Day Thirty-Nine "The Asbury College Revival"

Most people have never heard of Wilmore, Kansas. The town boasts of a population just over 4,000 people. Wilmore is located about sixteen miles from the larger town of Lexington. Wilmore is the home of Asbury College.

On a blustery morning back in 1970 students gathered for a typical chapel service, which they were required to attend three times a week. College Dean, Custer Reynolds, was scheduled to preach that morning but he did not have a peace about doing so. He sensed the Lord might want students to share testimonies about what God was doing in their lives.

The chapel service began at 10:00 a.m. At around 10:40 God invaded Hughes Auditorium and revival began. When college president Dennis Kinlaw was asked what happened he answered, “You may not understand this, but the only way I know how to account for this is that last Tuesday morning, about twenty of eleven, the Lord Jesus walked into Hughes Auditorium, and He’s been there ever since, and you’ve got the whole community paying tribute to His presence.”[1]

Months before that chapel service many students had been reminded of a revival God sent on that campus in 1905. They yearned to see God do it again and began praying fervently. The students lived in a state of expectancy during those days.

During that chapel testimony service a senior stood up to speak. He said, “ I’m not believing that I’m standing here telling you what God has done for me. I’ve wasted my time in college up to now, but Christ has met me and I’m different. Last night the Holy Spirit flooded in and filled my life. Now, for the first time ever, I am excited bout being a Christian! I wouldn’t want to go back to the emptiness of yesterday for anything.”[2]

Other students rose giving testimonies of the fresh work of God in their lives as well. One professor, realizing that time was getting away from them, rose and gave an altar call so students might settle any unresolved issues. A herd of students went forward in mass. Other students knelt at their seats making that their altar. That chapel service lasted for 185 straight hours. It was such a holy experience many thought of Moses’ encounter with the Lord in [Exodus 3:5] “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

As students were invited to share their experience with other colleges and churches, God continued to move. Students went to the Meridian Street Church of God in Anderson, IN. God packed people in that church in revival. The revival lasted for fifty consecutive nights and eventually had to be moved to the High School gymnasium where 2,500 people gathered to be touched by God.

Steps to Revival

1. Over and again as we have been reading these revival accounts we hear the testimony that they were started in prayer. Will you give yourself to prayer for revival?

2. God is not limited in how he brings revival. It doesn’t always come through a pastor or evangelist. He used students at Asbury College. Are you willing for Him to use you as an instrument of revival?

3. Express your heart to God concerning what you would like to see Him do.

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[1] Elmer Towns, The Ten Greatest Revivals,2000, Vine Books, p. 165. M

[2] Ibid, p. 167

Day Thirty-Eight "The Saskatoon Revival"

For over a year different pastors in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan met and prayed for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit. They met weekly to pray together asking God to send revival. God answered their prayers.

Many of these pastors had heard about the revival God brought through Duncan Campbell on the Hebrides Islands. Duncan Campbell had a vision that a revival would start in Saskatoon and spread from there. It was believed that if God moved there He could also move in Saskatoon.

A Saskatoon pastor named Bill McCleod scheduled a revival meeting. In preparation for the meeting Christians were encouraged to reconcile broken relationship and remove anything that might hinder God from moving. As these Christians did so God sent revival.

Revival came to the Ebeneezer Baptist Church and quickly spread throughout the community. Soon the crowds overflowed the church. They moved to a different church but that too soon proved to be too small a venue. Eventually the services were moved to the civic auditorium where crowds of 2,000 attended the revival. Those services stretched out for nearly two months.

The revival was started by prayer, and when God’s people began to get right with one another. Fractured relationships grieve the Holy Spirit. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit for the rest of the body.

Steps to Revival

1. Read Eph. 3:30-31. According to these verses what is one way we can grieve the Holy Spirit?

2. Is there anyone with whom you need to reconcile? If so, how will you go about this?

3. Is there anything else in your life that is grieving the Holy Spirit at this time?

Day Thirty-Seven "Angelina College Revival"

The revival was scheduled for three nights. It lasted for three weeks. There were fourteen people saved and dozens of students who came face to face with God during those weeks. Students wept openly during the invitation as they repented of sins. Students forsook sleep to pray and attend the services, which lasted at times three hours long.

The worship was intense. The preaching was hard but filled with God’s desire to restore His people and save the lost. The revival was extremely costly. It lasted through final examinations on the campus. Parents lost time with their children at night. The preacher canceled paying revivals to remain a part of God’s movement at Angelina College.

One college student from Stephen F. Austin State University was driving home past Angelina College when she felt convicted and pulled off the highway and turned into the college where she attended the service. God touched her heart that night.

Formerly timid students became bold and vocal in their faith, sharing Christ out on the campus among the other students. They even went door to door in the dormitory looking for opportunities to witness for Christ and invite people to the revival.

