Enemies of Revival

“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.

  This is a well known passage that is often times used to talk about the matter of revival. It is THE revival verse! This is God's promise that those who will turn from their sins, call out to Him, and walk in His ways will experience a revival of the presence and blessings of the Lord. It was directed to Israel, but it speaks to every person on Earth now.

  We need a revival! We love our church services, but we need more than a service, we need revival. We need something that we cannot produce by our own efforts. We could have a church service this week, but we couldn't have a revival unless the Lord gives it. 

  There are four enemies spoken of in the above verse. Yes, I said enemies! You may be thinking that it says to do these things and He will hear. Yes it does, but stick with me for a few minutes and I will show you that there is four enemies mentioned..

  Before I get into it I want to be clear on one issue. The above verse is directed towards God's people. It says, "If My people which are called by My name....." This is not directed to lost people. Lost people do not need revival, they need to be saved! If you are not saved, you need to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, confess your sins, and call on Him for you souls salvation. If you are saved, then God has something to say to you from this verse. He will help if we allow Him to help us.

  Number one enemy.....pride!

  The verse says, "will humble themselves....". Pride speaks of people thinking more of themselves and their abilities than they do of God. Pride says, "I do not need God! I can do make my own way. I know best! I call the shots in my life!". You may or may not even know that this evil is present in your life. I beg you to look and see if there is some seed of this evil in your life that would be hindering the will of God in your life and Church.

  We are so eaten up with pride in our modern Churches! We have adopted the Laodicean mentality,

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—" (Revelation 3:17) We have learned to function without the help of the Lord and it has destroyed the power of the Church!

  God calls His people to humble themselves. The word humble means to place yourself under another's authority. Pride will not let a prideful person to come under the authority of anyone, even the Lord. God desires His people to take whatever steps that are necessary to bring themselves under His authority. He wants us to know that we cannot do it alone. He wants us to know that we are dependent upon Him for everything we have. He wants us to bend our knee to Him and His authority in our lives. We need to remember that we were nothing when He found us and we are nothing without His presence in our lives. Remember what Jesus said? "I am the vine, you are the branches: he that that abides in Me and I abide in him shall bring forth much fruit, for without Me, you could do nothing." (John 15:5) If we are to have revival, then pride, the enemy of revival, must be dealt with!

  Enemy number two......prayerlessness.

  The people are challenged to pray. Prayerlessness is the first cousin to pride. It says, "I do not need to call on the Lord, I can make it just fine without His help." Prayerlessness does not say, "He is all I need!" It says, "I am all I need!" Prayerlessness relies on self and the resources that self can produce and refuses to lean on Jesus alone. It is a fact that we can pray and not have revival, but we will never have revival without prayer! Prayer is the ultimate statement of inability. Prayer looks to God and says, "I can't, but You can," We have lost the art of waiting before the Lord in prayer. Too much of our praying is anemic, antiseptic, formal, repetitious, and long winded. We pray around issues but never get down to trusting God by faith. Our prayers leave our mouths, but, all to often, do not reach our Father in Heaven!

  Enemy number three.......Priorities.

  God's people are told to "seek His face...." This little phrase is a call for God's people to stop looking for help and purpose in every other thing in life. They are called upon to make God their primary focus and their first priority. Revival does not come to those who are seeking revival! Revival comes to those who are seeking God!! Falling in love with Jesus all over again!!

  Be honest. What is the number one priority in your life? Is it your job? Your bank account or retirement? Is it you family? Your spouse? Is it your hobby? Or, is it the Lord? When anything but God is the number one priority in your life, you are out of balance and you are not a candidate for revival. When God is our first priority, the things He cares about will be the things that we will care about. When we are seeking His face, we will be able to see what has His attention, and, what has His attention will have our attention. He wants us to love what He loves and hate what He hates and do what He does. (John 5:19 & 20).

  Look at where you go, what you do, and where you spend your money. Do that and you will have a good idea where your priorities are. Where does God fit in the equation of your life? Is He first place? If He isn't, then you are not a candidate for revival.

  Enemy number four........presumption.

  Finally, God's people are told to "turn from their wicked ways." That is, they are to turn from their sins and embrace holiness. We say, "I am saved and what I do doesn't matter." YES THEY DO!!! Sin keeps out of the presence of the Lord. Sin closes the Lord's ears to our prayers. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." (Psalm 66:18).

  We do not have revival because we are just as guilty in sin as the world around us. Church people sin! They drink in excess, they steal, they lie, they cheat, they commit adultery, they engage in sexual activity outside of marriage, they hate, they are prideful, they walk in hypocrisy, they drag the precious name of Jesus through the mud. He cannot and will not bless a mess like this!! We are saved by grace, but grace is never a license to sin!!

