Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. 3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV)
God wants to revive us in our land. Revival is a change of life. It is the beginning of the moves within the church. Many think it is just a onetime event. However, it is just the beginning. Throughout the book of Hosea, we see God’s faithfulness towards His people even though they were faithless. In the beginning of this book, we see God asking Hosea to marry a prostitute who left him many times and was unfaithful. This was a representation of Israel. Israel loved many other gods and forsook God many times to serve these gods and idols. God was calling them to return to Him.
– We Need To Return To The Lord
There was a call to return to the Lord. God was calling His people back to Him because we are not where we should be with God. Today, the church tolerates sin. We use our time to do other things and do not spend time with Him. We spend hours watching movies filled with profanity, lust and being addicted to pornography. We are consumed with money and our jobs. However, our time belongs to God and He should be our primary focus.
The spirit of religion has become a stronghold within our nation. The church is not what it was originally created to be. In the New Testament, the church was on fire for God performing signs, miracles, and wonders. However, the church today is asleep and dead but the spirit of religion can be broken. Religion suppresses us and hinders us from breaking free. It hinders us from true worship. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is about life and not death. The spirit of religion encourages death within our lives. It encourages restriction and resistance to change.
Israel chose to divert and God is calling us back to the right path. He is calling us back to our first love. Jesus was wounded and died so that we could live. He died that we would forsake the things of the world and return to God.
Heartfelt repentance produces change in character. A change in character produces a change in lifestyle. Revival is God’s response to man turning to Him with their whole hearts. It is a reawakening of an individual or a church. It is the move of the Holy Spirit. It is just the beginning. After a revival, we must allow God to work in us and to take us to next level. It affects our lives and the lives of others around us. It brings passion within our hearts and brings holiness and righteousness. We know that we need a revival when one has to beg the church to evangelise, to disciple or even to just come to the church.
– He Will Revive Us
Revival brings joy, hope and fellowship with God (Psalm 85:6). We must be careful not to make a revival, religion. Religion is waiting at the door to bring stagnancy.
– He Will Restore Us
Revival and restoration are two different concepts. Restoration is where God brings us back to the original plan and purpose. The church today is far from where the early church was. However, the early church was an infant and therefore the church of today should be doing much more than the early church. When God revives us, He then restores us. When the church is restored, they would then turn the world upside down for Jesus.
We must ask ourselves, will the church today be mentioned in generations to come. Will our mighty deeds be mentioned? Will the church of today be renowned and referred to just as the early church. The number three speaks of restoration and resurrection. We need the resurrection power of God. No more will we say that we need a time out or that we are tired because someone in the church offended us. The purpose of revival is so that we may live in His presence (Psalm 27:4, 91).
– Let Us Acknowledge the Lord
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. This life with God is one of constant pursuit and ever growing in Him. Settling is a precursor to religion. We must continue to grow in Christ. His kingdom is about advancement and growth (Philippians 3:7-12).
– He Will Rain On Us
There is not only revival but an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is an outpouring coming that would be greater than the outpouring on the day of Pentecost. There is a rain coming that will be much greater than the latter rain.
