Revival

Ready for revival? Then you will enjoy reading this THE DARK NIGHT NIGHT OF THE SOUL{Vital insights into God's preparations for Revival - ed.} "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will l hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land". - 2 Chronicles 7:14. ________________________ Another key similarity between revival and nuclearfission is a strange phenomenon that occurs rightbefore the atom splits. The nucleus actually depresses.Scientists observe that the neutron bombardmentwhich seemed to be changing the nucleus, now showsno sign of reaching critical mass. Nothing seems to be happening.That is also what happens right before a manifestationof God's glory. The revival core will be praying andsensing a rising tide of power and expectancy. All of a sudden, you hit a brick wall. The power is gone. God'spresence seems to have lifted. Your prayers feel trapped in your mouth. A deep despair settles in. You feel physically drained.This is the dark night of the soul. This is where every revival pioneer has been before you and now it'syour turn. It will take everything in you to keepmoving. The sobering fact is that many who havereached the dark night of the soul have retreated.Eternity will reveal a long, sad history of revivalnear-misses.Let me state emphatically that 90% of revival isgetting to the point where an unshakeable resolve (firm determination to do something) is born.Everything you have done before you reach thisdark night will seem unimportant. It is what you donow that makes or breaks your heart's desire.At no other time does God express love more thanwhen He allows this time of total emptiness. God risksbeing misunderstood. He faces the potential of one ofHis children walking away frustrated and confused, butHe believes the good it will produce is well worth therisk. What do you do when this cloud of darkness settleson you?Scientists respond to a depressed nucleus by intensifying the neutron beam (fire), and resolve to do so until fission occurs. They commit to keep moving, not relying on any physical signs. That is precisely what we must do to see the end of this night. Why does God allow this dark night? I strongly believethat our Father realized that those through whom He works to bring revival receive great praise from the church and awesome attacks from Satan. A person lacking humility won't survive the praise of men. A person without perseverance won't overcome Satan. The revival core must realize this and stand the test. Just as a scientist turns up the force of the neutron beam even though he sees no result, so true revivalists will turn up their prayer during the dark night of the soul. If the children of God demonstrate that theywon't go by what they see or feel, God will know thatHe has vessels that will not rely on circumstances orfeelings to keep them on a straight course.If the prayer of the revival core continues during thisdark night, their true motive surfaces. The only thingthat will hold us when the nucleus depresses is a pureheart of love for the lost and a true desire to see Godglorified. God wisely observes that anyone who survives this night is rightfully suited to invade enemyterritory. Again we see this fifth stage in our key verse,2 Chronicles 7:14, "...will humble themselves and pray,and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways...'It would seem that by this stage, God would know wehave abandoned our sin. The issue, however, is something deeper; it deals with our ways.Our repentance has dealt with what we have done; now the purification focuses on what we are.The psalmist distinguished two aspects of God: His acts and His ways. "He made known his ways to Moses, hisdeeds to the people of Israel" (Psalm 103:7).The children of Israel only knew God from miracle tomiracle, but Moses knew the deep intentions and thelong-range plan of God. Moses understood the essence, heartbeat and direction of God. To turn from our wicked ways doesn't just mean to repent of our sins. Hitherto, we have repented of our acts, now we need deliverance from our ways. Gethsemane was the dark night of the soul for JesusChrist; it was the test of His ways. You wonder ifJesus had to repent. The answer is no, but He had tobe examined in His Father's court of justice.The dark night of the soul is a very baffling test, for it comes at a least expected time and with specialconditions. The inner nature must be surprised, caughtoff guard, in order to be exposed and conquered.In the many records of revival, there is an almostuniform description of this crucible... on the mountaintop one moment, feeling run over by a train the next.Joseph, barely recovered from a glorious dream, isthrown into a pit by his brothers. David, still hearingthe chant of the throng saying, 'Saul has slain histhousands and David his ten thousands,' wakes up in acave being hunted like an animal.Even Jesus, with the hosannas still ringing in Hisears from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, nowprays alone, cold, tormented, sweating blood, andsurrounded by sleeping disciples. The battlements of heaven are waiting for thatunmistakable ring of genuine obedience where the dragon of human nature has been met and beheaded."Not my will but thy will be done!"Before the crown comes the bitter cup. It must beswallowed to the bitter dregs. So then, what is the Lord really looking for? A servant who knows that the cup cannot pass. Take heart if you wish that it would pass. Even Jesus askedif it was necessary to drink. But He did not ask toescape because of fear of pain or selfishness. He askedbecause, for the first time in eternity, He would beseparated from His Father. He knew that the plan tosave man would have to break His Father's heart. OnlyAbraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah could begin tounderstand the grief.Herein lies the truth that releases the glory. In repenting of sin, we rid ourselves of evil but in thedark night of the soul, we surrender the things wedearly love, things we can't readily identify as being inconflict with God.Here the issue is not right and wrong, but high andlow purposes of living. Spiritual awakening is not simply getting rid of sin, it is giving God what He wants.Again and again I have tried to stress that we must conclude with iron resolve that there is no substitute for revival. It is the higher ground we must reach because the flood is rising. No point of return can exist, no alternative can be considered.For fire to fall and consume the sacrifice, it must beinnocent and without blemish, but, most of all, it mustbe on the altar to stay.Under every other circumstance our nature can hide,but in this dark night it screams for its way, and itsmany tentacles are exposed. The protest was immediate. "Why this waste?"screamed the apostles, led by Judas Iscariot. Theiroutrage was almost convincing. The ointment wasworth a year's salary (maybe $12,000 today). It couldhave been used to have fed the poor, they argued(actually, Judas wanted to steal it). This is the entire issue with revival. They wanted to do something for God. Mary knew it was time to dosomething for God.The time has come to pour out our best on God. Jesussaid, "The poor you have with you always." Good deedsare always available.America is spiritually dying because God has sales reps and not channels of His glory. We feverishly do the right things, almost as a bribe to postpone the needed pouring out of ourselves as a living sacrifice.Again we must no longer see the bad things as barriersto revival, but the seemingly good. We can't dole out precious ointment to the poor in doses that don't cure them or honor God. We must be poured out on God! Spiritual awakening means that the faithful becomefiery, the decent become dynamic, and the acceptablebecome excellent. But, most of all, we becomedisgusted with our evil, and totally dissatisfied with ourgood.We realize that now is the time to pull out all thestops. No program is sacred, no worthy project isworth enough. None of the ointment can be spared. Itis revival or death!As I said before, the nucleus of the atom depressesright before fission and in that lies another key parallelto revival... the nucleus explodes from that depressedcondition. It does not split when it looks inflated andenergetic but rather when it is shrunken and lifeless.Revival comes out of nowhere by sovereign timing.The prayer core is ready to fall from exhaustion but hangs on by its confidence in the faithfulness of God.Jehovah detects that special quality that can berewarded with revival. An eviction notice falls with a loud crash on the porch of the local satanic supervisor. Angels receive theirinvasion orders. The prayer core looks up and sees the glory coming. The roar of God is about to be heard in the land once more.... www.lettersofhope.com We welcome your views on revival. God Bless, His willing servant Debbie