Does revival tarry because we’re not praying or fasting enough?
Is God waiting on us to be humble enough?
Is God waiting on us to be more holy before he’ll heal our land?
That’s a big fat no!
Revival is not something God does in response to man, revival happens when we respond to him. God is not waiting on us to get more humble and holy, he’s already given us everything in Christ. In fact God is not waiting on anything…except for us to believe and live in the power of his grace. We hold the key…Christ in me.
2 Chronicles 7:14 is an illegal prayer under God’s New Covenant in Christ:
“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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
First of all, where is Heaven?
Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
This means that according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, God would be hearing us from within us. He’s in there because Jesus’ blood has cleansed us, which is the process of sanctification, and left us in a set apart state (holy) for the purpose of housing his spirit. God is one with and lives in believers.
Another point…God has already given us everything that pertains unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Yes, our world may not be experiencing God’s life and godliness but it is already in each and every believer. The godliness that we long to see is not something that God will send us when we’re humble enough, the nations will experience it when believers live in the righteousness, peace and joy that he’s already given us in Christ. This is only possible through his grace, which is in more abundance than we can exhaust.
The body of Christ is divided in how we think revival happens and God’s role in it. Some folks chalk revival up to a “sovereign” move that he just decides to release at some point in time, usually associated with something that believers do, whether it be praying, fasting or possibly experiencing persecution. Some think that revival will come when believers start doing more miracles and displaying more supernatural power. While that is needed, it’s not the path Jesus gave us. God is certainly still active and moving in the earth today by his spirit, there is nothing else to pour out or release that isn’t already resident within each and every believer.
Jesus said our love for one another will be a testimony that we follow him and our unity will inspire the world to believe.
The last point in 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that God will forgive us once we’ve prayed enough, stopped sinning enough and become humble enough. Under the New Covenant the process of forgiveness changed. God has sovereignly forgiven all sin in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Looks closely, God was not holding THE WORLD’S trespasses (sins) against them, not just believers. God is no longer holding the world’s sins against them. For clarification and for my anti hyper-grace readers, sin still kills, it hardens our hearts, it should be avoided, his grace is the power to live above sin, we still must confess him as Lord and receive the free gift of righteousness to be born again…BUT, God, through Christ, has chosen to not be angry with us, he simply chose to forgive us. He set us free so we could freely choose him. There’s a new system, the currency is the blood of Christ rather than the blood of goats and bulls.
Revival will come when forgiven people live in the power of righteousness, peace and joy…motivated by love, unite together in that love and take the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ to the world, not when we do something in our flesh that causes God to quit withholding.
Rise up church! Stop letting race divide us, stop letting religion divide us, stop letting tradition divide us, stop letting cultural differences divide us…unite his love toward the world and we will see a revival like never before!
Message Titles
- Faith Begins With Love
- Love is the Way of the Kingdom
- Who is your Passion
- Defy Your Excuses
Jesus tells us there’s only one way to reach the world, LOVE. Love is the only strategy that never fails. His strategy has two steps…
STEP 1: Our love for one another should be a testimony to the world that we follow Jesus. There should be something different in the way we treat each other that sends a message to the world that Jesus followers have a unique relationship with one another that is rooted in love.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35
STEP 2: There should be a unity among believers that the world is compelled to believe. The strength of this unity is our love for one another and the purpose of this unity is so the world will believe.
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21
When we allow division to dwell within the body of Christ we are working against God’s plans to reach the world. In this series I challenge the church to take Jesus at his word and begin to walk according to his commandments and purposes.
The post We Need Revival! But What Is It and How Does It Happen? appeared first on Forward Ministries.