Recently, evangelist Mario Murillo came to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet with pastors hungry for revival. Approximately 575 pastors and leaders filled the room, giving up their Saturday morning to join together to pray for an event on April 21 and 22 at the Tulsa Mabee Center.
We believe it will light a fire that will spread through our nation and beyond. (Click here to watch a prophetic word regarding that event.)
Renowned evangelist Smith Wigglesworth prophesied in the 1940s to his protege Lester Sumrall, “I see a revival coming to planet earth, as never before. There will be untold multitudes who will be saved. No man will say, “So many and so many,” because no man will be able to count those who will come to Jesus Christ. I see it! The dead will be raised, the arthritic healed, cancer will be healed. No disease will be able to stand before God’s people and it will spread all over the world. It will be a worldwide thrust of God’s power and a thrust of God’s anointing. I will not see it, but you will.”
We saw revival during the Jesus Movement of the ’60s and ’70s, but the prophesied “billion-soul harvest” is still to come. I believe we are on the cusp of it. But while we pray for revival, are we truly ready for it?
Like many, I have worked to see transformation in America via legislation and the electoral process. However, it is clear that the system and our nation are broken. No matter what party you support, I think most would agree America is in deep trouble.
The legislative and election processes, which we continue to pursue, are no longer enough to turn this sinking ship around. No matter how effectively we reform legislation and no matter how many corrupt leaders we are able to replace, it won’t last unless we see hearts transformed. Without spiritual transformation through revival, godly legislation will be subverted and corrupt leaders will continue to find ways to enrich themselves. There must be a heart change for lasting change.
When hearts are transformed and revival takes hold so that people turn to Christ, the transformation in our government and cities will naturally follow.
So how do we bring revival?
First, through humbling ourselves followed by prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is an essential component, “If My people, who are called by My name, will 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 will heal their land.”
Second, we must lay aside our own agenda and schedules. What if revival came to our cities? What if it wasn’t just a two-day event, but the power of God fell and meetings continued for weeks or months? It can get messy—even inconvenient. Are we ready for it? And will we welcome it?
Third, we must refuse offense. Author Ron McIntosh studied revivals of the past and discovered clear consistencies that made them either successful and/or caused them to diminish, which he points out in his book, The Quest for Revival. He notes a key principle that hinders a revival’s success when he asks the question, “Are we willing to leave the blessing we are in to receive a larger blessing?”
“In the past revivals have diminished when the Church chooses to stay in the previous move of God calling the new move ‘fanaticism.’ We can then become unwilling to leave the comfort zone of the familiar to flow in God’s new thing,” McIntosh states.
This is an important word we need to heed as we don’t want to miss our day of visitation.
Another area where revival can derail or where we miss our own personal miracle is when we take offense. I have repeatedly watched individuals get up and walk out of meetings because the speaker got “political” or stepped on their toes regarding hot-topic issues such as homosexuality, race, political ideology and so on.This is a dangerous response. We need to remember Jesus intentionally called a Canaanite woman a “dog.” I believe it was a prick to test her heart. She passed the test. Rather than be offended, she chose to press in for her miracle. That is where we all need to be as we press in for revival.
When our gender, skin color, sexual orientation, political belief and so on supersedes our relationship with Christ and/or doesn’t align with the Bible, make no mistake we can easily be offended. It is the tactic Satan most often uses to close our hearts and ears to a move of God and the miracle for which we have prayed.
Consider the story of the military leader Naaman, who was told to dip in the dirty water of the Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5:1-14). Initially he was offended by the instruction and as a result almost passed up his opportunity for a miracle. It was only when he humbled himself to obey that he was healed.
May we receive the miracle we need in America, our cities and in our homes. May we refuse offense and division and instead humble ourselves and pray. For revival is indeed coming and we want to be ready.
NOTE: To join us for the launch of revival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 21-22, go to AwakeOklahom.com for details on how to register and participate. This is a free event. You can join us on livestreaming prayer for revival each Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. CST by clicking here. {eoa}
Karen Hardin is a literary agent and writer. She is the author of Infected: How to Stop the Global Spread of Rage, Deception and Insanity and God’s Justice after Injustice. Her work has been published in USA Today, Western Journal, World Net Daily, Intercessors for America, Charisma, CBN.com and more. She is also the co-founder of the city-by-city.org prayer movement and founder of AwakeOklahoma.com to take back our cities and nation.
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