  We need a season of repentance. We are good with our excuses and very quick to rationalize our behavior, but we are slow to fall before the Lord and confess our sins and receive His forgiveness. We must come clean about our sins so He can bless us! We need revival,  but revival won't come to a presumptuous people. It will only come to those who get honest about their sin. Those who confess them and turn from them. Only to those who turn to God with all of their hearts! (Jeremiah 29:13)

  So, these are the enemies of revival. They must be defeated. When they are defeated, what does the passage say? "I will hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin, and heal their land." Doesn't that sound awesome? God hearing. God cleansing. Then god working!

  Are the enemies of revival; pride, prayerlessness, misplaced priorities, and presumption active in your life? You need to get real with God now and I promise, He will revive you. And if a whole congregation would catch this......WOW! What a party!!

 

Quick Gospel from beginning to end...........
In the begining God created the heavens and the Earth. I speak of the only True and Living God who is the creator of all things. In the creation process He made man and woman, Adam and Eve. This is fact and not faith as defined as a system of religious belief but faith as defined as confidence or trust in a person or thing. God put these people in a garden as a married couple and told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because if they did they would die. Not in a physical sense but a spiritual sense. Their innocence would be taken away. Notice, He made Adam and Eve and told them to multiply and fill the Earth. They should come together and become one. None other created thing was this told to.

God wanted to enjoy His creation and would come down from Heaven regularly to visit with Adam and Eve. They enjoyed God as well. They knew He was the maker and that only in Him was the answer to all their questions.

In the course of time, the deciever came along and began talking with Eve. He said to her, " Didn't God say that you could eat of any tree in the garden?" She said,"Yes, of every tree but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We can't eat it or even touch it." This begins the sepration from God. God did not say that they couldn't touch the fruit, all He said was not to eat it. This is also the time when religion came into being. Adding to a simple truth is religion, a system of belief not founded on anything God said. Anyway, she listened to the deciever and did eat and also gave to her husband and he ate as well. As soon as they did, they lost their perfect relationship with the Creator.

When it was time for God to come visit, the two heard Him coming and hid themselves. They quickly sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves because for the first time, they saw themselves as naked. He called out to them, "Adam, where are you?" He didn't say 'Adam!!, Get your stupid, sinfull butt out here!!'. He knew what had happened and already felt the loss that the deciever caused. When the story was told, we see the first glimpse of salvation. Mans attempt to cover his sin (fig leaves) wasn't good enough. Those leaves would quickly dry and blow away. Our religious system to reach God wasn't good enough. We are not big enough to reach Him. But He is big enough to reach us, even when He don't have to. Something innocent had to die so the skins could make coverings for them. We are His creation, He set all things in order. Since this is true, His laws are to be adhered to. Again, this isn't "religious faith", but, absolute truth. All through the Bible, people sin, fall into slavery, God brings them back. When the people got to sinful, God would get rid of them, sometimes in very hororific ways. We could try to judge God and say that He is wrong, but that would be to no avail. He is God.

Long story short, since we are so sinful, God sent the ultimate and last sacrifice to get back to that perfect relationship He so wanted. That sacrifice was His only Son, Jesus. This is NOT based on my believing in it. I do not base my values on what I feel. We now live in a time where we want things to be at peace. Some think that if we just give in and allow whatever we will aquire that peace. It will not bring peace but more problems. What I've said here is not true because I believe in it, I believe in it because it is true. There is only one true God. He is not the same God that the world religions say. He is the true, living God. Creator. God of the Jews and of Christians. I would be a fool to try to wash down what I know is Gods Word. I will love as Jesus would have me to love, but I wouldn't be loving if I didn't tell the truth. Some will say that I'm ignorant, He says,"Well done!" He will come back one day to set things back to where they belong...I urge you ( whoever you may be ) believe in Jesus for salvation and you will see truth as you have never seen before.

HOW TO PROMOTE A REVIVAL

Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12

   Fallow ground is ground that has been left unworked so that the nutrients the soil needs can be replenished and support another harvest. During this unworked time, the ground will become hard and seem like nothing good could ever grow. Our hearts can become hard to the things of God. When we have left it unworked, weeds grow and there may be no order.
   To break up the fallow ground of our heart, we must not depend upon our feelings. You may not feel repentant about a particular sin but it does not mean it isn't sin. The world around us has infected us with the attitude that if it feels right, then it's right. You must be able to look square into His Word and say that sin is sin. Confession is agreement with God concerning that which He lables sin. When you confess and set your mind against it, your feelings will follow. When we break up our fallow ground, we are turning every row of our heart field. When it turned and confession is made, God's righteousness will be planted. Then a harvest will come with blessings and those around us may see Jesus and a sinner can be saved.
   I ask you to get in a quite place and begin to turn the soil of your heart and see if there be any sin that need be confessed. Don't just confess without being ready to deal with it and get it out of your life. The following lists can help in revealing and dealing with sin;

1. Sins of omission;
Ingratitude - Is there some blessings from the Father evenwhile you were in sin, that you never exercised gratitude.


