What's Going On
If you've been following social media (we all know that the mainstream news is not covering it) you have probably seen a growing number of people who have been sharing about the revival that has been reported at Asbury University in Kentucky. It is too early to tell what the character of this revival will be and what lasting impact it will have, but it is awakening a hunger in people to see God do a work in their churches as well.

As believers, we long for God to revive His church. We long for God to save our nation from the downward moral spiral that it is currently in the grips of. But one question we must ask ourselves is how bad we really want revival to happen? How hard are we willing to work for revival to come to our own neighborhood?

The Character of Revivals
Revivals are not nameless movements that involve organizations and institutions, without touching the individual lives of the people that make up these groups. If revival is going to come to our church, it is going to have to come to our own personal life as well.

In a revival, sin is repented of. We give up those things that are not honorable to God. We weep over our sin. We mourn for the hurt that it has caused and the damage it leaves behind. We are like the people of Israel who have had their crops destroyed in the book of Joel. Sin has come and left devastation in its wake.

Revival also causes us to have a hunger for God that is primarily realized in Bible reading and prayer. These two spiritual disciplines are key to communicating with God. That is what should be at the heart of a true revival!

What's Needed for Revival
So, if we really want revival, we need to do some work to see it happen. We cannot predict when and where the Spirit of God will move, but it certainly helps to invite Him into our lives and churches. We can see the years that the locusts have eaten restored as God promised in Joel if we will turn back to Him and seek Him.

You are probably very familiar with the famous revival passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14, "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Notice that this passage teaches us to repent and pray and seek God.

I want to invite you to do this by giving you some prayer prompts to help you pray for what is going on at Asbury and also for God to bring revival in your own life. I hope you will take some time to look up these passages (remember God speaks primarily through the Bible) and spend some time alone praying for God to move. Then join together with others and pray for God to revive us again (Psalm 85).


Prayer Prompts for the Asbury Revival

• Pray that it would accomplish the work God intends for it 
• Pray that it would not be hijacked by Satan or false teachers 
• Pray that it would draw attention to Jesus 
• Pray that it would create a longing in the hearts of Christians to see revival in their own lives and churches 
• Pray that it would lead to bold service for Christ. 

 
Prayer Prompts for Personal Revival  

• Start with a time of confession for any sins of commission or omission that you have done (1 Jn. 1:8-10) 
• Pray for God to show you where you need to be reconciled to someone you have offended (Matt. 5:23-24) 
• Praise God for His grace and forgiveness (Psalm 103:8-14) 
• Pray that God would give you a hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness (Matt. 7:33) 
• Pray for God to show you where you might serve Him (Rom. 12:11) 
• Pray for the Spiritual Disciplines in Your Life (1 Tim. 4:7) 
  • Prayer Life 
  • Bible Reading 
  • Scripture Memory 
  • Worship 
  • Evangelism 
• Pray for Your Family Members by Name (Josh 24:15) 
• Pray for God to Give you the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24) 
• Pray the Armor of God (Eph. 6:13-18) 

Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash   

~Pastor Matt Haywood
This morning we are on the cusp of something that I hope and pray is to be a big deal. I challenged our group at Prayer Meeting this past Wednesday night to join me in praying for revival in our nation. I am asking specifically for us to pray for a movement of God that is bigger than we can contain and that is the work of the Holy Spirit poured out in abundance on us. We desperately need revival.
I mentioned that if you look around at every one of our meetings, we have empty seats. That means there is room in the Father’s House for someone else to experience the grace of God.
I am going to tell you this morning that every week, I come down in this room and walk up and down the aisles begging God for revival. I know that the Bible says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing and that when you pray to go into your closet and pray that your Father who hears in secret might reward you. I believe that with all my heart.
But Jesus also said that where two or more are praying and agree on something and ask for it in Jesus’ name, we will have what we ask for. The Bible says that God delights to give His children good gifts. I can’t think of a better gift than an outpouring of the Holy Spirit! It’s been far too long since the wildfires of the Holy Spirit burned the underbrush of our lives and got rid of the junk and the garbage!
I want you to join in with me and pray. I have been praying and fasting for revival for about a week now. I ask you to set aside some time to do the same with me. I ask you to hunger for God. Hunger and thirst for His righteousness. It can be one meal that you fast and pray through for this. I can be a whole day. I ask you to pray with me that the Holy Spirit would move in our church in power and in our community in power!
I want to tell you today that God will answer these prayers if we will pray! I was walking these aisle praying for this on Wednesday and I asked our crowd at prayer meeting to pray as well. I had absolutely no idea what was happening while I was praying, but I want to share some encouraging and hopeful news with you today.
How many of you have seen anything about what is going on at Asburry College in Kentucky? There are reports coming out that revival has broken out on campus. It started on Wednesday in their chapel service and they have continued to people staying in that chapel since then. They are worshiping and praising God and people are taking notice.
N!ow, I don’t know what will become of this revival at Asburry, but I pray it is the epicenter and spark of a great awakening that is about to sweep our nation. It is due time! God moves in every generation and revivals are a big part of God’s plan to replenish His church and His pulpits. We desperately need revival.
We need to hunger and thirst after righteousness and wouldn’t you know it that God just so happened to orchestrate that this topic is what we would be covering this Sunday morning!

~Pastor Matt Haywood

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