WARNING: America Doesn’t Need Your Definition of Revival

The Spirit of the Lord visited me this week and said, “The church has been captivated by the outward expression of revival.”

To be captivated means to be taken captive, to be bound or restrained.

Could our pursuit of the outward expressions of revival be hindering our ability to see true revival come to pass? God began to show me that the body of Christ has become addicted to the audible and visual stimuli that come with revival, to the point that it has begun to seek those manifestations instead of Him. Revival has become a show, and we have become the spectators. We have forgotten that Revival is first and foremost about His Presence and His will being accomplished on the earth.

When we hear revival mentioned, each one of us has a checklist of outward expressions we hope to see: people weeping at the altar, the sick being healed, someone shaking under the power of God, or devils being cast out. Most people in the modern church are under the impression that we need to see these things before conceding that revival has taken place.

The word “revival” actually means “to make alive.” To be revived is to be re-animated, or given new life. When revival comes, it should change us from the inside out and not the outside in. Revival is not an event that we go to. Revival is a Person who comes to us. When He comes, He changes everything. What I see happening in the church today is something different altogether. We have taken what was meant to be life-giving and turned it into something that only satisfies the flesh. We have made revival into a circus act, and in doing so, we have cheapened the Gospel. We have been taken captive by our need to experience the manifestations of revival.

The Spirit of Revival is a holy thing. He is not to be trifled with or taken lightly. In spite of this, we have done exactly that. We have invited Him into our churches, and then turned His Presence into a sideshow. Another word for being captivated by audio or visual stimuli is entertainment, or sensationalism. Revival has become an entertainment event that we go to in order to be blessed by the “anointed” one and have our needs met. While there is nothing wrong with being blessed or having our needs met, when it becomes our sole focus, we miss the point of revival altogether: seeing God's needs met on the earth. It’s time for the church to wake up and realize that revival is not just something to be sought after. Revival is something that happens when we seek Him.

Matthew 16:4 says, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed" (KJV).

It’s time to stop chasing after manifestations and start pursuing the One who gives them. Revival begins with us, and it starts with a humble heart that seeks after God. Revival begins with repentance, and it starts with a willingness to change. Revival begins with YOU pursuing HIM without any regard for feelings or personal comfort. For those who are looking for HIM with their spiritual antenna, HE is going to overwhelm their senses with signs and wonders; however, those who are only looking for a good time or a “blessing" will not experience true revival.

Revival is already here, but it’s not going to look the way you think it should. Instead of people rolling around at the altar, revival might just look like people opening their Bibles and digging into the Word of God. It’s not going to be about the “anointed ones” or the big names in the Christian world. Revival is going to be about regular, everyday people who have been changed by the power of God and are passionate about His Presence. Revival starts with a disciplined willingness to look past the physical manifestations and seek the will of the Father, even if we don't see or feel the results.