Doing Our Part
What if our cries of repentance and turning to God with all of our hearts actually did turn God’s favor and Spirit in our direction and we found ourselves living under an ‘open heaven’… what would that be like?
And for any of you who feel that we are not worthy of such a visitation, here is something to think about. God doesn’t send revival as a prize for our exemplary behavior. Our best conduct can never merit the visitation of his Spirit and He certainly isn’t impressed by our actions.
But as Dutch Sheets says, “Isn’t that the point of revival? If we were ‘good enough,’ we wouldn’t need one!” The reality is that much ‘identificational repentance’ has occurred for the sins of our nation… our sins against the Native Americans, slavery, abortion to name just a few. Yet when we repent it’s amazing what the covering of Jesus’ blood can do to past sins.
God has heard the cries of the hungry and repentant. Nehemiah repented for the sins of Israel and it was accepted by God (Nehemiah 1:4-11). Daniel repented in the same way and his prayers were answered. Ezekiel 22:30,31 speaks of God desiring to forgive his nation if only one intercessor asked Him!
So. with revival coming, what can we anticipate and how are we to participate?
First, God is coming with divine justice… we need to side with righteousness in our conversation and living. We must represent God with holiness and integrity of heart.
God will reveal Himself as the world greatest Lover… He will need us to represent that love in human interaction. We cannot represent pure love with anger, hidden racial qualifications or impatience. Never forget that it’s ‘God’s kindness that leads to repentance.’ (Romans 2:4)
God’s power will be revealed on the stage of the world… He will reveal to this generation the power that split the Red Sea, stopped the mouths of lions for his servant, caused the sun to standstill (Joshua 10:12) and brought Jesus back from the dead three days after his crucifixion. There is nothing for us to do as He puts his might and power on display (except tell the story of our transformed lives to those around us.)!
God will release signs and wonders… and here’s where it could become very exciting to his followers. Through the Holy Spirit’s direction we are invited to share in Mark 16:17,18 (AMP) “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” These signs will follow any believer who makes sure that God gets all the glory.
Let’s anticipate this great move of God and do everything we can to maximize its impact on our world.
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