Everyone wants revival. More accurately, everybody wishes revival would come. Who among us would not want to witness mass salvations, wide-scale healings, powerful deliverances from demonic strongholds and the release of an increase of the spirit of wisdom and revelation? All Jesus-followers want this.
Or, more accurately, we all wish for it.
The difference between wanting revival and wishing for revival will be manifested, in part, by how we proactively position ourselves to receive it. Revival does not typically occur in the absence of preparation. As we fast and pray for breakthrough to flood our land, God is whispering to His children to examine our hearts to discover if we are prepared to rightly steward the revival we are asking Him to send to us. Revival is so precious and powerful that God will not arbitrarily release it to those who will squander its immeasurable value.
Holy Spirit is calling the bride into intentional preparation and deep consecration. What God is preparing for the church may very well be the final outpouring before His Son returns. With clean hands and pure hearts, we will receive the answer to our pleas for revival to come—But not until we address the present condition of our collective hearts.
The Father is more than willing to release the outpouring we all long for—but are we ready? While we cry out for the big-picture awakening to come from heaven, God is actually calling us to get serious on the molecular level of our attitudes, pursuits and relationships with each other. If we will get these areas realigned with His beautiful heart, then some of current the barriers of revival will come down. We will then experience together the breakthrough we are all longing to experience. I am convinced now is the time for the church to ready herself for the outpouring that precedes the glorious appearing of her bridegroom.
To hear more in-depth thoughts on this, check out the Revival & ___ episodes on the Mavericks & Misfits podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}