We are living in a very difficult times in America. The few values of the Kingdom that we held dear have eroded into what we now call Modern Christianity. With all the prayer efforts and plethora of religious services, our reality is as the Church we have transformed nothing. There are a few valiant saints who have tasted the real thing and refuse to give up.
Understanding that it is not a problem with God, or that we do not need to do something else to merit His attention; we stand on His promises. There will be a worldwide downpour of His Glory in the final days. We want to see His Kingdom come!
So the question we must all face is what are the present hindrances to the full flow of the river of God among His saints? I want to outline just a few;
- We must first redefine revival. We must move from a series of evangelistic services with a special speaker to an awakening of the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
- We must quit going to the Old Testament for our direction. In the New covenant the Lord Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament recipes for revival including 1 Chronicles 7:14. We are a new Covenant people, and we have been given “All Things “in Him.
- We must allow the heart of Jesus for the Nations of the World to be birthed from our prayers. There is so much selfish prayer going on and very little true intercession and repentance. If we are spending so much time in the “prayer furnace” and we come out without what is on the Lord’s heart ,what are we really doing?
- We must again SEE ourselves in our true condition. There is very little hunger, desperation, desire, and passion in the Christian walk of most saints. Like the foolish Corinthians we have been measuring ourselves with ourselves. We have become comfortable with the status quo.
- We must deal with the sin in the camp starting with our own. Each believer in His presence must begin to seek the Lord for the things in our lives that hinder the fullness of the Holy Spirit from manifesting “On earth as it is in Heaven.” It is time to quit blaming others, and it is time to look in the mirror at our greatest nemesis.
- We must not have any idols before Him. We must prepare ourselves to dismantle ALL our idols. Oh, how we love our man-made religion! We love our buildings. We love our human ideas of success. We love worshipping men. We love our titles and we love our name tags. We love thinking we are better than all those other Christians.
- We must prepare our hearts to be surprised by God. In the next move of God, an unprepared heart will not recognize God’s “out of the box” operation. Simply put, He is not coming where or how you expect. Real Revival will not fit into our present ungodly systems.
Here is a short prayer;
Father, thank you for all you have given us in the new covenant through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we know the problem is not you, but it is us. Lord we repent. Show us what hinders your work in us. Please Father, increase our faith and fill us afresh with your Holy Spirit. We want to be light to the world and salt to this earth. Let your Kingdom come in Jesus precious name. Amen!
Jose Bosque Editor
Below you will find a biblical checklist for real transforming revival by one of the foremost authorities alive today on the subject, George Otis Jr.
Seven Keys to Changing Your Community
Only God can transform a community, but there are several things we can do to prepare for his arrival. Here’s a short list of considerations.
Key #1 — Picture True Success
In short, a transformed community is…
- A neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God;
- A place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen;
- A society in which natural evolutionary change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power;
- A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God;
- A location where kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations.
Key #2 — Discern Your Condition
Obscured Jeopardy Syndrome is a condition that prevails in communities where serious ills are not readily discernable. The primary symptom is a false sense of security, and the only remedy is to ask God to help us see things as they really are. This revelation helps us avoid superficial assessments based on how circumstances are affecting us personally, and what prior experience has taught us is normal.
Key #3 — Work Up An Appetite
We all possess a long list of life hungers. Some are base appetites — food, sex, sleep — that are essential to our survival as a species. Others are unique to us as individuals. These might include a hunger for reputation or security. The salient question is: “Where on this list do we rank our hunger for the presence of God?” The process of transforming revival is triggered when our appetite for God’s presence trumps all other hungers.
Key #4 — Find Faithful Companions
It is important to pray with others who share both our desperation for God and a genuine spirit of unity. In looking for these qualities, we do well to remember that God’s choicest servants often come in unconventional packages. In addition to pastors and intercessors, our initial core might very well consist of tax collectors, shepherds, or even children.
Key #5 — Touch the Real Thing
Got memories? One thing can be said of genuine revival: it changes you. And there is no better way to stoke faith than to visit a community where God’s transforming touch is on exhibit. In the words of one Hebridean saint, “Once you have tasted revival, you always want to see it again.”
Key #6 — Pray With Focus
It goes without saying that prayer is the incubator and furnace of revival. If it is neglected or dies out, all forward progress will cease. For this reason, and because today’s wealth of information often leads to a poverty of attention, mastering our digital life and calendar is essential.
Key #7 — Get on the Clock
Lastly, if we are to realize transforming revival, we must migrate from wishful hoping to biblical expectancy. This means temporarily shutting down aspects of “normal life” so that we can prepare for something extraordinary. And just as the actions of elite athletes are motivated by, and measured against, the looming prospect of the next Olympiad, having a timeframe is key (see Prov. 13:4, Hos. 6:3).
The Journey to Transformation- George Otis Jr
Over the past fifteen years, Sentinel Group researchers have identified common threads running through hundreds of transformed communities. In 2011, the ministry distilled these observations into a transactional training process called the Journey to Transformation. To learn more contact the team at JTT@SentinelGroup.org
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