This last week Caye and I went to a revival meeting at a friend of ours church and we went so we could have a chance to ministered to. Sometimes as pastors we keep going till we hit the red light saying that we are running on empty. It is sad thing to see a Pastor who has run out of fuel or can no longer get fired up about the Lord.
This week has been a time of me taking inventory of my spiritual life and evaluating on how to improve my spiritual life.
In the 40's, 50's, and 60's they used to have large tent meetings and they would put up sign saying revival meeting and the whole town would show up with either expectant hearts or at least a inquisitive spirit. People no longer care about what is going on in their spiritual lives much less church and that is something that I know God wants to change. I think sometimes that God must be sitting on his throne broken hearted and crying because his people do not come to him for comfort or fellowship.
Can you imagine what it must feel life as a parent if one of your children has a Father-Daughter dance and she does not come ask you to take her, that she would rather go by herself? How much would it hurt?
I feel like God is calling Caye and I into personal revival like no other time before and I am planning on sharing my heart with my congregation tonight. I know that if you call yourself a leader and you turn around and look and no one is following you you are just a man out for a walk. I am going to see how many people will follow with me. I know that revival is something sought after, fought for, and treasured when found. I want God to move in my life so bad that I can't stand it any more.
I have also become very sensitive to how we speak about the Holy Ghost. We have tried to put the Holy Ghost down on our level instead of us trying to reach out to him and raise ourselves up to him. I had a teacher back in Bible College named
Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt and he taught on Characteristics of revival. In his class when he prayed he used to refer to the Holy Spirit as "Sir" I used to think that was kind of different but the Holy Spirit showed me that it was a matter of respect that Dr. Hyatt had for the position of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we need to make sure that the Holy Spirit is not the Looked over part of the Holy Trinity. It recently has bothered me to hear people say that they were in a church service somewhere and " the Holy Spirit fell" in the church like the Holy Spirit is clumsy or something . I hate that term because I know what they are trying to say but more accuratley what they should be saying is that the scales fell off their eyes for a brief period of time and they recognized or was able to see or feel the Holy Spirit moving in their hearts at that time. You see the Holy Spirit is always constant he does not move around on different levels he stays steady. We are the ones who look like the heart monitor always going up or down. Sometimes either on our way up or down we cross his path and become aware of his presence. In
Isaiah 55:1-9 says that he is given an invitational for you to come join him, he also says that his ways are not our ways, and our thoughts are not his thoughts. "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. The Holy Spirit is with you all the time not just when you come across him. In Romans 8:11 says "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you". If you are a child of God you have access to God at any time.
Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Please be praying for revival for yourselves, my family, and for Nacogdoches, TX
Blessings
