I wanted to have this blog post done by last week, but I got distracted. I must admit I should have done everything I could to get it posted. The good news is I have some material for the next two blog posts. Although I am not happy with myself for getting this in later, I am glad God’s grace is sufficient. He makes all things work together for my good and at least I am getting it in now. This is a long post but I happen to believe it is one of the most, if not the most important post I have ever written. This is a rather long post so you may want to be prepared. Don’t worry it’s a post worth reading, glory to God. Praise God He has a message for you. Even if you don’t agree with all that’s in this post please consider reading it to the end. You may feel free to comment as well. We can all be on a journey to learn together.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
I used to be afraid of speaking in tongues and only did it if I was either desperate or felt the presence of God prompt me too. But here recently I have discovered my silly utterances are not so silly. I am really using a prayer language. God’s love is perfect and he knows our heart. We don’t have to worry about conjuring up demons when speaking in tongues. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). God knows it if we are calling out to him because he knows our heart. God’s got our back and we are protected from the devil when we speak in tongues. If you are a believer in Jesus I urge you to pray in the spirit with tongues and know that God’s grace is sufficient enough for you to not be afraid. His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
There are certain rules about speaking in tongues in the church I cannot get into right now. For now I am just teaching about speaking in tongues alone in prayer whereby we edify ourselves and receive interpretation. Paul said, “let him who speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he interprets it” (1 Corinthians 14:13). I don’t know if God always interprets tongues during our prayer time, but I will let you know what happened to me in a particular circumstance for the purpose of this blog post. This post is not focused on speaking in tongues, as I am teaching about the specific subject of great awakening and love, but I must tell you of an experience I had recently whereby I received revelation for this post and how that revelation relates to the body of Christ.
“My treasures are in your heart.”
Jesus
I was watching an Oral Roberts video on the interpretation of tongues. He told people to speak in tongues and then see if God gives them revelation afterward. While speaking in tongues I pressed in and focused. The first thing God told me was “My treasures are in your heart.” I have to think that one meaning for this is that our love for the Lord is His treasure. Jesus said the greatest command is to “Love your Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” (Matthew 22:37). God delights in us when we worship and love him. One way we love God is by obeying him. I explained in Obedience Before Sacrifice how obeying God is showing him love. We obey the Lord because we have reverential fear of him as he is our father. I found that this verse sums up what I am trying to explain with God’s treasures being within our heart and obedience: “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure” (Isaiah 33:6). Since God told me His treasure is in our hearts than that verse makes perfect sense when you consider that to love God is to obey Him.
I also believe speaking in tongues is an act of showing our love to the Lord as it is an intimate form of worship whereby we pour our heart out to the Lord. I have been praying in tongues a whole lot more lately because I have realized the great importance of it more than ever before. I advise that if you a writer you speak in tongues a whole lot, especially around the days you write the most. Maybe some revelation from God will pour out through your writing and you will have the boldness to write what he wants you to write. Since praying in tongues is a form of worship, you will receive love poured into you through God so that it can pour out of you. Love ignites the fire of the Holy Spirit within you and you are called to be a fire starter for the Lord. If you have not experienced the fire of the Lord spend more time in worship and seeking the Lord and His ways and you might see what I am talking about.
“Love is in the midst of a great Awakening.”
Jesus
While I was praying in tongues that day, after God told me His treasures are in my heart, the Lord told me “Love is in the midst of a great awakening.” I did not know anything about the great awakening until God revealed this to me. This is one way I know it was God. Since then I have been doing a lot of research and I am so glad God revealed such important information to me. The great awakening, which started in the early 1700s, helped change the culture of Christianity (History.com). Much of the Christian religion at that time, at least in parts of Europe, did not emphasize a personal relationship with the Lord, as people thought they could only reach God through a minister. Many people did not know they could directly communicate with God themselves. In other words the ministers of the great awakening taught that we could have a personal relationship with the Lord rather than relying on a second hand religion through a religious leader. Not that we don’t need our leaders, but we also need to have a personal relationship with our father in Heaven. The Great Awakening started in New England and spread to the colonies of North America through leaders such as Johnathan Edwards and George Whitfield.
