Roadblocks to Revival, Part Two: Unwillingness

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
There’s a catchy song being sung in our churches today called “Let Revival Come” (“Revive Me”) by Kevin Jones and Joshua Sherman. (You can listen to it here). It is the product of a generation that is seeking revival on a large scale. Not just ministries but entire movements of people are now gathering together to pray (like The Send gathering in Orlando in February this year), asking God to send revival.  

This in itself is amazing. In my lifetime, I have not seen such unity and focus all across the Body of Christ, and it inspires me! Unity carries the promise of God’s blessing (Psalm 133). Prayer almost always precedes revival. Yet we must be careful to avoid the flawed theology which believes revival is something only God does. The truth is, we have a part to play.


Send Your Power?
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​As New Testament believers, we don’t need to pray for God to “pour out His power.” He already has! (See Luke 24:49 and Acts 2). Revival begins when we make a choice to act on the power we’ve been given as born-again, Spirit-filled believers.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 says it this way: ​

“Therefore I remind you to stir up (or “kindle afresh”) the gift (Gr: “charisma”) of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power (Gr: “dunamis”) and of love and of a sound mind.”

What is this gift? The Holy Spirit!

The Greek language defines charisma as a “spiritual endowment” of divine grace. Similarly, dunamis is the word for “power:” the power to do miracles in the strength and might of God! In other words, not only has God promised revival throughout the Bible but at this time in history, He has also already poured out the power needed for us to ignite one!

​Yet revival can't spread if no one acts. (Romans 10:14) Missionaries are simply believers who have reached a place of personal revival that compels them to spread that revival to others, whether here or abroad.

Revival happens when ordinary but power-filled believers like you and me partner with God and others to release the Gospel at specific moments in time.
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​The Power of Choice
One of The Send’s catchphrases is “The War on Inaction Has Begun.” Until I began writing today’s post, I did not realize how appropriate that saying is!

Here’s why. As I sat with the Lord several weeks ago discussing revival, He highlighted three “roadblocks” to me. These are things that hinder us from stepping into personal or corporate revival.

The first is unforgiveness, which I wrote about in the previous post . To help address any areas of unforgiveness in our hearts, I created a “Steps of Forgiveness” prayer card (available FREE in our His Inscriptions store ). The greatest healings I have had have come through learning how to forgive people from my heart! The “Steps of Forgiveness” card is a simple tool I used to walk through the process.

The second roadblock - one that coincides perfectly with the catchphrase above - is unwillingness.

In the beginning, God gave men and women free will: the ability to choose between good and bad, right or wrong. That power of choice has never been removed. But while we don’t intend for it to be so, our inaction is in itself a choice. It’s a choice NOT to listen attentively to what God is saying, and it keeps us from experiencing revival.
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​Are You Willing?
Most believers would not say they resist God, or that being stubborn or “stiff-necked” are issues for them. We like to think we are doing our best to obey what we believe God wants from us.

The trouble is, we are hurt and broken individuals who fear being hurt again if we give ourselves fully to someone - even God. Experience has taught us that trusting someone completely is a mistake. Our brokenness causes us to pick and choose which commands of God we will obey. Feed the poor? Done. Forgive my father? No way! Return to church or fellowship? Sorry, no time.

In addition, wrong teaching about God’s Word has led us to hold on to unbiblical theology. For instance, as a girl, I was brought up to believe that the gifts of the Spirit were released during the time of the original apostles only. Healing, prophecy, and various other expressions of faith found in the Bible were not for today. To preach and teach was fine; to heal or speak in tongues was not!

Perhaps no other false teaching in the church has done more damage to the Body of Christ as a whole, since Jesus gave His followers the same mandates He had received from the Father: Preach the Gospel. Make disciples. Heal the Sick. Cast out demons. (Note: “Raise the dead” is there, too, but we don’t see that very often!) Signs and wonders are meant to follow those who believe. Jesus is still willing to heal.  But most Christian “believers” don’t look much different than Jehovah’s Witnesses! What, I wonder, are we believing?

The majority of Christians don’t even believe that God speaks to them! Among the 83% of Americans who identify themselves as Christians, only 28% believe that God speaks to them, let alone heals, restores, or revives them. This belief is in direct contradiction to the Words of Jesus in John 10:27! Why the disconnect?

The chilling answer is that only 47% of Christians believe that the Bible is inspired (as opposed to a fable), and just 24% say the Bible is the “actual Word of God.” (2) Despite the face that most Americans own Bibles, many are biblically illiterate. When we are unwilling to take seriously the Word of God, we lose the power of God.
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Conclusion
​From Genesis to Revelation, God promises blessings to those who believe and obey His Word. God is not looking for “selective obedience” based on what “inspires” us. He’s looking for wholehearted devotion!

One of the most amazing revivals of our time happened in Indonesia beginning in the 1960s. A government mandate forced Indonesian citizens to make a choice on their identity cards: which religion (of the six government-approved faiths) did they believe? Christianity was one of them.

It is said that two million people accepted Christ, and along with multiple efforts by missionaries and crusaders, a widespread revival impacted the Indonesian nation.

It’s still a choice to believe, and it’s a choice to serve and obey God as He truly is - not as we want Him to be. The apostle Paul said it was much easier for him to “will” to do good than to do it. (See Romans 7:18). Heroes of the Bible have defined our faith by their willingness: Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. Jesus was willing to die on the cross. Virtually every single disciple was willing to face death rather than deny the God they loved.

Willingness costs us. But so does inaction. The question is, are you willing to yield to God’s way of doing things in order to experience revival yourself? It may mean carefully re-examining what you believe in the light of God’s Word. It may mean reconciling with some people you’d rather avoid. God honors a willing heart, though, and those who are willing to deny themselves and take up their cross find a unique joy that comes only through obedience. May all your choices to honor Him lead you into greater revival!


​1. ABC News Poll: Most Americans Say They're Christian:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90356&page=1&page=1

Christianity Today article: 80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/april/we-believe-in-god-what-americans-mean-pew-survey.html

Washington Examiner Article: Pew: 75% Talk to God, 28% Say God Talks Back
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/pew-75-talk-to-god-28-say-god-talks-back (April 2018)

2. Gallup: “Record Few Americans Believe Bible is Literal Word of God” https://news.gallup.com/poll/210704/record-few-americans-believe-bible-literal-word-god.aspx

© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com. Photos by Unsplash.
​MISS LAST WEEK'S POST? READ PART ONE HERE