Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Preparing for the Coming Revival?

Greetings Brothers,

I listened to a David Wilkerson message several years ago and he made a shocking statement that has stayed with me. It has been on my mind ever since we started praying for revival. I am going to paraphrase his statement as I recall it.

"There can be no revival in America until there is a complete collapse of the economy and the Church of Christ is forced to abandon their idols (materialism), repent and truly seek God." (my recollection)

With the economy here in the U.S. unravelling at a horrific rate, our confidence and trust in our god (money) is being shaken to the core. The experts are wringing their hands and saying , "The sky is falling!" What is our response?

In the days leading up to the Revival Conference in Canton, our group was intensely focused and hungry....starving for a glimpse of the power of God to be revealed. Hungry for personal revival and a true revival within the Bride of Christ.

This year feels so very different. I seem powerless to break the numbing complacency that deadens my prayers and blurs my focus. Is anyone else feeling this way? By the lack of responses to my past posting I have to conclude that this is not just my own experience. I have been following the reports from the Tue. evening prayer meetings that are going on weekly in preparation for the conferences. The numbers are dismally small. We may have over 1100 registered for Atlanta but if we are all completely distracted and complacent, can we really expect a move of God in our midst?

I left Canton somewhat disappointed that the Creator of the Universe didn't respond on my schedule. I was looking for a dramatic display of God's power and instead I heard a message of repentance and preparation of the heart. That was God's message for 2007. What will we hear from Him in 2008?

Scripture confirms that God does not work according to man's timetable. Nineveh was ripe for judgement and had persecuted and abused the Jews mercilessly...and yet, when the people accepted the prophecy of Jonah, they repented and God stayed His hand of judgement for many years. Jonah was just like me. Disappointed that God didn't work like Jonah thought He should.

We must realize that the preparation, the prayers, the tears at Canton are incense before the throne of God. (Rev.5:8) God's agenda is not our agenda so we must be faithful and always looking forward, prayed up and expectantly looking for the next great message and next great move of God. The cracks in the foundation of our self-centered, materialistic world are widening. We may be on the brink of revival!


When prayer is hard, I don't want to pray. When I don't pray I am at the mercy of the enemy. Adam Clarke said,

"Apostasy begins in the closet. No man ever backslid from the life and power of Christianity who continued constant and fervent in private prayer. He who prays without ceasing is likely to rejoice evermore."

These are such interesting times. The possibility of another terrorist attack gets more and more likely, the closer we get to our election. The economy is unravelling. Our southern states have been decimated by tropical storms. We are so vulnerable...the richest country on the face of the earth. And yet...

"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—" Rev. 3:17

Let us encourage one another as we get closer to Atlanta. Let us be aware of our great vulnerability, and our great need for revival.

Please let us lift one another up in prayer!

Your brother in the battle, Steve

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Brother Steve,

Over the past year every now and then I've pulled pulled up this blog to see if there were any new posts. It saddened me not to see much activity over this past summer, so when I opened it up one day and came upon your last post my heart rejoiced to see that this prayer union has not been dropped altogether. But at the time my own spiritual state was so needy that I didn't feel like I could even comment. Since then after a time of seeking the Lord, praying, soaking myself in the Word, and asking prayer from others, He has restored my soul and stirred the embers of my heart into a little flame. I need more of Jesus in my life to cause the fire to blow brighter. And I long to see Him revive my home and church.

Three messages that have blessed me recently:
Little Foxes, Dead Flies (http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=15980&commentView=itemComments)

The Heaven Side of Unyielding Prayer (http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=2080&commentView=itemComments)

No Shortcuts (http://www.icnministries.org/revival/audio.htm)

Let us not grow weary in praying for God's divine presence to sweep o're His Church in a great work of revival for the glory of His name. In the past some have prayed for years and years for revival and God heard their prayers and came. Let us press on in praying in faith and pleading fervently at the throne of Grace.

Praying for revival,
Joy