Revival: Part 4 – Barriers – ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray’

Memory Verse: 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Revival is a Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Texts: 2 Chronicles 6:26-27 – “When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;  Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.” This means you have to pray for revival to come, prayerlessness is a hindrance to revival.

Isaiah 59:1-2 – “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” This part of the Bible tells us that sin disunites us from God, which automatically keeps Revival far away.

Acts 3:19 – “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Repentance from sin brings us very close to God, making us worthy candidates for Revival.

Introduction: Revival means when the Almighty God independently and mightily comes into human history with the beautiful news of His salvation. This starts with His people repenting genuinely of their sins. It encompasses the acceptance of the authority of God’s word over all of life. It makes new our sense of God’s power, righteousness, presence and truth – this transfers from the Church and into the world, leading to genuine redemption.

Revival further means to wake up again from spiritual lifelessness, inability to bear fruits and dryness.

Barriers To Revival

These are those attitudes that can stop us from being Revived. So many, however, here are few of them.

Disconnection between God and the Church is a barrier to Revival

1. Pride: Revelations 3:17 – “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Read also – Proverbs 6:16-17, 2 Chronicles 7:14
2. Prayerlessness: If you cannot pray to God and pour out your heart unto Him, then, Revival will stay very far away from you. Revival comes through prayers.
3. Sin: This is a huge barrier to Revival. Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Read also – James 5:16, Psalm 66:18
4. Not Hearing And Doing God’s Word: Proverbs 28:9 – “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.”
5. Disconnection between God and Church (absence of the Holy Spirit): John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
6. Loving Eathful Truth: 2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
7. Attitude of inability to accept change: Mark 7:9 – “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Read also Psalm 110:3