Revival Is A Personal Thing

2 Chron 7:14

If my people, (turn to somebody and tell them he’s talking to you) which are called by my name, (what’s that name) shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

· He’s talking to all of us that are called by that name.

· In the hour that we are living in, the only ones that are going to be able to bring the kind of revival the God wants in these last days, are the people of the name.

· God’s not simply wanting numbers, He’s wanting saints.

· Saints that will humble themselves, and pray and seek the face of God and turn from the world of sin that He is able to give you power to be victorious over sin.

· I would like to preach to you something that came to me this week as I sat there at “Because of the Times.”

· Two statements were made that quickened my mind to a Scripture, with those two statements and this one Scripture that I have just read I will attempt to preach to you tonight.

If you will notice in 2nd Chronicles 7:14 there are 4 things that hinder a response from heaven.

· And church let me just say; that is why I am here, that is why we have sang, praised and worshipped. We need a response from heaven.

· I have not come for any other reason than to have fellowship with God. To be challenged and talked to on how to live so that I might make the rapture when it occurs.

Notice there are 4 things we must do in every service if we want to hear from heaven.

1. We must humble ourselves.

2. We must pray.

3. We must seek His face.

4. And we must turn from our wicked ways.

Tonight I want to preach to us, “Revival Is A Personal Thing”

· You may say tonight Pastor those 4 things that you have mentioned, humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God, and turning from our wicked ways sounds easy, is it?

· First of all we must understand what revival is.

· Revival comes from the word “Viva” it is a Spanish word that means “Life”

· The word in its simplest form means to make something come alive again that’s gone to sleep or become drowsy.

5 times in the word of the Lord we read the word’s “Awake, awake”.

1. Awake, awake, and sing a song. Two times this is mentioned.

2. Awake, awake, put on your strength.

3. Awake, awake, and drink from His hand.

4. Awake, awake, and put on your strength and put on your beautiful garment.

5. 5 times the word of the Lord comes to the church, to the people of Zion, and says Awake, Awake.

Awake to whom you are, awake to your purpose and awake to your calling.

· Wake up to the fact that this world needs you and me to be awake and alive in times like these.

· Jesus said when He comes back He’s coming back not for those that are cold and lukewarm, but He’s coming back for those that are Hot!

· Those that are awake and having revival, this church needs to wake up to the fact that we must have revival.

There are three times we find in the Word of the Lord where the Bible tells us in (Psalms 138:7) “Revive me” in (Psalms 85:6) “Revive Us” and in (Habakkuk 3:2) “Revive thy Work”

· We must understand that revival always begins with me (individually), but if I can get to a place of revival for (my self), then it can spread to (us) and when revival spreads to all of us then we can ask God to spread revival to (thy work).

· Do you understand it begins with me individually, then it spreads throughout the church, then we can spread it throughout our city?

· From center to circumference, from the pulpit to the pew, from the pew to the streets, from the streets to our community.

Someone once said, “If all the sleeping folk would wake up, and all the lukewarm folk would fire up, and all the dishonest folk would confess up, and all the disgruntled folk would sweeten up, and all the discouraged folk would cheer up, and all the depressed folk would look up, and all the estranged folk would make up, and all the gossipy folks would shut up, and all the dry bones folk would shape up, and all the true soldiers would stand up, then we would have revival.

· I want to tell you tonight that true revival begins with me, it begins with you, revival is an individual call of God to wake up.

· One of the statements that I heard this week came from a man by the name of Terry Shock.

· He said one night He and his wife were out with Bro and Sis Willoby and he asked “is lack of worship a pride issue” and Sis Willoby very directly said YES indeed it is!

· A lack of worship is a pride issue; I will explain myself in just a-little bit.

· Then Jack Cunningham on of the day speakers said when he was 25, he was with Bro Billy Cole his uncle in Thailand and he was preaching on Acts 2:38. After he finished preaching, 50 received the gift of the Holy Ghost. They got in the van to go back to the airport and Bro Jack Cunningham said, I’m sorry for not preaching very well, Bro Billy Cole turned around and rebuked him in Jesus Name and said I rebuke that pride out of you.

· Anyone who will take the blame for a bad message will take the credit for a good message. It’s a pride issue.

· When I heard those two statements this week something leaped in me and said help me Lord to stay humble, help me to pray, help me to seek your face and help me to turn from my wicked ways.

· Listen, I can’t help you humble yourself, and I can’t make you pray, or seek the face of God and I surey can’t make anyone turn from their wicked ways, but I sure can do that for myself.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a word that was spoken by King Solomon at the dedication of the temple.

· It is a verse of Scripture that was spoken to the nation of Israel, not to allow disobedience and rebellion to be part of them.

· Solomon told them that if they are willing to humble themselves, and pray and seek the face of God and turn from the idolatry of that day, they can and will here from heaven.

