Guest speaker Yan Hadley spoke tonight on the radical cost of revival. God Himself is eager to bless us abundantly (see Mal 3:10, Luke 6:38), but so often we are not willing to pay the price for revival. Ultimately, the unchanging cost of revival is radical change. If we want to see God move in sovereign power, we need to take to heart the steps outlined for us in 2 Chron 7:14:
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We are required to humble ourselves, accepting that we are nothing without God.
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We must seek God’s face whole-heartedly, accepting that seeking God requires time and effort.
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We must turn from sin (admitting that we are all sinners is not easy; being told we still follow ‘wicked ways’ is offensive, but without repentance from sin there will be no revival).
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We have to be serious about prayer and turn to God.
The change which God requires from us is internal but radical, requiring us to forsake everything to be His disciple (Luke 14:33).
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We must change our preconceived ideas. Is 55:8 reminds us that God’s thoughts are not the same as our thoughts; we are urged to trust in Him rather than rely on our own understanding. (Prov 3:5-6) We mustn’t put God in a box and expect to be able to control Him. We cannot ‘make revival happen‘, nor can we dictate how God works, but need to be open to what God wants to do and willing for Him to work in new ways.
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We must change in our preoccupation with self. John the Baptist realised that Jesus must increase; He had to decrease. (John 3:30) We need to lose our obsession with ourselves (‘me, my, I‘) and be more aware of the holiness of God. Our focus has to be more on God than on ourselves.
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We must change in our personal motivation. So often, we come to services to receive and be blessed, rather than to give and to bless. 1 Cor 14:26 reminds us of the need for each person to be involved in our gatherings, being prepared to give (‘a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation’). Ps 122:1 talked of the gladness felt by the psalmist in gathering together; Ps 100:4 talks of entering God’s courts with thanksgiving and praise. We have to prepare our hearts to gather together, expecting to meet with God as we do and showing reverence and awe before Him. (Ps 95:6)
