We Still Believe in Revival, with Erica Wiggenhorn and Donny Vanker

What areas of your life do you long to see God revive? Let guests Erica Wiggenhorn and Donny Vanker renew your hope for life again on this episode of Grounded. 

 

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Episode Notes

Grounded episode, "God’s Story in Iran"

"A Quiet Prayer Warrior" video

Cry Out! Global Prayer Event 

"When Women Cry Out, Things Change" blog post by Leslie Bennett

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Dannah Gresh: Hey there friend! What areas of your life do you long to see God revive? That's the question we're going to consider together today on this episode of Grounded. I'm Dannah Gresh.

Erin Davis: I'm Erin Davis. What a question, what areas of your life do you want to see God revive? I picture like a stone thrown into a lake or a body of water and ripples go out from there with that question. So, start with your own life. Where do you need to see God move? Where does it seem like there's death and you want to see life? 

But I don't want you to stay there very long, friend. I want you to think bigger than that. Think about the profound brokenness that is really being exposed seemingly in increasing measure right now in our world. And my backup question to Dannah’s question is this. Do you believe, I mean, really believe that God can bring revival to your church, if your church is struggling? To your community? Here's a tough one. Do you really believe God can or will revive our nation? Or have you made up your mind that it's just too far gone?

Dannah: Erin is full of tough ones this morning. Why don't you go ahead and answer those questions for us in the chat. What is it you want to see God revive? And do you believe it? I know your heart is going to be stirred today as we take some time to just put a flag in the sand so to speak and declare we still believe in revival.

Erin: We do. We believe in revival, and we want to see it. Erica Wiggenhorn is with us. If you're part of the Grounded faithful, you’ve seen her before. Her passion for Jesus in His Word is gonna perk you up. I guarantee it. She's gonna point us to the book of Ezekiel and show us an unexpected picture of what revival looks like.

Dannah: I'm excited to hear what she has to say, Erin, because I have longed for this long for it. Just last week a woman communicated to me that when the pandemic happened in 2020, all the pastors and leaders in her life were saying, “Listen, we can't go back to normal. God is going to use this. He wants revival, and this could be the catalyst.” And then this woman said, disappointedly, “It didn't happen. We did go back to business as usual.” And then with all the hopes she could muster, she said, “I still want revival.”

I resonate with that, and maybe you do to. Spend a few minutes with us today. Donny Vanker is also with us. He's the CEO of Life Action, which is part of the family of ministries that includes Revive Our Hearts and Grounded. He's dedicated his life to seeing God bring revival. He is like a professional when it comes to revival. His time is spent on this topic, and I gotta tell you, he's gonna fire you up.

Erin: Yeah, the reason we're calling this episode we still believe in revival is because during the pandemic, we did multiple episodes where we all thought, Ah, this is it. God's gonna pour out His Spirit on our land. This has to be it. Well, did He? Has He? Is there still hope for that? We still believe it. And we want you to believe it. And Portia, you've been sitting there so quietly this whole time. I'm so impressed, but you are watching. You're waiting. You're our cohost. And we need you to bring the good news, P, you got it?

Portia: Yes, look, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing that you are applauding me for sitting quietly.

Erin: It's probably both.

Dannah: Okay, let me just say, I don’t think Emmi got her spunk and vivacious spirit . . . it was an inheritance of the Lord.

Erin: It’s an apple and tree scenario. 

Portia: Yeah. Agreed.

Well, let's get to our good news. I want you to think about something. Here's a question. What in the world is God doing? That is a question for us to think about together this morning. Here in America, where I live, church attendance, unfortunately, is declining. The number of young people walking away from faith in Jesus Christ is overwhelming. Bible reading is at historic lows. And there are plenty of reasons for all of us to be concerned. 

But if you went to Sunday school as a kid, then you know, as we say, “He's got the whole world in His hands.” I truly believe that God's Spirit is moving all over the world and revival is happening. For example, did you know that in Pakistan, yes, Pakistan, you heard me right, one evangelistic ministry just completed their sixteenth crusade. Did revival happen? 

