REVIVAL by Don Rogers
(Thirty plus years ago God put Don Rogers in my life. He trained and mentored me in spiritual ministry. When he was no longer able to minister, I had the privilege of taking over his “Spiritual Warfare Ministries.” He wrote many fine articles about spiritual warfare. I have edited and printed one below.)
When a community of people have a spirit of repentance and begin to participate in the renewal that God desires for their lives, they become open for revival (see previous blogs about Repentance and Renewal). God looks favorably upon those who hunger and thirst after righteousness not only for themselves, but for others. Sadly, we must admit that we have been selfish in our desires for revival. We have been more concerned with what revival can mean for us than for others.
Christians today are basically very self-centered. Their basic interests are to get their needs met. Many move from one local church to another in pursuit of some particular fulfillment. Many do not want to commit to a local authority in the local church. They prefer to have the freedom to do what they want without anyone exercising any spiritual oversight over them. These people are quick to see the faults in others, but not themselves. They use the faults of others as an excuse for what they do. This kind of attitude is not conducive to the unity in the body of Christ or to revival. This is why issues of repentance and renewal are so vital. It almost seems as if repentance is a bad word to all but the humble. We should not think of revival as a magic wand or cure-all for all that is wrong with our lives and circumstances. Many Christians are waiting on God to change their lives when he has called them to take responsibility for dealing with sin and relying upon his help. Although revival does make us conscious of our own sinfulness, its main purpose is to reach out and provide large numbers of people with a powerful manifestation of God’s love and grace through the moving of God’s Spirit upon the lives of unbelievers so they may be able to recognize their sinful state, respond to the gospel and be brought into the kingdom of God.
More and more Christians sense in their spirits that revival is imminent. I believe that God is now preparing the army that he wants in place when his Spirit moves. He is calling each of us to accountability regarding our spiritual condition. He wants holy vessels to pour out his Spirit and fill. He wants disciplined and prepared people to respond to the leading of his Spirit in any moment and do whatever he reveals. He wants His people to be sensitive to his voice and not reason away the thoughts and desires he is lying upon our hearts and minds.
This is the question we must ask. Are we ready for God’s Spirit to work freely in our lives and do whatever needs to be done in order that God may be glorified and his will be accomplished? Do not say yes to this question until you have counted the cost.
The bottom line is that we will not be able to effectively attack Satan’s kingdom and pull down spiritual strongholds unless we change. There has to be the desire to change and then there must be the step of faith to appropriate the change with God’s help. Waiting for some mystical experience that will eradicate all the obstacles is a fantasy and not biblically sound. God calls each of us to responsibility to affect that change and to depend upon Him to complete that change.
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