Camp meeting of the Methodists in N. America, 1819
Public Domain
Originally Posted at AmericanRevival.press
This letter is intended for those of the Church, who are born-again, not merely because men have determined it so, but because your relationship with God testifies that this is True – I write to my brothers and sisters today with the hope to encourage and strengthen your faith, to provoke us all again to good works that would glorify and exalt the name of the Lord all across the earth… that His name would be lifted high! Amen?
If I can testify of His faithfulness for a moment… I left business, really at the top of my career to find a new way: to walk with my God completely and totally by faith in His Spirit! Truthfully, I had no idea what He would do with me. At the beginning of this New Life, I heard the Lord say, “You must not plan the future.” And then I found it in the Bible, “Take no thought for tomorrow for today’s evils are sufficient thereof.” (Matthew 6:34)
The Lord started to show me how I lived so much of my life as if in a fantasy: planning, strategizing, dreaming, etc. that I was rarely in the day, rarely in the moment with Him. God lives in this moment. We are not in the future with Him yet and the past has passed. This spiritual principal is essential to truly walking with God. The miracle of the Spirit being manifest in our life happens as we surrender to, “God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” But how? And when?
We commonly pray these things but I don’t know that we are totally aware of what we are saying. What gave Jesus the power He had was His total and complete surrender to the will of His Father (“I only do what I see my Father doing.” John 5:19) walking moment by moment in the Spirit! Remember John the Baptist, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.” Jesus was wholly devoted to this moment-by-moment total surrender and unity with the Spirit of His Father. And just look at what the Spirit and Jesus did together! Miracles!
But it feels almost impossible to live this way! Right? We have work schedules, the children have school schedules, church has schedules, we have learned to plan out our days, we have “day planners”, we have goals and objectives and a never-ending list of “To Do’s”. How can we “be about our Father’s business” and “the world’s business” at the same time? But I promise you, this discussion is only the beginnings of Revival.
If Revival at its essence is not walking in the Spirit, day by day and moment by moment with Jesus, I don’t know what else it is? Who else manifests this “Revival”? The Father is in Heaven, Right? And Jesus, where is He? We commonly say He is with us… and He is… in a way. But technically, Jesus is in heaven, correct? Ruling at the right hand of the Father! So, The Father is in Heaven, Jesus is ruling at His right hand, also in heaven, so how is God with us??? This is the brief introduction to The Holy Ghost, who is now also Emmanuel, God with us.
This truth might seem revolutionary to many reading this but sincerely, this is only Christianity 101 – this is only Revival 101.
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While I was in business, I was walking with the Lord, in His Spirit but not necessarily day by day and moment by moment, more like in the big picture of things. I would pray about the big decisions and absolutely pray a lot when things were going wrong but to live in His Spirit, to “pray without ceasing” I can say without a doubt I was not.
My business life was exciting and successful but also full of betrayal and worse. I got involved with Natural Health Cancer cures and started to learn much about the brokenness of the world. I started to see, and all too clearly, just how broken this world is. It overwhelmed me. But it wasn’t just the brokenness of the world, even moreso, the Lord started to show me much about His Church and how far we were/are from living this “Abundant Life in Christ” that the Bible promises us. It became a consistent theme from 1997-2005+ - God gave us this amazing relationship thru His Son, living day to day in the Spirit but we settled for mere religion.
Something must be done! I can remember thinking. My brothers and sisters just don’t know how good and loving and powerful God is! I would pray, “But what can I do about it, Father!?” I remember seeing so many end-of-days events unfolding (especially starting around 9/11), and even preparing to unfold and I cried out to God, “Lord, something must be done!” And finally, 2004, the Lord answered me.
