DirecTV canned the fourth highest-rated news channel on cable TV, Newsmax. Censorship and “cancel culture” are growing problems in America and one that has to be addressed.

I interviewed my friend Chris Ruddy the Founder and President of Newsmax to talk about what has transpired in the last month.

“Newsmax was removed from 13 million homes on DirecTV systems on Jan. 24th,” Ruddy told me in my Strang Report podcast.

Conservative thoughts and values are continually being muzzled by the mainstream media. In fact, in 2021 I released my book “God and Cancel Culture” to address the serious battle before us.

In the last year, two conservative platforms have been dumped by AT&T. Ruddy says after Nancy Pelosi sent the company a letter asking for Fox News, OAN and Newsmax to be “de-platformed,” DirecTV got rid of One American News and now Newsmax.

Prominent political figures have spoken out in support of Newsmax. One of those is Dr. Ben Carson. On the topic, he says, “The insidious nature of socialism, cloaked in a façade of compassion, makes it very dangerous to an uneducated and trusting populace. And as socialism creates dependency, it is well on its way to eliminating freedom of choice and incentives for high productivity and innovation.”

Ruddy is asking for your help. If you call 877-NEWSMAX it will connect you directly to DirecTV. Over 100,000 phone calls have gone out to the company from that number since Newsmax was canceled a month ago.

You can also go to

There is a grassroots movement of people who are tired of being silenced, standing up to the political institution.

“We believe that faith-based coverage is very needed in America. It’s been a staple of Newsmax since we have been a website. I’m a believing Christian,” Ruddy says.

He calls this a David verse Goliath moment in history and a crucial time for conservatives to join together.

As Christians, we need to respond. Call your congressman, I will be doing that personally. I am happy to stand with Chris Ruddy. If everyone would do their part it would make a huge impact. {eoa)

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Don’t tell these Tennessee youth that God is dead, and that GenZers don’t have a future in God’s kingdom plans.

On the cusp of nationwide outpourings, including The Asbury Revival, students at Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville experienced “an unplanned worship service” last Friday where several middle school students held prayer, shared confessions and even made professions of faith, The Christian Post reported.

Similar outpourings are happening in schools and youth groups around the country, including these in Texas.

A Grace Christian Academy spokesperson told the Christian Post in an email Tuesday that “the gathering began within the school’s annual tradition of Discipleship Days. During this event, the school seeks to “enrich GCA students with God’s Word, to help them grow in love for Jesus and to put their faith in action” by holding classroom discussions and activities.

After the worship service for the middle school students was concluded Friday, many “felt compelled to continue t heir time of worship.” The email from a GCA spokesperson added that “Leadership pivoted any planned activities and allowed students to lead one another in song and prayer. This led to students repenting, confessing and seeking Christ.”

“God can speak in showers or waves, and at last week’s Discipleship Day, He decided to flood our campus with His presence,” GCA Upper School Principal Angie Nordhorn said.

“As a tenured member of our GCA community, I only remember one other time, in 2010, when we experienced a profound demonstration of the Holy Spirit. I pray that the Lord will continue to flood our halls with His Presence. Discipleship Days is only a ripple in the ocean of what can happen at GCA.”

GCA officials say they intend to continue to disciple students who made professions of faith during Discipleship Days and also to hold small group discussions about last Friday’s outpouring.

“We praise God that students’ lives have been transformed forever, and we have witnessed eternity-changing decisions through this schoolwide initiative,” the email concluded. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

The outpouring of God’s love and presence continues to be strong and enduring even though the campus auditorium at Asbury University, where prayer and worship has been led by students since Feb. 8, is closed to the general public.

Unaware that public access has been scaled back, thousands of revival seekers from around the world are still arriving, full of hope and expectation at the small Christian campus in Wilmore, Kentucky.

The pilgrims arriving from as far away as Sri Lanka have been inspired by countless social media videos. Well over 1,500 people, young and old, are shown exuberantly praising and passionately worshipping God in the historic Hughes Memorial Auditorium where numerous other revivals have launched since it was built in 1929. The travelers want to experience for themselves an outpouring of God’s presence where people feel loved by God and accepted by other people when they are authentic and vulnerable about their weaknesses.

Upon arrival, many people have been shocked and confused to see the yellow police line tape stretched across the front of the university’s campus. The barrier to the auditorium feels like a barrier to the outpouring of the love they seek.

