Single-Minded Revival Heart Cry?
by Dan Erickson
Everyone who wants to glorify God should apply the Book of James. In my search of the Scriptures as to why there has been no heaven-sent revival and spiritual awakening across North America since 1905, I came across James 1:5-8. There we are told that the Lord will not find fault with our request for wisdom. Wisdom could be defined simply as knowing what is right to do and doing it – maybe a simple definition of revival. His problem is with the state of the minds and the attitude of the hearts of those making the request.
Ministries like CRF have worked for decades and are working today to help point the way to "praying ground" by helping God's people deal with sin, self and the Holy Spirit. Lots of people have subsequently been exposed to what God has done in the great outpourings of history and left with the challenge to stay on praying ground (live holy, obedient lives) and pray for Him to do it again. But what happens then?
We make one of three choices:
Choice 1
Personally, we can wish God would act BUT choose to doubt that He really wants to or is even able to send outpouring in our day. "We've gone too far" and "God has waited too long and now He can't do it in a society like we have today" is seldom said right out but is inferred by what we may say and do. We may even ask God to make "Ishmael" ministries stand before Him - man-made solutions from unbelief. (See Genesis 17:15-19). This position denies Acts 3:19, which literally says that time-after-time, right through to the end of the age of grace, God will send times of refreshing. Even a brief study of the dark times in the past and how God sent His outpourings (in answer to the prayers of those who would believe) would further confirm His unchanging ability and perfect timing.
Choice 2
We can believe that God wants and is able to send outpouring, BUT we really don't want Him to do so. It might change things from the way we like them.
Choices 1 & 2 both suggest a "double mind." James 1:6-8 warns, "…Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." It's no use to pray for something we either don't believe God will do or really don't want Him to do.
Choice 3
We can take the "no BUTS" approach. God answered a gushing spirit of prayer around a pastor by the name of Bill McLeod who was willing to prime the pump by his own single-minded heart cry. This choice is ours to make today.
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