Many are believing and calling for a third Great Awakening. It’s my heart’s cry as well. But before we can have an awakening, we must first have a revival. A revival of God’s people who are stirred to repentance—that then spreads to the world—an awakening. The church is revived, and the world is awakened.
I believe and shared in an earlier article and podcast that we’ve been experiencing a the beginnings of a shaking. It’s one I feel will yet grow quite stronger as the Lord seeks to get our attention, as He seeks to get us into alignment, as He seeks to get us to return to our first love, as He seeks to shake the pride out of the church. “The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: ‘I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts” (Isa. 57:15, NLT, author’s emphasis).
While I know there’s a popular movement stating God doesn’t send judgment, and we should never release words of judgment, the Bible clearly declares, “Judgment begins at the house of God” (see 1 Pet. 4:17). The church must cry out as David, “Search me, O God. If there be any unclean thing in my heart, remove it” (see Ps. 139:23-25). Reveal any sin, any idols. By and large, the love of many has grown cold, as the Bible said it would.
Revival begins with you and me. From us, it can spread to the church and from the church to the world for an awakening. It has to be repentance-based. First love-based. If not, we are in danger of having our lampstand removed (Rev. 2:5).
Listen as we discuss more on this subject with prophet and evangelist Chris Overstreet on this week’s Faith Works Podcast here. {eoa}
