Thursday, November 24, 2011

Are We Ready For Revival?

I think many believers see prevailing prayer as having to beg God to answer. Or that we must put in so many hours of gut wrenching prayer before He answers or that prayer is a method of twisting God's arm to receive what we ask for.
Not the case at all - we are engaged in a warfare and we must break through the demonic wall and wrestle the strongholds of wickedness. We are not wrestling God for souls. God desires for all men to come to the true knowledge of Christ. God desires to send revival, but He also knows the precise, proper time to send it. When the hearts of man are so plowed up to receive the precious seed.
Are we ready for revival? If it came tomorrow are we ready? Are the churches ready? Are the pastors ready? Are the people in the pews ready? Will people accept revival or reject it, because it will change their ritualistic church services! Will they reject it because man will no longer be in control? Will they be willing to be brought to their knees;will they be humble or stiffnecked;will they recognize the Spirit of God or will they reject Him?
Most likely a fair amount of our praying for revival involves prayer for the church to be prepared. This is why we desperately need an awakening in the pulpit.
If preachers are sleeping in the pulpits; if they are delivering finely tuned and well oiled speeches and not messages of fresh manna from heaven, will they welcome revival in their church? Do they truly know of the One of whom they speak of on Sunday mornings?
Are the people in the pews ready for revival? Are their hearts stirred when they listen to the sermon, do they know of the One who dwells within their hearts? Would they receive a revival that turns their neat little Sunday programs upside down?
No wonder we need an awakening in the pulpits, otherwise the revival may be rejected by the very men of God who are to carry it to the world. Joel 1&2 called for both the priests and the people to cry out to God for the harvest that was being destroyed. Is our harvest of souls being destroyed and is revival delayed because we are not awake and weeping before God?

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