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Keep Revival Alive In Your Heart

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Triumph in Troubled Times”)

There is one more that I can give you about triumphing in troubled times.  Keep the fires of revival burning in your heart.  The news media does not inspire the fires of revival.  We must never forget an event like 9/11, but on the other hand, we cannot let that kind of event ruin the rest of our lives.  We must remember that our world needs revival now more than ever before.  If I serve the right God and I believe in the right Bible and I have the right fruit in my life I will come out on the high side of victory.

I am talking to you out of a pastor’s heart.  I am talking to you out of over forty years of experience of being a pastor.  We must have spiritual revival.  I will take the true spirit of revival anytime.  I want something that will keep me stirred.  I want something that will change my life and keep me changed.  I want something that will hold me when the storms of life come.  We need a spiritual revival that is founded on the Word, not just emotions.  Have a strong faith in God now, and your faith in God will bring you through anything.

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A Sure Word

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How to Find Life in Dead Situations”)

When you face a dead situation be sure to get a Word from God.  As believers, some people reach out to try to find some different way of looking at their problem. There is nothing wrong with a positive outlook in tough times.  However, there is nothing stronger than receiving a Word from God that everything is going to be all right and God is going to see you through.

When my church began in 1964, God gave me Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

I know one thing; a Word from God in your spirit is stronger than any circumstance you face.  We have had glorious years and challenging years, but the thing that sustained me was that I have known in my spirit that God’s promises are sure.  It is not the word of man but the Word of the living God.  Our opinion is not changed by the news, because we have a sure Word from God.

In order to find life in a dead situation you must refuse to see anything as dead that God wants to bring back to life.  Now there are some things you need to let stay good and dead!  I mean, there are relationships that do not need to be part of your life.  Just leave them alone.  If God has broken you out of a bad association, just leave it in the hands of God.  Forgive them and go on down the road.  Do not try to revive what God has dissolved.

You face a dead situation by getting a sure Word from God.  Remember Paul was on board the ship in Acts 27:23, “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve . . .”  Paul said I have heard from God, and I believe God, and Paul spoke what was about to happen.  It did happen, because it was a sure Word from God.  Paul spoke to his dead situation just like Jesus had spoken to Lazarus.  He received the same kind of resurrection results.  What looked like a dead situation was turned to good by a sure Word from God.

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Prayer is Key

“You will see more when you pray more.”

 

3Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 33:3

 

13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

John 16:13-14

 “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.”
― Rick Warren

Prayer is an opportunity to work with God to accomplish His will on the earth. It may be His purpose for the nation, your city, your family or your life that you are praying about. Whatever the request you won’t see answers to prayers that are never prayed. If you want to see revival in your church, pray. If you want to see your family saved, pray. If you want to hear God’s voice clearer, pray. J. Edwin Orr said, “History is silent about revivals that did not begin with prayer,” No prayer, no results.

Victory Action

I will purposely set aside time daily to work with God in prayer.

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Just Be Faithful

“Regardless of talents, anyone can be faithful.”

There is an old saying, “Dress thyself and show up!” Those words describe how easy it is to be faithful. Faithfulness is not based on skills. Even the most skilled person can be lazy. So it is not about skill set – it is about action. It is a heart thing. It is doing what you know to do with a desire for excellence. It is about consistency. It is about being the person that God can use and promote.

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another. – Psalm 75:6-7

Faithfulness gives God something to work with!

So the LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your goodness, as He delighted in that of your fathers. – Deuteronomy 30:9

Our faithfulness to use our gifts and talents will cause God’s faithfulness to be seen in our lives.

Victory Action

God’s promotion is based on faithfulness, not on how many talents I have.  I will use what I have faithfully.

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Choose Quality

“Much is not always good; go for quality.”

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

Matthew 13:45-48

We have heard the expression, “choose quality over quantity.” It isn’t always better to have a big quantity of cheap stuff over one quality item that will serve you longer. God wants us to have a quality life. So we have to learn to choose the best thing.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.