You know it did. That single ministry estimates that over one million people have come to Christ in Pakistan in the past two years. That is mind blowing. Okay. What evangelists serving there said is, “I truly believe we're in the middle of the greatest harvest that this world has ever seen. Church attendance may be down in some countries, but the churches are being filled and planted by the pastors in Pakistan.” 

If you're a Grounded regular, then you know we've already reported on how God is moving supernaturally in Iran. We'll drop a link to that episode, just in case you missed it. Because I'm telling you, you need to go back and watch it and check it out. 

But listen, there is also evangelism efforts that are happening in tons of places across the world in the UK, where we're seeing just fruit the fruit of evangelistic ministry being produced. One ministry recently saw nearly 1000 people come to Christ. One hundred missionaries hit the streets in Copenhagen earlier this summer—a place where Christianity is in steep decline, and their message was simple. Jesus is your hope. Jesus is your hope. And as a result, many Danish people were led to the Lord. Part of the reason that we do Grounded week after week is to tell the stories that aren't being told through our TVs or on our social media feeds. In fact, here is a Grounded comment from a viewer. I've just got to share this. She says “Grounded is one of my only news sources. Because everything else just seems to shout there is no hope. How amazing to hear how our mighty Savior is moving and working.” Amen. 

So, we are here for you friends, and God is moving and working. So, here's a headline we want you to grab onto today. All over the world, the Holy Spirit is working. Christians are finding creative ways to share the good news in a world that is increasingly post-Christian. And from the Middle East to the UK and many places in-between. People are experiencing revival. And you know, we already think that’s some good news.

Dannah: Amen, that is good news, Portia. Just last weekend, I had some friends in my home. He is from Pakistan. And the stories he told us of how God is on the move in the hearts of Christians, some of them fleeing Afghanistan, and in the hearts of the Islamic people. God is on the move. As I like to say, Aslan is on the move. Praise the Lord. 

Portia: Amen. 

Dannah: It's time to get grounded with God's people. I can tell you that my guest today is going to be your new best friend. The joy of the Lord just oozes out of her. She's got a new Bible study out. The title is an Unexpected Revival. Can you see why we asked her to be our guest today? I am so excited to hear what she has to say about what she learned about revival through the prophet Ezekiel’s words in the Bible. Here's a spoiler alert. I think we're going deep today. Welcome back, Erica Wiggenhorn.

Erica Wiggenhorn: Dannah, it's so great to see you again.

Dannah: Oh, it's always good to have you. You are a bundle of energy. And we are so excited for how that's gonna get contagious. In our hearts today, as we talk about revival, I gotta tell you, Ezekiel is not exactly a part of you on the pages of the Bible. It's not exactly an easy read. I need to know the story. What drew you to this specific Old Testament book and the topic of revival?

Erica: Yeah, it's kind of like stepping into the middle of a science fiction movie and trying to figure out what's going on. Right? It's really strange, a lot of what's happening there, I first became drawn to Ezekiel through a very personal story. I'll keep it very brief. 

I was at a very dark time in my life. I felt like people had begun to approach their faith. As far as if I do all of these things. If I check off all of these boxes, if I go to church or read my Bible or similar prayers, if I try to be a good Christian girl. Jesus will bless me. 

And in this dark time, I began to pray to God and I began to say, “God, does it ever grieve Your heart that Your people do not just want to know You as their Father, as their Creator, but instead, just want your blessings. And through a series of events, as God often does, when He's trying to get our attention, God kept saying to me, open up the book of Ezekiel and write down what I show you. 

Now, I don't have a lot of those clear-cut moments with God where I really sensed Him speaking something very specific to me, so I sort of just brushed it off. But God wouldn't let it go. I kept hearing Ezekiel everywhere I went. 

So finally, I opened up my study Bible, and I just began to read the overview because, quite honestly, Dannah, I'm not sure I had ever actually read all 48 chapters of Ezekiel prior to this moment. And when I opened up my study Bible, and I began to read the overview, the second sentence jumped off the page at me. It said God's heart was grieved because His people only wanted His blessings and they didn't want Him.

