I suppose this is a good title for personal Revival. When monsoon starts we hear of rain here and there. What does it mean to me unless there is rain in my State, in my city, in my place? Unless my well fills up, the rain doesn’t benefit me personally. It’s the same with Revival. We talk of Revival in America and Revival in England or Indonesia. How does that bless me unless I am revived?
Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). Jesus did not come just to keep us somehow living (like most of us do) but that we may live a joyful, bubbling, abundant life—that is Revival. You must have seen the picture in the newspaper of an old man in drought-hit Maharashtra with a tumbler in his hand, waiting for water to drink. Will he be happy to have a glass of water or abundant showers? That’s the difference between our routine life and Revival. What we need is showers, rivers, fountains, waterfalls, not a glass of water. We have a few plants in our garden. I water them every day and watch for blossoms. But they are stubborn. But when we have showers they start budding and blooming. That’s the closest example I can think of for life and abundant life.
Revival is normal. A person is revived when he is saved. He was dead in sins but now alive in Christ. He is jubilant and shining and others come to his light. Satan, in the personification of bad people who surround us, cannot tolerate this. They steal our love for God and put it on other things or persons and kill our revival. The revival fire cools and dies off. Thus Satan destroys us. That is his only job. He comes “only” to steal, kill and destroy. Not for anything else.
We go to church lazily, pray sleepily and read one chapter of the Bible a day half-heartedly. We are satisfied with one glass of water. We don’t yearn for abundant showers. We are happy to stand in ankle deep waters. We have least interest to go to the swimming depths.
‘Revive’ is a medical term. It means to bring a person back to life. In this revived life we are always going through hills and valleys. One day we hit the roof, praising God, singing and jubilantly jumping. But the very next day we get up morosely and drag our feet through the day. This is quite normal. But the danger signal is when we don’t bother about remaining down.
Isaiah 64:7a addresses the issue: “There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself to take hold of You.” Note that it speaks about an individual— not a group or nation. It says that there was no one longing for personal revival. It points to a slovenly, lethargic, disinterested unenthusiastic person with eyes half shut. The devil has chlorophormed us. God is always ready to answer us, but we do not call Him. We need to stir up ourselves and catch hold of God with both hands. It’s time to snap out of our sturpor, come out of our coma and awake from our apathy. God is looking for that ONE person. Why not you be that ONE?
Nothing happens unless a revival is personal. How does revival affect me? Answer that question. Have you experienced a touch of revival? If not, today, start longing for it and revival will come to you. Your well will be full to the brim. Revival starts with individuals and that individual can be you.
Bible revivals started with individuals. God called Abraham and said, “ I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; Iwill make your name great and you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). God chose one young man Joseph to bring forth a revival. One teenager by name David killed Goliath and became an instant national hero. One Ezra, one Nehemiah, one Deborah, one Esther, one Paul, one Peter were God’s instruments to set a nation on fire. They all stirred themselves up to take hold of God. You need to stir yourself up. The very fact that the Bible is full of names shows that our God is a personal God.
The Prophet gives a clarion call for you to “Arise and shine, for your light has come” (Isa 60:1a). Again it is a call to individuals to get up, trim their lamps and shine. If each of us rise up, we can light up the world. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). It is the responsibility of each of us to rise up and shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Mt 5:16). That is revival.
We have a choice. We can see the dark world, get discouraged, flicker and die out saying: “What can I do?” Or we can stir ourselves up, take hold of God and shine. Nehemiah is a beacon to young people. Look at him. When news of the charred walls of Jerusalem came to him, he was terribly discouraged. He sat down and cried for days. But he did not sink to the bottom of his sorrow. He decided to stir himself up and take hold of God. That decision led to a mighty revival.
It is not God’s character to break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick (Isa 42:3). He will always bind up the reed and trim up the wick. It is Satan who breaks and snuffs out. Are you a broken reed or a smoldering wick? Do you hear Satan whispering in your ears that revival is a distant dream for you and to forget about it? Away with him. Stir yourself up and take hold of God. A full, abundant, jubilant life is your birthright. Jesus came to give you just that. He can lead you to a life of going from strength to strength, rather than merely hanging on. God is up to something big and we’ve got to get ready.
I used to be crying to God to lift me out of my ebbing life. I’d be up and then I’d be down. But nowadays I find myself up and swimming all the time. I’ve had a truly charmed life. And that charm ain’t about to fade. My well is full. Is your well full?
