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Personal Revival and the Conditions
‘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’ (2 Chronicles 7:14). The Individual Heart – Get Right with God We cannot expect God to pour out His Spirit corporately if we are individually not fulfilling the conditions. It is just a mockery to expect God to revive us, or our local Church whilst we participate in habitual sin without remorse and repentance (which includes forsaking sin). This is not to say that before revival comes there must be a perfect Church. On the contrary, revival is the Holy Spirit coming to revive the Church, but there must be a core, if only a handful who are correctly related to God and each other within each congregation or group, so that they can stand in the gap and ask God to pour out His Spirit from on high. But this all begins with the preparation of the individual heart which is then outworked into a person’s lifestyle, character and demeanour. ‘Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face’ (Psalm 24:3-6). Seeking God After the restoration of the temple worship under King Hezekiah, (just before revival broke out), multitudes ate the Passover and participated in this important religious festival of the Feast of Unleavened Bread though ‘they had not cleansed themselves’ which ‘was contrary to what was written’ in the Law of Moses. But Hezekiah did not rebuke the fledgling Jewish multitude, but prayed for them saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God…” (2 Chronicles 30:18-19). Verses 20-22 records that ‘the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.’ They then participated in worship ‘accompanied by loud instruments,’ the Levites taught them the Word of God, whilst the people made offerings and ‘confessions to the Lord.’ ‘Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you’ (Hosea 10:12). Younger Christians Young Christians are generally not as mature in the faith as those who have named the name of Christ for a longer period and will not have victory over sin and struggle in different areas of their lives, as do many mature Christians. Some Christians have more charisma than character, whilst other's anointing is greater than the character of Christ formed in them. But like Hezekiah, we can pray for them and as long as their hearts are right before God, (even though their lifestyles or character may not always glorify God) the Lord will minister to their needs. We should be less hasty to judge and more quickly to love and to pray for the weaker brethren, or those who have slipped up. ‘I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgression to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this cause everyone who is godly will pray to You’ (Psalm 32:5-6a). This is an excerpt from the book Global Revival: Worldwide Outpourings – Forty-Three Visitations of the Holy Spirit by Mathew Backholer and is used by permission. Recommended Books: Holy Spirit Power The Holy Spirit in a Man Revival Answers, True and False Revivals How Christianity Made the Modern World Heaven – A Journey to Paradise and the Heavenly City Prophecy Now, Prophetic Words and Divine Revelations Reformation to Revival, 500 Years of God's Glory Revival Fires and Awakenings: Thirty-Six Visitations of the Holy Spirit Global Revival: Worldwide Outpourings - Forty-Three Visitations of the Holy Spirit Revival Fire - 150 Years of Revivals: Spiritual Awakenings and Moves of the Holy Spirit Understanding Revival and Addressing the Issues it Provokes Jesus Today, Daily Devotional: 100 Days with Jesus Christ Samuel Rees Howells: A Life of Intercession Samuel, Son and Successor of Rees Howells Recommended Revival DVD: Great Christian Revivals Thus says the Lord, “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants and My blessing on your offspring” (Isaiah 44:3). REVIVAL LINKS ‘O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You’ (Jeremiah 14:7). |
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