Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” 2 Samuel 12:7
What is Revival?
Is it a personal thing or a corporate thing? Is it a mass-movement of the Holy Spirit, bringing new saints into the body of Christ or one of renewal for those lackadaisical ones who already know Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Is it an individual event or must many souls be involved?
Based on what I have witnessed, or have come to know through historical accounts, revival can be all of these 
things. However, I lean towards it being more of a Holy Spirit experience for the Christian and not for the un-saved person, although I can’t be dogmatic about. If a new born-again Christian wants to proclaim that he or she has been revived, so be it. Far be it from me to discredit or distract from their experience with semantic dribble. That’s perhaps why I get a tad annoyed with Christians who proclaim that if revival is not akin to what God did through Jonathan Edwards in the First Great Awakening of the 1700’s, or D. L. Moody at the turn of the 20th century, then it isn’t revival.”
That’s offensive and legalistic.
The Bible contends that revival comes in many shapes and sizes, and while some revivals are considered great because of the number of people involved, great numbers are not the sole prerequisite. Any person or persons, asleep in their faith, can be revived by the Holy Spirit, at any time or place. I do not believe for one moment that the Lord would have a languishing child wait to be revived until some massive event came upon the scene. That thought is ludicrous to me. Revival, without any doubt, begins with Holy Spirit conviction and revelation. When a believer is off the narrow path, God is quick to alert us. Regardless of the fact that were often slack in receiving it, God is not slack in providing corrective services to His children.
Be revived if that’s what’s ailing you!
“My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word. Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame! I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.” (Psalm 119:29-40)
It would seem that in our interpretation of historical Christianity (grand revivals of yore), we may have inadvertently pigeon-holed, and thus limited, what God has been doing with His children since Adam and Eve. God asserts second-to-second, that He desires to restore His children; no believer has to wait for a special service or a miraculous movement of the Holy Spirit. What God wants to do in you now is miraculous! If others want to join in, fantastic! But know that His Spirit has moved, is moving, and will continue to move — the dormant Christian only need respond. If it occurs en masse, so be it! If it’s an individual event, so be it! If it’s somewhere in between, so be it!
Be revived!
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Let us never be lulled away from revival because we’re waiting for something spectacular. Nor should we be bullied away from it. According to my Bible, revival is normal, healthy Christianity. The Holy Spirit is a person and He is alive within us, constantly blessing, guiding, correcting, and convicting. God has given us a Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind! God is abiding in the Christian just waiting for us to submit to the work He wants to do, and if we’re in need of resuscitation, then that’s what God is waiting to do. Our Father is not one who stands idly by.
“For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Imagine a hospital’s emergency room, crammed with dozens of heart attack victims, interns poised with 
charged defibrillation paddles. Just as one of the doctors loudly warns, “Clear!” the head physician yells, “Not yet! We’re gonna wait for 50 more cardiac patients before we revive anyone! This will be fantastic!”
Despite the fact God often waits, I believe He desires not to wait. Clearly when He does, the outcome is magnificent, but I believe the instant we’re stricken, the Lord moves to revive. Sadly, the assistance is frequently ignored, rejected, or misdiagnosed. Quite honestly, the backslidden or sleeping Christian, who is found waiting for some great phenomena, is either deceived or in denial.
Know that the Holy Spirit, at this very moment, is convicting Christians (maybe you), to just start acting like Christians. Knowing you need revival, and putting it off, is foolishness. Discerning that a brother or sister needs revival, and remaining silent, may be evident that you need revival yourself. Revival is for every needy Christian, right now.
Harken to your Master’s voice
“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Revelation 2:4-5)
These articles may or may not be related:
- Revival: The Christians Only Resolution (compassiondave.wordpress.com)
- The Solution is Easy – Arm the Children (compassiondave.wordpress.com)
- Positioning for Promise by Jason Hooper (churchonfire.wordpress.com)
- Prone to Wander, Preserved by Grace (reformedreader.wordpress.com)
- Book of Acts Part 1 (brakeman1.com)
- God Save America (jimkilgoreministries.com)
- Revival! (inspirationalchristiansfortoday.com)
- Revival: Stay the Course (shilohtemplecogic.wordpress.com)
- Revive Me In Your Way, Part 1of2, by Evans Olang (magnifyhisword.wordpress.com)
- Outsiders Window Presents Rob Cartledge (outsiderswindowmagazine.wordpress.com)
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He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 