The Secret To Revival

PRAYER - "Nehemiah's Request"

 

Nehemiah was cup-bearer for a pagan king, alienated from the life he truly craved back home in Jerusalem. He was depressed, and the king noticed it. "What's bothering you Nehemiah?" "How can I be happy when the land of my fathers is in ruins?" "What can I do for you?" God opened a dramatic door for Nehemiah. His prayer was ready. Within days, he was in Jerusalem, rebuilding the walls.

 

Nehemiah 2:4 - "...the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven."

 

PRINCIPALS -"Peleg - The Earth Divided"

 

Here is the lineage: Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg. Little is known of Peleg except that in his days the earth was divided. Some say that the continents of earth moved to their present positions then, but that is unfounded speculation. Peleg's birth was near the days of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. That is where the earth was really divided. God divided their languages.

 

1 Chronicles 1:19 - "...unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided.

 

PRINCIPLES - "Little is Much"

 

Jacob was far from home, fugitive from an angry brother, yet God was with him. His flocks multiplied miraculously. Sometimes our circumstances are mixed - hardship or tragedy on one hand; blessing on the other. Quit your pessimism. If God be for us, who can be against us? What is in thy hand? God will bless and multiply it! Little is much when God is in it.

 

Genesis 30:30 - "...it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming.

 

PROPHECIES - "Possessing the Enemies' Gates"

 

One promise God gave Abraham was that his descendants would possess their enemies' gates. That pretty much solves the problems of enemies. He said He would curse those who cursed His people. It is best not to fight against God's people because that is a sure guarantee you will be conquered.

 

Genesis 22:17 - "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.

Obey Today

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

– Proverbs 29:1

Some people have the mistaken idea that when the direction of the Holy Spirit comes to them, they can just ignore it for a while if they want to and then obey Him later in their own good time. They think to themselves, I know what I'm doing is wrong. I know my lifestyle isn't right, but I'm just going to do it a while longer. Then I'll get things straightened out with the Lord.

Let me warn you, that is an extremely dangerous thing to do. Because God says that when you refuse His guidance, your heart grows hard. It's not that God's grace doesn't extend to you anymore. It's not that He wouldn't forgive you if you turned to Him. It's just that sin will callous your heart to the point where you can't hear Him calling.

That's what happened to the children of Israel. God would tell them what to do and they wouldn't do it. When He was trying to bring them into the Promised Land and He told them to go in and possess it, they flatly refused.

Of course, they thought they had good reasons for refusing. They were so full of fear and unbelief that they actually thought if they did what God said, they'd be destroyed. But, you know, it doesn't matter how good your reasons are for disobeying God. That disobedience will still cost you. It will still harden your heart.

The children of Israel ignored God's leading so often that He finally just sent them into the wilderness. They were so stiff-necked, He couldn't lead them into the blessings He'd planned for them, and He had to just let them wander around until all but two of them had died. He had to raise up a whole new generation of softer-hearted people before He could take them into the land.

Take a lesson from that and don't play around with sin. When God tells you what you need to do, don't put Him off thinking it will be easier to do it later. It won't be. It will be harder!

When the Spirit of God comes to correct you, follow His instructions—and follow them quickly. Keep your heart tender. Obey the Lord!