What Must We do for Revival? - If My People Repent

Lastly, the Lord says we need to turn from our wicked ways. Turn is another way of saying repent, and unfortunately, this is not a popular word today, even amongst many believers. When we begin talking about repentance and calls to holiness within the Church, this is when we start stepping on people’s toes. It is so easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, rather than measuring our own lives up with the Word of God.  James says that the Word of God is like a mirror. (James 1:22-24) God’s Word gives us an accurate reflection of how our lives are measuring up to His standard.  When we prayerfully take an honest look at the Scriptures and at God’s standard of righteousness, we will then see how short we fall of that standard.  If we were to just look at the Ten Commandments, this is enough to show us how unworthy we truly are.  If we have told a lie, we have born false witness.  If we have used God’s name as a curse word, we are guilty of blasphemy.  If we have hated a brother or sister, Jesus states that we are guilty of murder.  If we have lusted in our hearts, Jesus says we are guilty of adultery.  These are only four of the Ten Commandments, but James says if we have broken the Law in one point, we are guilty of breaking the entire thing. (James 2:10) The apostle Paul said in Romans, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1John 1:8) There is not one of us, believer or nonbeliever that can say we are without sin.  As believers we are a new creation in Christ and are no longer under the sentence of the Law; however, we still have to deal with the sin nature.  There is a sanctification process that takes place in our lives that does not stop until we reach Heaven.  We should always be like David in asking the Lord to search our hearts (Psalms 139:23-24).  As we ask the Lord to search us, He will reveal those things that are unpleasing in His sight.

All those whom the Lord used mightily throughout history had a real sense of unworthiness, and simply had to trust in the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ.  When Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord he said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5) Job, a man whom the Bible refers to as being perfect and upright, said the following after the Lord spoke to Him out of the whirlwind, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) Jonathan Edwards, a man the Lord used powerfully during the first great awakening in the American colonies stated, "I am nothing, and can do nothing: I desire your prayers that I may be more sensible of it, and that God would grant me his presence and assistance, and again grant me success.” It is when we have come to an end of ourselves and trusting in our own righteousness that the Lord can truly use us for His glory and in His service.

The point in the Lord revealing our sin to us is not to condemn us, but to cleanse us of it and remove it from our lives.  The Scriptures say, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) Also, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9) So then, repentance is not a bad thing, but a good thing. It is what opens the flood gates of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and restores our fellowship with the Lord. It is simply the reality of the Christian life. Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19)

There have been times in the past that it seemed as if there would be a revival, but it did not last because the message of repentance was missing.  For example, Churches filled shortly after 9/11 as people began to seek the Lord, but it quickly faded because the message of repentance was not being preached. A.W. Tozer said the following in his day: “Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work.” Repentance is a crucial ingredient in revival, for without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Really, if we leave out any one of these ingredients for revival, it doesn’t work. We need humility, prayer, the word of God, and repentance in order to see revival.