Matthew 12:9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.
10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him.
11 But He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and [m]conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
15 But Jesus, [n]aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
17 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL DELIGHTS;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE WILL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
20 “A BENT REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A DIMLY BURNING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”“Revival, in a biblical context, refers to a period of renewed spiritual interest or awakening among believers, often characterized by a deepened sense of the presence of God, repentance from sin, and a return to a fervent pursuit of holiness and righteousness. It is a sovereign work of God that brings about a transformation in individuals, churches, and sometimes entire communities or nations.”
Topical Bible: Revival
This morning, I was once again building an old-fashioned fire in the wood stove, it had gone completely out, no coals, no warmth, no life.
Moving back to NB revived some very old skills for me, I was really happy to see the first fire I built in the wood stove only took one match and the fire roared to life, it felt good after 30 years to know I could still build a fire in this season of life.
This morning though, for some reason that was not the case, it took work, the matches kept blowing out, the paper and kindling did not seem to be catching, and I stood for over 10 minutes just trying to get it lit. I was a bit frustrated with it and could not figure out what was different. Finally, after taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer, the fire slowly took off and in a few minutes was roaring and warming up the space.
The Lord began it talk to me, I suspected there was more to this than met the eye…
Revival will not come easy, it is going to take work, was the message I was hearing in my soul.
I have seen revivals that led to great harvests begin quickly with just one spark and I have seen buried hot coals under what seemed to be a cold ash, but I have also seen, like this morning cold ashes stubbornly refuse to support a new flame.
Thankfully, our Lord will never quench a smoking flax, where there is the tiniest of ember he will fan it until it bursts into flame.
Long ago our family dedicated our lives to the Lord, and dedicated ourselves to facilitating revival wherever we went, learning the hard lessons of building a fire no matter how hard it was.
It always starts with recognising the coldness, recognising that all the warmth has gone out of a life, a family or a community. Seeing the issues is not always easy, having to face the mirror, and hold ourselves accountable is not something most of us want to do, it is so much easier to blame someone else for our coldness and indifference.
Anger, hatred, bitterness, rebellion none of us like to think we are capable of it – but the pain is real and raw, and we know it is slowly producing the fruit of death in our lives.
Death in our walk with the Lord, death in our relationships with our family and with our church or community, we know something has to change but where do we begin?
It starts with the fire… what state is it in?
Is it…cold, dark ashes, or hot embers hiding for protection under the ashes, or is there still a small flame burning?
Only you can answer that, checking the fire in your spirit, praying in your prayer closet beginning – not with “going to a church building” or “putting on a religious mask to try to please others”, but rather … being honest with yourself and with the Lord.
All true revivals will begin with you personally, in your private place with the Lord, in your home, in the place where the fire needs to burn the brightest; where the warmth brings light and life to your soul and spirit and then radiates out to influence those you love, into you family, your church family and then your community.
If you need help beginning again or need someone to talk with and share the journey to personal revival, please feel free to contact Enroll to Grow and we will find you a local group who is also seeking the Lord for restoration, forgiveness. spiritual healing, and personal revival.
It is time to check the fire.
If you are not signed up at Enroll to Grow, please feel free to do so now – it is a free service.
