A number of years ago, before the evening service, a small group of men met each week in the basement of the church I was attending to pray and seek God's face for revival. Years later that is still the custom of the church where God has placed me, however the ladies now share in this special time as well. That was years ago and we are still seeking God's face for revival. Has He not heard us? Does He not care? Does He not wish to glorify Himself today as He did in decades past? God reminds us in Hebrews 13:8 that " Jesus Christ {is} the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." The Old Testament gives us this account in Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not." No, it is not God who has changed, but we His people.As I have studied different revivals in different locations at different times. I have found that God rarely works the same way twice. I have seen though, that the events leading up to revival are almost nearly the same every time, at least in a general sense. If you are truly seeking revival in your life, your family, your church, and yes, your country,consider the following.
A true Heaven-sent revival always begins with a longing for God's presence. At some point in revival preparation someone has got to long for God's presence. Moses needed God's presence to lead His people--"And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exodus 33:15). Moses continued in verse 18, "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." In our daily lives we should be seeking God's presence. We know that He dwells with us, but in revival the emphasis shifts. Not only do we seek God's presence, but we desire for Him to manifest Himself in a special way and powerfully display His glory. God's glory is always about Him, not us. First question: Do you truly seek God to manifest Himself just for who He is, or are you satisfied with having Him be a part of your daily life with just His presence? Revival begins with an intense longing to see God high and lifted up.
Revival always begins with prayer. The prayer that fans the flame of revival does not consist of vain repetitions. It does not consist of the usual day to day casualness that many experience in their prayer life. The prayer that brings revival is effectual and fervent (James 5:16). The prayer that calls fire down from Heaven is the kind of prayer that will cost you something.
Revival prayer may wake you at 2:00 in the morning and not let you sleep the rest of the night. This kind of prayer will linger with you through the day. This kind of prayer will consume you. This kind of prayer will cause you to fast. This kind of prayer will cause you to hold on to Jesus with every fiber of your being. Honestly, does that describe you? If not, revival may be far away. Every period of revival that God has brought to His church begins with someone shutting the door to their prayer closet and remaining inside until God answers. Would you purpose in your heart right now to seek God and not let go until He reveals to you His glory, just as He did with Moses. Second question: Have you allowed God to burn in your prayer life?
Every Heaven-sent revival that I have read about begins with an expectancy. David Morgan, a man greatly used by God during the 1859 Welsh Revival, felt that he could see the approach of an outpouring of the Spirit when he wrote this in his diary in 1855--"By reading the history of the church we find that the great cause fluctuates up and down through the ages, but that, whenever the Lord drew near to save there was some considerable expectancy amongst the godly for His coming. As well as praying, we should be doing our utmost to revive the work. So did the godly of old: they prayed and they worked." Third question: Do you really expect God to send revival? Are you working with revival in mind? Remember God has not changed. We have.
These three ingredients of pre-revival seem to be necessary to make revival a reality. They work hand in hand. If we do not have a deep desire to see the Lord, we will not pray, and if we do not expect Him to answer we will not pray. The more we pray, the more we long to see God in His glory, and the more we react with expectancy. Notice the word is expectancy,not expectation. We must allow God to work the way He chooses, not according to what we expect, that is, by a certain method or result. We certainly should live with the expectancy of His working however.
It amazes me how many people have gone to the website and mention that it is a wonderful idea, but yet they refuse to sign up. The phrase I think of here is, lack of commitment. I may be wrong, but sometimes I question their expectancy. I wonder how deep is their prayer life--or how shallow. It is hard for to believe that they really long for the presence of God. America, put your knees where your mouth is and get serious about your God. He is serious about America.
I send this out today with a prayer that God will stir someone's heart beyond the natural to the supernatural. May you experience divine pressure to draw as close to God as is humanly possible.
A true Heaven-sent revival always begins with a longing for God's presence. At some point in revival preparation someone has got to long for God's presence. Moses needed God's presence to lead His people--"And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exodus 33:15). Moses continued in verse 18, "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." In our daily lives we should be seeking God's presence. We know that He dwells with us, but in revival the emphasis shifts. Not only do we seek God's presence, but we desire for Him to manifest Himself in a special way and powerfully display His glory. God's glory is always about Him, not us. First question: Do you truly seek God to manifest Himself just for who He is, or are you satisfied with having Him be a part of your daily life with just His presence? Revival begins with an intense longing to see God high and lifted up.
Revival always begins with prayer. The prayer that fans the flame of revival does not consist of vain repetitions. It does not consist of the usual day to day casualness that many experience in their prayer life. The prayer that brings revival is effectual and fervent (James 5:16). The prayer that calls fire down from Heaven is the kind of prayer that will cost you something.
Revival prayer may wake you at 2:00 in the morning and not let you sleep the rest of the night. This kind of prayer will linger with you through the day. This kind of prayer will consume you. This kind of prayer will cause you to fast. This kind of prayer will cause you to hold on to Jesus with every fiber of your being. Honestly, does that describe you? If not, revival may be far away. Every period of revival that God has brought to His church begins with someone shutting the door to their prayer closet and remaining inside until God answers. Would you purpose in your heart right now to seek God and not let go until He reveals to you His glory, just as He did with Moses. Second question: Have you allowed God to burn in your prayer life?
Every Heaven-sent revival that I have read about begins with an expectancy. David Morgan, a man greatly used by God during the 1859 Welsh Revival, felt that he could see the approach of an outpouring of the Spirit when he wrote this in his diary in 1855--"By reading the history of the church we find that the great cause fluctuates up and down through the ages, but that, whenever the Lord drew near to save there was some considerable expectancy amongst the godly for His coming. As well as praying, we should be doing our utmost to revive the work. So did the godly of old: they prayed and they worked." Third question: Do you really expect God to send revival? Are you working with revival in mind? Remember God has not changed. We have.
These three ingredients of pre-revival seem to be necessary to make revival a reality. They work hand in hand. If we do not have a deep desire to see the Lord, we will not pray, and if we do not expect Him to answer we will not pray. The more we pray, the more we long to see God in His glory, and the more we react with expectancy. Notice the word is expectancy,not expectation. We must allow God to work the way He chooses, not according to what we expect, that is, by a certain method or result. We certainly should live with the expectancy of His working however.
It amazes me how many people have gone to the website and mention that it is a wonderful idea, but yet they refuse to sign up. The phrase I think of here is, lack of commitment. I may be wrong, but sometimes I question their expectancy. I wonder how deep is their prayer life--or how shallow. It is hard for to believe that they really long for the presence of God. America, put your knees where your mouth is and get serious about your God. He is serious about America.
I send this out today with a prayer that God will stir someone's heart beyond the natural to the supernatural. May you experience divine pressure to draw as close to God as is humanly possible.