Preparing the Fields for Revival Part 2
Principles for Revival ((II Chron. 7:14)
Principles of Revival--1. Humility
2. Prayer
3. Searching
4. Repentance
Revival will never take place in the heart of the proud. One of God’s qualifications for revival is humility. The word “humble” in II Chronicles 7:14 means “to bend the Knee.” We will never be ready for revival until we first bend the knee. God is God. Who are you?
It does not matter who you are, or who you think you are. Life is all about Christ—not you. Remember you were made for His glory. We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we are (Rom. 12:3). We need to bend the knee before the God of Heaven and realize that everything we have is from Him (James 1:17). Your very breath is from Him. Realize that we deserve to be burning in hell right now. We must bend our knees and bow before the Lord in submission to be on the road to revival.
Revival is a matter of serious prayer. We will look closer at prayer later, but realize that personal or corporate revival never takes place without much prayer. Prayer is mentioned in Ephesians 6:18 as being one of two offensive spiritual weapons. The Bible is the other weapon. If we become immersed in Bible study and prayer we can not help but to be revived. It is prayer, that lifts us above this world into the very presence of God. If you expect revival, expect to spend much time bending your knee in humility and prayer.
If we are to be revived, we must seek the face of God. We know God. We know what He is about (or so we think). We have a relationship with Him. But that is not enough for revival. The average, dead Christian knows what God is about, but we are talking about something much higher. We must develop a longing to know Him in a most intimate way. Paul said “For me to live is Christ. . .” (Phil.1:23). Let that sink in. His life was Christ. So must ours be.
Every breath we take is to be about Christ. Everything we do is to be about Christ. Everything we say is to be about Christ. Unless we seek Him, we really will be unable to live Him. Prayer, much prayer, is a principle of revival, but so is the use of God’s other offensive weapon—the Bible. We must drench ourselves in His Word if we are to build that intimate relationship with Him. If we are to live Him, then we must know Him. The only way we can know Him is to seek Him.
If we are to experience true revival in our lives we must turn from our wicked ways. We must repent of our sins. I am not talking about repenting for salvation. I am not talking about sinless perfection. I am saying what the Bible says. We are to turn from our wicked ways.
I Peter 1:15 and 16 says that we are to be holy. God would never have told us to be holy if He did not expect us to be. He would have never told us to be holy if we could not be. Holiness in these verses means to be physically pure and morally blameless. God expects His people to be physically pure and morally blameless. Holiness goes beyond actions of the physical body. Holiness enters our thought processes as well. Psalm 66:18 and Isaiah 59:1 and 2 both bring out the idea that our sin separates us from God, and thus from revival. God can not revive a dirty vessel and allow it to remain dirty. Revival brings with it the need to clean up, to turn from sin, to be holy.
I do believe that sometimes we do not really understand the cost of revival. If you truly desire to see revival in your life, it will cost you dearly. It will cost you dearly, but it will be well worth the price. God wants to bless you more than you will ever know, but we must be faithful to His program. We must humble ourselves. We must spend much time in prayer. We must seek His face through the Word and prayer. We must, turn from known sin in our lives. We must be sold out 100% to Christ and His cause.
If you want revival in your life, then now is the time to prepare for rain. Prepare for God to open the windows of Heaven. Prepare for the work God has for all of us to do. Revival begins with you.
We will look at some of these principles closer in my next hub, but take a moment to examine your own life now. Where are you at right now? What changes is God speaking to you about? Are you willing to make those changes? If not, you will not see revival or the total blessing of God on your life. You will miss part of what God has for you. Perhaps you will miss most of what God has for you. Spend some time in prayer and let the Lord speak to you in the quietness of your heart and just be obedient to what He has for you.