The Eve of Revival

The Lord has awakened me early for the past week to seek Him and cry out for His mighty move in revival. It is Saturday morning and once again the Lord awoke me long before the sunrise to seek His face. I cannot believe I sit here writing this on the eve of the start of our ten-day revival. The services are scheduled August 1-11.

For months we have been praying. I have been pleading with God on behalf of our church and this community. The time has passed quickly and here I am one day before one of the biggest and most humbling tasks the Lord has ever called me to. The anticipation has been building for months. The weight of the Lord’s call is heavy. He called us to this revival and me to preach it. I am not worthy but His call on me has been abundantly clear.

All over the community people have talked to me about the revival and their expectation for God to meet with us in special ways during these days set apart for Him. I feel the weight of a burden for this church and this community. It is remained strong since last spring. I thank God I am finally able to pray with tears again after a long dry spell. My prayer has been for God to revive me first.

There have been many distractions and the enemy has not lain down. He has opposed this revival at every turn. In the name of Jesus we trust our Lord to deliver us from the wicked schemes of the evil one. We resist the devil knowing he must flee as we draw ever closer to God and God draws ever closer to us.

We are finishing reading through the whole Bible this week. My reading yesterday took us through the minor prophets. Though it is 6:40 a.m. we have had someone reading since 6:00 a.m. this Saturday morning. People will come in and out until 10:00 p.m. tonight reading through the New Testament. We will have the final reading at the start of our morning service tomorrow taking us through Revelation chapters 20-22.

There have been multiple prayer meetings. I met with a few men early yesterday morning as we have done throughout the whole summer. Our hearts have been moved. God has spoken and been at work for weeks here in Seminole. There have been salvations and backsliders returning to the Lord. On the eve of revival God met with me in a profound way this morning. He spoke things to me through the scriptures I really needed to hear.

The majority of this day will be given to more prayer and study. What do I expect the Lord to do? Let me write this down in faith so when He does move people will be able to go back and read what I trusted for God to do before it became reality. I expect God to touch the cold and apathetic hearts of indifferent church members. I expect God to break hard hearts over their sin and bring them to repentance. I believe God to rekindle a fire and passion in the lives of church members who have left their first love. I believe we will all be baptized in His holiness.

I believe the crowds will grow and we will have to move the services to a larger venue. I believe that God, after reviving the church, will begin saving the lost ushering in a season of spiritual awakening. I believe that after ten days the revival will be so strong we will not be able to quit. We will have to continue holding services until the Lord has accomplished He has purposed to do. These are just a few things I believe God for on the eve of revival.

In a little less than twenty-eight hours we will gather in the sanctuary. I expect the house will be full. I anticipate a great deal of excitement as we gather. I foresee a great reverence as we start the services with the reading of those last chapters of the book of Revelation followed by an altar call to pray to begin. I think the music will be divinely inspired and the saints will not hold back in their adoration and praise.

I hope to blog every day of the revival and maybe even include some pictures. This is bigger than me and bigger than this church. On this eve of revival I am physically tired but spiritually hungry to see God move. The clock continues to tick down on the eve of this revival. May God shake each of us and this city.