What does personal revival look like?

The term "revival" is used to denote a return of a/the church to a fervency in relationship to God after a period of decline. I am not sure when this term began to be used. Like most religious terms, it has become charged with widely varying meaning depending on the person/group using the term. But one thing I know to be true. Corporate "revival" is not possible without personal "revival". So I thought I would ask a very specific question.

In your own personal life, what does personal revival look like? I am not asking what you think revival should look like in the church, or in the life of Joe Christian out there in the church somewhere. I am asking in YOUR own life, what do you think it would look like if you were to return to and begin to live in fervency of relationship with God?

I for one am a very busy person. I find that I fly through my daily life and often realize that Jesus has not been at the forefront of my thoughts. More importantly, I realize that I struggle with putting myself and my own agenda in front of others and the agape love of God flowing through me to them. So, I think that the next step in my drawing near to God looks a lot like learning to get me out of the way and allow God to live through me. It is learning to be selfless.

twayneb wrote:In your own personal life, what does personal revival look like? I am not asking what you think revival should look like in the church, or in the life of Joe Christian out there in the church somewhere. I am asking in YOUR own life, what do you think it would look like if you were to return to and begin to live in fervency of relationship with God?

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I think this is a great thread. I have already had the LORD show me some things in this but I want to pray about it a bit more before I respond. I hope that is alright :)

Still just the question has really got me searching my heart, how I spend my days, do my actions line up with all that I say?? These are very good things to consider in light of eternity. Thank you for sharing this as putting this thread here. Will be back soon.

God bless
maryjane

twayneb wrote:

"I for one am a very busy person. I find that I fly through my daily life and often realize that Jesus has not been at the forefront of my thoughts. More importantly, I realize that I struggle with putting myself and my own agenda in front of others and the agape love of God flowing through me to them. So, I think that the next step in my drawing near to God looks a lot like learning to get me out of the way and allow God to live through me. It is learning to be selfless."

What a lovely post that must have caused a lot of us like Mary Jane to look at and question the actual quality of our own lives. Thank you.

I can really identify with you in this in the busyness of business, family and work life today. Many are under pressure to perform, work longer hours in all parts of the day, something must give.

Some time ago I found myself in the very same position working in a busy city center and I raised the same question with myself. Too busy for the Lord Jesus, where is He in this work, where is He in the church, where is He in the home? The teaching at church was evangelically "sound" - life at home hectic, many children, loving but busy wife - but time for Jesus every meal time, morning and night before the hectic merry-go-round started again.

The only time available to me was one hour for lunch each week, I prayed for a prayer partner who had the same burden to simply know the Lord Jesus more in our lives and experience. The Lord heard and sent me another man who had the same need.

We met once a week in the only quiet space we could find, it was in the basement of a shop in the middle of all the stock. We prayed for just one half hour each week that the Lord Jesus would show Himself to us in a very real way, we just wanted to know Him more.

After some time He came quietly and as we slowly overcame our selves and allowed Him access into our innermost being, He came in power. Initially it was overpowering, the working of the Holy Spirit thorough and unsettling as He dredged all of the past bad things not of Him out and filled up all the space.

The result was dramatic in my personal, work and family life - it overturned a lot of the "religious" in me and made a lot of the Word of God that was previously hidden from me vital and alive.

The struggle with "me" the flesh is a daily battle, spiritual warfare is real, witnessing is a matter of loving and living Jesus in the World - He does the rest.

That is what revival in my life meant - I do hope and pray that this will encourage you and others to simply ask and keep on asking, believing that the Lord Jesus will answer.

I would commend the little book by Roy Hessian, "We would see Jesus" - it helped me a lot.

God bless you all.

Terry

2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. And having in a readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

It seems easy enough to simply say “I just won't do that anymore." It is so much harder...not to do that anymore. I know that in a personal revival God would have to restore to me the warrior spirit. The all or nothing, sacrifice everything, win or die trying mentality. I fall far too often to the teaching of my youth in which I heard far too often the message I now call "cheap grace." I do not want to be just a sinner saved by grace. I want to be what I am, a new creature. I do not want excuses for the reason I sin. I do not want to hear it is normal and to be expected. I don't want to hear that we all sin a hundred times a day and we sin hour by hour and even minute by minute. I want to live in the light of the Word and in the reality of His resurrection. If we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life. My old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth I should not serve sin. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body...neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield to God and your body as instruments of righteousness unto God.

I guess what I am getting at is I need help making this obvious but elusive choice. Please pray for me. I want to want to. If I only will...

hi, i live in baton rouge. if you are close, you come over and take a picture
jimp