Revival

REVIVAL

What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12, NLT).

Dear friends:

America needs revival!

Revival originates with our sovereign Lord; however, that does not mean that we have to passively wait for a general outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church and the nation. God is waiting on us to obey what He has already commanded us!

Our task is to surrender to the lordship of Christ and the control of the Holy Spirit, fast, pray, and obey God's Word. Meeting these conditions, we can expect the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and our nation.

I liken this to the story of two Christian farmers. They lived on adjoining farms. They were both poor when they started, and each had similar equipment. Today, one is wealthy, and the other is poor.

The wealthy farmer works hard. He chooses his seed carefully. He fertilizes the soil, waters it, and carefully works the field. And at the right time, he harvests the grain.

The other farmer is lazy and undisciplined. He does not choose good seed. He does not fertilize his soil properly, and he leaves too much to chance. He loves to sit on his front porch and watch the world pass by on the state highway.

God sends sun and rain on both farms. But he expects the farmers to add shoe leather and elbow grease to what He entrusts to them.

I believe the same is true spiritually. God wants to send revival to the individual who is willing to repent and seek Him. Jesus said: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6, NIV).

The Holy Spirit of God is sovereign. He works when and where He chooses. But personal revival begins with an inner call to the heart by the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:13). The conscience finds itself stirred by that call. The will makes the decision to obey or ignore it.

Today, our decision is crucial as individuals, as a church and as a nation. God is asking us to seek Him with all of our being. The revival which He promises begins when we humble ourselves, repent, fast, pray, and seek His face and turn from our evil ways. God has promised to respond with revival fire for any person who will hear, love, trust and obey Him.

(Crossroads Insights from Bill Bright – August 9, 2008)