The move of God spread to two other youth groups in neighboring towns. Many were saved and backslidden Christians were brought to repentance. Several of these students began attending the college revival services.

God used a young student named Jonathan Baldwin during those days of refreshing. Jonathan was the campus spiritual leader. He rallied the troops in prayer. He often forsook actually attending the revival services so he could be in the prayer room pleading for God to move. He spent hours in that room interceding for fellow students. He prayer-walked the campus continually.

It was a revival of holiness. Many lives were transformed during those three weeks. Prayer sustained the revival and the hunger to see God move. After three weeks the focus shifted. It became a social outlet for college and high school students. As suddenly as it began it ended. Many believe God desired to do much more but when His revival movement was taken for granted, the Holy Spirit was grieved and the revival was quenched.

Steps to Revival

1. Read I Thess. 5:19. In what ways can the Spirit be quenched?

2. The word “quench” means to extinguish. Do you extinguish the Spirit during corporate worship? If so, how?

Revival is a gift from God. How can you steward it when it comes and not quench it?

Day Thirty-Six "Coggin Avenue Revival - Brownwood, TX"

Several years ago God visited Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas in similar fashion to the way He visited FBC Springdale. At the end of the first service a Howard Payne University student approached pastor John Avant and asked if he could share something with the church. Avant was a little apprehensive but allowed the young man.

He read from [Joel 2:12]. What happened after that was a miracle. God moved on the hearts of the people and they began to weep and come forward in repentance. Some testified they could sense the presence of the Lord. People did not leave the altar although it was time for Sunday School.

Those who did not attend the early service had no idea what was happening. People sat in classrooms with no teachers. Finally people left their classes to see what was going on in the sanctuary. When the doors were opened church members testified it was like being hit with hot rushing wind. The new attendees were soon caught up in God’s presence as well.

They were not able to close the service in order to start the second service. Pastor Avant got up and gave a brief explanation about what had happened. The remainder of the service people wept as they repented of sins. This lasted well past 1:00 p.m. That night the scene repeated itself with a fresh visitation from the Lord.

In days God moved the revival over to the campus of Howard Payne University where Henry Blackaby preached a scheduled college revival. God moved so mightily that professors suspended classes. Soon God used students at Howard Payne to go to other college campuses to testify about what God had done. God moved powerfully all over the nation.

I go back and think about that student who felt prompted by the Lord to get up and read some scripture at the close of the early service. How easily it would have been to talk himself out of doing that. I’m so glad he did not. That simple step of obedience, along with years of prayer by college students for revival in Brownwood and at Howard Payne, ushered in a great revival.

Steps to Revival

1. Are you willing to obey God’s promptings no matter how great or small?

2. Are you willing to obey God’s promptings promptly? You never know what spark God will use to ignite the flame of revival.

3. Ask the Lord for the faith and courage to obey Him regardless of what He asks of you.

Day Thirty-Five "FBC Springdale, AR Revival"

“Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

[James 5:16]

Pastor Ronnie Floyd was led to go on a forty-day fast. Toward the end of the fast he sensed the Lord had revealed several things for him to share with the church. Floyd enlisted a group of people to pray for him and for God’s outpouring. The date was set for July 4, 1995. This proved to be a day no one in that church would soon forget.

FBC Springdale had a 9:30 a.m. service and an 11:00 a.m. service. God would show up in a powerful way in the first service, so much so that Sunday School was canceled and the early service overflowed to the second. Floyd states about the beginning of that first service, “When we were in the beginning of worship, the Holy Spirit ushered Himself into the room and sat among the people. Unless you have been a part of something like that, you would tend to think my words to be mystical and extreme. The glory of the Lord was there.”[1]

He knew God was up to something. He felt the glory of the Lord falling on the people while he preached. As God moved, Floyd felt he must preach all God had put on his heart and could not be bound by time with the start of the Sunday School hour approaching. The altar was flooded during the invitation with people backed up in the aisles. Floyd describes the scene for us. “Even before the public invitation was given, hundreds of people flooded the aisles. There was extreme brokenness over sin. There was outward weeping and wailing. There was silence. It was profound and holy. God was there. It was noon and God’s people had been in holy awe for two and a half hours. No one wanted to leave.”[2]

When they finally ended the service nobody knew what to expect that evening. Over seventy percent of the church returned for the evening service. People began lining up to confess their sin publicly while others would gather around and pray for those whom had spoken. That service lasted for four hours with people leaving around 10:00 p.m. Floyd says of that time, “It seemed it all had just begun. Yet it was after 10:00 p.m., and we had been there at least four hours. No one wanted to leave.”[3]

Have you ever been a part of anything like that? I have and those times are holy to the Lord and awe inspiring. As we near the end of our journey to prepare for the Shake the City Revival I wonder if you are getting a heart for God to send revival. I have intentionally included revival stories in these last days of this devotion to whet your appetite for what God can do. Many Christians do not want to be a part of anything like that. When God chooses to send revival we can only submit to His leadership and get out of the way.

