REVIVAL

What does revival mean to you? To me this word means a restoration or increase in interest of the things of God.

What does your daily life consist of? If you are like most normal people, we have our daily routine of things that we do each day. We get up each morning, and prepare ourselves for the work day, go to work, and then at the end of the day we come home to what we would hope to be a peaceful evening with the family, or to catch up on some other business or home related details that urgently need to be done. Does this seem like your everyday boring, uninteresting, rushed, and stressed out routine?

How is your relationship with God, your friends, neighbors, work associates, and family? Are you only a one to two hour a week churchgoer? How much time do you spend in prayer and the Word of God? How thankful (most people just take the many blessings we have for granted) are you for what you have, or are you a complainer over little petty things that come into your life? Are you more interested in self, than searching out someone in need, and helping them? Do you want to see healings, lives changed (even your own), and a healing of the land and church in its already terrible condition? Or are you just satisfied with your current church program, and content to leave things as they presently are? Are you really satisfied to just be comfortable where you are currently at with the Lord, or do you desire MORE OF GOD? Is your life revolved around seeking God with all of your heart, mind and soul? I would think that if we really want God to work in the church, our land, and in our lives, we would want MORE OF GOD AND HIS HOLY SPIRIT WORKING IN OUR LIVES!

How do we get more of God? I believe it is as simple as getting down on our knees, as we read in the following scripture from God's Word:

In 2 Chronicles 7: 14 we read, If my people, who are called by my name, will 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. Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

We see from God's Word that it is pretty clearly laid out what we are to do if we want to see the move of GOD'S SPIRIT in this land, our churches, and in ourselves.

If you want more of God, then you also need to be prepared to give up, or sacrifice some of the comforts we so often hate to let go of. Are you prepared to suffer, even die for the cause of Christ? Are you willing to get up a little earlier in the morning to spend time with God? (He desires so much to meet with us over a cup of coffee or tea each morning. ) Are you willing to seek His face, call upon Him for revival, and believe that He will do great and marvelous things now?

Are you struggling with unanswered prayer in your life? You may be asking yourself, Where is God? Why isn't He doing anything in my life? I pray, but I'm not hearing His voice, and the list goes on.

Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they do in our lives; why we go through valleys, instead of being on the hill tops, and why God seems to be so distant at times in our lives? First of all, God is a perfect God, who knows all things, and has the perfect plan for each of our lives. He wants to see the very best for each of us. However, we choose what kind of life we want to live, don't we?

Where are you in relationship to God at this present time in your life? Are there areas in your life that need a good flushing out, a renewing of the mind, and a cleansing so that we can present ourselves to God pure and holy in His sight?

Remember the story of Achan in the book of Joshua starting with the seventh chapter in reading this you will see that the Israelites were defeated in battle against the men of Ai. Why? Because they SINNED! Is it any wonder why we don't see the hand of God upon our nation? What this country needs to do is consecrate themselves in preparation for what lies ahead. Do we want to be a victorious people, or a people content with a religious program which is not of God. Do we want God's will performed in this day, or do we wish to do our own thing? The choice is in each one of us? What will your choice be today?

March 2, 2000

Bob Ventura