Lack of love towards God - Think how you would feel if you discovered that those you love with all your heart, only love you in a part time way? Only when you are needed?


Neglect of the Bible - You may read daily but can't remember what you read 10 minutes after you have read it. Do you love what you read?
Unbelief - You may know of some promise that God has promised but still chose to do things your way.


Neglect of prayer - Are you seeking God, praising God, asking God with your whole heart? Are your prayers just the same old words spoken in the same old tone? Are you just checking a box before you go to bed or eat a meal?


Neglect of the means of grace - Do you put up silly excuses to take away from your time in Church, prayer, Bible study?
Lack of love for the souls of your fellow-men - Have you had the compassion of Jesus felt for those around you. Or are you standing by and watching them go to hell?

Neglect of family duties - Think about how you live before them. Are you an example for them for righteousness? What direct efforts do make for thier spiritual good?

Neglect of watchfulness over your own life - You hurry past the spiritual needs so you can do that which may cause you to fall?

Neglect to watch over your brethren - You see neglect of spiritual duties in your Brothers and Sisters but not work to help them?

Neglect of self-denial - You will do anything for God or family or friends as long as it is comfortable for you.
2. Sin of commission;
Worldly mindedness - Are your possessions really yours? Is your ambitions directed at how much more you could get for your own sake?
Pride - Think about the times you have decorated yourself either outwardly or inwardly. Taking away from someone else or God just to make yourself appear better?

Envy - Been envious of others whom you thought were above you in respect? Envied those whose talents seemed better than yours? Envious of others stuff?

Faultfinding - Had a bitter spirit and spoken ill of Christians. Are you always seeking the best for your brothers and Sisters?

Slander - The times you have spoken behind people's back of the faults, real or supposed, to others, without good reason.

Lying.

Cheating.

Hypocrisy - Saying one thing and then do the opposite? Pray to confess sin but not really meaning to lay it aside and follow Christ.

Bad temper.

Whatever else Holy Spirit may bring to mind.
  Whenever you find anything wrong, resolve at once, in the strength of God, to sin no more in that way. It will be useless to examine yourself, unless you determine to rid yourself of anything that would hinder God from moving within you.
  Direct quote from Charles Finney, "Professors of religion should never satisfy themselves, or expect a revival, just by starting out of their slumbers, and blustering about, and talking to sinners. They must get their fallow grounds broken up. It is utterly unphilosophical to think of getting engaged in religion in this way. If your fallow ground is broken up, then the way to get more feeling is to go out and see sinners on the road to hell, and talk to them. and guide inquiring souls, and you will get more feeling. You may get into an excitement without this breaking up; you may show a kind of zeal, but it will not last long, and it will not take hold of sinners, unless your hearts are broken up. The reason is, that you go about is mechanically, and have not broken up your fallow ground."

God Is Always There


Psalm 139: 7 & 8

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

David was a man after Gods own heart. Why? He spent many hours, and days, and months, and years in a close relationship with Him. He spent many nights looking up into a starry host praying, worshipping, and seeking to know his Holy Father in Heaven..

Davids innocence before sin and life would rob him.

He had all this without any revelation of Jesus and no indwelling of the Holy Spirit!

God is everywhere! --from Heaven to hell....
Wherever we are, whatever our situation, God is there.....in our saved state or our unsaved state!
When we’re rejoicing in His presence, he is there.
When we’re in the hospital or at home, he is there.
When the sun is shining or when it’s raining, God is there.
God never changes. In Malachi 3:6 He said, "I am God and I change not."

Jesus is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
He never takes his eyes off of us. He never leaves us alone. He never forsakes us. He constantly takes care of us.
For He said in Joshua 1:5, "I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you but I’ll be with you always even unto the end of the world."

God is literally everywhere. He fills all space and time. He is eternal! Want to know what eterinty looks like? Go out on a clear, starry summer night and look up!

Even though God is omnipresent, he is every where; he has chosen to manifest himself in a personal way to us in the person of Jesus Christ and in the person of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in our hearts, and not just in our hearts but in the hearts of every believer everywhere.

You know what we try to do? Place God in certain limited locations. We try to restrict His movements......