As I have been praying for revival I want to be willing to follow God’s leadership. I want more of God. He can manifest His presence anyway He wants. I hunger for more of Him. Will you keep asking God to send a real revival to us once again?

Steps to Revival

1. When God sends revival it upsets the normal routine? Are you open to whatever God wants to do in your life and the life of the church?

2. Do you long for the glory of the Lord to fall on His church? The word “glory” can also be translated the weightiness of God.

3. Pray that you will be willing to obey the Spirit of God promptly.

4. Continue to ask God for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit.

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[1] Ronnie Floyd, Life on Fire, 2000 Word Publishing, p. 98

[2] Ibid, p. 99

[3] Ibid, p. 99

Day Thirty-Four "Bend Us and Save the World

“On Your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent, you who remind the Lord; take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

[Is. 62:6-7]

For the past several days we have been talking about Evan Roberts and how the Lord used this young man to shake the world. Today I want to follow up with the rest of the story. Roberts heard an evangelist use the phrase, “Lord, bend us.” The Holy Spirit impressed that phrase on Roberts. That became his personal prayer and his prayer for the nation.

Out of that experience the motto for the revival was born. “Bend the church and save the world.” Little did Roberts know what asking the Lord to bend him would mean or cost. He had the desire to honor God in every aspect of his life, especially in prayer.

A strange thing began happening to Roberts not long after this. By his own admission he had been a sound sleeper all his life. Suddenly, for no explanation, he was awakened around 1:00 a.m. For the next four hours he would be caught up in prayer. Around 5:00 a.m. the Lord would allow Him to go back to sleep until around 9:00 a.m. At this time he would awake again and be summoned to intercede again until noon. This was repeated for three straight months. For 120 straight days Roberts was not able to enjoy a full night of sleep and prayed for seven hours a day. Do you and I want revival that much? Revival is costly and there are few who are willing to pay the price.

One reporter attended a revival. He noted how the revival meetings did not have a prescribed order but were spontaneous. One such meeting lasted seven hours. He reports, “In the gallery a woman was praying and she fainted. Water was offered her but she refused this, saying the only thing she wanted was God’s forgiveness. A well-known resident then rose and said that salvation had come to him. Immediately a thanksgiving hymn was sung, while an English prayer from a new convert broke in upon the singing. The whole congregation then fell upon their knees, prayers ascending from every part of the edifice, while Mr. Roberts gave way to tears at the sight.”[1]

Do we really want revival if part of God bending us means waking us up in the middle of the night to pray? Do we really want God to save the lost so badly that we would be willing to attend services lasting several hours? There are some things to consider before revival should be sought. There are no steps today other than these questions. Do really want God to bend the church and to save the lost? Do we want God to bend us personally? Revival must start with us.

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[1] Elmer Towns, The Ten Greatest Revivals, 2000, Vine Books, p. 32.

Day Thirty-Three "Shantung Revival"

Matt 7:18-23

Gal 5:19-21

Rom 8:16

In the 1920’s the spiritual condition of the churches of North China were dismal. Missionaries were extremely grieved. Church members were apathetic and had little and at times no desire for spiritual things. There were doubts if many of the church members had ever been saved. Many were believed to have made decisions for Christ in their heads only.

In 1920, the missionaries and Chinese leaders devoted one day each month for prayer asking God to send revival. Seven years later the southern revolutionary army burned Nanking and ordered all missionaries to be evacuated to Chefoo and Tsingtau. Prayers of confusion wondering why they had been forced out before revival ensued plagued the minds and hearts of the missionaries.

During this time a missionary named Marie Monsen began challenging the missionaries to repent of sin and get right before the Lord. Sins were repented of. Relationships were reconciled. God laid a heavy burden for the lostness of the nation of China on their hearts. These missionaries were convicted of having more joy for physical healing than the spiritual healing of salvation. Eventually this was also repented of.

Marie asked three penetrating questions to the missionaries. First, “Have you been born of the Spirit of God?” Second, “What evidence do you have of the new birth?” Finally, “Have you been filled with Spirit?”

Once the leaders were revived God began moving elsewhere in 1932. Twelve years had passed as missionaries prayed for revival. After over a decade of intercessions and repentance God began drawing the lost to salvation including an evangelist for 25 years. He preached for free the rest of his life because he had preahched so many years without have first been saved himself. A missionary nurse was drawn to salvation during this time also, realizing she had been a church member but not born again. In one school all 600 girls were saved. In a boy’s school 900 out of 1,000 boys trusted Christ for salvation.

Many began proclaiming Christ and spiritual awakening followed. People burned their “house gods” as they turned to Jesus for salvation in droves. People began to hunger for God’s Word so much that new Bible Studies were formed meeting nearly every night of the week. Church attendance multiplied. Prayer meetings began forming. Some of these prayer meetings lasted as long as two hours. Families were reconciled. Fractured relationships were repaired.