Deuteronomy 30:19

Victory Decision

I choose to go for quality, not quantity, in my life.

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Love Everybody

“To out love everybody is a good principle for every believer to pursue.”

10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;  11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;14Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:10-11, 14, 17-18

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved [a]you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God [b]as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB

Scripture tells us to imitate God like a child will imitate a parent. If anyone is the supreme example of walking in love it is God. He has been reviled and slandered. He has be rejected by untold numbers of His children. Yet He still extends His love to us. Love is a seed. Give it away to others and it will return to you.

Victory Decision

With a heart motivated by genuine care, I strive to “compete” with others by seeking opportunities to express love even more deeply. My goal is to be intentional, always aiming to love others as much as, or even more than, they love me.

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Only God

“Don’t expect your companion (or anyone else) to be what only God can be to you.”

 

 21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.  22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:21-22

 

Victory Action

There is a certain quality of relationship that I can experience only with God, so I will expect Him, and not others, to meet the kind of need that only He can fulfill.

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Enjoy Life Don’t Just Endure It

“God wants us to enjoy, not endure our marriages and lives.”

1 Peter 3:7-12 (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

7 Similarly, you husbands should try to understand the wives you live with, honouring them as physically weaker yet equally heirs with you of the grace of eternal life. If you don’t do this, you will find it impossible to pray properly.

Be good to each other—and to all men

8-12 To sum up, you should all be of one mind living like brothers with true love and sympathy for each other, generous and courteous at all times. Never pay back a bad turn with a bad turn or an insult with another insult, but on the contrary pay back with good. For this is your calling—to do good and one day to inherit all the goodness of God. For: ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile: let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil’.

While endurance is an important characteristic when it refers to longevity, other times it has a negative connotation. We tend to just “endure” life’s tougher challenges because we have lost our power to resist and persevere. We just try to “get through” that long line at the DMV, or that holiday dinner with our loud uncle whoever. We cannot find joy in the situation. But that was never God’s plan for us! He is a good Father. He has good, enjoyable things for us. The scripture quoted above gives us some keys for enjoying, not just enduring. But here is the thing, The Word of God tells us to be generous and courteous AT ALL TIMES! What? How will that help the situation? It may not change the circumstances, but you will find that it will change you. Because when we obey God, we have His full backing in the situation. God will use the opportunity to change us from the inside out. Just think about it, the scripture says that if we do good, it will give us access to ALL of God’s goodness. Sounds like a good trade to me! Peter points out earlier in the passage that by not doing good when we can, we will not even be able to pray correctly. Wow! I guess this stuff is pretty important so maybe we should try it!

Victory Action

Effective relationships are foundational to an enjoyable life.  As I respect and walk in love toward others, I love life as I see good days.

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Trust God

“Where God guides, God provides.”

There are many examples in the Bible where God gave instructions to his children. We find that when they obeyed His instructions they found the provision they needed to accomplish God’s plan. But often they had to take steps of faith to see the provision.

Genesis 22:1-13 tells us the story of Abraham and Isaac. This story is a type and shadow of what God would ultimately do through the sacrifice of Jesus. God told Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Wow! That is pretty brutal on the surface. Can you imagine what would happen when Abraham returned to Sarah and told her what he had done if he had sacrificed Isaac? That would not have been pretty. Abraham had to consider all the outcomes when he was on that long trip to Moriah. But he was determined to obey God. Isaac was the son of promise. He was the son from which all the nations would come from. I am sure none of it made sense to Abraham.

God had a plan and was only revealing part of it to Abraham. This meant that Abraham had to trust and obey in faith. So Abraham did as instructed. He went as far as to raise his knife to kill Isaac before God stopped him.

And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.  12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.  13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. – Genesis 22:11-13

Like Abraham, we must choose to trust God and take Him at His word if we want to see His miraculous provision. It takes faith!

Victory Decision

When I know God is guiding me, I can completely trust His provision.