Why we don’t have revival

Isaiah 55:6 (New International Version)

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

Joel 2:13
So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

2 Chronicles 7:14
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.

I believe that God will not send revival, renewal, awakening, just to vindicate the church, by proving to the world that we were “right” after all, when our hearts have not been right even when our beliefs have been. It is not enough to look at the state of the world and shake our heads, or to look at the direction the world is going in disbelief when we ourselves have become unworthy to be listened to by our lack of integrity. If the world is going to pot, it is because we haven’t been salt and light. It’s as simple as that. The godless direction that society is heading is happening on our watch. It’s time we woke up and took some responsibility.

Notice that 2 Chr 7:14 doesn’t say “If my people… pray…”. We’ve been good at praying.
Cold, heartless, dead, formulaic prayers. All talk and no substance.

The bible says we need to:

(1) Humble ourselves. Fast. Put on sackcloth (figuratively) and mourn. Weep and mourn for the lost world.

(2) Pray. We still need to pray, it’s just the attitude that needs to change

(3) Seek God’s face. Stop asking God to bless us. Be like Abraham, and ask God to show us his glory. Be like Moses, who God knew face to face. Be like Jesus. WWJD. 1John 2:6

(4) Turn from our wicked ways. “What wicked ways?” Selfishness, self-reliance, self-centeredness, self-pity, “what about me/it’s all about me”. Sure things are tough, really tough. Sure they’re bad, really bad. But this isn’t all about us. It’s about God, it’s about Jesus and it’s about the kingdom. Satan cannot cast out Satan. Selfishness cannot cast out selfishness. Selfish ambition cannot cast out greed. Jesus, when things were bad, was honest with God the Father (he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”). Paul was beaten and left for dead, but that didn’t stop him living for the kingdom.

James 4
Pride Promotes Strife
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more [a greater] grace. Therefore He says:

“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”[c]
Humility Cures Worldliness

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Something has to change. But let’s not get negative and introspective. God has provided the prescription, as David Wilkerson points out, from the book of Nehemiah. When the walls of Jerusalem are broken down, as they are, it is not a time for complacency and smugness. It’s a time for agonizing prayer, but don’t forget that the joy of the Lord is our strength as we agonize. It’s not oxymoronic, it’s part of the divine tension of Truth in the Kingdom of God.

Soaring, flying… breaking free

OK, so it’s pure cheese of the reprocessed nacho gloop variety, but I can’t help seeing the analogies in this song to our relationship with God….

Isaiah 61:7 (Amplified)

Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion.

Isaiah 55:12

For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Nahum 1:12-13

12Thus says the Lord: Though they be in full strength and likewise many, even so shall [the Assyrians] be cut down when [their evil counselor] shall pass away. Though I have afflicted you [Jerusalem], I will not cause you to be afflicted [for your past sins] any more.

13For now will I break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds asunder.

The Double Portion

Ever felt like you’ve had enough? I have

Ever felt like life just isn’t fair?  I have

Ever felt that life doubly isn’t fair, because you trusted God with your life, and you felt as if God let you down somehow?  I have

Ever decided that God’s promises didn’t apply, at least not to you, at least not on this side of eternity? I have

Ever gotten mad with God because the evidence of His goodness was lost in the badness of life? I have

Ever reached that “Comfortably numb” place of “whatever” indifference?  I have

Ever felt like ripping up those bits of paper where you wrote down the things God said He was going to do in you and through you?  I have

But yet today I’ve been drawn again to God’s word, and to what He says to us again and again, and I’m forced to admit, as the weight of His word presses down upon me (it’s a good weight) that I’ve been wrong.

God is faithful to His word.  He hasn’t forgotten us.  He will do what He said He would do in my life.

“In my life, Your will be done”

God says to His people Israel, in perhaps one of their darkest hours, in exile in Babylon, a pagan nation:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the LORD’s hand
Double for all her sins.”

And again

you shall be named the priests of the LORD,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

First, God promises comfort.  Our warfare is accomplished.  We have a great high priest who has carried our griefs and borne our sorrows.  Our sins have been paid for, in duplicate.

Then, not only do we have twice the pardon we deserve, on top of this, God promises us twice the blessing.

Again, God speaks through the prophet Zechariah:

Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.

Prisoner of hope.  Does that sound familiar?   Are you a prisoner of the hopes and dreams that God gave you years ago, that even now, you’re still awaiting their fulfilment?

Even today, He declares that He will restore double to you… if you simply return to the Stronghold.  Return to the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

“The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.”

“Salvation belongs to our God” we sing in a quavering voice, as if “hopefully” we can just make it to the end of our life and squeak into heaven.  As if “Salvation” was something that we might just be fortunate enough to accede to, if we just hang in there long enough, scraping by on the few crumbs that God’s given us for now, that just might be enough to get by if we’re lucky.

No!  Salvation means so much more than that.  It means hope, life, blessing, fulfillment now!!   That’s the “helmet” of Salvation that strikes utter terror into the camp of the enemy, when he sees that holy hat of war placed on the heads of the soldiers of the Almighty.

Why then, do we not yet see it?  Why do we not yet see the double portion, the back-pay, God’s favour, yet?

Perhaps that’s not really a question we should be asking, but it could be this simple:

James says “You have not, because you ask not”

Jesus says “Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it”

Perhaps we’re luke warm?   Perhaps our love has gotten cold?  Perhaps we just need to get over ourselves and back to the throne of grace.

We might need some wisdom from God to get the answers.   We might need to seek Him for the answers.

But the truth remains.   God will give us the double portion.  It’s in His word, and He will fulfill His word.

Are we expecting it?  Why not?  It’s in His word, and it’s for us.

Forget that sanctimonious carry-on “Oh, that’s for the faith people”, “Oh thats the health and wealth gospel”, “Oh I’m suffering for Jesus”, “Oh, the thorn in the flesh”  etc. (boring to go on, you know what I mean)

No its the gospel Gospel, and it’s for you and I.  Perhaps we have not because we ask not.