Revival In Us

Originally posted October 19, 2015

There’s something that’s been on my heart lately, and I feel like it’s important to share. I’ve had this growing sense that a revival is coming, but here’s what’s really been stirring in me—I believe it has to start with us.

We pray for revival in our churches and for our nation. We talk about the changes that need to happen for that revival to take place. We discuss how obedience is the true expression of our love for God. But while we focus on those big changes, I think we sometimes overlook the smaller things that are just as important.

We may talk about the idols in our lives—the way our TVs, cell phones, and computers so easily take precedence over our relationship with God. We know these things can become distractions or even obstacles, yet we often continue living the same way. If we don’t start allowing God to truly change our hearts, then all the time we spend in Bible study and prayer is little more than a routine or social time.

The question I keep asking myself is: Why aren’t I making the changes I know I need to make?
Why do we keep living day-to-day without really surrendering those things that are holding us back? If our hearts aren’t being transformed throughout the day, then what’s the point of praying for a revival at all?

Deuteronomy 8:19 says that if we put something above the Lord, we will perish. It’s serious. We can’t plead ignorance anymore—we know the areas of our lives that need to change, and we have to be willing to follow through.

If we truly love Him, we will obey Him. And if we truly obey Him, that’s when revival can truly come into our lives.

We can’t look at our churches or our communities and ask, “What’s wrong with them?” until we first ask, “What’s wrong with me?” We can’t expect to inspire change in others if we aren’t letting God transform us from the inside out. If what we study and pray about doesn’t impact our lives, how can we expect to impact anyone else?

So, I want to challenge all of us to take a hard look at our hearts. Let’s not just pray for revival, let’s also ask God to change our hearts and create in us a fire that will consume anything that stands in the way of fully obeying Him. Let’s pray for a desire to live solely for Him—because revival starts with us.