Are You Ready For Revival?

As a child growing up I would be involved in revival meetings once a year. Every Spring our church would have a week-long revival. An evangelist would come from out-of-town to preach at the revival. It would begin on Sunday night and last through Friday night. There would be 7 am services on the weekdays. And the part my brother and I loved the most about the whole ordeal was the free coffee and donuts served every morning just before the meeting began. We would arrive at school each morning....full on coffee and great donuts. Looking back I am sorry to say that was my best memory of those Spring revivals!

In all fairness there were those who were serious about drawing closer to God after the fiery sermons were preached. And they would...for a few days or so. After things returned to normal the following Sunday it seems that everyone else returned to normal also.

So what is true revival for a believer? I'll tell you that it is not a succession of meetings. Yes, revival meetings can get one stirred up (as youth camps often do), but is this really revival? I don't think so. True revival is about a saved human spirit that was practically dead (or acting as such), and is brought back to fervent life by God's supernatural Holy Spirit. True revival is born out of hunger and thirst for God. And...the only way for one to hunger and thirst for more of God is to pursue Him!

It seems many people wait around for God to stir them to prayer; or stir them up to live holy lives for Him. It seems many believe one day God, out of His sovereignty, will reach down and fire us up. Truth is, it doesn't work like that. Instead, hunger for God is produced by pursuing God. Those who pursue God hunger and thirst for more of God. And those who hunger and thirst for God are prime candidates for revival of their spirit. God will not ignore the fervent cry of one who hungers and thirsts for Him!

Many in America see the need for revival in the church. Who can't? But many are not willing to pursue Him. Without pursuit there will be no hunger. Without hunger there will be no revival.

If you stop long enough to think about it, you will see the key clearly. You will also see it is not complicated. Pursue God...Hunger for God. Hunger for God...Revival in our hearts. And please understand, true revival in the heart takes us to the next level with our God. And when we go to the next level with God, it's that much harder to sink back to a previous level with Him!

Try it! You'll like it. Are you dry and brittle on the inside? Could you care less? I think you do care...very, very much. So pursue Him daily....until you find Him. Make the commitment to go deeper with Him right now. But you must do it consistently. Listen to these verses:

• "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10)
• "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matt. 6:33)
• "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29: 12-13)

Seek for Him with all your heart until you find Him. He loves it and so will you. So...are you ready for revival?