There, in a moment of sadness, they begin to share in the outpouring—not inside the stately white building that appears so out of reach. Instead, they share in the outpouring right there on a small patch of grass between the yellow tape and the sidewalk.

Their focus shifts to fellow pilgrims empathetically greeting them with updated information, comfort, prayer, Kleenex and news of similar outpourings across that nation. Soon, in an atmosphere of love, peace rolls in like a gentle wave of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the day, an acceptance and a trust that God will meet them right where they are replaces anxiety and despair. As travelers turn their focus away from the auditorium, their heightened awareness of God’s presence increases right there on the lawn, across the street and on their journey home.

Before long, the celebration begins. While the season of Asbury University opening its prayer closet to the world has changed, the hunger for revival has exploded and continues to build into faith and action around the world.

Online and word-of-mouth reports of people gathering for extended times of prayer and worship in homes, schools, churches and public spaces is both humbling and inspiring. Humbling because God, who was always right there, did not turn away from us in our time of desperation. He showed Himself faithful and loving. He opened our eyes to see ourselves and other people in a loving way.

In this new era of revival, it would be hard to be a revival chaser. It moves much too rapidly to keep up. Where is it now? Is it still here or there?

No one really knows from one day to the next.

Two weeks in, people are realizing that this revival cannot be chased. Realizing this, people are connecting with others in their own communities to make God their first priority and become expressions of His love right where they are. {eoa}

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Renee DeLoriea: During the Brownsville Revival, Renee was the managing editor of the Brownsville Revival Magazine, a columnist for the Remnant Newspaper and a freelance writer for Charisma magazine. Since then, she has edited books and written articles for numerous media outlets. She lives in Nashville, Tenn.

By now you’ve heard that leaders at Asbury University decided to end the continuous revival meetings that broke out on their campus on Feb. 8. It wasn’t an easy decision—students didn’t want to stop praying and worshiping, and the crowds kept coming to the tiny town of Wilmore, Kentucky. So many hungry people visited Asbury from around the world that lines were sometimes half a mile long to get into three campus auditoriums.

But the reality is that everybody can’t go to Kentucky, and there aren’t enough auditoriums in Wilmore to hold all the people who need the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Asbury Revival was never about Asbury. God was using that school as a catalyst for a nationwide movement. He wants revival to spread everywhere.

After the initial outpouring at Asbury, pockets of revival fervor began spreading as visiting students returned to their schools. This has happened at Lee University in Tennessee, Samford University in Alabama, the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, as well as the University of Georgia, Texas Tech and Iowa State University. But I believe this contagious spiritual zeal was meant to spread to every campus as well as every church in the United States. Is your church open to such a move of God?

You are blessed if your congregation would welcome a revival—because many Christians have put the Holy Spirit in a box. We prefer normal. We are afraid of supernatural. And many believers are so accustomed to the usual Sunday morning drill that they would consider a visitation of the Holy Spirit a rude interruption. I’m praying that the Asbury Revival has whet our appetites for something deeper.

Here are seven practical things we can do to encourage a move of the Holy Spirit in your church or campus ministry:

Don’t be in a hurry. A church service doesn’t have to be long to be anointed. Twenty years ago, we charismatics were notorious for dragging out our meetings. But I fear the pendulum has now swung too far in the other direction. These days many congregations rush through the Sunday routine with the help of a countdown clock, and there’s no time to sing an extra chorus or to savor the moment. If God wanted to interrupt our inflexible schedule, would we let Him?

Learn to “host” God’s presence. An old inscription appears over the stage in the Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University, where the chapel services have been held for two straight weeks. It says: “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” I fear we’ve forgotten that God’s holy presence is among us when we gather corporately. Psalm 22:3 says: “Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” People who have attended the Asbury meetings describe an uncanny sense of reverence in the auditorium. The place feels like holy ground. If we truly believe God dwells in our midst when we worship, we won’t just flippantly do our own thing. We will tread carefully and learn to wait on His directives.

Quit trying to make worship so professional. Contemporary worship has been streamlined and repackaged in the past two decades. We added special lighting effects, graphics on giant screens, Hollywood-style video production, amazing sound quality and the coolest musicians with the coolest instruments. And yet, if we’re honest, the cool factor often feels fake. What we crave is authenticity. That’s what was on display at the Asbury Revival—just musicians with overflowing passion for God but no gimmicks. And that humble simplicity is what drew so many people to the Asbury campus that local officials had to close roads to the venue.