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
I suppose this is a good title for personal Revival. When monsoon starts we hear of rain here and there. What does it mean to me unless there is rain in my State, in my city, in my place? Unless my well fills up, the rain doesn’t benefit me personally. It’s the same with Revival. We talk of Revival in America and Revival in England or Indonesia. How does that bless me unless I am revived?
Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). Jesus did not come just to keep us somehow living (like most of us do) but that we may live a joyful, bubbling, abundant life—that is Revival. You must have seen the picture in the newspaper of an old man in drought-hit Maharashtra with a tumbler in his hand, waiting for water to drink. Will he be happy to have a glass of water or abundant showers? That’s the difference between our routine life and Revival. What we need is showers, rivers, fountains, waterfalls, not a glass of water. We have a few plants in our garden. I water them every day and watch for blossoms. But they are stubborn. But when we have showers they start budding and blooming. That’s the closest example I can think of for life and abundant life.
Revival is normal. A person is revived when he is saved. He was dead in sins but now alive in Christ. He is jubilant and shining and others come to his light. Satan, in the personification of bad people who surround us, cannot tolerate this. They steal our love for God and put it on other things or persons and kill our revival. The revival fire cools and dies off. Thus Satan destroys us. That is his only job. He comes “only” to steal, kill and destroy. Not for anything else.
We go to church lazily, pray sleepily and read one chapter of the Bible a day half-heartedly. We are satisfied with one glass of water. We don’t yearn for abundant showers. We are happy to stand in ankle deep waters. We have least interest to go to the swimming depths.
‘Revive’ is a medical term. It means to bring a person back to life. In this revived life we are always going through hills and valleys. One day we hit the roof, praising God, singing and jubilantly jumping. But the very next day we get up morosely and drag our feet through the day. This is quite normal. But the danger signal is when we don’t bother about remaining down.
Isaiah 64:7a addresses the issue: “There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself to take hold of You.” Note that it speaks about an individual— not a group or nation. It says that there was no one longing for personal revival. It points to a slovenly, lethargic, disinterested unenthusiastic person with eyes half shut. The devil has chlorophormed us. God is always ready to answer us, but we do not call Him. We need to stir up ourselves and catch hold of God with both hands. It’s time to snap out of our sturpor, come out of our coma and awake from our apathy. God is looking for that ONE person. Why not you be that ONE?
Nothing happens unless a revival is personal. How does revival affect me? Answer that question. Have you experienced a touch of revival? If not, today, start longing for it and revival will come to you. Your well will be full to the brim. Revival starts with individuals and that individual can be you.
Bible revivals started with individuals. God called Abraham and said, “ I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; Iwill make your name great and you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). God chose one young man Joseph to bring forth a revival. One teenager by name David killed Goliath and became an instant national hero. One Ezra, one Nehemiah, one Deborah, one Esther, one Paul, one Peter were God’s instruments to set a nation on fire. They all stirred themselves up to take hold of God. You need to stir yourself up. The very fact that the Bible is full of names shows that our God is a personal God.
The Prophet gives a clarion call for you to “Arise and shine, for your light has come” (Isa 60:1a). Again it is a call to individuals to get up, trim their lamps and shine. If each of us rise up, we can light up the world. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). It is the responsibility of each of us to rise up and shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Mt 5:16). That is revival.
We have a choice. We can see the dark world, get discouraged, flicker and die out saying: “What can I do?” Or we can stir ourselves up, take hold of God and shine. Nehemiah is a beacon to young people. Look at him. When news of the charred walls of Jerusalem came to him, he was terribly discouraged. He sat down and cried for days. But he did not sink to the bottom of his sorrow. He decided to stir himself up and take hold of God. That decision led to a mighty revival.
It is not God’s character to break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick (Isa 42:3). He will always bind up the reed and trim up the wick. It is Satan who breaks and snuffs out. Are you a broken reed or a smoldering wick? Do you hear Satan whispering in your ears that revival is a distant dream for you and to forget about it? Away with him. Stir yourself up and take hold of God. A full, abundant, jubilant life is your birthright. Jesus came to give you just that. He can lead you to a life of going from strength to strength, rather than merely hanging on. God is up to something big and we’ve got to get ready.
I used to be crying to God to lift me out of my ebbing life. I’d be up and then I’d be down. But nowadays I find myself up and swimming all the time. I’ve had a truly charmed life. And that charm ain’t about to fade. My well is full. Is your well full?
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
