...Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. -Hebrews 10:22-24
The longer I pray for God to bring Revival to our nation, communities, churches, congregations, and pastors, the more I clearly see that God must revive my heart first. A life filled with church doctrine, but strongly mixed with worldly influences has created a normalcy that seems perfectly fine to live in day-to-day. But as I press in to God, He reveals things within this normalcy that aren't pleasing to Him and that He desires for me to change within the life He's given me. I'm reminded again that my life is not my own!
My investment of His gift of time: For me, the Lord has brought about great conviction in this area. "How much of My time are you investing into personal entertainment, Rob?" While I'm not a movie watcher, this question has caused me to consider how much time I spend in the evenings watching sports, entertainment shows on TV, or even playing a game on my computer. The question also has me reassessing what music I listen to and the amount of time I spend doing so. Even the styles of music I perform as a violinist/fiddler- and the purposes for playing them, are open to the Lord's refining. Can I invest more of His time in worshiping Him for who He is? Definitely! Can I invest more of His time in listening to His Spirit lead me in who and what to pray for and why? Absolutely- and I'm learning to re-prioritize!
I'm learning that for God to change our land, He must first begin in me; in each Christian life.
How open are you to allowing God to revive you? If God wants to redefine your normalcy, will you allow Him to do so? Are you willing to change in specific ways He asks- even if it alters your normal, Christian, life as you now know it?
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