But the Lord God knows no boundaries. Nothing can stop him from moving.......David knew this!! What freedom there is in letting this sink in!!!


He is Lord whether or not you believe!
He is unlimited by space and time.
Solomon wisely questioned in 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"


Some may ask, "Where does God dwell and where does He meet with His people?"

Anywhere He wants!


Adam and Eve "heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8)

The Lord spoke to Abram in his home country.

He spoke to Jacob at Bethel.

He spoke to Joseph in dreams.

He spoke to Moses through a burning bush.


He spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus, and He spoke to John on the Isle of Patmos.


The Lord spoke to Elijah in a still small voice and He spoke to Isaiah in a magnificent vision.
And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 1:2 that in these last days that God hath spoken unto us by his Son.


But the greatest revelation of the presence of God to mankind is yet to come in eternity.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "For now we see through a glass darkly.".....we know it's there but just out of sight. See little glimpses.....
For now we can gain God’s attention by having a contrite (repentant or turning from sin) spirit, and by obeying His Word. (Isaiah 66:2) David knew this.

This is revival talk! This is the path to begin again! Even though He is so close, your walls of seperation must be toppled! And when they are down, HE IS THERE!!!


So for now, we see dimly what our eyes want to see. But the day will come when we shall see our Savior face to face!

It is so awesome to know that God came to this world as a man!
John 1:14, "The Word was made flesh and blood."
The King of Glory became as one of us and walked among us as a man. (Hebrews 2:14-17)

Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted just like us, in all points. When He was playing and accidently broke something, He never lied. Seeing the pretty girl at school, feeling the butterfly's, never lusted. And in high school....not wanting to drink or have sex with that pretty girl.

Jesus Christ was God’s temple while He was on this earth.
The Jews heard the Jesus correctly when He said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19)
But they did not understand His message. He was not referring to a destruction of their temple.
He was talking about the death and resurrection of his own body; the place where God dwelt in radiant fullness.
We as believers have that same Spirit in the same radiant fullness, inside us. That’s the promise that we have today. That no matter what we go through. No matter what difficult things we experience in our lives.

God is there. Jesus Christ is there!
Nobody....... can satisfy the longing of our hearts but Jesus.
Nobody....... can heal the hurt in our hearts but Jesus.
Nobody....... can deliver us but Jesus.
Nobody....... can bring us out of whatever is holding us but Jesus.


You may not be able to help yourself, but The Lord is there.
He’ll pick you up. He’ll encourage you. He’ll bring you out.
The presence of God is the most valuable commodity that we have today.

Why? Because in his presence there is fullness of joy.
God doesn’t just want us to experience joy, but He wants us to know joy and to know it in its fullness.
Jesus came to bring us joy in its fullness.
He is said in John 15:11 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

Many times the church is misunderstood.
The question has been asked, "Why do folks get so excited about worshiping God?"
Why do people sing hymns of worship with a smile on their face?
Why do people shout and dance in praise unto God?
Why is the atmosphere charged with the very presence of the Almighty?


Because the church is made up of ordinary people who have an unusual ( it's a usual thing in a lost world.) appreciation for God and His mercy.
The church is made up of ordinary people who have had their fair share of problems and struggles.
We're not perfect, we make mistakes, but we can still lift up our hands and raise our voices and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Why? Because we’re thankful for everything that God has brought us out of and everything that God is doing and everything that God is going to do in our lives.


One that I am so excited about is found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

That’s why we praise Him. That’s why we get excited and worship God.
It’s because of where He’s brought us from and where He’s taking us.

In God’s presence there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11, Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.


David realized something about God and that is that in the right hand of God was a place of honor and dignity, of power and authority.
The trials that he faced may have weighed heavily upon his life and his spirit, but he had a magnificent expectation for the future.

If you was to live for 100 years on this Earth with all the problems we face, WHAT does that compare to ETERNITY in Heaven?!

God does not take us around all our afflictions so that we can avoid discomfort but He did tell us that he would go with us.

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

If you are passing through the waters, God is with you!

If you are walking through the fire, God is there!
No matter where you go or what you go through God always goes with you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and of a good courage … for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee."
God has given us a promise and that promise is worth more than anything that this world has to offer.

Jesus promised that he will fill us with his spirit and dwell with us.
It doesn’t matter if it’s with a small group or a large group.
Jesus is just as much at home with few as He is with many.

He seems not to be influenced by numbers.
He said in Matthew 18:20, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
It is so good to know that God moves on the thousands, sweeping over them in waves of blessings, but it is equally thrilling to know that He also meets us as individuals.

God is a personal God!
Whatever you need. You may not even know what you need, but He knows!

Whatever you face. Whatever is on your mind. God is there!