All of this started after God’s people repented of sin and obeyed the Lord. I ask you to take some time today to ask yourself those same three questions that Marie Monsen challenged the missionaries with. It time to get right with God.

Steps to Revival

1. Have you been born of the Spirit of God? (if so when and how?)

2. What evidence do you have of the new birth?

3. Have you been filled with the Spirit?

Day Thirty-Two "North America Revival of 1905"

“Praising God and having favor with people the Lord was adding day by day those who were being saved.” [Acts 2:47]

The revival God started in Wales through Evan Roberts did not stop in Wales. In 1905 it came to North America. Ministers heard what God was doing in Wales and began prayerfully asking God to bring the revival to North America. God answered their prayers in mighty fashion.

In Philadelphia the Methodists reported they saw over 6,000 converts. Pastors in Atlantic City reported that God moved so powerfully in spiritual awakening that everyone was saved in the city but fifty unconverted adults. On one single Sunday in New York City God powerfully saved, and added to the church, nearly 300.

Soon the revival began moving south. One church in Kentucky reported adding 1,000 people to their church in just two months. Noonday prayer meetings were called in various cities with attendance reaching in the thousands. Businesses and schools shut down for a day of prayer.

The movement of God swept across the Midwest and soon into Canada with similar results. God saved people and revived His church. Out of this revival ministers and missionaries were called. Bible colleges were founded. Only God knows the far-reaching impact of the revival of 1905.

Is God still capable of saving the masses? Does God have the power to save people every day and add them to the church? Is it God’s will to save people? He did it in Acts. He did it in Northampton. He saved people in mass in Wales, New York, and Atlantic City in 1905. Do we believe He can do the same thing in 2010 where you live? I believe it and will keep asking for it.

Steps to Revival

1. Why do you think we are not seeing people saved day by day?

2. Do you have a true burden for lost people? Ask God to give you that burden.

3. Plead with God to unleash His power as He did in 1904 and 1905.

4. Keep praying for the lost people whom you have a burden for by name.

5. Be resolved you will share your faith with them trusting God for the results.

Day Thirty-One "The Revival of 1904"

God began a work in 1904 that literally impacted the whole world and true to form it was born out of several prayer meetings world-wide. God used a young man named Evan Roberts in Wales. Roberts became increasingly burdened for his land and poured out his heart in fervent intercessions.

Roberts once commented to a friend, “I have a vision of all Wales being lifted up to heaven. We are going to see the mightiest revival that Wales has ever known – and the Holy Spirit is coming soon, so we must get ready.” They did get ready. Roberts was young and was not taken seriously by those already established in the ministry. Isn’t that just like God to use some ordinary soul to do something extraordinary? “For consider your calling brethren that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” [I Cor. 1:26-29]

Roberts’ heart continued to burn so much so he asked his pastor if he could preach. Reluctantly his pastor let him preach on a weeknight to some teenagers. God moved that night among a handful of students with revival flames that would soon spread across the whole country. After that night Roberts began preaching to larger and larger crowds. Roberts became the leader of this great revival but continued to devote himself to prayer.

Soon the revival extended far beyond his ministry with churches being filled for two solid years across the nation. In that two year period God gloriously saved 100,00 people! The effects were dramatic. Police had nothing to do because the crime rate dropped. Saloons went out of business. Mules in the coalmines had to be retrained because the converted miners no longer spoke to the mules using profanity.

I am encouraged that God can use anyone he pleases to spark revival. Might He want to use you? If you feel you are ordinary then you might be a prime candidate. Will you receive God’s heart for your community and give yourself and the Lord no rest until He revives you, your church, and your city? [Is. 62:6-7]

Steps to Revival

1. Meditate on I Corinthians 1:26-29. How do these scriptures apply to your life?

2. Ask God to give you a vision like Evan Roberts received for Wales.

3. Give yourself to prayer trusting God to restore the saved and call the masses to new life in Christ.

Day Thirty "The First Great Awakening

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever amen.” [I Tim. 1:17]

The spiritual conditions of the American Colonies in the early 1700’s were deplorable. Long gone were men and women who loved God and had settled the land. Behind them rose a generation who had abandoned God.

Immorality was rampant. Debauchery was the rule of the day. Few people concerned themselves with matters of eternity. Church rolls were shrinking. Other sins included irreverence in church, disregarding the Sabbath day, disobedience to parents, sensuality, greediness, and hatred of neighbors.

In the midst of this dark time God called a man named Jonathan Edwards. Edwards followed his grandfather as the pastor of the Congregational Church of Northampton, Mass. Edwards became deeply burdened for the town of 1,100 people. He prayed over this flock for a strong move of God.