Johnathan Edwards preached on the importance of repentance. Repentance is crucial, especially because Jesus said to “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” in the very beginning of his ministry (Matthew 4:17). According to the book of Matthew this was His very first teaching. Johnathan Edwards taught people the reality of hell and how we can receive forgiveness of sins through our faith in Jesus. Many people were hungry for a move of God because the over logical thinking of the enlightenment period also resulted in a turning away from the faith (History.com). Maybe some people didn’t realize how the facts of the Bible are logical. I mean think about it, archaeologists have proven legitimacy. Also it is much more logical to believe that God created all living beings, as we are all have unique qualities, and humans are far more distinct than other living creatures.
No one can get me to believe in the racist evolutionary lie. Speaking of racism, the ministers of the great awakening taught that all people are created equal. In fact they were abolitionists during the time of the slave trade. That may sound familiar to you as the emphasis on equality taught from these ministers during that period were believed to have shaped the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. As we can see, the great awakening influenced some of the decisions of America’s founding father’s. This is because the ministers of that time reached as many people as possible. It’s also because some of them influenced the decisions of lawmakers. Benjamin Franklin, similar to others during the great awakening, was not a Christian as he was not open to the belief of reaching God through Jesus, yet he admired George Whitfield’s sermons and they became friends. They often wrote back and forth to each other.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
As I mentioned, there was an overemphasis on logic regarding faith in Christ during the enlightenment period. Although the historical events in the Bible proven through archaeological evidence are logical, Christianity is also supernatural because the spirit world does exist. Well that kind of sounds like logic to me too, but it’s logic that recognizes there is a creator and the Bible is accurate in explaining the spirit world. But when it comes to the aspect of faith, logic according to our natural senses is somewhat diminished. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That is why Jesus said blessed are those who have not seen Him and yet believe in Him (John 20:29).
When we believe in Jesus we live a blessed life because we can have his joy, peace, and hope. We have faith God will work things our for our good (Romans 8:28). In Jesus we have a father who loves us and cares about us. We become His children and His friends. If you are not already and would like to become a child and friend of God please say the salvation prayer at the end of this post so that you can be adopted in. Whenever we feel a tug in our spirit to become saved that is the Lord drawing us in. People were hungry for the love of God during the great awakening. Our spirits cry out for our father when we hear him in our spirits drawing us in. This is what happened during the great awakening as it was a massive revival. Hundreds of thousands of people if not more were saved because the ministers reached out to them with God’s love through the Holy Spirit.
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
We need a great awakening today. We need to reach people with the love of Jesus. After the Lord told me “love is in the midst of a great awakening” I had to look up the word midst to get a clearer understanding of the word. The word midst means “the position of anything surrounded by other things of parts, or occurring in the middle of a period of time, course of action” (Dictionary.com). The course of action and period of time for the next great awakening is soon. But first, we must have love to see a move of God in the form of a great awakening. Paul tells us in first Corinthians 13 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
The ministers of the great awakening did all the traveling in harsh conditions and preaching because they loved the Lord and in turn they loved people. Love was the basis of the massive revival. Signs, miracles, and wonders were demonstrated through the Holy Spirit to draw people in to the faith, but they would not have occurred if it weren’t for love. Before we seek a sign from God we must seek His ways. As related to financial miracles, and maybe even other miracles as well as signs and wonders, we need to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). The miracles occur when we have our hearts right with God, or in other words when we have his love (treasure) in our heart and pour it out to other people. To the Lord Love is the greatest attribute we can have. It’s not only an attribute but also a command. Jesus said “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest Commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
God in Jesus name we pray you create a clean heart within us. We want to obey you and show others your love. If there is any sin in our lives that blocks us from receiving and showing your love please help us get rid of it. Many of us have been in a testing and trial period of our lives so that we can prepare to do the glorious works of the Lord. But before we can do the glorious works we must first make sure our hearts are right. As I mentioned in Dreams: Bride of Christ we cannot be bitter and unforgiving, and we must be grateful. We must repent and turn from our wicked ways. We must have a close and personal relationship with God. We may need to fall on our faces and humble ourselves before the Lord. We should also pray in the spirit with tongues to receive revelation so that we can reach the lost. God help us love like you love. Help us reach the lost so they can be found.
