“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” [Heb. 12:1]
This marks a new beginning and a fresh start for many. You are committing to a forty-day journey to walk with the Lord and to prepare your heart and plead with your God to send genuine revival. As with most new endeavors there is a great deal of excitement. Expect that excitement to wane somewhere along the way.
We are pretty good at starting things but not finishing. If we do finish we do not always finish well. The focal point of our time with the Lord today is two fold. First, we must begin the process of seeing what sins are entangling us and tripping us up with the Lord. Second, we must set our face like flint to finish this time of preparation strong.
Let’s look inside you for a moment. At this time where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Are you closer to Him than you have ever been? Have you cooled in your fervent love for Him? If you are not closer to Him right now than you have ever been you are in need of revival. Relax. That is exactly where most of us currently are. We need personal revival. We need the Lord to quicken our affections for Him, to restore our passion to pursue Him, and to strengthen us to resist sin and to ardently embrace holiness.
What is standing between you and the Lord right now? What gets your deepest love and devotion? Whatever that encumbrance or sin is, will you give it up right now? We have to stand against evil and that includes subtle forms of evil that creep into our lives. We must pray for God’s discernment to see the areas where evil is entangling us. We must be doggedly determined to leave no stone unturned. There are things that need to be put away from us. There are some hard stands that need to be made and some firm lines drawn in the sand. We cannot afford to gloss over this.
Once we have laid aside our sin we must deal with the issue of endurance. Only God can empower any of us to desire Him more and to live in holiness. This is especially true over the next forty-days. There will be distractions. There will be obstacles. God is not asking us only to start, but to finish this journey as well. When these forty-days are up and the revival meetings have ended, we will start the new beginning of walking with the Lord for the remainder of our days.
You will get tired. You will get busy. We must resolve now to put away all excuses and to determine we will finish. We must resolve with God’s help to finish strong. These are the first steps toward personal revival.
Steps to Revival
1. Set aside some time for repentance. Take out a sheet of paper and ask the Lord in what areas you need to repent. Is there anything the Lord wants you to remove from your life?
2. Identify those areas that are competing for your love for the Lord. Are there any of these areas that also need to be removed from your life?
3. Spend some time praying about how you will finish these forty-days. Are you resolved to give your best effort and to complete the challenge?
4. What lost people are you trusting Christ to save? Write down their names and lift them before the Lord.
5. What are you fasting from? Why are you fasting? What is your spiritual goal?
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