And it was exactly what I had been praying and asking the Lord. I knew I heard it right there in my heart again, study this book, and write down everything that I show you. And that's really how I began the whole process. And then God just drew me in and I felt like honestly, Dannah, the study of the book of Ezekiel was really my own personal revival.

Dannah: Hmm, yeah. Wow. That's really cool. What in the pages of Ezekiel was it? What did you discover there that caused that revival, that sparks turned into a flame?

Erica: You’re a Bible study girl, so you'll understand this. One of the first things that I noticed is there's a phrase that God repeats 50 times throughout the book of Ezekiel. So, I was like, Okay, it's time for us, right? 

Dannah: Yeah.

Erica: So, I began to really dissect that. The first time I read through it, I heard it like this: God says to His people, then you will know that I am the Lord. Now, I'm a mom of two teenagers. So, I kind of heard it in my mom's voice, like what I say to my teenagers. Like, when this goes down, you're gonna know who mama really is. 

Dannah: Yeah right. 

Erica: Right, but what I realize is, I was completely missing the heartbeat of God when I read it that way. And when God says, then you will know that I am the Lord, He uses that word, yada, which is just that complete and total oneness and intimacy with Him, nothing hidden. It's to know him intellectually, but it's also to know Him emotionally and experientially. And that was what God was after. He was saying, “I want you to know me. “

In that way, in that deep sense of intimacy, it's the same word that the people use when a husband and a wife would first know each other on their wedding night, nothing hidden between them. He uses Lord capital LORD, meaning Yahweh, the God who creates and enters into relationship. 

So, over 50 times what God is saying to His people is all of this disappointment. You're walking through all of this doubt; you're experiencing all of these questions; you have all these things, you don't understand, all of these things that appear to you to maybe be punishment, or a distance from me, all of these things. I'm actually using as a divine invitation to draw you into intimacy with myself. 

And on the pages of Ezekiel, Dannah, I think are some of the most profound and beautiful parables and analogies of God's love for us, in the Gospels

Dannah: Tell us when you told us one because the word yada is speaking that parable of the intimacy and the knowing of husband and wife that Erica, you don't know this, but that's one of my favorite words, in the Scriptures I have. In the Old Testament, I have every instance of it circled, because I just wanted to see God wants to know us. Friend listening, He wants to know you more than He wants you to conform to a behavior or laws or standards. He wants to know you, and He wants to be known by you what an invitation. 

And so, you've already shown us one parable, the parable of husband and wife in that deep moment of intimacy and knowing. And what's another parable that sticks out that's maybe one of your favorites that you studied when you were in the book of Ezekiel.

Erica: Yeah, He gives this beautiful word picture of describing the nation of Israel, His people, as just this young child, abandoned by the side of the road. He comes along as this tender father, and He takes this abandoned little girl who's wounded and hurting and hungry and afraid. And He brings her and is this this loving father and He cares for her and He provides for her every need and in the process of that, she grows up to become this beautiful, gorgeous, vibrant, young woman. 

I think it's just such a beautiful word picture Dannah of what we as women in our heart and the depths of our soul crave, right is to be known to be loved, to have someone care for us, protect us, value us see our worth and acknowledge our worth. 

And so, over and over God He continues to just paint those word pictures. I love that, because I think oftentimes when I read my Bible, I can fall into this trap that I feel like I'm opening up my Bible and I'm doing my Bible study, because I'm supposed to learn the Bible, right? I'm supposed to gain knowledge. What I realize in Ezekiel is, it's not so much that God wants us to know the Word as much as He wants us to know the God of the Word. 

And so, it transformed my whole thinking of how I even approach my Bible, because it's really not just about getting head knowledge and understanding all of God's Word, as much as it is about understanding God's heart and connecting with Him, and understanding His love for me in the process, and how that just completely revolutionizes my entire life.

