“I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.”
(Psalm 119:107)
Be honest. Some of us
couldn’t wait for 2020 to get here!
We backslid. We were unforgiving. We cheated. We lied. We engaged
in behaviors that we teach young people to avoid. We hated. We were
prejudiced. We were judgmental. We were unthankful. Our prayers were
non-existent. Our worship was weak. We wasted time, money, and energy on things
we didn’t need and people we didn’t like. We broke promises, hearts, and the
bank.
At the same time we exhausted ourselves in ministry. We gave back. We
forgave when it hurt. We moved forward without the payoff. We showed up while
others showed out. We cried day and night in prayer for our families, the
world, and the church. We raised children. We raised our awareness. We raised
our hands in fights against injustice.
We were all waiting
for a complete start over.
Seriously, I don’t know about you, but say amen if you needed a revival! I’m so thankful for God’s
limitless grace that has revived not
only me, but also the person reading this message right now.
The word revive (chayah), means to keep alive, to recover, or restore, to survive. Today, I don’t
want you to think about those mess-ups of the past aka satan’s condemnation traps. I want you to be thankful that you
have survived. Say it with me… “I have survived!”
I survived heartache. I survived betrayal. I survived loss. I survived
the test results. I survived the mental illness. I survived the wrong path. I
survived the gossip. I survived.
God has revived you again and you don’t have to wait for another flip of a calendar year to
confirm it! His word is a constant refresh
button for the soul. Many people for the most part, right now are trying to
do the right things and turn over new leaves and we give them grace for trying.
Well, you, dear, have survived whatever hell of 2019, so give yourself grace and give God thanks for reviving you through His word!
Revived my Spirit
– “For God has not given us the spirit of
fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Revived my Strength
– “And He said to me, ‘My grace is
sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. ‘Most gladly,
therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ
may dwell in me.’ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults,
with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Revived my Speech
– “For I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!”
(Luke 21:15, NLT)
In Peace,