You can’t get in a bind that God can not get you out of.


You can’t get in a mess that God can not deliver you from.


I don’t care where you are. I don’t care what you’re going through. You can hold your head up, and know that God is there.
He’s going to help you. He’s going to strengthen you. He’s going to encourage you.

You wouldn't have read that if you wasn't here now.

One common trait of everybody who has ever received anything from God is that they wanted it. They were thirsty for it.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God, for they shall be filled."
Everybody who wanted the blessing; who hungered for it; who thirsted after it; got it!
They long for God’s presence.....do you?
They yearn for the living waters......do you?

David, again, said in 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."

If you’re seeking for it; if you’re hungry for it; if you’re thirsty for it; you’re going to get it.

Right now may be the first time you ever thought of it, but you want it.
God is going satisfy your hunger. God is going to satisfy your thirst. Only God can!

I thank God for salvation!
Salvation is more than just a formality or a ritual......some say to take this class, or say these words and you'll be ok.....WRONG!!!
If we have repented and been buried in Jesus name in water baptism, we can expect to receive the Holy Ghost.
Which Colossians 1:27 says, "is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

It’s more than somebody feeling that their sins are forgiven.
Miracles are not the evidence that folks have been saved.
An abundance of joy is not the evidence that folks have been saved.

Jesus said in John 7:38 & 39, " He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
We must believe according to the Scriptures!
Do you believe this? God is still pouring out His Spirit? Thats how I know God is always there, His Spirit tells me so!!

The promise that Jesus gave, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" was not just for those of the first century.
God wants to fill us with joy. His Holy Ghost is joy unspeakable and full of glory.


Conclusion:

The angel at the garden tomb declared of Jesus Christ, "He is not here: for he is risen". (Matthew 28:6)
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Mark 12:27
That’s why we must praise Him, because He inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people.
He lives in the midst of believers whose hearts are vibrant with praise and thanksgiving.
We will discover that as we seek God with all of our hearts, that no matter what we go through, He is there.


He is "Jehova-shammah", the Lord is there.
And as I close, if you need Him, He is there.

If you need forgivness, God is there. Jesus died for your sins. He gave His life so you can have forgiveness! He rose again on the third day conquering sin and death so that we can all that I have spoke of this morning. Will you recieve Jesus today?

If you need deliverance from sin or any form of evil in your life, God is there.

If you need strength to overcome, God is there.

If you need encouragement, God is there.


Whatever you need God is there.




　

　




　

   When a Revival can be expected

    

　

                      Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Psalm 85:6 KJV

　
The Psalm writer, while thinking about the goodness of the Lord in bringing them, the Jews, back from captivity and looking forward to good things before them. He breaks into a prayer for a revival, "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?". Since God had re-established the ordinances of His house among them, he prays that there will be a revival to crown the work.
In my previous look into revival, I attempted to show what a revival is, what it is not, and that it is Word of God, planted in the right way, that will bring about a revival. I will now cover; 1. When a revival is needed. 2. The importance of a revival when it is needed. 3. When a revival can be expected.


1. WHEN A REVIVAL IS NEEDED


When there is a WANT of Christian love and unshakable confidence in our great faith, a revival is needed. When the Church is so splintered that pride and a lack of confidence among new believers of the Christian faith is so weak, A revival is needed. When Christians have sunk down into a low and backslidden state, they neither have, nor can have, the same love and confidence toward each other as when they are alive, and active, and living holy lives, a revival is needed.
God loves all people with deep love and desire to do good to others. He can not feel the feeling of quite pleasure and security toward any but those those who live a holy life because He is holy. We Christians can only love each other with the same love in proportion to their holiness before God. If Christian love is to be exactly in the image of Christ among His people, then it can only be exercised only where that image really exists! Understand what James was telling us in1:21-24, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
It is an empty call on Christians to love one another with the holy love that God shows us when they are sunk down in the muck of sin. They see nothing in each other to produce this love! When there is such a spirit within the Church, then there is a great need for revival. Our religion cannot prosper and nothing but a revival can put to death this evil spirit.
When there is a worldly spirit in the Church, it is time for revival. When Christians conform to the world in dress, in amusements, in music, in what you watch on television or the movies you would see, it shows how far they are from God. There is a need for revival.
When the Church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, or are in the wake of such sins, then it is time to awaken and cry to God for a revival! When such a dark cloud hangs over a Church, it is time to ask God, "What will become of thy great Name?"
When there is a spirit of controversy in the church, a revival is needed. There can be no prosperity in the Church when there is the evil spirit of controversy is present.
When the lost become careless and stupid and extremely violent, it is time that Christians to seek God for revival. It is as much thier duty to awaken themselves as it is for a fireman to awaken when a fire breaks out in the night! Should a fireman sleep away while the city burns down? NO! As the fireman is to awaken, so is the Church! We need to be awake to battle the flames of hell that are coming on the lost people around us.


2. THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIVAL


A revival is the only possible thing that can wipe away the stains of sin upon the Church and restore it's right standing before our Father and the public around it. There must be a waking up on the part of Christians, and an outpouring of God's spirit, or the world will continue to laugh at and overlook the Church.
Nothing else will restore Christian love and confidence in our faith among Church members. Nothing else but a revival can restore it! Nothing else should be thought to bring this about. Not a fellowship meal or a "Get well" card.
Nothing but a revival could lift the spirit that so holds a Church down. It may not be God's judgment that causes a Church to not grow. But it may the stains of sin and fear of failure that will hold a Church from being what God would have that Church to be. Without a revival, prayers may only reach the ceiling and converts may never be found.
There is no other way in which a Church can be santified, grow in grace, and be fitted for Heaven. What is "growing in grace"? Is it hearing some teaching and getting some new notions about religion? No; no such thing! The Christian who does this and nothing more, is getting worse and worse, more and more hardened, and every week it is more difficult to rouse them up. Growing in grace is Godly love and confidence that is in the image of Christ spilling out into the world around us.


WHEN REVIVAL CAN BE EXPECTED


When the Spirit of God indicates that a revival is near. Pastors sermons of confessing sin one evening. The Pastor calling us to cast into the deep. Your desire for the Pastor to teach on end time events. Me being lead to teach on revival. Turn the radio on and there are preachers talking about the need to get back to the Bible in our message and conduct.
When the evil doings of the wicked grieves, humbles, and distresses Christians. Sometimes Christians don't seem to really mind anything about the wickedness around them. If they do speak of the wickedness it is a cold and unfeeling way, forgetting that they were once lost outside the faith. They are more ready to scold sinners instead of acting out of the compassion that the Son of God had for them. Only revival can take away the hardness of believers so that they will earnestly pray for sinners.
A revival may be expected when Christians have a spirit of prayer for a revival. Are you praying for revival? Are you willing to have a revival as long as it don't bother the everyday business of life and Church? Or, are you ready for God to use whatever means He brings in to usher in revival? Sometimes Christians want a revival but only if they can manage the details. Revival will come when God's children will just allow Him to move. Not second guess Him.

STUDIES OF REVIVAL

STUDY ONE

Introduction;
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2) KJV

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2) NIV
Religion is the work of man. It is something for man to do. It is all about obeying God. It is our service to Him. It is true that God influences us by His Holy Spirit to convict us of our great wickedness and unwillingness to obey. If it were not necessary for God to influence men, if we were so ready to obey God on our own, there would never be a need to cry out to Him, "O Lord, revive us!" The reason we would cry out to Him in this way is because we not 100% ready , at all times, to obey. If God didn't give us His Holy Spirit to guide and stir us up, not one person would ever obey the commands of God.


The reason for this study is it is necessary for God to use our tendacy to get excited. We can be so sluggish, there are so many outside influences that lead our minds away from obeying. So many evil influences that cause us to hide the Gospel and not share. We can get so wrapped up in our way of doing Church that we become cold. It becomes necessary for God to use an excitement among us so that a tide rises so high as to sweep away any obstacles. We must be so overcome with the excitement of His presence, that those things which cause us to be lazy will be replaced with a revived will to obey and share.
1. A REVIVAL IS NOT A MIRACLE;


A miracle has been generally defined to be a divine interference. A setting aside, or suspending, the laws of nature. A revival is not a miracle in this sense. All the laws of matter and mind remain in force. They are neither suspended nor set aside in revival.


We seek for God to move among us, but, it is no "miracle" - in the sense of something above the powers of nature. It is in our nature, as believers, to have super natural drawings. Holy Spirit dwells within us. He draws and enpowers us to obey. If we didn't have His Spirit dwelling within us, we wouldn't be drawn at all.


The revivals we see in the opening chapters of the book of Acts were not miracles. Revival followed miracles, but were not miracles themselves. The right means of these revivals were due to the right use of Gods word. In Acts 2 when the miracle of the giving of Holy Spirit was quite a different thing from Peter standing and giving his sermon where about 3000 souls were saved. Also, in Acts 3 is the story of Peter and John going to the temple and a lame man being healed. When the people saw the lame man walking and praising God, they wondered what this was. Again, the lame man being healed was the miracle, Peter standing and preaching the truth was another. About 5000 people was saved from this encounter.


