Personal Prayer and Personal Repentance, Lead to Personal Revival and Personal Power

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 37

You hear a lot of talk amongst believers about the ‘Body of Christ,’ and rightly so, but I want to remind you today that the ‘Body of Christ’ is made up of many parts and all of them must function properly for the body to work the way it was created.  Just like the human body has many bones, muscles, limbs, and organs to cause it to function properly, but if disease overtakes one part of the body, the rest of the body is weakened. 

Just like a wall has many stones to give it support, but if all the stones are not properly maintained, and a few of the stones begin to fall apart, it weakens the wall. And an army has many soldiers that give it strength to overcome its enemies, but if some of the soldiers decide they are going to stop resisting, the rest of the army is put at risk of defeat. The point I’m making is basic: The Church, the ‘Body of Christ,’ can only be revived as each of its members are revived.

There is no doubt that in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel that God is asking the prophet if revival is possible.  ‘Can life be restored to a bunch of dry bones?  Can dead hearts come alive?  And the answer is clear: Yes, but only if the blowing of the breath of God, the power of the Holy Ghost is reintroduced into their body.  And when this happens a great and mighty army arises from the ashes of despair, as each member of the body begins to lay hold of victory.

I believe there is a spirit of Revival on the horizon for many in the ‘Body of Christ.’ I believe the wind of God, the breath of God, the Holy Ghost is getting ready to move again just as he did on the day of Pentecost, and revival is coming to Church of Jesus Christ, I believe it and I prophesy it to you now.  I can already see it in the lives of the members of my home church as we are experiencing a great move of God’s Spirit and I believe it is going to spread.

I believe God is raising up an army of blood bought, Holy Spirit filled, fire baptized, Bible thumping, pew jumping, Isle running, tongue talking, sin hating, Jesus loving, members of His body that are going to invade and overthrow Satan’s strongholds.

But even though an army is many soldiers, a wall is many stones, and the body is made up of many members and many bones.  Revival must be personal.  Before there was an army in Ezekiel 37, there was just a valley of many dry bones, some leg bones, some arm bones, some neck bones, and some toes and fingers, all it was in the beginning of the prophet’s vision was a boneyard.  It was a cemetery where shattered dreams and hope had been buried.

The point I’m trying to make is that every bone needed a personal revival.  The breath of God, the fire of God, and the power of God had to get inside of every one of those bones, and as it did every single one of those bones began to shake and move.

We have come together with the desire to experience a divine visitation, a revival, but the only way to have revival in the ‘Body of Christ, is for each individual member to experience the power of God and begin to move under the direction of the Holy Ghost.  Each of us must experience a revival.

Every bone must commit to the process and the product of personal revival.  The wall is only as alive as the living stones that make up the wall are alive.  The church is only as alive as the individual members that make up the body are alive.  We must commit ourselves personally to the process of revival.

Remember the words of this old song, “It’s not my brothers, nor my sisters but it’s me O Lord standing in the need of Prayer”

We can all come together, we can shout and praise God, and we can experience the fire of God, but when each individual bone begins to catch fire, we will take it beyond the four walls of the church house and carry it with us everywhere we go.

True biblical revival is more than the Holy Spirit coming into a service here and there and giving you a spiritual jump start, revival is not a “5 Hour” Holy Ghost energy shot, true revival is getting back to the foundation of our faith and it begins with repentance.  Let me say this boldly, you can measure the success of a revival by the genuineness and the depth of the repentance of the individual.

A.W. Tozor said: “The blessings follow the plow.”

In other words, Gods blessings come where the word of God is allowed to deeply penetrate the heart, and to plow up the soil, and root out that which is offensive to the Holy Spirit. Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord until He come and rains righteousness upon you.

John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Jesus’ message was, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

The message of the Apostles was, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

“Refreshing,” the revival of the Holy Ghost always follows repentance!

2 Chronicles 7:14

“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 sins and heal their land.”

The first step to personal Revival is to humble ourselves and pray.  One of the greatest sins of the church today is the sin of prayerlessness.  We have all seen on the evening news that California has been in a severe drought for several years, but the worst drought in America, one you unfortunately won’t be hearing about on the news, is the drought in the church for tears of repentance, it is the drought of dry eyes.

I am not surprised at the lack of power in the church in America, because a prayer less church is a powerless church.

The internal combustion engine is powered by fuel.

The steam engine is powered by steam.

An electric motor is powered by electricity.

And the church is powered by prayer.

In many churches today, the only prayer you ever hear is a short opening prayer and a short dismissal prayer, but God said, “My house shall be called of all nations, a house of prayer.”

It seems like in many of our churches today they do everything except pray.  They have eating meetings, dramas and plays, seminars, and hold ‘singspirations,’ it seems the church has time for everything but prayer. And they wonder why they don’t see revival: Why they don’t have power over sickness? Why they don’t have power over the devil? Why aren’t people getting saved and delivered? Why aren’t people getting filled with the Holy Ghost? I can tell you why, God doesn’t recognize your voice because you never call unless you need something!

If we want God to send the fire, then just like Elijah on Mt Carmel we must build the altar and we must pour water on the sacrifice.  Because it’s still true: The fire will fall when the wood is wet.  The Power of God only comes on those who pray!  Prayer less saints are Powerless saints!

It was as 120 waited and prayed in the upper room that heaven opened and fire fell upon every head. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and power and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Every Head got a Flame, every dry bone was made alive, and personal power accompanied personal revival.

It’s time for a personal prayer, and personal repentance, that lead to personal revival and personal power.