REVIVALTALK

Great tension filled the air in the year 1775. In the very early days the colonist stood at a crossroads much like our nation does today.   The thirteen colonies were at a tipping point. The British Army occupied Boston under the command of General Thomas Gage.   George Washington proposed intercepting British ships, but the popular vote in Philadelphia disagreed with this because they didn’t want to upset the king.   Especially after the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Boston Tea Party that took place in December 1773. General Washington took it upon himself to commission six privately owned schooners to start his own navy.   Some believed this was done at his expense. These ships were called “Washington’s Navy.”   These vessels sailed flying the “An Appeal to Heaven” flag. One source I read made this statement, “The white flag dawning an evergreen tree in the center with the moniker ‘An Appeal to Heaven’ became the symbol of righteous justificatio...

The Month of Adar II The Month of Purim For a number of years I have been studying and praying for insight into how the Lord moves and works in time. We learn in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do.  They were masters of the Hebrew calendar.   In  Exodus 12:2  the Lord established the Hebrew calendar.  “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”  The Hebrew calendar begins at Passover in the month of Nissan.  This calendar was God ordained and introduced in the Bible.  The Hebrew Calendar is both a religious calendar and a civil calendar. The Religious year begins at Passover in the month of Nissan and the civil year begins at Rosh Ha Shana in the month of Tishri. To better understand how God moves in time and works in our lives you can study the Hebrew calendar and the patterns that have been establ...

Just a few weeks ago we had a small snow in our region.  We are not accustomed to snow so just a small storm results in closures and numerous accidents on our highways.  Our family has two dogs, Scarlet and Madeline.  They are about 2 1/2 years old and this was their first experience with snow.  I was curious as to how they would react. They knew right away that something was different. I noticed that they had difficulty getting their footing. They had to adjust their steps and it altered their walk.  When we encounter storms in our lives we sometimes have trouble getting our footing. We have to adjust our steps.  If we are not careful the storms of life can alter our walk of faith. Storms can be noisy. They can be confusing, and they can be fearful.  Jesus gives great instructions concerning the storms that come into our lives. Listen to His words in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcom...

I Hear the Sound of Abundance of Rain 1 Kings 18:41-46 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”  42  So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,  43  and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44  Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” 45  Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.  46  Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loin...

A Container for His Presence Matthew 9:17 – “Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”” For the past several weeks the Lord has dealt with me about having the right container.   Jesus reveals an important principle in this passage of Scripture, “You cannot put new wine into an old wineskin.”   So often we focus so much on an outpouring of God’s Spirit, which the new wine represents in this passage of Scripture, that we neglect the container. Without a proper container we cannot keep what is being poured out.   Containers are very important.   If a canned good is not perfectly sealed the food it contains will spoil.   God has been visiting us as His people to prepare a container.   Before He pours out the new wine of His Spirit He first has to prepare the container.   If we short circuit...

Entering into 2014 At the end of last year I sat some time aside time to pray and listen for prophetic direction for the coming year.   The Word of God teaches that we should seek after and value prophetic direction.   In Jeremiah 33:3 the Scriptures declare, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”   This same verse in the Amplified Bible reads, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in  and  hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand). As we pray and wait in the presence of the Lord He gives revelation about things we are experiencing and about the future.   The Prophet Amos penned these words in Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” We must remember that prophetic ministry is for our comfort, exhortation, and encou...