“In times of revival, there is a deep awareness of God’s presence and an inescapable sense of being under his eye; spiritual things become overwhelmingly real and the truth of God becomes overwhelmingly powerful, both to wound and to heal. Conviction of sin becomes intolerable; repentance goes very deep; faith springs up strong and assured; spiritual understanding grows quick and keen, and converts mature in an amazingly short time; joy overflows (Ps. 85:6; 2 Chr. 30:26; Neh. 8:12, 17; Acts 2:46f.; 8:8), and loving generosity abounds (Acts 4:32); Christians become fearless in witness and tireless in labor for their Savior’s glory.”

Don’t we need a revival in ourselves and our churches? What can we do? Packer says 2 things,

1. Preach and Teach God’s Truth.
2. Pray.

J.I. Packer, the renowned theologian, scholar and author, once said, “Do not neglect the revival component in your ministry.”

What you shared about oversleeping is good, though sleeping because you need rest is not a sin. I would feel pretty crummy myself if I felt I just wasted my day doing unproductive things.

Perhaps, “regular” and “revived” are not optimal terms, that might seem to be judging, critiquing, evaluating and categorizing people. That is not my intention.

My point is that when we truly see God, as Isaiah, Job, and Colson did through the workings of the Holy Spirit in them, they could never be the same again. This, I believe, is true of anyone who truly meets God “anew.”

No revival in ministry ever happens without a revival and fire of the Holy Spirit in oneself. It is, I believe, a deep sense of awe that God is doing something great and miraculous and supernatural in our midst.

If there is no revival or fire in oneself, then Christian life, church, and ministry is simply “business as usual,” doing routine Christian activities that have not resulted in anything significant for years or even decades, other than proving to themselves and their church that they are “faithful” and “committed” to God.

I just read this: IF YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING, YOU’LL KEEP GETTING WHAT YOU’RE BEEN GETTING. These words greet many missionaries as they commence Church Planting Movements (CPM) training. It has become something of a mantra that some CPM trainers have used to jolt frustrated missionaries out of their fruitless patterns and into new ways of looking at their community and ministry.

What frustrated unproductive Christians and missionaries need is a revival that begins within oneself. The revival only happens when we see God and perceive His real presence with us. It is mystical, but it is a tangible reality that is recorded repeatedly through out the Bible.

‘Regular Christians’ and ‘revived Christians’ are hard for me to understand. Everyday is a choice to be revived. A choice to go closer or walk away from God. Reviving in Christians should be done regularly. Regular Christians should be revived daily.

I slept for five hours in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. I woke up realizing how much time I had wasted… and I can easily say I slept for the glory of God. Yet, I have to admit I was being lazy and did not need to sleep that much in the middle of the day. So I prayed and repented and in my heart I asked God to help me glorify Him because I continually give in to my own desire (sleeping way too much). Yesterday was an experience I would consider a ‘revival’.

We simply cannot draw a line to what can be considered a revival or not. This is hard for me to understand. How can a ‘regular’ Christian not experience ‘revival’ in a moment to moment basis?