Edwards preached fearlessly against sin. Often people spent sleepless nights after listening to one of Edwards’ sermons. In 1734 God began to answer Edwards’ prayer. In December of that year a handful of young people were saved. One of them was a young lady who was known as a “company keeper.” This young lady had been sexually active and her salvation sent the first waves of revival among her peers.

Edwards wrote about what happened next. “A great and earnest concern about the great things of religion and the eternal world became universal in all parts of the town, and among persons of all degrees and all ages; the noise among the dry bones waxed louder and louder; all other talk but about spiritual and eternal things was soon thrown by.”

In just six months’ time God began to save the masses. 300 people were converted in Northampton. Night and day they would come by the parsonage to talk with Edwards. Don’t forget the total population of the town was a mere 1,100 people. God saved nearly thirty percent of the town in six months.

The revival torch was passed on in 1735 to evangelist George Whitfield. God used him to spread the Great Awakening. Soon God began moving in other towns and using other ministers. As often happens controversy began to swirl around the revival. Many criticized it as all emotional. Edwards wrote to defend the work of God. History can be the judge.

The revival lasted for twenty years. What were the results? Estimates run as high as 50,000 people being saved during this time. The total population for the New England Colonies was only about 340,000. One person has estimated if God were to work like that again in the United States we would see 25 million converted.

One of the great impacts of this Spiritual Awakening was the reviving of the average church member. Love for God increased and chasing after sin decreased. All of it began with Edwards crying out to God on behalf of His people. Will you be one cry out to God on behalf of your church and city?

Steps to Revival

1. Will you pray for God to move in such a way that His honor and glory are promoted?

2. What public sins exist in your town? Pray against those sins and for God to call people to repentance.

3. Plead with God to bring a spiritual awakening where notorious sinners are convicted and brought to salvation.

Day Twenty-Nine "Whom Have I in Heaven But You

“Whom have I in heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth.” [Ps. 73:25]

This world loves to entice us to be discontent. There is always something new to be bought, experienced, and to entrap us. I know many people who live their whole lives in pursuit of things that never live up to what was advertised. The dream vacation leaves something to be desired. The new diamond ring loses it luster. The new vehicle gets stained and scratched. Yet the endless pursuit for fulfillment marches on.

Why is it that we will search anywhere and everywhere for this fulfillment but in the one place it can be found? We look for it in power, pleasure, and possessions. The Psalmist knows better. He has found something better. In eternity none of our “stuff” will make it with us. We are not going to carry our wardrobes, cell phones, I-pads, houses, or business successes with us. In Heaven all we are going to have is the Lord. We will learn in full then what we have only learned part down here, that He is more than enough.

The Psalmist is not willing to wait for eternity to understand this truth. Read this staggering truth. “Besides you I desire nothing on earth.” NOTHING! We need God to move in us in such a way that we desire Him more than anything, even to the point of desiring nothing but Him. The word “desire” means to be inclined to, to be pleased, to delight, and have pleasure in.

It is sad to see the number of people who are desperate for love. They fill their lives with compromise in the pursuit of the ever-elusive dream of finding the love of their lives. If people could turn that pursuit into loving and desiring God they would find a peace, contentment, and a joy they could never find in a human relationship. We are not fit to be in a relationship until we first understand how loved we are by God and we love Him supremely above all else.

People waste their lives in pursuit of things that leave them only wanting more. Wouldn’t it be a blessing to be in a place where you are truly content and where God is enough? Many have lived this life. I am not saying this is an easy lesson to learn. There is an inner joy you gain in God that allows you to walk into a store and leave empty handed because you desire nothing but God. There is discernment when you desire God that allows you to see through commercials and slick advertising.

God should be more desirable than relationships, entertainment, success, houses, cars, status, technology, and financial security. Learn this lesson. Besides the Lord may there be nothing on earth we desire more than Him.

Steps to Revival

1. What things have you pursued but they did not live up to what you expected?

2. Are you possessed by your possessions? What does it mean to know the blessing of not being possessed by anything?

3. How would you rank your desire for God in light of your other desires?

4. Take some time to find true delight and pleasure in knowing God and being known by Him.

5. Compare the infinite worth of your relationship with God to the desires of this world. Which is more rewarding?

Day Twenty-Eight "Cast Your Burden"

“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” [Ps. 55:22]

Each of us gets weighed down in life. It might be due to a heavy schedule. There are family issues that weigh on us. We have responsibilities that demand our time and attention. If we are not careful these burdens can suck vitality out of us.

Learning to cast our burdens upon the Lord is crucial for revival. Why? Because the Lord sustains us. That means the Lord maintains us, He holds us, He nourishes us, and provides for us. When we try to carry the load on our own, our strength fails. God is the one who helps us carry on because He takes the load.

When life presses in many people sink into deep depression and feel overwhelmed. There is despair and a sense of hopelessness. God is willing to relieve the oppressive weight. We have to be willing to cast those burdens of Him. We have to admit we cannot do it on our own. This is a blow to our pride but the benefits are huge.