It is not a miracle for a gardener to enjoy a nice harvest after planting seed. It is only right that, with Gods blessing, that the seed will grow and bring about the desired result. The same result is expected by planting the seed of Gods word into the souls of people, with Gods blessing, a harvest will follow. Jesus spoke in Luke, chapter 8, of seed being planted. That seed is the word of God. when planted in good soil, a good result will follow. So, a revival is not a miracle, only the result of the right means being applied in the right way.


2. WHAT A REVIVAL IS;


A revival is always needed when the Church is sunk down in a back-slidden state and/or society around the Church is so depraved and lost.


A revival always includes conviction of sin on the part of the Church. Back-slidden Christians cannot wake up and begin immediately in service of God without deep cleansings of heart. We cannot keep saying that we are only human and that we are prone to sin. There is some truth there, as we are still in this flesh. But Peter again stands and speaks to us today, "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:2-4 NIV)


Back-slidden Christians will be brought to repentance. A revival is nothing more than a new beginning of obedience to God. Just like the case of a saved sinner, the first step is deep repentance, a humbling of ourselves, a getting down in the dust before our Creator, with the goal of forsaking sin that is present within ourselves.


Christians will have their faith renewed. While in a back-slidden state, Christians can become blind to the state of the lost. Their heart can become as hard as marble. They can believe the truths of the Bible, admit they are all true, and even their daily walk is based on the truths found there. But, their faith does not see all the burning realities of eternity. They will look upon the lost with a cold, judging eye. When they enter into revival, they will as Jesus sees. They will see with that strong light which will renew the love of God in their hearts. They will feel grieved that others do not love God when they love Him so much. They will be filled with a tender and burning love for souls. Their prayer life will be renewed for the cause of salvation on the souls of the lost.


A revival breaks the power of the world and of sin over Christains. They will have a renewed desire towards Heaven and being close to our Father. It is then that the charm of the world and the power of sin is broken.


When the Church is so broken down and then revived, the lost will begin to truly see Jesus in Christians. Salvation will be found by those around them. The worst human beings are softened and reclaimed for Christ. They will be made to appear as lovely specimens of the beauty of holiness.
　
　

A softer side.......


I was thinking today that my first blogs came off as harsh and one sided. That is the farthest from my intentions. True, I see a GREAT need for revival in our land. True that there is only one way to achieve that and it is fully looking into God's perfect word and aligning ourselves to it instead of the way we do church now.
I was reading at lunch today and was directed to the first Psalm. Here is what I read;




Psalm 1:1-3


Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;


But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.


He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.




When you walk in this life by the way of our Great Lord, There really are great blessings! When I have come to the place of looking no further than the counsel of the Lord Jesus and His word, I am not walking in ungodly confusion. I am not standing in the same place  as lost people do. I am not sitting in a place of hurt or anger, depression or anxiety. When Jesus said He would set a man free, he would be totally free (John 8:36)!! What does that mean? I am free NOT to sin. When I quit trying to align myself to other religious people and measure myself to His word, I am FREE!! I am free to be happy. I am free to have joy. I am free from stress. I am free from guilt. I am free from anger. I am free to love my fellow man. I am free to care for them.



Think about the tree planted by the rivers of water for a second. It's roots NEVER are without life giving water! It is always fresh. It always brings forth shade and fruit when it is supposed to. The animals around it can have shade and shelter when needed because it is strong. That is the substance of a life devoted to Jesus Christ. The prosperity spoken of here is not concerning money. We always want to equate prosperity with money. But, what He wants for us is to prosper in His peace. His love. His joy. Isn't that better to have than worldly riches? You have to fight to hold on to those things.


Listen to what Jesus said, "  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) The fruit of having Him dwell inside you is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22&23) This is what I have found when I got down on my face before God and applied His word to my life. This a great way to live in this world. The rewards after will be even more amazing.


I have decided to share my walk to this revival that is still taking place in my heart with anyone who would read. I will share all my thoughts just as I did when I presented it to my church this past summer. I hope seeking more of God in your life will have the same rewards it has given me. God bless everyone!!!

 A need for revival in our lives and Churches!


Ezra 9:5-10

At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments.................


I was teaching Ezra last week in Sunday School and these passages jumped out at me. We in America have let the Christian Way become a whole world away from what is written in Scripture. I have friends in Pakistan. One in particular is in charge of security not just for his particular church, but for a couple others in his city. He is a marked man! At any moment he could die for his simple faith in Jesus Christ. All he does is warn those who are in worship of approaching danger. I asked him once if he had any fear for his life. He told me that he is NOT afraid of any of the Taliban because they couldn't do anything to him till Jesus was done with him.
I see so many Christians in other countries with a faith that should shame us in America. They put their lives on the line for owning a Bible. They meet in secret to learn as much as they can of what it means to be a Christian, fully pleasing to God. They put their lives on the line to walk to fully understand what is involved to be a born again Christian. They have to hide to study so they know what is displeasing to God and then go and live that life and reach those around them with the truth.
In the above portion of Ezra, Ezra just found out the leaders and priests were fully involved in sin. They were in the process of rebuilding the Temple that was destroyed. When Ezra found out what the people were doing, he hit his knees and prayed for revival in and among the people. He was so ashamed for the sin and truly cried out to God for Grace and Mercy. What happened next was amazing!


