Quote:
REVIVAL is a work of God among Christians bringing them to…
…conviction
…repentance
…confession
…restitution
…reconciliation
…separation from the world
AND
…submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
(Vance Havner)
Closed quote.
If this is indeed what stipulates genuine revival…then…
(And I think you know where I am going with this)
Dare we not fall upon our faces right now? Confessing, Repenting, Mourning, and Getting off the Throne?
Should we not be appealing to God for kindness which leads to repentance?
Should we not be pining for a holy wind to stir the flames of passion within?
Is love abated?
Are the embers turning to ash?
He has charged us to buy gold, refined in the fire. What could this possibly mean? Remember, the Laodiceans boasted of their riches and self-sufficiency (Rev. 3:17). They arrogantly strutted atop the pedestal of prosperity, deceived by the wealth they rolled around in, seeing it as God’s favor all the while pushing Him to the outer margins of their existence. They blindly played at religion and made a good living at it.
Their All-Knowing Judge saw it differently:
“You stink with poverty.”
“Your Sunday best cannot hide your indulgences and adulteries.”
“You no longer look to Me and I have removed light from your eyes.”
“You’ve turned sour in My stomach.”
But there was grace even for them. Yeshua called them to seek—to ask for, to eagerly want!—a crisis in their fellowship. Such crisis as would lead to purity, transformation and a baptism of renewed Love! He said, “I counsel you to BUY FROM ME gold, refined by fire…” The word translated ‘counsel’ means to partner with, agree with…to come to the same conclusion! He’s telling them, in essence, There’s no other way…
But to trust and obey.
“Buy from Me?” Just how was that possible? He had just told them they were POOR. With what currency could this transaction be completed?
You must let Me place you in the furnace.
No God, anything but that! we say.
It’s the only way, Child.
You will never learn to Love Me until all of self is abandoned. Until then, there will always be an obtrusive challenger for My affections…
Now…
This is going to hurt…
But I love you too much to let you go away. Remember My promise to never leave you?
It’s still binding, even in this horrible, beautiful place.
I know the flames scare you. But those very flames are your freedom.
And you want to be free…
Don’t you?
I have been going through some refining fires, and I do want the freedom that they bring! I know with each one, I come out knowing HIM more, and loving HIM more. Always amazed at the crap that burns off that must be gone from me in order to move on with HIM. Just like the three put in the furnace in Daniel…Our God goes with us..and HE promises to deliver..
-He will either deliver me from it
-or Deliver me through it
-deliver me into HIS arms
in any case HE is faithful, and we will be delivered from the fire. because God is good!
Facedown..submitting to HIS will, there really is no other option..or we maybe dupped and we may not know HIM at all. That is more of a fright to me, than the fire.. just my two cents early in the morning! peace and love brother, glad to hear you are healing!!!! Woohoooo giving up some praise this morning !!
Yes Darla, that very image of the three in the fire was looming in my mind the entire time I was drafting this post. Your ‘two cents’ can transcend any national bailout package!
Bless you, Adorable Sister in Christ!
Good one Scott. I don’t know if it’s the potters wheel or the furnace or the anvil that I most want to avoid. What about you?
Would “all three” be too revealing?
Thanks J!
Wait, I thought revival was speaking in tongues, yelling fire, stronghold baptisms, getting pushed over by benny. (sarcarm)
I want to be refined, to love Him, to be rid of self. But do i really want to? is going thru pain and fire and sanctification worth the riches our God promises us?
sometimes we won’t even know the answer to that until we meet Him.
Wait; isn’t that faith?
Good post, always good to get the right perspective on things….His things.
Oh, was that sarcasm, Kris?
You boiled it down to the core. Rid of self. That is revival. And your honesty is also something our Great High Priest understands. He knows the flesh’s desire to usurp (though it never did with Him!), but the point is, He knows, and He knows that faith is perfected in the struggle. God bless!
Good stuff. (Sorry I’m just now catching up. I’ve been AWOL.) I’ve been feeling the flames of a refiner’s fire. But you know … it doesn’t hurt when you’ve willingly stepped into the flames. It’s when we resist that it hurts. More to burn up, I guess. Anyhow. Great post.
I understand about the AWOL thing, Annie. Me too. And I also know the touch of similar flames. I pray you are coming forth as gold. Pray for me as there is so much more of the old remnant that needs engulfing. I may just post the lyrics to a song that has been my personal “anthem” these 28 years. You’ll get it, and, by that, I mean you’ll relate to it so well…
“We went through fire and through water, and You have brought us out into an abundant place.”
Amen.