Preparing Your Heart for Revival
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Here is a reminder of the Wednesday’s message on “Preparing Your Heart for Revival”
Real revival comes from God. Men don’t plan it or cause it to happen. We read some of the account of The Great Awakening from Jonathan Edwards in 1735.
1. Obedience (Matt 7:21 / John 14:15-17,21,23)
2. An Awareness of Sin
a. Godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow for sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-13)
b. Law preaching (Romans 7:7-13) – Paul didn’t know what sin was until the Law told him. Through the Law sin became “exceedingly sinful.” We must see sin as an offence against a Holy God so that we will hate it and repent of all of it. Without this there is no salvation. Praying prays and walking aisles won’t do. The Bible never tells us to do these to be saved.
c. Understand that God is Holy and so is the HOLY Spirit (Isaiah 6) – When the Holy Spirit does come to bring revival, there is always a greater awareness of sin in everyone, even those who are already children of God. He is holy, we are not! When He shows up we see ourselves as absolutely filthy in His presence. This cause brokenness and Godly sorrow and hatred of sin that leads to saving repentance.
- A healthy fear of the Lord also accompanies this (Proverbs 1:7; 10:27; 15:33; 19:23) – No one who claims to be saved is telling the truth if they do not fear the Lord.
3. Practical Guidlines: (things you can do — not that it comes from us — knowing that God is at work in us according to Philippians 2:12-13)
a. Pray – cry out to God and don’t stop until He answers
b. Give yourself to reading His Word
c. Examine Yourself – read 1 John for tests of salvation (go to Fruitful Musings for a short video and tests to see if you are saved according to the Bible). It doesn’t matter what anyone else tells you. What does the Bible say. God’s Word is the source of truth and the absolute authority.
d. Ask God to search your heart to reveal your sin (Psalm 139:23-24)
e. Cry out to God for salvation OR restoration! If you fail the examination above, you need to be saved by God. If you are a Christian in temporary disobedience then you need to be restored to joy in God again like David (Psalm 51).
I have many hopes for the revival meetings. I hope and pray that God will fill the people young and old alike with an overwhelming awareness of how serious their sin really is. It doesn’t matter if your four or forty, God is willing and able to save, age doesn’t matter. I pray that saved and unsaved alike will truly repent for all their sins. I pray God will open their hearts to accept his gracious gift of forgiveness I know for me when I first felt that HUGE burden being lifted from me it was an overwhelming feeling. It is so amazing to see others myself included living a Christ centered life. Living fully for God almighty. We are so unworthy of his grace and until I came to terms with the fact that, yes I am unworthy, and yes I do deserve to spend eternity in the lake of fire. But God sent his son to die for me and my sin ,did I fully accept the fact that he knows better than me how much I don’t deserve anything he has or will give me but he loves me and he wants me. It was then that I began to look at the world differently and see how truly sinful it really is. And although I will still suffer and still have pain in my life that (God will never leave me or forsake me) Deuteronomy 31:6. I am his now and forever because he said so. (all the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never cast out) John 6:37. How awesome is that really, I mean Satan is going to try us and tempt so much more than everyone else because he wants us to stumble and fall, but when we have God on our side we will never stumble nor will we ever fall. because God promises that “no one will ever snatch us out of his hand”. I pray that over this week God will move among his people and show them/us all of these things. But I don’t wish for anyone to wait for this week to come. They/we need to repent now and need to start living for God now. You can’t just say to God when he’s calling, “ya ya I’ll get to later.” it doesn’t work that way. We aren’t promised later. I hate it so much for people who think they can just put God off for another day. There is no time like the present. What would happen to a loved one or you decided to wait till next week to accept Gods’ forgiveness, then tonight or tomorrow you died. You couldn’t walk up to God on judgment day and try to talk your way into heaven it doesn’t work that way. You couldn’t say, “I was going to repent but I ran out of time”. You had your whole life to repent and believe the gospel. So please don’t think that you even have the next five minutes. If gods’ been calling you answer before it’s too late. Only God knows the hour of your death. I pray if any of you has a sin or burden that has been weighing you down that you will give it all up too God. He’s here and he wants you to come home. *God I pray that you hear the cries of your people. And that you convict their hearts now and give them a heart to understand. We are all dead in our sin and alive in you. Please revive us now, tonight. Lord please we are unable to save ourselves in any way. We cannot just work our way home. I pray that all that have truly repented will now live their lives to fully glorify you. I know that we will all slip up from tome to time, but you will always forgive us all we have to do is ask. kill our pride father, drop us to our knees in grief for the way we’ve treated the most holy God. We come to you with open arms, grab us lord and never let go. In your name I pray, amen*
Suzanne
May 13, 2007