Jesus Christ came so that we can have life and have to the full. To be truly alive to Christ means, we must have his life flowing within our hearts. If you are like me, you’ll admit, that life leaks. Sometimes I am truly on fire and full of spiritual vitality, but other times I experience seasons of dryness.
The question is how do I get my spiritual life revived again?
An Abiding Presence
The first sign of a revived christian life is a life that enjoys the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. He possesses a fullness that is ever-increasing – from glory to glory. In the words of a famous preacher, it is “something that you don’t have to stir up, crank up, work up.” Too often, revival is about how loud and emotional people can get in a meeting. Don’t get me wrong, I think, when God shows in our meetings it is going to get loud. But too often, people try to reproduce something God did before and act as if he is doing it again. Revival is more than volume, or mimicking moves of God. It is about the tangible, indwelling, abiding presence of God. It’s about the real deal, not the stuff that is worked-up. In order to enjoy that presence, we must do the following:
- Abide in Him – “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4
- Guide our hearts above all things – “Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23
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Keep in step with the Spirit – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
- Practice the disciplines of prayer, meditation, worship – “Blessed is the man who’s delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:1-3
The things of earth simply go dim
The second sign of a revived christian life is a life captivated by a single-minded devotion and love for Jesus and the things of God. When it doesn’t bother you anymore, that you missed your favorite TV show or the Superbowl, not because you forgot to Tivo it, but because you wanted to take part in something of eternal significance – you are having a revival. When all the things of earth grow dim in the light of God, his church, his people and his work, that’s a sign of a revived christian life. To make that happen, we must be willing to:
- Put God first – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
- Love not the world and the things of the world – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:15-18
A Hunger for More
The third sign of a revived christian life is an insatiable hunger for more of God. There is no place for things as usual. There is a hunger to spend time with the Lord in prayer, worship and meditation. There is a hunger to see God move in the lives of others. There is a hunger for purity and holiness. Your heart breaks over the things that break the heart of God. The more you seek God, the more you find Him. The more you find God, the more you see Him. It’s a never-ending desire for more of Him.
- Hunger for more – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
- Never be lacking in zeal – “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,7 serve the Lord.” Romans 12:11
God Deeper with the following Power Passages on Revival
Ezekiel 37:1-14
2 chronicles 7:14
Psalm 85
Psalm 145:1-5; 17-21
Matthew 9:35-36
Acts 2:1-41
Prayer Revive us again Lord; Fill each heart with your love; May each soul be rekindled With fire from above. Amen!
Walter Bright 
Wow. I remember feeling like this and I envy it soooo much. My spiritual life feels like it has been paused now. I am dry and I thirst for God! I really need revival and I would be grateful if my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ prayed with me. God bless u Walter!
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Lerato, thank you much for sharing about where you are right now in the Lord… You are in my prayers as of today until we see a time refreshing. I have a day of fasting and praying with a few friends on Friday and we will be praying for you. Join us if you can where ever you are.
Stay blessed and refreshed!
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Hey Gordon,
Good to hear from you … I am glad you found something useful.
Walter
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Reblogged this on travail2prevail.
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I am honored that you shared this on your site with your readers. Thank you!
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Beautiful post and I’m enjoying your blog I just found today. I’m seeing the revival through a thirst for the word, not feeling satisfied if I leave my house in the morning without opening the Bible or having quiet reflection/prayer. But a heart of praise, definitely…. Lord, restore unto me the Joy of your salvation and renew a right spirit within me! (in Psalm 51) 🙂 What a great feeling to abide in that peace.
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Hi
I am so glad to hear about what the Lord is doing in your life. I am glad that you took the time to read and share. His abiding presence is indeed what brings the hunger for his word and his peace. Like you, and in the words of Kim Walker Smith, “I wouldn’t trade another lifetime for how I feel right now.
Stay blessed!
see you on your blog!
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Great post, Walter! One of the indicators of my spiritual life is where my thoughts go when there’s no interruptions (TV, people talking etc). Do I begin worrying, get in fear, start thinking about the things of the world… Or do my thoughts turn to God in praise and thanksgiving?
BTW: You’re looking sharp in the new picture!
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hahaha, I really don’t know how I pulled that off brother, but thank you.
As I read your comment my thoughts went to the passage somewhere in Isaiah 26, where it says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” When we begin to give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, instead of worrying, he floods our soul with his peace and presence. That is the place we should all want to be spiritually. Thank you my brother, stay blessed!
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brother, I agree that revival starts with us, with our personal relationship with the Lord, with abiding in Him.
The key to it is our spirit – he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). God today dwells in our spirit, and whenever we set our mind on the spirit, we have life and peace (Rom. 8:6). We need to know and exercise our spirit, even live and walk by the spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25).
It is strange that none of the apostles writing the New Testament emphasized “revival” but they spoke extensively of living Christ (Gal. 2:20) and Christ being formed in us (Gal. 4:19). When Christ lives in us, we are revived. When we live one spirit with the Lord, we are revived!
Lord, revive us! Lord, keep us in our spirit, abiding in You all the time!
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very keen perspectives Stefan, you got it right… stay blessed!
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I think, for me it is being able to talk with my father, who seriously dealt me some blows in my life. Hence we have limited contact – I got a call tonight saying he was in hospital and after speaking with him, it occurred to me that it is the fruit of God’s forgiveness living out through me. I cannot do this in his strength, the pain is too difficult. By God’s strength I have been gifted with at least 5 years of consistent contact. So for me seeing forgiveness manifest itself without us putting ourselves back into the pathway abusive relationships. (great food for thought Walter).
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Wow! Man that is awesome. My wife and her only sister had a difficult relationship with their dad, but for the last 6 or 7 years that relationship is all healed up and restored. Thank you Rod for sharing that. Stay blessed!
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There’s a verse in the Hillsong United “Love is War” that goes “I will fight to follow, I will fight for love, all my life forever, to the triumph of the Son.” The sign I see happening in my life right now is that fight. With three young kids and what I do in ministry life can get very busy so daily devotions is a fight, quiet time for prayer is a fight, pausing to seek God’s will in a situation – even if it’s just in my momentary attitude – is a fight. I know that’s the Holy Spirit working in me that drives the desire to be near Him and to “fight to follow” Him every day.
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That is a powerful song. Tanara, I understand exactly what you are talking about. I sincerely applaud you for having that fighting attitude and that determination to maintain your daily devotion and quiet time with the Lord. Trust me, it is a battle for a lot of parents. My wife works a full time and we are both ministers with two young kids. But like you said, those who are able to win in situations like this, are those with a plan, a strategy, a support system (husband & wife team). Those who are able to maintain their prayer life and devotion, are those with a fighting spirit. Because it is worth fighting for. The bible say, “it is God working in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure.” Now, that is a sign of revival – when we feel God working in us.
Thank you for sharing… I celebrate what God is doing in your family. I also just want to lift up a prayer for all parents with little kids and full time jobs and ministries, that the Lord will lift us and bless us and draw us through His Spirit’s power to deeper intimacy with Him… Amen!
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Amen!
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Hi Walter
Great post, thank you, it reminds me I’m doing the right things, sometimes my own self-doubt gets to me, but this was a great post to start the new week on, thanks again.
Wayne
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Hey Wayne, thanks for stopping by. I am glad it brought some assurance that you are on the right track. I better take a look at it again to see if I’m doing the right things as well. Stay blessed my brother and see on you blog in a few.
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