For a long time I have been in pursuit of more of God and revival. Many people want revival because they want the signs, wonders, and experiences often associated with revival. What these people miss is the truth that all revival leads back to a fresh encounter with God. So the essence of longing for revival should be a deeper longing for more of God.
Undoubtedly that desire for more of God will lead to us to desire to live in holiness. God exhorts us in I Pet 1:15 to be holy in all our behavior. That includes our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and speech. When is the last time you really slowed down and evaluated each of these areas. I did so today and God turned up more sin to repent from doing.
What does it mean to be holy in all of our behavior? We might think to ourselves we are doing just as well as the next person but God is not holding us to that standard. We are held to His standards. We can let our minds drift to things that are not pleasing to Him. What do you think about the most? What consumes most of your thoughts? I want God to be the object of my most lofty and noble thoughts. I desire God to be honored by my actions in private as well as in public. I long for God to be the one I live to please, honor and glorify in my attitudes and in my speech. I want no stone left unturned in my heart and mind as I seek to be fully consecrated to my King.
The Glorious pursuit of God and revival inevitably leads to the glorious pursuit of holy living. The church is stained with the filth of our sin and compromise. It is everywhere. Pornography is just as rampant in the church as it is outside the church. Sexual immorality has invaded the lives of God's followers just as the pagans. Speech patterns are filled with vile language out of some of the same mouths who sing God's praises each Sunday. Christians lie, cheat, manipulate, forsake God for the idols of their choosing and yet faithfully attend church with little to no remorse or repentance.
Holiness is not preached in many churches today for fear of offending listeners and seeing the attendance dwindle. Church has become big business and small ministry. Church success has become all about the attendance and offering figures but what about holiness. What about presenting to Christ a bride unstained and unspotted by the stains of our wicked and unlawful behavior. What do we do with a passage like I Pet 1:15-16? Do we sweep it under the rug and go about business as usual. NO. We repent and adjust our lives to God and His Word! It is hard. It is uncomfortable but it sorely needed in the house of the Lord today.
Technology and cutting edge ministry cannot produce a short cut to holy living. It requires honest examination under the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit and genuine repentance. God wants more than us to feel sorry for our sin. He wants a change of mind and a change in the way we live as we put sin away and walk away from it and toward Him.
On this glorious pursuit of God and revival I have discovered I must also be on the glorious of pursuit of holiness. By God's grace alone will I ever achieve this but He would never call us to a lifestyle He did not make provision through the Holy Spirit to equip us to live this life. Onward soldiers of Christ toward the Lord, revival and His holiness.
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