· Here me when I say that you cannot buy revival, you cannot live good enough to have revival, you cannot schedule a revival.

· Revival is a supernatural, sovereign act of God.

· We cannot produce a revival meeting tonight if God does not allow it.

· But here me when I say we can meet certain requirements found in the word of the Lord that qualifies us to be ready for revival.

· First of all we must humble ourselves.

He says, “If My people, which are called by My name…”

· This is not a verse scripture that is directed to the lost people of the world.

· Lost people do not need revival, they need to be saved!

· If you’re here tonight and you’re not saved, you need to repent of your sins, be baptized in Jesus Name and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:38.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is for us that are saved.

· We are to humble ourselves and when the writer says humble yourself he is speaking of getting rid of our pride.

· In the Old Testament the word (Pride) means “to rise or to swell up.”

· It refers to the rising of the waves of the sea.

· It speaks of men thinking more of themselves and their abilities than they do of God.

· Pride says, “I do not need God, I can make my own way. I know best. I call the shots in my life.”

· And friend let me say that is the attitude of most Christians today.

· We think we have God so figured out, and we know so much about Him, that we know more about Him than what He knows about us, and for that reason we fail to submit to Him.

· We as mere mortal human beings come in before Him in His holy presence and think nothing about it.

· But anytime you read of someone in the Bible coming in the presence of God they fell to their face, or to their knees, or they wrapped themselves in sackcloth and ashes, or they bowed down, or fell down face first and worshipped Him.

· They did not try and talk or look or say anything to God.

· We as the modern Apostolic church have adopted the Laodicean mentality.

Rev 3:17

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

· Did you here what that Scripture said about us, we’re wretched, we’re miserable, we’re poor, blind and naked.

· My pride don’t want to here that, but church let me ask have we learned how to function without the help of the Lord so much that now our pride has almost destroyed the power of the church!

· When we compare ourselves to the modern religious community were looking pretty good.

· But let me ask how do we compare when we lay the modern church alongside the early church, the book of Acts church?

· How does our worship and our prayer life, and our dedication and our sacrifice measure up to that church?

I was amazed at the worship I saw this week, no inhabitations, no reservations, no restrictions, no limitations, no worries, no fear, no doubt.

· No one cared how the person next to them worshipped.

· No one cared how they looked when they worshipped.

· No one cared if they did or if they didn’t.

· No one cared if the person next to them cared or not.

Church, what kind of worship would we have, if all of us would put our pride aside and say alright, the only thing that is going to concern me tonight is worshipping God.

I don’t care what it looks like, I don’t care if you like it or not, I don’t care how crazy it looks to you, I don’t care I’m putting my pride aside and giving God everything I got.

David danced before the Lord so intently that it says in:

2 Sam 6:13-16

And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

· Let me ask, do you despise worship, if you do you have a problem with your pride.

· You want to live in the house with the King, but you don’t want intimacy.

· You want the name of the King, and you don’t mind cleaning and doing the laundry and cooking, but stay away from the bedroom.

· But church let me tell you the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back after a bride and not a wife.

· There’s a difference!

· How many marriages are there in the world where a man and woman exist under the same roof without intimacy?

· Need I remind you that if you want children you need intimacy?

· Praise is kissing God, intimacy is going behind the bedroom door and getting naked and honest and open with the Lord.

· Can I just say if there is anyone in this room I have no inhibitions being around it’s my wife, she knows me better than anyone else?

· She knows my mistakes, my short comings, my failures, and my inhibitions, better than anyone else.

· The reason we don’t want to really worship God like we know we need to, is because we think God is going to stop loving us when He finds out what kind of people we are.

· Wrong, Christ loved us long before we ever started loving Him.

· That’s why we ought to worship and praise Him.

· If my people that are called by my name would humble themselves.

Why can’t we get past our pride?

· We want to look good worshipping, we want to look good crying, we want to look good loosing our self to God, but friend how long has it been since you were at a place in your worshipped, that you did not care what it looked like.

· Who you trying to impress, who you trying to look good in front of, who really matters to you?

In the book of Proverbs, God gives a list of things He hates, and the first one on the list is pride.

· Pride is included in the seven deadly sins, and over and over in the bible, we are warned that if we exalt ourselves, God will bring us down.

· A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

· An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

· A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.

Proverbs says:

· The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way.

· When pride cometh, then cometh shame:

How many of us tonight right now are too ashamed to worship.

I’ll say it again; A lack of worship is a pride issue.

Prov 16:5

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD:

Prov 16:18

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

How can you tell if you have a pride problem?

· Pride doesn’t want to listen.

· Pride want’s to talk about itself.

· Pride want’s to do it itself.

· Pride has an intense desire to be noticed.

· Pride believes that it deserves everything it gets.

· Pride is not thankful.

