How To Have A Personal Revival (1)

'...Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.' 

Psalm 80:18

The Psalmist prayed, 'Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.' Almost a century ago, A. W. Tozer laid out the steps that lead to personal revival. Some of the language may be outdated, but the principles still work today. First, get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself. Complacency is the enemy of spiritual progress. A complacent soul is a stagnant soul. Second, set your face like a flint towards a sweeping transformation of your life. Timid experimenters are tagged for failure before they start. We must throw our whole soul into our desire for God. Third, put yourself in the way of blessing. It's a mistake to expect God's help to come as a windfall apart from conditions known and met. There are plainly marked paths which lead straight to the green pastures; let us walk in them. To desire revival, for instance, and at the same time neglect prayer and devotions, is to wish one way and walk another.

Fourth, do a thorough job of repenting. Do not hurry to get it over with. Hasty repentance means shallow spiritual experience and lack of certainty in the whole life. Let godly sorrow do her healing work. Until we allow the consciousness of sin to wound us, we will never develop a fear of evil. Finally, make restitution wherever possible. If you owe a debt, pay it, or at least have a frank understanding with your creditor about your intention to pay, so your honesty will be above question. If you have quarrelled with anyone, go as far as you can in an effort to achieve reconciliation.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.