I was invited to public speak in Tucson Arizona, at a Chamber of Commerce event. The mayor was there, and many of Tucson’s finest showed up for the event, to listen to this young entrepreneur (me) speak about “The Secret to his Success”. But I was miserable. I can recall sitting on that stage and my heart sinking into my stomach as I prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to speak about making money. I don’t care so much about money. I want to tell them about You and your goodness!” I felt sick. And as they introduced me with honor and even a sort of reverence, I dragged myself over to the microphone to try and blurt out something the crowd might like to hear.
I rambled at first about my past and how thru prayer I came to start this company. I rambled about “the marketplace” and “timing” but none of it was coming out very polished and it all lacked conviction. My heart wasn’t in it, not even a little bit. Finally, after 7 or 8 minutes of this horrible performance, the sweat dripping down my face, the clothes under my suit all drenched, I candidly said, “I’m sorry, I just can’t do this anymore….” And an uncomfortable silence fell upon the room.
I looked throughout the crowd at all those wealthy, influential and respected leaders of Tucson and I apologized. “I’m sorry everyone. I am trying my best but my heart is just not in this anymore. The truth is, I never much cared about the money, or success. I got into business because Jesus led me this way. But my heart isn’t in it anymore. I don’t know if you have ever seen the scene in a movie where the main character has this life-changing moment in front of a room? Well, this isn’t a movie, but this is happening to me right now. I always wanted to serve God. And maybe I have, somewhat, with my business? But I just cant do this anymore. I am going to leave business I just decided… I’m going to follow God and learn to tell people about Him and see where this leads me.” I asked to be excused and then I practically ran off the stage.
The Lord immediately started to minister to me, “You have to surrender not just a portion of your life Robert, but the whole thing!” He would say, “I want to fill it all, I want to be a part of everything, the good and the bad…” I really didn’t understand many of these revelations as they were coming to me those years after leaving business behind. I didn’t understand how much God loves His children and wants that everyone finds His salvation! I was presented a version of Jesus within the churches, within the religious world but I started to learn that was only “in part” of who God truly is! His love is so much greater than I could possibly comprehend!
Those years my entire perspective of God, His Son and Spirit… everything changed.
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Revival is personal before it is grandiose. Revival is intimate and in the secret places before it is loud and public, and for all to see. We pray for Revival but what are we really praying for? We want God to change everything and save our nation… but God is concerned about us. God doesn’t see first the nations and the world at large, He sees our hearts and souls, He sees us, as individuals crying out to Him, or not. God is a Father who desires intimacy with His children, each one of us, uniquely.
But what if no one wants to know Him? What if no one wants to be with their God and Father? Are we all content to take from Him, to run to Him when we are in trouble and quarantine the rest of our hearts and lives away the rest of the year? These holy men and women who were the early church, we still talk about them because they walked with God. Abraham came to walk with God: Moses, David, the Prophets and the Apostles all came to know their God, very intimately – like the way a man comes to know His wife. In Hebrew it’s the word, “Yada”, to know very personally and intimately as close as is the marriage covenant: to yada your God and Father. This is why Jesus came and died for us all – that we might know (yada) intimately our God for all our days and then into eternity.
And revival starts here. In the closets. In the secret places. On trails hidden in the woods, near gentle and winding streams, upon the mountaintops, in the darkness and the quiet hours of the night – those intimate places we come to know the still and small voice of God. We learn to quiet our souls, to silence the fear and doubt and in stillness and trust we find Him. We come to Him in faith, oftentimes we have to wait, “Be still and know that I am God” He tells us… but then we find Him! “Seek and ye shall find!” But what are we looking for? Riches!? God forbid. The true riches are awaiting us in eternity! But would we rather have this temporary glory, than the glory of God!?
As we turn back to Him, as we seek Him even with all our hearts… The Father, Our Dad, Abba comes to us! And the Revival starts. It begins in us. Then we can take Him to the people around us: to our neighbors, our friends, our town, our church, etc. But what if no one goes to Him? What if no one wants to yada their Dad?? I know there is a remnant…
The American Revival starts in us.
And it’s a Great Pleasure to know our Father!
More to come…
Guest article by Robert Anthony
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