TODAYS
WORD FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2012.
REVIVAL
DEFINITION:
Restoration
to life, consciousness, vigor or strength; reawakening of interest in and care
for religion; a meeting to promote religious awakening.
SCRIPTURE:
"Will
you not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" Psalm 85:6
"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." II Chronicles 7:14
KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE:
Many
professing Christians today have never experienced a revival and probably never
even heard of one let alone really know what a revival is. The Psalmist, in
Psalm 85:6 recognized that Israel needed revival. Unfortunately, many
Christians need revival and do not know it. They have become complacent and no
longer know what it is to rejoice in the Lord.
A
"revival" as we refer to it here is a time when a single person or a
group of people (believers in Jesus) decide that they need to restore their
faith in the Lord and get back to living by the fundamentals that God expects
from us.
There
are at least 12 revivals referred to in the Old Testament and there are four
factors preceding each revival that is in common and vital to these Old
Testament revivals and are also relevant for us today.
•
A moral and Spiritual decline among the people of God.
•
Always proceeded by some kind of a righteous judgment from God.
•
The raising up of an immensely burdened leader or leaders.
•
A common location for a beginning with a common burden.
The
Old Testament tells us of revivals under Moses, Samuel, David, Asa,
Jehoshaphat, Jehoida, Hezekiah, Joash, Zerubbabel, Ezra and Joel. All of these
prophets led these revivals by calling the people together and having them
pray, fast and confess their sins. In each case God used a leader who was
faithful to Him.
God
used Moses to bring revival to the Israelites when they rebelled against God.
It would seem that after all the miracles the Israelites had witnessed God do
to bring them out of Egypt that they would be forever faithful to God. Yet just
within months, while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, the
Israelites turned away from God and made a golden calf to worship. Moses had to
call his people to a revival of their relationship with God.
God
used Moses to point out to the Israelites that they had rebelled against God
and that God's judgment had come upon them for one reason -- they had sinned
against God. Then Moses reminded the Israelites of God's mercy and the many
promises God had fulfilled in the past. Their restoration depended on their
willingness to repent, follow the Lord and obey His commandments.
In
II Chronicles 7:14, four conditions are given that are necessary for revival.
First, humble yourself and admit your sin. Secondly, pray and ask for
forgiveness. Thirdly, seek God. And fourthly, turn from your wicked ways.
America
was founded as a nation under God but today as a people we have rebelled and
sinned against God. We have witnessed a moral and spiritual decline not only
among the general population but also among the believers in Jesus. We need a
revival to begin with individuals and then to our families and finally to our
churches. God desires that believers be leaders in their families and to call
family members to repentance and bring revival in our home.
YES,
REVIVAL is needed today. It begins with individuals. God is just waiting for us
to HUMBLE ourselves; PRAY; SEEK HIM; turn from our WICKED WAYS, and then we
will hear from heaven and, God will forgive our sins and heal our homes and our
land.
LEARNING:
Our
memory verse for this week is found in I Peter 5:7.
Casting
all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
PRAYER:
Help
me to put into perspective my need for a personal revival to begin in my heart.
Give me the leadership to help my family see their need for revival. It is my prayer that You will work Your
miracles in my life so that Your name will be honored and glorified.