When the Psalmist says that God will never allow the righteous to be shaken that means He will never allow them to slip and fall under the burden. God will never allow us to waver under the weight. Have you ever seen a person trying to lift something that is too heavy for them? They may make a go at it but sooner or later the legs begin to shake and the knees begin to buckle until the weight comes crashing down.

That is what God does not allow to happen when we cast our burdens onto His broad shoulders. God is not taxed by our burdens. He can handle cancer, financial set backs, rebellious children, ailing parents, death, the IRS, car accidents, home repairs, and grueling schedules. When we come daily into His presence and cast those burdens on Him, we are set free. Far too many people try to do it on their own. They strain under the load of life. It takes all of their energies to make it through a day. If these people would cast their burdens on the Lord, and leave them there, they would enjoy His sustaining power and feel the strength in His hand to live. Why try to do this on your own for another day? It is time to ask for God’s help.

Steps to Revival

1. Identify those things in life that are weighing you down and robbing you of strength.

2. Take some time to cast those burdens on the Lord. The word cast means to pluck and to hurl. Hurl each of your burdens on Him and leave them with Him. Do NOT try to pick them up again!

3. Lean in to God today for His sustenance and support. Let Him minister to your tired and weary soul. Let His strength undergird you and keep you from slipping or wavering.

Day Twenty-Seven "Engrossed in Darkness"

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” [Jn. 3:20-21]

As I sit writing this the sun has set and the darkness has overtaken the light. Outside my window, bugs fly toward the light hanging over the table, unable to get in. I cannot see outside. I cannot see the towering trees all around me. I am unable to make out the lake directly behind the table where I am writing. I prefer the light.

Many people prefer the darkness. Jesus called Himself the Light of the world. [Jn 8:12] They hate the Light for they engage in wicked and immoral behavior. Such people do not want their deeds exposed. What sort of person are you? Do you prefer to lurk in the shadows trying to hide your deeds not only from God but other people? Do you prefer to live in the darkness because there is a sense of security when you are engrossed in the darkness? Either nobody can see what you are up to or they too are engaged in wicked deeds.

We are called to be people who live and practice the truth. We are called to be people who are not afraid or ashamed to come to the Light. We have nothing to hide. We seek to live the truth and we stand righteous in Him. [II Cor. 5:21]. When you are living for God you do not mind if your deeds are made manifest for they bring glory to God. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is Heaven.” [Matt. 5:16]

Some of you reading this have been engrossed in the darkness. The shame of your deeds haunts you even now. You are engulfed in shame and condemnation. I urge you to repent and walk to Jesus, the Light. Put away your evil deeds and be restored to a revived state with Him. Let His marvelous light bring healing and restoration to all the dark places of your soul until you no longer have anything to hide. Rest in Him. Let the Light pick you up and dust off the shame and condemnation. Take off the shackles of sin and dance in the Light free and forgiven. Let grace flow down like rain over your soul. “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” [Rom. 8:1]

Steps to Revival

1. What dark deeds do you need to put away?

2. What secret sins are you desperately trying hide from God and others?

3. Come to the Light. Stand in the Light exposed, but receive His grace and declare your righteous standing in Christ.

4. Will you walk away from this encounter with the Lord choosing to live in the Light and to practice the truth?

Day Twenty-Six "I Am Second"

“He must increase and I must decrease.” [Jn. 3:30]

The truth in this statement made by John the Baptist is staggering. When he said that Jesus must increase what he meant was that Jesus must grow in importance. He must be elevated in status. Jesus must be exalted in rank. Jesus must become the “big deal”. This short verse really sums up Christ’s position.

He is to be our highest priority. Nothing is to rank above Him. Not our spouse or our children. Not our jobs. Not sports, hobbies, or our possessions. He should get the best of our time and energy. Jesus is preeminent above all else in our lives. Everything and everyone takes a backseat to Jesus.

He is our supreme Ruler and Commander. In life He is the Commanding Officer and we are the foot soldiers who obey His commands. Jesus is a “big deal” in life and we are not. Many people live their whole lives like they are more important than they really are. How many sports figures think they are a big deal? Jim Brown retired and so did Michael Jordan, as well as Nolan Ryan. Other blossoming stars have become household names. Fame is fleeting. Not for Jesus. He is King today and forever more. He is increasing in importance. His fame is spreading as well as His influence.

On the other hand we should be decreasing. That means we should become of less importance. Our wills, desires, opinions, and talents are not that important. It doesn’t matter if people remember our names. It only matters that they remember Christ and make a big deal out of Him. We are lesser in rank and inferior to Christ. In essence we are not a big deal.

