Why No Revival?

God is not to be blamed for the lack of revival in the churches. Reviving the same failed ideas does not require the moving of the Holy Spirit. Pulpit preaching seeking to inspire the congregation to recreate past ideas, only on a larger scale, and by getting out of our comfort zone, simply bewilders the hearers. Before the Holy Spirit will grant the miraculous, He requires a better comprehension of Him and what He is about to do. How does the Holy Spirit act? He moves upon us to cause us to obey Him without forcing us. “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 KJV). What does the Holy Spirit expects of us? He is both given to those who obey Him, as well as to cause us to obey Him. “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Miracles will be wasted on the Church, if God’s people have not learned the fundamentals of Spirit inspired obedience. If we still have reservations about why we can’t obey, then that must be removed before God’s Spirit will act. “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). LORD, we need revival in the Church, but we need to address the deficiencies in our understanding before we can receive the outpouring of Your Spirit. Grant to us the new wineskins of better understanding that we may have the appropriate vessel for the filling of Your Spirit. Transform Your Church. Even so, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Would We Rather Have Miracles Than Obedience?

Given the choice between a miracle and obedience, would we choose obedience? Remember, a “wicked generation; it looks for a sign” (Luke 11:29 NET). Miracles are the supernatural setting aside of the natural, while obedience is simply doing as we were told. If humanity’s original relationship with Yahweh was a communion between creature and Creator, then obedience is God’s expected normal for humanity. Despite humanity’s dismal record of disobedience, the “gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38 KJV) was intended to further establish loving obedience as our proper relationship to God. After all, humanity was never created to live apart from God, but to walk with Him. “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:9). May we seek Thee in loving obedience as our highest good, and may our desire for Thee be greater than miracles. Do return quickly, and accomplish all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.