and all these thoughts swept in my mind, such as ... if I don’t eat anymore sweets, how will I stay awake in class? god, will I have enough energy to survive during the day? Who is going to keep me accountable? will I be doing this alone...
but okay god if you want me to I will fast... please bring me clarity and vision while I fast...
it was not long from that moment that god then revealed to me why he wanted me to fast. The next day on Wednesday night some people from International House of Prayer came down to UC Irvine doing something they call the Purple Pig Tour. These people came all the way from Kansas city to California, visiting multiple colleges to encourage them to start revivals on campus and calling them to a culture of prayer and a life of mission. It was here that the speaker said, “ I am encouraging you to live the same lifestyle that Daniel did, to fast and pray, to be set apart from everyone else in your campus so that things can actually happen, so that revival can break forth from the place of prayer. It’s not enough to just sit and listen to a good message! we’ve heard too many! There needs to be an inward conviction that moves into action.”
As The speaker was saying this, everything in the inside of me was screaming,
YES LORD! YES JESUS! we need to pray and contend for revival! We need a new Jesus movement Lord! if we don’t take action, Lord, people are going to die... I don’t want to just sit in the sidelines God and let things be... someone needs to rise up...
~~ And suddenly the reason for doing the 40-day Daniel fast became clear to me--he wanted me to pray for revival! haha... he was calling me to be set apart, like Daniel was in the midst of Babylon, in the midst of idolatry and sin. And suddenly I knew—He doesn’t want me to do this on my own, he wanted me to mobilize the faithful so that we can all contend together as ONE BODY for God’s coming, for when two or more are gathered, there God is also. He wanted to give to others the same conviction of fasting he gave to me, and he was calling me to challenge the other students in UCI to fast along with me. God WANTS revival to happen in Irvine! He is SO DESIRIOUS to come forth like a mighty and rushing wind, to sweep people off their feet, to bring a new movement that would usher in a numerous amount of souls into His kingdom. That is what God wanted ever since day one, and that is his burning passion—to see His glory manifest among ALL nations, and to see people saved and come to have the intimate knowledge of Him. oh, how he desires for all to know—to truly know Him and to fellowship and commune with him daily. He is like an all-consuming fire, there is none as desirous as He.... he is just waiting for his people who desire Him, who are willing to do whatever it is He is calling them to do.
I’m so excited for what God is about to do... I’m so excited and I’m praying for a new revival... But before God brings a new revival to our nation, there needs to be a reviving in us. Have you lost your first love for Jesus? Does your heart burn for him the same way that he burns for you? How worthy is he to you? And if he truly is as worthy as we say he is, if he truly is as worthy as all the angels in heaven say he is, if he truly is the worthy lamb that was slain—then what are we doing to show how worthy he is?
I just came back this weekend from a fuel school conference, and I was tackled with this same question to ponder. The speaker spoke directly to my heart—
“There is a WORTHY lamb that was slain for OUR own iniquities, and if we truly understood that, we would give him EVERYTHING; there needs to be a proportionate response to the magnitude of his worthiness.”
Jesus’ worthiness is so magnificent that the only proportionate response to the enormity of his holiness and worthiness is to offer up our WHOLE lives to him...
I myself needed to repent of this, for I had lost that burning first love I had when He first unveiled himself before me.
Lord, do I truly understand how worthy You are? If I truly did grasp it, my life would look so different! Everything I do, every moment I have, and every breath I take would be for you and your kingdom... God unveil my eyes! I need to see you and your full glory Lord... God be my consuming fire...Be my true love....
Brothers and sisters I also challenge you with this question—how worthy is Jesus to you? Is he worthy enough for you to give your whole life to him? Is he still first in your heart? return to him... he is beckoning you to a deeper love relationship with him...
Come, let us return to the LORD.(Hosea 6:1-3)
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."
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