When Do We Need Revival?

50 Evidences of the Need for a Fresh Visitation of the Spirit in Revival

By Nancy Leigh DeMoss

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Stir up your might
And come to save us.
Turn again, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven, and see;
Have regard for this vine.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved.”

From Psalm 80

We Need Revival . . .

• when we do not love Him as we once did.
• when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones
• when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible and pray.
• when church dinners are better attended than prayer meetings. 
• when concerts draw bigger crowds than prayer meetings.
• when we have little or no desire for prayer. 
• when we would rather make money than give money.
•  when we put people into leadership positions in our churches who do not meet scriptural qualifications. 
•  when our Christianity is joyless and passionless. 
•  when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives.
•  when we make little effort to witness to the lost. 
•  when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study and prayer. 
•  when we do not tremble at the Word of God. 
•  when preaching lacks conviction, confrontation, and divine fire and anointing. 
•  when we seldom think thoughts of eternity. 
•  when God's people are more concerned about their jobs and their careers than about the Kingdom of Christ and the salvation of the lost. 
•  when God's people get together with other believers and the conversation is primarily about the news, weather, and sports, rather than the Lord. 
•  when church services are predictable and "business as usual." 
•  when believers can be at odds with each other and not feel compelled to pursue reconciliation. 
•  when Christian husbands and wives are not praying together. 
•  when our marriages are co-existing rather than full of the love of Christ. 
•  when our children are growing up to adopt worldly values, secular philosophies, and ungodly lifestyles. 
•  when we are more concerned about our children's education and their athletic activities than about the condition of their souls. 
•  when sin in the church is pushed under the carpet. 
•  when known sin is not dealt with through the biblical process of discipline and restoration. 
•  when we tolerate "little" sins of gossip, a critical spirit, and lack of love. 
•  when we will watch things on television and movies that are not holy. 
•  when our singing is half-hearted and our worship lifeless. 
•  when our prayers are empty words designed to impress others. 
•  when our prayers lack fervency. 
•  when our hearts are cold and our eyes are dry. 
•  when we aren't seeing regular evidence of the supernatural power of God. 
•  when we have ceased to weep and mourn and grieve over our own sin and the sin of others. 
•  when we are content to live with explainable, ordinary Christianity and church services. 
•  when we are bored with worship. 
•  when people have to be entertained to be drawn to church. 
•  when our music and dress become patterned after the world. 
•  when we start fitting into and adapting to the world, rather than calling the world to adapt to God's standards of holiness. 
•  when we don’t long for the company and fellowship of God's people. 
•  when people have to be begged to give and to serve in the church. 
•  when our giving is measured and calculated, rather than extravagant and sacrificial. . . . when we aren't seeing lost people drawn to Jesus on a regular basis. 
•  when we aren't exercising faith and believing God for the impossible. 
•  when we are more concerned about what others think about us than what God thinks about us. 
•  when we are unmoved by the fact that 2.5 billion people in this world have never heard the name of Jesus. 
•  when we are unmoved by the thought of neighbors, business associates, and acquaintances who are lost and without Christ. 
•  when the lost world around us doesn't know or care that we exist. 
•  when we are making little or no difference in the secular world around us. 
•  when the fire has gone out in our hearts, our marriages, and the church. 
•  when we are blind to the extent of our need and don't think we need revival.

© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com