Awakening of a New Revival
There have been spiritual revivals throughout history. After the Dark Ages we had the Renaissance beginning in the 14th century, with the reformation in 1517, in 1906-1915 was a big revival called the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, the Charismatic movement began in the 1960s, just to name a few. But what about now, in the 21st century? We want to look at this closer to see if we should be praying now to bring about a new movement, a new spiritual awakening, maybe even a last time revival that will usher in the Messiah.
Paul talks about a fall from righteousness that will take place in the end times in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. He explains how people will fall into lawlessness, and in his second letter to the Thessalonians he speaks about a great falling away in chapter 2. Today we see both of these warnings coming to pass. Here in America we see that people have fallen away from God. The percentage of churchgoers have dropped especially in the younger generation over the past 20-25 years. People read their Bibles less and pray less. We have seen this lawless attitude with people taking to the street and destroying property. We have seen crime, and especially murder, skyrocket out of control. We see that people have grown cold and calloused to the things around them. We have taken God out of our school and marketplace and we have rejected Christian symbols all together.
Now maybe there are those who say, “I haven’t fallen from righteousness, and my family goes to church, and we even hand out food.” I say, Great! But I ask you, are you as devoted as you can be? Do you watch what is on TV or go to the movies or even listen to the radio? We have become so dumbed down that we do not realize that the wholesome TV that we once watched has been long gone and the TV that we watch today is full of violence and sexual situations and speech that one who serves God should not entertain (Romans 13:11-14).
We have lost our holiness. Today we snub our noses and say that this is radical or far right or extremism. But God has called us to holiness (1 Peter 1:5-6) and also to be set apart from the world (Romans 12:2, 1 John 1-10, Ephesians 5:17-14). We are not to look like the world or act like the world. To be holy means to be set apart. We are not to conform to this world but to transform the world. This is being light in the darkness (Matthew 5:14-16). This is what revival is all about, transforming the world from darkness to light. Now I understand that this may be a far reaching concept, for not all are going to come to the truth, but it is not impossible for the Holy spirit to renew lives (Titus 3:5) and change hearts, and for Him to do a work in someone’s life that will drastically and radically transform them into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) is not far reaching for Him. This is what He does.
So let’s just think about America, let’s just think about the state that you live in. Let’s just think about the neighborhood you live in and even the job where you work. It is quite possible now to reach the multitudes with God’s Word and bring light to the darkness. It is possible to even reach one lost soul for the kingdom, but how do we do this? Well everything starts with prayer. Not a little prayer like, “Lord help my neighbor” (not that God won’t hear that prayer), but we must earnestly seek God and pray for our neighbor. We must lay down our lives, which means we might have to turn off the TV and pray that hour for our neighbor and cry out to God with sincerity of heart, with compassion for his lost soul and I say, we can not just ask God once but we must keep asking and asking and knocking and knocking and seeking God for wisdom and understanding on how to reach that neighbor (Matthew 7:7-12, Proverbs 2:6, Ephesians 1:17-19). I tell you, you will see results if you tarry and not grow weary in well-doing (Galatians 6:9).
It is perfectly fine to do good deeds and maybe sing in that choir at church, but we must go beyond this and reach out to those around us, and we can all do this through prayer. We must be prayer warriors, knocking on heaven’s door, storming the throneroom of God, who is a mighty warrior Himself (Isaiah 42:13, Jeremiah 20:11), and we must bring our lost souls before Him and don’t stop there: pray for your neighborhood and your workplace and your city and state and those who are in public office and for our bosses and our pastors and teachers and even our enemies. Let’s be people of prayer on our knees bringing about a great revival to this land, and if we all take part in being warriors for the kingdom of God, God will hear our many prayers and He will reach down from heaven and cause a great revival to take place, and He will heal our land and many lost souls will no longer be lost (1 John 5:14-15).
Let’s form a wall around America with prayer, and we will begin to see that the light of our prayers will bring about America’s light to the nations. Will you make that commitment? Will you make the sacrifice that is pleasing to God (Romans 12:1)? Are you willing to lay down your life for your fellow man? If you are, then you will begin laying up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) and you will have a crown filled with jewels, and on judgment day those souls will say, “Thank you, for I was a soul that was lost, but because of you I am here in God’s kingdom today.”
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