REVIVALTALK

  Romans 13:11 –  “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” We are living in serious times. We have entered what the Bible defines as the “the last days.” I believe we must get serious about our walk and relationship with God. The word serious means something important, weighty, sincere, and requiring careful attention.  Merriam-Webster  defines serious as “deeply interested; devoted.” [ I ] James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” I will use the word serious as an acrostic to encourage you to draw closer to God.  S – Seek first the kingdom of God . Matthew 6:33 says, ““But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” E – Embrace the Holy Spirit . Galatians 5:16 says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you ...

  2 Chronicles 29:3 – “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.”             King Hezekiah was a reformer.  He came to the throne at a very difficult time in the southern kingdom of Judah’s history.  He succeeded his father, Ahaz.  Ahaz had done evil in the sight of the Lord.  2 Chronicles 28:1-4 reveals the following about the character of Azah: “Ahaz  was  twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do  what was  right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David  had done.  For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lor...

  Romans 11:29 – “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” In our study of the Scriptures, we learn that every individual is called of God. This calling is not reserved just for pulpit ministry. We often refer to pastors, evangelists, or fivefold ministers as being called of God. You were born with a divine destiny. You are called of God to ministry. Ephesians 4:16 says, “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Dr. Frank Damazio defines the call of God as “For the Christian leader, the call of God is the point of revelation, the personal foundation for ministry.”  There are four things we need to understand about the call of God in our individual lives: 1.      It is a holy calling . II Timothy 1:9 says, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling.” 2.  ...

  Romans 12:1-2 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”             God is calling His church back to the altar of prayer. In Matthew 21:13 Jesus made this declaration, “And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”  We are called to be a “house of prayer for all people.” He meets His people at the altar.             The altar is a place of encounter. We have a meeting with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the altar of prayer. Catherine Brown defines the altar as “a meeting place between H...

  I Thessalonians 5:6 – 8 - “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” We are living in very serious times. In II Timothy 3:1 the Apostle Paul wrote the headlines we are currently reading in our news sources. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” Just a few days ago the Lord spoke very clearly to me, “It is time to get serious about your walk and relationship with God because we are living in very serious times.” The word  perilous  means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with. Bishop Tim Hill writes, “The word describes a society that is barren of virtue but abounding with vices.” (1) We are living in serious times. Jesus warned us about these times in John 1...

  One of the greatest privileges available to believers is the ability to communicate with our divine creator through the discipline of prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 states, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” The Lord desires to establish a relationship with His people. In order to have a relationship, there must be communication. Prayer has been a neglected discipline within the Church today. Most believers struggle with prayerlessness. Perhaps one of the most common sins today is the sin of prayerlessness. When we fail to pray, we become spiritually weak and vulnerable. We open a door and give access to the enemy into our lives. The Bible defines the Church as a “House of Prayer” in Matthew 21:13. We must transition from being a Church that prays to becoming a “House of Prayer.” Your family and home should be defined as a “Home of Prayer.” Prayer must permeate our lives and become an integral part of everything we do as peopl...