Friday, August 26, 2011

Prepared for the Blessing

"It is true that we must wait God's time for revival, and cannot force it; but is it not also true the HIS time is the Church is prepared for the blessing? There is nothing fluctuating or spasmodic about God's desires for His people. Their UNPREPAREDNESS is the only problem. The Church might have revival as wide and deep and as powerful as she please, if she would only comply with the conditions on which God can grant it.
One of the most important things to observe in our Christian life and service is the CONDITION attached to any blessing that we may need....when there is obedience on our part to the divine condition, there follows abundant blessing and continuous victory."
~James A. Stewart

Revival in the body of Christ has been on my heart a lot lately. (How could it not, when reading James A. Stewart's "Opened Windows"? Of which I highly recommend.)

And the big question has been, "What can I or should I do to help bring revival about?"

And really it goes back to being "a one-man revival." All I can do is make sure that I am doing the will of God for me and serving Him in obedience. But practically, what does that look like in my life?

Well these are the steps that He has shown me to prepare the soil of my life for the harvest He wants to grow there:
1. Turning away from ALL known sin in my life.
2. Obeying His Word even in the small stuff.
3. Interceding for His body, the lost, our nation, and the world.
4. Serving others with the love of Christ.
5. Living out His priorities for my life.

Those are some huge things. But God promises to do each one in my life.
"As His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." ~2 Peter 1:3-4

He's only asking me to be faithful in my day to day life. And He's promising His strength and help. In some ways it doesn't seem like enough to bring about the revival I desire to see in the Church today. I can easily fall prey to doubts. But God desires MY faithfulness. He doesn't ask me to save the world; He already did that! He asks that I live a holy life that others can see. He asks that I serve those closest to me with joy so I can then with good conscience serve those in other places. He asks that I be prepared for the blessing He wants to send.