A great revival is about to sweep the land. Those who want to be a part
of God's revival need to lay aside sin & encumbrances and enter a season of
prayer, repentance and forgiveness. Unfortunately, a lot of people will
wait until they are homeless before they seek revival.
At the Sentinel Group website,
George Otis, Jr. has books, cassettes, DVD's and videos showing how numerous
revivals have started and spread to entire cities and countries. The
island nation of Fiji put
this wisdom to practice -- and a revival is sweeping their nation! Now the
rest of the Polynesian nations are asking George to come with his teachings, to
start revivals there.
What fosters a revival in your community?
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God wants to be invited to our communities. He invites us to do so
through prayer. If we need God to increase our spiritual appetite, we
should ask Him. But first, we must be emptied of satisfaction with the
status quo.
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Nothing draws God's presence more than holiness and humility. We
must renounce pride, arrogance, being opinionated and pretenses of piety.
Sin in the camp will stop God's hand.
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| Revival is not borne out of a mass movement, but out of a series of
solitary decisions. Corporate revival begins with solitary decisions,
personal revival. What we are praying for the city must first be in
our own hearts. After you have made that commitment, search out
a core group who have also made that commitment.
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| Biblical unity commands the Blessing of God. But it neither infers
nor requires a city-wide majority. Unity in the core group of even as
few as two is enough.
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Breakthrough prayer releases Destiny! Effectual, fervent,
persevering, travailing prayer avails much. Pray for God's work on our
hearts. Pray for God to give us His heart for the city. Pray for God
to give the community His heart.
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God's work is always unique. God's timing and means are not
predictable. That way He can surprise the devil. Our own pride and impatience would have us set a strategy
and program for God to show up. No, we must go to where He shows up.
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Leaders are essential to revival preparation. God uses servant
leaders. They must be committed to the community, even if it is
evil. The measure of the leaders is not whether they have influence
with the public, but if they have influence with God. They must
persevere through apathy and active opposition. They must covenant to
intercede for the community.
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What hinders community revival?
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Theological mis-understandings. Many believers are under the
impression that revival is a mysterious, divine process that we don't have a
part in. This is contradicted by scripture. All God's promises
are "yes" and "amen." But we must obey all promises.
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Reliance on programs. We often misinterpret God's silent
deliberation as a sign He expects us to take matters into our own
hands. No, guidance from God is critical.
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Lowered expectations of what God can & will do. We are
satisfied with 'just a little more' of the status quo. But what
the book of Acts shows is possible today.
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| Misplaced motives. Examine your motives. Is God a handyman
or a lover? Are you seeking the gift or the Giver? What is our highest
object of devotion? Idolatry will stop God's hand.
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| Ignorance of history. Family and ancestral sin. Community-wide
sin. National sin. Even these must be confessed and repented of.
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| Curses on the land. Curses on the neighborhood. Curses on
the nation. These evil influences must be told to leave.
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No sense of corporate membership. Unity and harmony is
necessary. God called us to be a Body, committed to one another in
love. We often let our personal pride cause fragmentation and
"church hopping."
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Lack of hunger. The tyranny of the urgent, the distractions and
our fast-paced lifestyle tend to become our highest devotion, while we give
God a "time slot." No, we must remove ourselves from the
distractions of life.
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The above came from a speech by John Mulinde of Uganda
"Heavenly Father, we come before You in our poverty. We ask you
for hunger, a desperation in our hearts for Thy Kingdom to come, for Thy will to
be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Please awaken our slumbering
spirits from the comforts and enchantments that have held us down. Save us
from our weaknesses and sins. We confess & renounce the sins of our
ancestors, our community and our nation. We command any evil influences in
our households, neighborhoods, cities, states and nation to leave now and not
come back. Anoint us with humility and
brokenness. Raise us from our reasons and excuses. Mold us after
your loving image. Give us your wisdom and guidance that we might do your
will. Place your heart within our heart. We ask this in
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our master and savior, Amen."
Here is another prayer to be used
for this purpose.
Here is Praying the Beatitudes
to be used for this purpose.
If you are interested in seeing the videos and help with the greatest
work of our lives, email me at Tim
Temple.
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