As we look forward to a week of special revival services, I wanted to mention a few thoughts that are on my mind.
Revival can be hindered. Most often, the reviving of our walk with God will be hindered by our own actions. Some of these actions take place before the evangelist ever arrives.
#1 Don't consider yourself above the need of a personal revival.
Don't assume that everything that is said is meant for someone else. Don't overlook your own sin; God doesn't. Don't explain away your sin as someone else's fault, part of your personality, a disease, or a result of your upbringing. Adam and Eve blamed everyone but themselves, but they still had to bear the consequences of their own sins.
Prepare your heart today with David's mindset, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)
#2 Don't continue your normal schedule.
When we read about the churches gathering in the New Testament, one among many characteristics of these meetings sticks out to me: These folks forsook comfort, home, dinner, work, and even sleep to be there to hear the apostles preach. Their normal daily schedules went out the window (along with Eutychus, but that's another story) so that they could make time for these special services!
There is a price on revival. It isn't a luxury; it is a necessity. It won't be experienced at our convenience. Revival requires sacrifice of ourselves. When the disciples were unable to cast out the demon from the boy, they asked Jesus what the hindrance was to this great power. His response was, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." For the disciples to see an increase in God's hand of power in their lives, they needed to be prepared to sacrifice themselves.
#3 Don't refuse to believe that it can be done
I'm a natural skeptic. It's a battle that I fight while being in the ministry. It's too easy to believe that the person I'm pouring myself into will eventually fall away since so many others have. It's easy to believe that revival won't happen to our church. It's easy to be skeptical of stories of revival in other areas, after all, the days of large scale revival are long over, right?
Sometimes we think that we just need the right preacher to induce revival. The preacher is an important piece, but not the sole piece. When Jesus came to his own stomping grounds and began to minister to them, he marveled at their lack of response! "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." It wasn't the perfect preacher that was missing; their unbelief was overwhelming the work that Christ was trying to do among them. Our lack of faith in the Holy Spirit's desire and ability to do "many mighty works" in our lives may be the missing piece to our reviving again!
#4 Don't minimize the present need for revival.
It's not a hidden fact in scriptures that God doesn't like sin, in fact, the Bible clearly states that it is sin that separates us from God (Rev. 21:27, Gal. 5:19-21). We need to be saved from the guilt, power, and judgement of our sin by the grace of God. But once we have believed that, the godly fire that burns within us can wane as a result of apathy and sin. Our heart begins to wander from the heart of God to our own lusts and all that glitters around us. There is a present need in our lives to be soberly confronted with this spiritual decay and to be exhorted to seek cleansing and restoration of our relationship with the Lord! Notice the psalmist's personal inclusion in this prayer: "Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease...Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" Psalm 85:4,6
#5 Don't discount the results of revival.
Sometimes I feel like something is not worth doing unless is produces tangible results or results that are long lasting. Grocery shopping and mowing grass seem mundane. I'll just have to do it again next week. All that time and effort, and I have little lasting results to show for it, or do I? If I didn't do the weekly maintenance on my lawn this summer, the difference after a few weeks would be very noticeable. If I skipped the grocery shopping and my family just ate out at our convenience, there would be a noticeable difference in our bank account and our waist size. It's hard to quantify the results of revival when searching for the tangible change in everyone else in church. I desire to see souls saved this week. I desire to see Christians revived this week. I desire to see marriages healed this week, but my focus when I open my Bible each service needs to be on what the Lord has prepared for me. The results of this revival start with me. To some it may be life-changing and to others it may be maintenance. The fruits of revival are salvation, fruits of the Spirit, glory to God, harmony, increase, provision, and direction.
#6 Keys to revival
Pray and prepare for revival in your heart.
Confess sin when the Holy Spirit convicts.
Remember why you loved Jesus in the first place.
Saturate yourself with the Word of God.
Determine to be obedient and faithful.
Let revival spur you on to action and service.
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