Introduction To The New Book I Just Started Writing

This is a book about the pursuit of knowing God and the pursuit of God for revival. This is not a book about the pursuit of revival. First and foremost this is a book about the most glorious pursuit in the whole world and that is knowing God more intimately.

Each Sunday hundreds of thousands if not millions will gather for some type of worship. Many of those people are distracted by many other pursuits. Some are in pursuit of relationships hoping to find Mr. Right or Mrs. Right to marry. That pursuit consumes their lives and their relationship with God. Others are on the pursuit of career advancement. They burn the candle at both ends trying to make a name for themselves and to carve out a niche in a competitive job market. Matters of faith have long ago been discarded on the altar of professional success. There are still others in pursuit of pleasure. They pursue it with reckless abandon often in destructive ways. Their whole lives revolve around having a good time and feeling good.  Some are on an academic pursuit to earn a degree or an advanced degree.

There is no pursuit that can compare to the relentless pursuit to know God. Far too many Christians have contented themselves to know about God. They read their Bibles like a text book to gather information rather than like a love letter to get better acquainted with a lover.

God wants to be pursued. God longs to be longed for. In the pages of this book we will dive deep into what the glorious pursuit of God entails. This book is not written as a formulaic path to intimacy with God. This book is written as kindling to help get the fire started in your passionate pursuit of Him.

On this journey it is my deep prayer and desire that God will spark a personal revival in our souls unlike we have never experienced before. I am not suggesting getting on some emotional high that will fade in a number of days or weeks. I am trusting God to bring us into such glorious God encounters that we are renewed, refreshed, restored, reinvigorated and revived in ways we could never have dreamt possible.

When this happens our desire for private devotions will intensify as we embark on a life long quest to seek and relate to our great God. Corporate worship will deepen as we express our love and adoration for a God who continually reveals Himself to us in fresh and new ways throughout the week. Our hunger for the preaching and teaching of God’s word and prayer will grow into an insatiable appetite.

When that happens in a number of lives in local congregations you can rest assured revival is not far away. There are many pastors and church members in pursuit of revival. They have read the revival stories of days long ago and want to see those things again. You can be in pursuit of revival and not necessarily be in pursuit of God. That is why I wrote up front this is a book about the pursuit of knowing God first and the pursuit of God for revival second.

As we start this journey together I anticipate it will be a grand adventure for me as an author and for you the reader. Who can know the glorious God encounters that lie ahead of us. Who can foresee the private worship encounters we will have that will transform  our priorities and where we expend our time and energy.

The pursuit of knowing God is the most glorious pursuit. If you are tired of going to church but feeling empty on the inside this book might be for you. If you are cold and apathetic in your relationship with God this book might be the spark God uses to get you back on track. If you are weary from going from program to another program that never live up to what they promise let me invite you to turn the next page and get on the pursuit of seeking and knowing God in ways you never have before. If you are dry on the inside spiritually and find  yourself going through the motions of private devotions, corporate worship, and service  to others all devoid of passion or meaning please take this journey with us.

Let me state up front this will not be an easy pursuit. Satan will oppose us.  Expect it and be prepared to stand firm against his wicked schemes. [Eph 6:10-12] Your spirit may be eager today and ready to begin this pursuit like a sprinter in the starting blocks at a track meet. The glorious pursuit of God is a life long quest like an ultra marathon. Your spirit may be willing but the flesh will grow weak. Trust God to increase your appetite and thirst for Him more than the path of least resistance.

With all that being said let me pray for us as we begin this journey. O Father, we have long contented ourselves to know about You when You desired for us to know You. We have played at prayer and worship viewing You as distant and removed from our daily experience. Right from the beginning as we start this new pursuit of You, I plead for You to meet with us. I ask for You to reveal Yourself to us in fresh life altering ways. I ask that You replace our desires for sin, leisure, material things and a life of ease with an insatiable hunger for more of You and an unquenchable thirst to spend more time with You. May those appetites and thirsts for You never end for the remainder of our days. I ask You to ignite a flame in our souls that spread to our families, friends, and in our local congregations. I ask You to give us courage to take this journey and never settle for the lesser blessings of knowing about You. We want to know You. We want to encounter You. We want more of You. Nothing less will ever satisfy. No other pursuit can measure up. In Jesus’ name. Amen