Soak your church in prayer. No revival in history ever came without desperate prayer. God’s presence comes when we long for Him like a deer that pants for water. If you want the cloud of God’s glory in your church services, burn the incense of prayer first. There are anointed intercessors in your congregation who are wired for this task.

Preach an uncompromised message that brings conviction. Authentic revival is not just about worship; it must be accompanied by the preaching of the gospel. But we must have hot bread. Revival preaching is not just a relevant message delivered in a hipster style that looks good on camera. Our words need to be birthed in prayer, soaked in tears of brokenness and ignited by the hot coals of heaven.

Leave time for altar ministry. A church without altar ministry is like a hospital without a maternity ward. New life often begins at the altar—whether it is salvation, healing or prayer for a fresh anointing. Today many churches that offer multiple services often skimp on ministry time because they need to rush the 10 a.m. group out of the sanctuary to get ready for the next crowd. Multiple services are fine, but we are crowding the Spirit out of the church if we don’t schedule time for people to respond to the Holy Spirit.

Give time for testimonies. Nothing raises the faith level of a congregation like someone’s raw experience with God. If a man was healed this week in your church, let him tell about it. If a teenager was delivered of depression, let her share what happened. If an infertile couple got pregnant, let them shout it from the housetops. Stories of supernatural intervention trigger a holy expectation in everyone. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and testimonies can trigger an eruption of holy awe and joy.

First Thessalonians 5:19 says it plainly: “Do not quench the Spirit.” Let’s fling open the doors and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. Let’s allow what erupted at Asbury to overflow in every church in the country. Instead of being afraid of what God might disrupt, or whom He might offend, let’s care more about what the church would be like if His manifest presence fills the house.

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J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years and now serves as senior contributing editor. He directs the Mordecai Project (), an international ministry that protects women and girls from gender-based violence. His latest books are Follow Me and Let’s Go Deeper (Charisma House).

Technology has come a long way in the past few years, and the innovation has stretched into all types of industries, many of which have benefited mankind. The video game industry is certainly among them, and here is a new game that could spark intense debate between Christians and non-Christians in the coming months.

Created by Polish game developer SimulaM, the video game “I Am Jesus Christ” is a historical, open-word simulation game where you can, as The Jerusalem Post puts it, “step in to the sandals of the ‘alleged’ Son of God himself and perform miracles, die and get resurrected.”

It also allows the player, as Jesus, to fight Satan and die “horrifically” on the cross.

“Perform amazing miracles, interact with a cast of biblical figures and travel around the Holy Land from Jerusalem to the Galilee,” reads the game’s page on the PC gaming platform Steam.

To watch the promotional trailer for the game, click here.

The game was most recently revealed at an IGN Fan Fest event. It takes players on a journey from the birth of Jesus, through his life and various miracles, all the way until his crucifixion and ultimately his Resurrection.

Some of the miracles players will be able to perform include walking on water, making a stormy sky dissipate, turning water into wine, and dying and resurrecting. There is, according to The Jerusalem Post, an “over-the-top boss battle with Satan.”

To perform these miracles, The Jerusalem Post reports, players need to “keep an eye on their ‘Holy Spirit’ meter, which depletes with each miracles—though, of course, it can be recharged.

The Jerusalem Post reports that many people have commented on social media about the game. While their tone is that of amusement, their comments could very well border on the blasphemous:

• “Hopefully, no one spoils the ending.”
• A game 2,000 years in the making.”
• “When Jesus said he would return, never thought it would be in the form of a video game.”
• As far as the ending goes, I’m just gonna touch wood, cross my fingers and hope that they nail it.”

“Nail it,” as in Jesus to the cross? You decide.

But then the game could also spark a renewed interest in Jesus and the Bible among Gen Zers, whom many have reportedly run away from the church in America’s culturally charged atmosphere.

One YouTube user refutes any blasphemy claims, saying “This game wasn’t disrespectful in any way and despite the bugs, it clearly has effort put into it.”

“I feel like it was created by a small group who’s just really passionate about Jesus,” Layla said on YouTube.

