Prayer Journal

Wednesday, December 6, 2000
341/25
Read the Bible through in OneYear

There is a way to prime the pump for revival. Scripture tells us that God's blessing comes by virtue of God's people removing those things which are offensive to Him and renewing their vow to serve Him resolutely.

"And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, 'If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines'." 1 Sam 7:3

We're anticipating December 12th. That is the first of 40 days where we plan to pray for revival. Of course, we know that we can not force God to do anything He does not wish to do. But, I'm so glad we have the Holy Bible where we read of God dealing with His people through the ages and are able to benefit from the experience.

Today, I point to a simple, yet profound fact: Revival does not come unless and until we, as God's people, ask for it and prepare for it.

There must be a reason why we are not experiencing God's favor as we should. To say that our churches represent the "best" God can do reveals a perception of a very small God. To continue in such a mediocre state without any desire to see God's power through His people is called "Apathy".

But apathy in the Church is not the problem. Rather, apathy is the result of a problem. That problem is "sin" and can only be removed by dealing with it. The Israelites recognized the source of their problem and did three things to prepare for revival:

  1. They got rid of those things representing false worship and idolatry.
  2. They committed their lives to God.
  3. They served God and Him alone.

We should profit from their experience. Do we want to see God move mightily in our churches? Do we want to see God change lives, restore broken marriages, heal broken relationships and convict the lost of their need for a Savior? If so, we should realize that we are the problem, not God. If we want to see God move, it's time to deal with those things that offend God. Are you willing?  Are you ready?

Just Thinkin'.. WebServant

 

(1)) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.

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