Similar to the enlightenment period many people have drawn away from the Lord. Also many people have left the church because the love is lacking. Let’s bring the love back and the people back into the church. We must let our light shine for the lord. It’s time for another great awakening and this doesn’t have to only be in America. Great awakenings can happen anywhere. God can operate anywhere as God is omnipresent and he loves us all. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If you haven’t already and would like to receive the love of God please read the salvation prayer at the bottom of this blog post. He is the best friend you could ever have. God loves you and you need to accept Jesus into your heart to be able to receive His love. God’s love is our treasure and you are His treasure.
As I mentioned God told me His treasures are in my heart. I believe the concepts of great awakening and our heart’s treasures are related. During the great awakening people were the treasure sought after. God did say “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). I know this is used to describe money and I agree with that meaning because money can help get people saved. Similarly it means that whoever is on my heart from the Lord is my treasure. What should be on our hearts is to love people. They are God’s treasure. He puts it on my heart to write so that I can help people. He also puts it on my heart to intercede for people. One of the most important things God has put on my heart is to sing for Him to reach people. I did sing a karaoke song on Smule a while back and I was going to share it to my blog but I became afraid because I am not sure if people who read my blog posts would want to hear it. Some day I will have more professional recordings I would like to share.
I have had opportunities to sing in the world, even as a child, but God told me no. He told me to wait and I obeyed. I waited and now I am 39 years old. I really enjoy singing for God and for people but I am waiting for God to open the specific door that He has already revealed and promised to me. I know that where the door leads to is where my treasure is going to be. I pray God opens doors that no man can shut for all his children. As I mention in Waiting on God we must be patient while we wait upon the Lord. Father in Jesus name please open doors for your people so that they can find their treasure. The ultimate treasure will be knowing all the people we helped get saved. People are the treasures of God and God puts it on our heart to help people come to him. The love we show will ignite the fire for the next great awakening.
Our dry bones come alive as God breathes upon and through them. If you have not felt the breath of God just keep seeking him and you just might. That mighty rushing wind will permeate every cell of your body. If I was reading this blog post a few years back I would have thought it was strange or crazy but just hold on, advance in your faith, and you will know what I am talking about. It is an incredible experience. The breath of God moves through your soul. Just as the breath of God formed Adam from dust our dry bones become alive in Christ. Get ready.
Ever so often God has to wake people up in miraculous ways during revivals. The first Great awakening was said to have occurred in the early 1700s (History.com). Some historians believe there was a second great awakening in the early 1800s and some even believe there was a third in the early 1900s. Perhaps we are due for another great awakening. I believe we are on the cusp of the next great awakening. Why else would God tell me love is in the midst of a great awakening for this post. If you look back at my posts you will see my focus has been on preparing the body of Christ to step into their divine assignments. Unless we step into God’s plans we will not see the miracles, signs, and wonders, which are not only for the benefit of us, but they are also to point to Christ. They are to demonstrate the love of God to hurting and lost people.
Many of us know a great revival is coming. I know the church I will be attending when it occurs. It’s where my heart’s treasure has been all along. Ask God where he wants you to be and what he wants you to do. In Hebrews 10:25 Apostle Paul said “not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” (Hebrews 10:25). Notice he did not say to backbite against each other or to compete with one another. We are to work together as one body having different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12). Even if you cannot attend a church, you may be able to try to connect with other Christians in some way. We are able to reach more people when we gather together so that we can work together and encourage one another. There are hurting and lost people living a life of hell and on their way to hell and we need to work together to reach them. Are you willing to open your heart to reach them? Are you willing to obey God and reach the lost?
God is drawing his children closer to him to be prepared for the next great move. Lord we ask you to help us overcome any sin in our life that hinders our relationship with you. Father we want to be vessels for your glory so that we can reach the lost and hurting. Oh Lord thank you for saving us from death. Death where is your sting? Thank you father for the blessing you give us while we are here on this earth. Thank you for using us to help people get healed and saved. Please guide each and every one of us so that we can walk into your plans. We want to be a part of the next Great Awakening!
Salvation prayer: Dear Jesus thank you for coming to earth to save me. I confess that you came to earth and died on the cross for my sins to be forgiven and rose on the third day. Thank you Father God for sending your son Jesus to die for my sins so that I can be with you for eternity. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth and to help me become all that you want me to be for your glory!
References
History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/great-awakening#section_8
Dictionary.com: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/midst?s=t
Biblical Choices 