Much is being said lately encouraging us to pray for revival. Because of the inadequacy of human language, however, one word, such as revival, may have many different meanings in the minds of different people. One person may be describing the new birth experience, while another may contemplate renewal of religious enthusiasm, church unity, or increasingly energetic soul-winning endeavors.
What is revival, and if we experience it, what will that look like? How can we know if we are experiencing it?
“If we are Christ’s, ….all we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.” Steps to Christ, p. 58.
Revival is full surrender, and the consequent miracle of a new heart. “All we have and are is consecrated to Him.” There is no longer any reserve. No longer is there the contradiction: “I know this is right, but I am not going to go that far.” Or, “I have an uncomfortable feeling inside that such a thing may be right, but I am not going to study it out because I do not want to be convicted that I need to do it.” Now we are all Christ’s. If He wants us to do it, we do it. There is no reservation, no resistance. There is no known barrier between us and Christ.
Does this mean that I now have a full understanding of God’s will in all matters? No. But the key is, that the heart is fully surrendered, even if I am still in ignorance on some points. And because the heart is fully surrendered, and is no longer resisting Christ’s drawing, a person who is in this truly converted state will gladly obey when further truth is revealed to him or her. We “long to…please Him in all things.”
This change of attitude, from self-will, pride, and resistance to learning we might be wrong, to joyful submission and eagerness to learn what more we can do to please Jesus is truly a miracle, and is performed by nothing short of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Our eternal life depends on whether we are living in obedience to self or to the Holy Spirit. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13. If we are following self rather than the Holy Spirit, we will not have eternal life, and are even now spiritually dead. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Verse 6. Revival—being brought back to life from the dead—then, is the experience of surrendering fully to the converting power of the Holy Spirit.
“Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ Galatians 5:22, 23.” Steps to Christ, page 58. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20. “The presence or absence of the fruits of the Spirit is the way we can know whether the Holy Spirit is in control of our life or not. He will not fail to give even one of these fruits when He is in possession of the heart. Thus, if we are experiencing impatience rather than long-suffering, this is the fruit of self, not of the Spirit, and we may know that the Holy Spirit does not have possession of the heart in that moment, and we need to experience revival.
Quotations not from the Bible are by Ellen G. White.