And The Jerusalem Post’s Aaron Reich wrote: “The game itself isn’t tongue and cheek. Rather, while it may have some unintentional humor—Jesus Christ shrinking to enter a child’s body to cure diseases—the game itself seems to be a serious attempt at spreading the story of Jesus and the New Testament. Each scene included in the game with each miracle is accompanied by a biblical verse from the New Testament describing it.”

The game’s prologue is already available to play at no cost, while the full game is slated for release sometime in the second quarter of this year. SimulaM is planning more biblically based games, with one centering around the building of Noah’s ark and another other featuring Moses and the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the promised land. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

In its 33-year-history, the Liberty Counsel has scored numerous victories in court for religion freedom—from the right to assemble and worship, to sidewalk counselors’ right to free speech outside abortion clinics and faith-based clubs’ rights to meet on public school grounds.

This past year especially has seen a great deal of success for Liberty Counsel’s kingdom battles, and the Christian ministry that proclaims, advocates, supports, advances and defends the Good News of Christ is making a generational impact with its legal efforts.

In May 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Liberty Counsel’s favor in its case of the “Christian flag,” Shurtleff v. the city of Boston. The high court said that Boston had violated the Constitution by censoring Camp Constitution’s private flag in a public forum. The high court ruled that censoring the Christian flag was religious viewpoint discrimination and violated the First Amendment.

In Liberty Counsel’s case of the “Praying Coach,” Kennedy v. Bremerton, the Supreme Court sided with Coach Joe Kennedy’s right to pray on the football field, and in the process struck down the terrible 1971 decision in the Lemon v. Kurtman ruling, which has been used to censor religious speech, songs, Christmas cards, symbols, displays and even our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

These cases have opened a new day for:

• Religious and Christian speech and viewpoints.
• After-school Bible clubs.
• Churches renting public schools to worship.
• The Ten Commandments.
• Nativity displays and much more.

Additionally, Liberty Counsel continues to fight for the rights of individuals and companies who have been discriminated against when it comes to the federal COVID vaccine mandates.

And Liberty Counsel vows it will not stop fighting for the rights of Christians and for religious freedom in this country, which was already supposed to be guaranteed by the Constitution.

“In 2023, with the Lord’s blessings, we will achieve yet more victories for His people,” says Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver.

For more of Liberty Counsel’s tireless efforts, read this article at . {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Asbury University has announced that the location of the ongoing revival at the school will be moved to a new central location in Kentucky. While the details of that location have not yet been released, Dr. Michael Brown is encouraging Christians that this move of God can sustain itself around the country.

On Jan. 30, Brown was speaking on his “Line of Fire” radio show when he felt prompted to share publicly the first wave of revival was here. Eight days later on Feb. 8, revival broke out at Asbury University in Hughes Auditorium.

Over the weekend 25,000 people gathered in front of Asbury in the sleepy town of Wilmore, Kentucky. State Troopers blocked entrances to the city, only allowing the 6,000 residents who live in the town, in on Sunday evening. “They are making the right decision in decentralizing so quickly,” Brown says.

Christians around the world have traveled to Asbury to sit in the presence of God. We’ve heard reports of a pastor from Chile selling his car to fly over. Other believers from Israel flew in for multiple days and left completely changed.

Thirteen days have come and gone, and it’s clear this has been a revival of repentance. This is not like the Brownsville outpouring in Pensacola, Florida, or the Toronto Blessing in Canada, where people flocked to one place. Reports are continually popping up of the revival spreading to a new college campus.

“The leadership there has handled this with great wisdom. I absolutely believe they are making the right decision in decentralizing very quickly,” Brown says.

The university has kept classes going the last two weeks so the revival services would ebb and flow within their normal lives. Now with Fox News and other mainstream media covering the meetings, it’s clear the location needs to change.

Wherever people are earnestly seeking God and crying out for His Spirit, He will move.

Many have wondered if it’s too soon to call what has happened at Asbury University a revival. Here are a few key points Brown shares that have distinguished the Asbury revival:

• The timing is right on schedule. Leaders in the church have been fasting and praying for a move of God in the next generation.
• The suddenness of the event has all of the indicators of revival.
• Deep repentance, confession of sin and holiness have marked the last two weeks.
• People from around the world feel drawn to attend.
• Nobody can take credit for what has happened.

“I believe the fruit will be seen as this continues,” Brown says.

Tune in to the rest of the interview with Brown to hear his thoughts on the criticism and what you can expect next. {eoa}

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Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.