Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- How do you know when you need to be deeply and prayerfully concerned for fresh revival in your local church or any group of which you are a participating member? (Google image, Together we pray)
a. When your group prayer is lifeless; when people do not seem eager to lead in prayer; when there are few and only half-hearted praises to God for what He is doing.
b. When church or group services are seldom marked by a sense of God being present and speaking personally to people; when worship seems to lack spontaneity, joy, and overflowing thanksgiving; when there is an aging congregation with an obvious lack of young married couples and youth.
c. When members seem apathetic about the seriousness of sin or fail to demonstrate a strong sense of ethical and moral responsibility; when the church lacks vision and deep concern for bringing their community and new people to Christ.
d. When people are seldom led by God's Spirit to witness to others, assist people in need, or bring encouragement to others; when giving for God's cause is joyless, reluctant, and inadequate; when people lack vision for what God desires to do through them as a group.
Your Prayer Prepares the Way for Revival
You can help prepare the way for new spiritual awakening, for real visitation of God's Holy Spirit upon God's people, and the moral and spiritual renewal that true revival brings. These simple suggestions and thrilling illustrations may guide you.
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to deepen your hunger. God's initial preparation for revival always begins in the heart of one or more people as they hunger for God's renewed presence and power. Someone has said, when God plans blessing for His people, He calls the church to prayer. If you have hunger to see God work among His people, that holy desire comes from the Holy Spirit. Ask God to deepen your hunger for His divine working in your own life, in your church or group, or wherever in the world you are led to focus your prayer.
2. Ask God to give you His prayer burden for revival. A prayer burden is a precious gift of God entrusted to you for the fulfilling of His purpose. Whether for revival in your own heart or church of on some mission field, God delights in assigning special spiritual responsibility to His intercessors.
A godly Christian brother in Britain many decades ago was one of God's hidden intercessors (Isa. 62:6-7). He prayed constantly for the work of one of the great missionary societies working in China. After his death, someone found in his diary more that twenty listings of the names of one of the mission stations in China, with notes indicating that God had enabled him to pray the prayer of faith for revival in that place.
Upon investigation they found that, indeed, God had sent spiritual awakening to each of these places over a period of years, in the exact order in which His hidden intercessor had indicated God had helped him claim by faith the mighty working of God's Spirit! No one knew of this prayer warrior until after his death; but God kept the record. What rewards and holy surprises heaven will disclose when God's children who travailed in payer receive their special rewards!
3. Ask God to give you some promise to claim by faith. God keeps His covenants; His promises are true. Ask God to impress upon your heart some promise on which to stand by faith as you pray for revival. A promise which has been used again and again is found in 2 Chronicles 7: 14. But there are many other wonderful promises in God's Word. The Holy Spirit may impress any one of these on your heart.
4. Humble your heart before God in prayer. Tell God how unworthy you are to intercede for this need. God gives great grace and revival to those humbling themselves before God's throne (Isa. 57:15).
Father, it may be time to consider a fresh revival in our local church or group we're a part of if we're lifeless, not eager to lead in prayer, and only a few participate with whole-hearted praises.
When there's seldom a sense of Your being present and speaking personally to us, and when worship seems to lack spontaneity, joy, and overflowing thanksgiving, there is an obvious lack of interest; we need reviving.
Dr. Duewel gives us several suggestions to help us prepare the way for an awakening for a real visitation of Your Holy Spirit. We understand that a true revival will bring a moral and spiritual renewal.
(If you need prayer for something today, let me (Jean) know and I'll pray with you.)
Today's Bible verses-
~ How is Christmas different for you this year? Are you going to find freedom in finding liberating ways to enjoy it? The Lord would have us celebrate His birth in new and creative ways, ways that may be different than usual. Let's relax and enjoy the celebration of Christ's birth this year amidst the epidemic. Christ has not changed. He is available to meet with us where we are, no matter what our challenges may be.
Today's Popular post-
#78 Your Ministry of Tears
Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: "Yearning intercession for your people often enables God to anoint your heart with tears.
Tears in your heart as you intercede alone, as you speak of Christ personally to the spiritually needy—inner tears as you minister publicly and as you look out upon your community and your world—these can add spiritual power to your leadership and ministry."
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
Check out the livestream with this link: https://www.cfconline.org/
You can view past services too.
Praying for revival
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