From Turtle to Butterfly

I received this text from my daughter on Valentine’s Day: “It only takes 7½ hours to get to Asbury from here!! When can we leave???” I had no idea what she was talking about and thought she had sent the message to me by accident. So, I texted her back asking “Where the heck is Asbury and why do you want to go?”She seemed shocked that I was not aware of the revival that has broken out on Asbury University campus in Kentucky. She stated it was all over Facebook and You Tube. But, I’m not on either very much, so no, I had not heard.

She was kidding about leaving to go there, but I felt Holy Spirit speak to me so clear when I found out what was going on and why she jokingly asked “When can we leave?” I heard so clearly Holy Spirit ask, “Why do you have to go there?”

My mind flooded back to the Brownsville Revival in Penscaola, Florida all those years ago (1995) and how we went quite a few times, as we only lived an hour away. Still, I felt Holy Spirit had asked a very legitimate question – why DO we feel the need to go where a revival has broken out?

Do we not realize revival is INSIDE each and every one of us? Do we not realize we, ourselves, could be the spark to ignite a mighty move of God in our very own city, town, school, workplace or church?

According to an article I found on Google by CBN, Rob Fultz, the campus pastor at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, said revival started breaking out at his school Monday morning (Feb. 13th), with around eight students starting a prayer that ignited a movement – and it hasn’t slowed down.

You see, those eight students understood! They didn’t feel they had to flock to the University in Kentucky. Each one took the spark inside their own self, then joined together with others and began to pray.

We need to WAKE UP and realize that is all it takes to have a mighty move of God! PRAYER – SINCERE, HONEST, HEART-FELT PRAYER! You don’t have to GO anywhere to get it – YOU CAN START IT!!! By being obedient to the Word of God and earnestly seeking Him in prayer. It doesn’t have to be a big, long, full of “spiritually grown” words, either. Just earnest, open, humble hearts seeking a mighty move of God is all it takes.

As I felt the Lord speaking to me about sharing this over the last few days, I wasn’t sure exactly how or what He wanted me to share. Then, this morning, He used the devotion that He gave me four years ago on this date, to confirm it to me. The name of that devotion? What Is the Altar For? It most definitely goes along with exactly what He’s been speaking to me the last few days. I’m not going to share the entire devotion, if you have the book, you can read it. If you don’t have the book, you can ‘google’ “Challenging Encouragement” by Kathryn A Gossett and order you a copy. But, I will ask this one question from that devotion: “Shouldn’t we, if for no other reason, be in the altar every chance we get thanking Him for our gifts and offering them back up to Him to be used by Him for the furtherance of His Kingdom?”

And now the hard question – when is the last time you spent time in the altar? In sincere, honest, heart-felt prayer asking God to cleanse your heart and make it pure and to use you in any way that would bring glory and honor to HIS Name? And, by the way – just in case you aren’t aware – the altar doesn’t have to be at church either. You can have an altar wherever you are. The important thing is the prayer and the sincere, humble heart.

Now, instead of planning a trip to Asbury University or Lee University, how about planning a much shorter trip? A trip that simply involves you getting down on your knees (physically or mentally) and entering into that sincere prayer with an humble heart.

Then, we’ll be reading about the revival that has broken out in YOUR home, city, school, workplace or church!

This truly gets me excited!!! There could be a world-wide, mighty move of God, if enough people would realize this and let their spark start a fire around them!!! That is one fire that could get “out of control” very fast and be a very GOOD thing, not a devastating thing!

Like the old song says, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going”! Blaze, Spirit, Blaze! Start a fire in me!