· Pride cannot be corrected.

· Pride does not like to follow instructions.

· Pride brags.

· Pride criticizes, and likes to put others down.

· Pride doesn’t want to worship.

“If my people which are called by my name would “humble themselves”.

The word “humble” means “to bend the knee; to bring down; to place self under another.”

· We like to be in charge, we like to do it when we feel like it, we don’t want to feel like we have to.

· But can I say church; I believe that God is looking for a people that will do anything they have to, to bring themselves under His authority.

· To prove to Him how much they love and appreciate Him

· He wants us to live each and everyday knowing we need Him.

· We are dependant upon Him.

· We can’t make it without Him, In Him we live, move, and have our being.

· We need to realize that we were nothing when He found us; and tonight we are nothing without Him.

· The 2nd thing that is stopping revival is a lack of prayer.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray”.

Acts 4:31…And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

That’s my kind of revival.

· Notice the words “prayer” and “together”.

· If there is one thing we need desperately when we gather together, it is prayer.

· Being together is beautiful, it’s great and wonderful, but friend when we gather and we can pray together it’s special, because we can shake up some things together in prayer.

· One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight.

· There is strength in unity, and there is strength in togetherness 
and we need it especially in the time of revival.

· Togetherness and agreement go hand and hand.

· If any two of you agree on Earth as touching any one thing, it shall be done.

Church there is strength in unity.

· Notice what the word says; It says when they had prayed, not before, but when they had prayed, the house was shaken.

· I long for the day, that this church really learns how to pray the book of Acts way.

· Not timid and backward, not ashamed, and embarrassed, but happy for the opportunity to pray together with others that believe in the power of prayer

· We need to learn how to pray together.

· I’m sure that there are many ingredients for revival, but you can never have revival without prayer.

· Our life line to heaven: is prayer, praise, and worship.

· These are the vapors we send up unto God.

· If no vapors go up, then no rain will come down.

· But if we’ll send up some vapors to the Lord, then he will send some rain back down.

Prayerlessness is the first cousin to pride.

· Prayerlessness says, “I do not need to call on the Lord, I can make it just fine without Him.”

· Prayerlessness does not say, “He is all I need”; but “I am all I need.”

· Prayer is the ultimate statement of inability.

· Prayer looks to God and says, “I can’t, but you can!”

Leonard Ravenhill said, “The church is dying on its feet because it is not living on its knees!”

· If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face

· The word “seek” means “to search out by any method; especially by worship and prayer.”

· The word “face” refers to “the countenance; to turn toward His direction.”

· It means as God’s people that we stop looking for help and answers every where else, we need to look to Him.

· Do you understand what I just said, and write this down, this is fresh revelation, revival does not come to people who seek revival; but revival comes to people who seek God!

· Too many people are caught up in what God can do for them.

· But, seeking His face means that we hunger for Him more than what He can do for us.

· He wants us to love Him for Who He is!

· The essence of genuine revival is falling in love with Jesus all over again.

· That is the real definition for revival!

· Seeking Him will bring revival to your life and the church.

James 4:8….Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Isa 55:6

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

David said: Ps 51:15-17

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

· Let me ask you to get real honest right now, what is the number one priority in your life?

· Is it your job? Is it your bank accounts or retirement? Is it your family? Is it your church? Is it your spouse? Is it your hobby?

· Or, is it the Lord?

· When anything but God is the number one priority in your life, you are out of balance and you are not a candidate for revival.

· When God is our first priority, it means the things He cares about, it the things were concerned about.

Answer these three questions and this will tell you what you number one priority is.

· What do you spend most of your free time doing.

· What do you spend your extra money on?

· Where is your mind when you focus on your thoughts?

You answer it for yourself.

Rev 2:4-5

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rev 3:19-22

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

· If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways.

· Listen church it does no good for us to try and have revival if tomorrow were going to go back out in the world and pick sin back up.

· Some people say it don’t matter, or it’s don’t convict me, or I don’t see nothing wrong in that.

· Listen church if the bible says it’s wrong it’s wrong.

· If the church preaches and teaches against something it’s wrong.

· What we need is a season of repentance.

· We are good with our excuses; and we are quick to rationalize our behavior; but we are slow to fall on our face before the Lord and repent.

· Why because of pride, arrogance, we don’t want to humble ourselves and say were wrong.

· But church if you are going to have your own personal revival, you must come clean with your sins and repent.

Prov 28:13

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

1 John 1:9-10

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

· The bible says we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

The key word is “righteous”.

· The word refers to a person who is “holy, upright and keeps the commandments of the Lord.”

Are you a righteous man or woman?

· Can God hear your prayers? Do you even care?

If you do and you want revival, the first requirement is humble yourself, pray, seek the face of God, and turn from your wicked ways and God will give you the revival we need so desperately.

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