Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
Revival Starts With Your Heart
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV).
I once heard a pastor on the radio say that a great Christian revival will begin when everyone that attends church follows God’s word and tithes 10 percent to their church. I thought to myself – yes, that would be a tremendous thing and the church universal could do great things with that money. I imagined the missions to foreign countries, feeding the homeless, programs aimed at youth, men, women, young couples, and elderly.
But then I thought, ‘a tithe should only be given out of love, not an obligation. The simple fact is that God does not need your money and His will shall be done regardless of your tithe. Your tithe is
symbolic of the spiritual condition of your heart, which concerns God much more than your tithe, bank account, and material possessions.
The Word of God in Malachi 3:10 reads, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough to store it.” So, by denying our tithe to God we are denying nothing to Him. However, we are denying ourselves a blessing. St. Paul sums this up beautifully in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” We are told in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
I believe that revival starts when all people turn their focus on God rather than on themselves. Sin is the inevitable result of our natural tendency to focus on ourselves, our desires, our flesh, and our will. True revival will come, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). A key component of revival is for each husband in each house to submit to God and lead the way for his family to a Christ-centered life. In summary, consider the Word of God in Joshua 24:15: “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Serve the Lord by giving Him your heart – your whole heart – and then YOU will may be the spark that starts the fire of revival. Revival won’t come due to giving back to God what already belongs to God (i.e., money), but it will come by giving him our heart – our whole heart.
Prayer: Dear God, Help us to humble ourselves and pray and seek Your face and turn our wicked ways, then we know You will hear from heaven, and You will forgive our sin and will heal our land. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Forgiveness
Forgiveness "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22 NIV). It is inevitable that we will accidentally hurt someone’s feelings, often of those who are closest to us, and need to ask for their forgiveness. Sometimes they are forgiven and, unfortunately, sometimes not. But what happens when the person who hurt us does not seek our forgiveness? In either case, we have a decision to make: Do we or do we... -
The ‘Fruit of The Spirit’ Attributes
The ‘Fruit of The Spirit’ Attributes The ‘Fruit of The Spirit’ Attributes "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). “The Fruit of the Holy Spirit” is a Biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a Christian. According to Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are all characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s active presence in our lives, and, importantly, a... -
Grace Upon Grace: An Exploration Of God’s Love And How To Receive It
Grace Upon Grace: An Exploration Of God’s Love And How To Receive It "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14 ESV). We are created with a deep need to be loved. There are two radically different kinds of love: conditional and unconditional. Conditional love involves bargaining and there are conditions that we must meet in order to receive love from others. Such conditional living is exhausting, involving a treadmill of constant doing in order to earn and maintain love. Unconditional love is radically different, involving a conversion of our motives. The Christian...