Jay, I haven't stopped thinking about this since this morning. It speaks to me on a deep level. I am again reminded of how I have allowed myself to slip in this area of personal spiritual disciplines. We all talk about revival. It begins here.
All true revival is personal. Revival is about cleansing, restoring, and renewing each individual believer as well as reaching new potential converts with the message of the Gospel. Jesus said that He came to seek and to save those who are lost. In our day, that could include those who are already members of or who are already attending a church.
Preparation is key to personal revival. First of all, do we know that we need revival? Let us check our attitudes. The Apostle Paul said that he was forgetting what lies behind but was pressing on to what lies ahead. He died daily to self. He did not consider that he had arrived. If we are living on this earth then we need revival, continually.
Secondly, are we abiding in the Word of God, the Holy Bible? Why read about the Bible without reading the Bible? We need to receive daily the ingrafted word which is able to save our souls. We should read our Bibles the way we read our newspapers, with regularity, focus and intensity. There is no strength apart from the Word. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Read it slow. Read every word. And read it as if you are seeing it for the first time.
Thirdly, are we abiding in God’s presence. Is our life and our prayer life the same? Or do we so compartmentalize our lives so as to keep God in His place and less directly involved in our daily living? Are we dealing with our flesh through fasting?
Personal revival is simple. Too simple. God wants to revive us if we show that we are sincere:
If you seek me you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
Why don't we all commit afresh to seek God now? Commit to a daily walk with Him in Christ. Find prayer partners. Get behind the veil.
The following links may be helpful to those looking for motivation and encouragement:
A Call to Anguish by David Wilkerson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayYizi9TZAQ
An interview with Leonard Ravenhill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwtiw7UTj4o
Though both men are gone from us and neither was, in fact, “Oneness” their voices speak to us from the halls of eternity with the force of an Elijah or Jeremiah.
Let’s use this Thread,
not for debate but rather let it be a place of encouragement; A place for sharing, experience, strength and hope. Successes, failures, questions; all are welcome here. Let’s save the intense discussions of the finer points of doctrine for the other threads.
Thanks Jay and Michael for reminding us to get back to the basics.
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