Ezra 10:1 ~ Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.


The people realized their sin and they came to confess and to start anew to walk the walk that scripture guided them to.
We need revival in America. We need to hit our knees and confess our sin. Unlike my friend in Pakistan, we have freedom to have our Bibles. We are free to fully follow Jesus. Yet we don't. We have taken the gospel and decreased it to saying a prayer and getting dunked in water without ever changing our lives to please Him. We say we are Christian and yet cheat our fellow man and call it business. We have filthy mouths. We say we love God and then love and marry anyone we want, either same or opposite gender. We fill up the bingo halls and casinos. We don't come together for worship, we feel that what we did as a child is good enough. Our "Christian" men are addicted to porn. We love alcohol to make our days better and overcome stress. We jump from one sexual encounter to another. We have twisted Gods word to fit our chosen life style instead of moving our hearts to love Him and follow the freedom from sin that He has so graciously given us through Jesus Christ.
We who confess to being Christian,  need to ask ourselves, 'Am I a part of the solution or a part of the problem?' Jesus is coming soon and I want to be a part of His solution. We need to reevaluate what we have done to His great name, hit our knees in confession, and start living His way. His way will win in the end anyway.

Matthew 22:8-14
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Here is the wedding banquet;

Revelation 19:6-9
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

What happens to those who are not at the banquet?

 Revelation 20:15
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Who are those who are thrown into the lake of fire that are not at the banquet?

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”


  What makes this so horrible is the fact that many of these who will be cast away will be the same ones who, in this life, confessed to being "Christian". Remember, Jesus told us what it means to be saved from the coming judgment, John 15:6-10 ~ “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Be sure what you confess lines up with the very words that could condemn you!!


Matthew 24:45-51
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


What will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth? Those poor fools who heard all this truth but chose to ignore it! They will be so full of rage because they didn't listen when they had the chance. This rage and torment will be unending...........


What is in store for those of us who truly believe and live totally for Him?


Revelation 21:1-4


Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."


Please don't be the fool and turn your back on Him. If you claim to be a Christian, be sure you are a Christian. The rewards are out of this world!!

ARE YOU SAVED?

We are all born with the natural desire to sin. Nobody teaches their children to lie or cheat or steal, it comes naturally. So what Paul says in Romans 3:10-18 is true, "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."

It is very important to understand what it means to be saved, why we need a savior, and to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Pretty self-explanatory. All of us have failed God, or sinned against Him.

Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Because of His love, the Father sent the Son to die and pay the penalty for our sin. While Jesus hung on that cross, He faced the full judgment of God that all sin deserves. We deserve to be executed for our sins toward God, but Jesus took it all and paid that price.

Romans 6:23 - "But the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We get paid wages when we work because that's what we've earned right? Same thing here. We deserve death because of our sin. The death spoke of here is refering to eternal separation from God in hell. If we think we can continue in sin and say we are Christian is a lie. The good news is we can have the free gift of eternal life in Heaven only through Jesus Christ.

Roman 10:9-10 - "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:13 - "For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Make a public confession that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and believe in your heart that He died on the cross and was raised again three days later.

Call on the Lord and ask for His forgiveness and you will be saved.

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and that I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe you died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in Heaven for me. Jesus come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in you alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Jesus had a woman brought to Him who was caught in the very act of adultery. The religious wanted to kill her because that is what their law said should happen. Killing her would have been her sentence. Jesus told the crowd that whoever among them was without sin could throw the first stone at her. Nobody was without sin and nobody could throw that first stone. They all left and only Jesus and that woman was left. Look what He said to her in John 8:10-12, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

See what He said? Go and sin no more. This is called repenting. When you turn from sin and follow Jesus with your whole heart. When you truly put your faith in Him to save you, He puts His Spirit in you and you have power to walk in a new life. Your life will be well lit and you won't walk in the sin that once had you trapped. Deciding to be a Christian is a very big deal and not to be taken lightly. This is a decision to chose all the life He has to give. Not to pick and chose what you want to do and what you don't want to do. Following Jesus with only a piece of your heart is not what He came to get.

Are you giving all to Him?