The only reason any of us can boast that we are anything is because Jesus chooses to love us and shower His grace on us. Our only boast is in the cross of Christ. [Gal 6:14]

Have you lived your life to make much of you or much of Christ? Have you lived out your days to make yourself look more important than you really are? Have you sought to be elevated in status by family? What about by your friends and coworkers? Jesus is preeminent. You and I are and will always be inferior so let us live to make much of Him and less of us.

Steps to Revival

1. How have you lived your life? Have you lived to make much of you or much of Jesus Christ?

2. What are some practical steps you can take to make Jesus of more importance and exalted in rank in your life?

3. How can you humble yourself as inferior and of less importance than Christ?

4. Will you live to make much of Jesus Christ and less of yourself?

Day Twenty-Five "More Lord"

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us.” [Eph. 3:20]

Many years ago I attended a revival where the slogan often repeated was, “More Lord!” This church was not satisfied though they had experienced a genuine revival by all accounts. Those prayerful people kept hungering for more of the Lord and He kept honoring their request with fresh outpourings of His Spirit. I have never seen or experienced anything like it.

Today’s scripture assures us that God is able to do more than we could ask or think. I want Him to do more. More than I can imagine. I want more of Him in my life, in our church, and in our community. I want to see Him do more to clean the church up. I want the Lord to bring more people to repentance and restore them in their walk with Him. I want to see people put away sinful and destructive behaviors that are robbing them of spiritual vitality.

I want to see the hearts of God’s people come alive and be quickened with tenderness toward the things of God. I want to see transformations. I am asking the Lord for more love in the hearts of His people for Him and other people. I also want to see the Lord gloriously save the masses with a salvation that endures.

I want more of the Lord’s power on our worship and my preaching. I want more of the presence of the Lord manifested in our services. I want to see God impact the community through revived believers. I want the glory of the Lord to be promoted by transformed lives. I want to see the morale climate of our community changed. I want to see young men and young women surrendering their lives to full time vocational ministry and missions. I want to see students unashamedly living for Christ in the hallways of their schools and in the locker rooms.

Lord, I want more. Not more for my glory or the fame of my name, but for You alone. More of You and less of me.

Steps to Revival

1. Today there is only one step. Write out your own prayer based on Ephesians 3:20.

Day Twenty-Four "Fishers of Men"

“Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.” [Mark 1:17]

Sitting on the coffee table in this prayer cabin is a stuffed and mounted large mouth bass that must have weighed well over ten pounds when it was caught. Not more than seventy-five yards off the back porch of this cabin is a ninety-acre private lake stocked with large fish. There have been fish up to twelve pounds caught in this lake. The largest fish I have ever caught was right here.

I am not an avid fisherman but I have enjoyed some times out on this lake with my friend Jimmy who manages this place. Those have been good days. None of those fishing expeditions could come close to comparing to any of the times I have been used of the Lord to introduce people to my Savior and best friend, Jesus Christ. Becoming a fisher of men is a thrill beyond explanation. Few know this thrill for statistics say that over 90% of Christians have never shared their faith one time.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means being active in evangelism. Jesus said that He would make us become fishers of men. I want to be part of that thrilling adventure of watching Jesus transform people from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light. Those experiences fill me up. Let me just tell you about one that happened a couple of years ago.

I met a man who was a lawyer. This man had a brilliant mind. Though most of his brothers and sisters knew Jesus Christ he did not and was not interested. When I first met him the Lord gave me a vision. I know it sounds strange but I saw the day he would follow in baptism at the church where I served as pastor. I began praying for this man that very hour.

I sought him out at ball games. His wife attended church faithfully but with a broken heart. Eventually he began to show up on Wednesday nights. This was fine for me because at the time I taught through the book of Acts for nearly two years. I would teach forty-five minutes to an hour and many times the gospel was presented. I went to visit him at home and witnessed to him formally. He was interested but not ready to commit.

One day I saw his wife at a local restaurant. Her husband appeared to be like a large mouth bass on the end of a fishing line. They are hooked but they fight and dance around in the water before being landed. I consoled her by assuring her that her husband was hooked. It would just be a matter of time.

Not long after that he called me one afternoon to see if he could come by and talk. I nearly leapt out of my seat when he told me he had trusted Christ to save him while driving to work in his truck. True to my vision I had the privilege of baptizing him and his wife (she was saved but had never been baptized) on their wedding anniversary. I could not contain my exuberance on that occasion! That is only one story out of hundreds.

It is time to step up to be the fishers of men Jesus has made us to be. No longer can we allow fear to paralyze us into silence. [II Tim 1:7] No fear. Courageous obedience is the need of the hour. Your challenge is to share your faith. Trust God to orchestrate the circumstances. You be ready and obey. The results are up to God.

Steps to Revival

1. Are there people you have been consistently praying for their salvation? If so list them now by name. Ask and believe Jesus for the opportunity to witness to them about Jesus Christ. Do not wimp out on this. Trust God and obey Him by faith.

