Start Revival in My Circle

This is extracts from a message I preached recently in Albania.  I believe this is a Word of the Lord for this season. Be blessed as you read it, and may Holy Spirit speak to you through it.

If you would like to listen to the full message, please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DApvvJjXTU . 

Do you want Revival? Do you pray for Revival? Are you excited about Revival? What is Revival?

From an article ‘What is Christian Revival’ www.gotquestions.org/Christian-revival.html - “Revival refers to a spiritual reawakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer.”

“It is initiated by a prompting of the Holy Spirit, creating an awareness of something missing or wrong in the believer’s life that can only be righted by God. In turn, the Christian must respond from the heart, acknowledging his or her need. Then, in a powerful way, the Holy Spirit draws back the veil the world has cast over the truth, allowing the believers to fully see themselves in comparison to God’s majesty and holiness.”

In a devotion we read at the beginning of the year, the writer suggested that we go into our Prayer Closet, kneel down, and taking a piece of chalk draw a circle around us, and then pray a prayer that says “Start Revival in this circle”. In other words - Start Revival with ME!

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Let’s take a closer look at 2 Chronicles 7:14

1.   ARE WE CALLED BY HIS NAME? 

Do we know Jesus as our Lord and Savour and do we have a relationship with the Trinity? That’s the first step.

Key to Revival – Be called by His Name.

2.   HUMBLE YOURSELF

Rick Warren wrote in ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” 

Humility is foundational to the Christian life, but too many Christians have the wrong idea of humility. They think that humility is putting themselves down and making other people seem greater than them. They think that by doing this people will think they humble. But humility is NOT that. 

Philippians 2:3 (TPT) “Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves.”

Key to Revival – Humility

3.   PRAY

We know that we need to pray. Prayer is the means by which we connect directly with God and it positions us for greater things. How can we develop relationship without communication? 

My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, “Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. . . . We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God himself.”

1 Chronicles 16:11 (AMPC) “Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!”

Key to Revival – Prayer

4.   SEEK HIS FACE

Seeking God follows closely from Prayer – but more than just talking to God, it’s spending time meditating on His Word, it’s spending time resting in His Presence. It’s passionately pursuing God and waiting on Him to reveal more of His ways, plans and purposes to us.

Psalms 63:1 & 8 (TPT)

“O God of my life, I’m lovesick for you in this weary wilderness.

I thirst with the deepest longings to love you more,

with cravings in my heart that can’t be described.

Such yearning grips my soul for you, my God!

8With passion I pursue and cling to you.

Because I feel your grip on my life,

I keep my soul close to your heart.”

Key to Revival – Seeking His Face through Intimacy and Communion

5.   TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS

Confession and Repentance is foundational in partnering with God for Revival and it is our responsibility to respond to the Holy Spirit with confession and repentance.

When Holy Spirit convicts us, it’s for our good and God’s glory. It’s not meant to make us feel shame, rather it’s meant to set us free and to live in victory.

Psalm 139:23-24 (AMPC) “²³ Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴ And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote: “The old puritans used to pray for ‘the gift of tears.’ If ever you cease to know the virtue of repentance, you are in darkness. Examine yourself and see if you have forgotten how to be sorry.”

Key to Revival – Turning from our wicked ways

CONCLUSION

 A.G. Osterberg - “The Azusa revival began where every revival should rightly begin—in repentant tears. It began in tears, it lived in tears, and when the tears ended the Azusa revival ended.”

We, in ourselves, cannot make revival happen, but we can partner with God in bringing Revival if we choose to. We also have the power to stop a revival when we turn away from seeking God and looking to ourselves again, when we decide to get in the way of the move of God.

Revival leads to an Awakening, and the world needs an Awakening right now. I believe that God is positioning us and preparing us for Revival and another Great Awakening.

I am ready for Revival, I hope you are too.

Be Blessed

Jean