2. Enlist the help of prayer warriors to pray for you and the one you are going to witness to.

3. Make plans to have this person over for dinner or take them out to lunch. Do not let Satan use fear to immobilize you.

4. Invite this person to the revival services.

5. Believe you are not alone. God is at work and the Holy Spirit will bring conviction and draw people to Christ. Trust Him.

6. When this person is saved, testify about God’s faithfulness in saving the lost. Testify about how the Lord uses ordinary people like you do be fishers of men.

Day Twenty-Three "Be Ready for the Day"

“But of that day or hour no one knows not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert for you do not know when the appointed time will come.” [Mark 13:32-33]

There will come a moment in history when everything as we know it will change. Jesus promised He would come back. We don’ t know when. He doesn’t even know when. There is a day and an hour appointed by the Father when Jesus will come back. People have tried to predict it. Many have diminished the return of Jesus as myth.

Just as assuredly as I sit at this table working on this book, Jesus is coming back. In these verses Jesus tells us to do two things. Take heed. Keep on the alert. Let’s take a closer look at both.

What does Jesus mean when He tells us to take heed? It means to beware, to perceive, to look on, and to see. We must watch the times and beware of the things going on in the world. In the last days Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars. There will be earthquakes and famines. These are the birth pangs. [Mark 13:7-9] If we are to take heed we need to understand that we are living in the end times. That is one thing most Bible scholars agree on.

There are two implications for us. This is not a time to be drifting in our relationship with the Lord. He could come at any moment. That sends chills down my spine to know that He could return before I finish this sentence or this book. I want to be ready when that time comes. The other implication for me is a lot of people are not ready. They are not saved. It is way past time for the church to open up her mouth to proclaim the gospel of Christ in the highways and byways of our communities. Time is running out. If we care about people we do not want them to have to endure the seven years of tribulation. It will be catastrophic.

Jesus also commanded us to keep on the alert. Some translations interpret that phrase as “to keep watch and pray.” The meaning is for us to stay awake, to keep on our toes, and to pray. Even as I write this I am thinking of two men that I am burdened about their salvation. One I have witnessed to time and time again. The other I am looking for the opportunity prayerfully. We don’t see much of each other.

None of us know the appointed time. That is extremely sobering. If we do not know we should live each day with this reality on the forefront of our minds. To be perfectly honest I had not given this truth one thought until I began meditating on the above scriptures and writing this devotion. Why is that?

Why am I lulled to sleep by the routines and rhythm of this life? Today is Wednesday and I have a routine for Wednesdays as I do for Thursdays and Fridays. All of that could suddenly change in the twinkling of an eye. Do we know people who are not saved? Are we motivated to share Christ with them before it is too late? Take heed and keep on the alert. He could come at any moment!

Steps to Revival

1. How much time have you given to thinking about the Second Coming before today?

2. In what ways do you need to take heed?

3. Do you know people who are not saved and with whom God is calling you to share Christ?

4. How does God want you to respond to this devotion? Are you ready to meet Christ? If not what needs to happen to get you prepared?

Day Twenty-Two "Remove the Cause for Stumbling"

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” [Matt. 5:29-30]

As long as we are alive the flesh will desire sin. The question facing us today is how willing are we resist and fight against the flesh. This is a hard scripture. Before I was saved as a child I read these verses and was shocked to think about plucking out my eye or cutting off my hand. What is the point Jesus is making?

If you have areas in your life where you are weak and give into sin, you should remove those areas. For example, there are certain channels that should be eliminated from your television. Like a moth drawn to flame you might be tempted to view those channels. The best solution is to remove those channels. When we lived in a previous town I could not get ESPN without getting several channels with garbage. I chose to go down to a different tier in our program package and lost all of our sports channels. It was hard but it was also worth it.

You might be forced to give up things like Facebook, where you are tempted into immoral communication and actions. You might be forced to give up certain kinds of music, or spending time with certain friends or co-workers who cause you to stray in your thought life. You might be called to give up credit cards, which can be used to feed materialism.

How serious are you and I about resisting sin? Jesus is dead serious. I say dead serious because He willingly died on the cross to defeat the power and penalty of sin. If video games dominate your time, distracting you from more time with the Lord, then perhaps video games need to be removed from your life.

The Holy Spirit is more than able to reveal those areas of your life that cause you to stumble. This is the moment of decision. Will you remove those things from your life or will you embrace them? Each choice has consequences. Obeying the Lord will lead you another step closer to revival. Disobedience will lead you away from the Lord.

Steps to Revival

1. Take some time to indentify any area of your life that causes you to stumble. Do not rush through this. Let the Holy Spirit reveal these areas.

2. Ask the Lord what things you need to remove. Do not put this off. Whatever He says you need to remove be diligent to obey promptly.

3. Ask the Lord to give you a hatred for sin and a desire for pure and holy living.

4. Ask the Lord for help in being delivered from any bondage to sin.