Dannah: Yeah, it’s His love that revives us. It’s His love, and it is an awareness of our unworthiness of His love. That's a piece of that puzzle. But first, you need to know that love is there, that it's there for us. That parable that you just shared, I think some women just leaned in and they said, “Oh, God is a father.” I get that. I understand that. But I feel like there's probably some women who are prohibited from experiencing revival because they didn't have a father who loved them the way that God does. What would you say to that woman who says, “I don't get that parable that you just said? It repulses me. I don't understand it. And that terrifies me.”

Erica: Sure, great question. Dannah. That's one of the things that I think is just so profound and beautiful about God is that through the chapters of Ezekiel, He doesn't just give one parable. He gives lots of parables, because He's trying to reach the hearts of His people. He realizes that the woundedness that we've experienced in our life. That's why the tagline for the whole study and Unexpected Revival is experiencing God's goodness through disappointment and doubt. When God is giving all these parables to His people, He realizes that our human condition, our life, reality, is that all of us have experienced some level of disappointment on this planet, because we live in a broken world. 

Some of us have experienced utter and complete devastation. Something far beyond disappointment when we go through those things that causes us to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs. 

And so, God basically says, “Okay, if you don't understand that aspect of Me, let Me explain My heart for you in another parable, and then another parable, and another parable.” He keeps going and keeps going with parable and word pictures, one right after another through the pages of Ezekiel to get His people to see, “No, I am the God of perfect and complete love. And if you will turn to Me, I will revive you, and you will live the life that I created you to live.”

Dannah: Oh, I love that. Erica, what a blessing. I can't wait to grab your Bible study and dive into the pages of Ezekiel. It sounds like just what my heart's longing for? Where can people learn more about the Bible study? And where can they get a copy?

Erica: You can connect with me right on my website at EricaWiggenhorn.com and learn all about the Bible study there, as well as get some free downloads you'd like some free leader guides, listening guides. And also, in that bundle, there are five revival prayers filled with Scripture to pray over your life over your family, your loved ones. 

So, you can go grab that for free. But the book is published through Moody Publishers. So, you can obviously get it right through their website. But I would really encourage you to support your local Christian bookstore. If you have a local Christian bookstore in your community, go order it there and support those folks. It’s a great work that they're doing in your community.

Dannah: Yeah, love that. Well, Erica, speaking of prayer, I wonder if it seems like it would be counterintuitive today to talk about revival without pausing to pray. So, since you just mentioned your prayer prompts, I wonder if you take a moment just now and especially for that woman who maybe is not sure where to begin, or doesn't believe in revival the way that you and I do? Would you lift her up to the Lord that she would know sweet love.

Erica: I would love to, Dannah. Oh, Lord Jesus, You know, You know the depths of our woundedness. You weep with us in our woundedness. You show us in John 11, in the beautiful tale of Mary and Martha, that You know Jesus, those times when our heart needs to hear Your truth. And when our heart just needs to experience Your touch and Your presence. And for that woman out there, Lord, that is just really believing or doubt, doubting her beliefs, wondering where You are in our hurts and then her heart ache, when and if You're going to show up and how. God, I pray that You would make her Your presence very real to her in this moment, that she would sense Your peace over her heart, that she would sense Your calmness and Your purpose over her mind. God, that You would just touch her in her place of hurt and bring Your comfort that only You can give, Jesus. 

And Father, I pray for her that she would not give up hope. You tell us in Your Word that You are the God of all hope. And I pray that she would find her hope in You and in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in Your Word, Your living active Word that can meet her right where she is. And God, I pray that she would know in this very moment, that she has a father who loves her, who died for her, and who has a good plan for her life, who can strengthen her when she's weary, and who can bring her joy and even the darkest of night. Only You can do that Jesus, and we ask that You would do it for each woman seeking that from You right now. It is in Jesus’ name amen.

Dannah: Amen. Amen. Thank you for being with us today. Erica.

Erica: Thank you for having me. It's always fun to be with you, Dannah.

Dannah: Always, always. Again, the name of that Bible study is An Unexpected Revival. And it's a study on the book of Ezekiel.

I don't know about you, but I've been longing for revival for as long as I've been an adult, probably since I was in my twenties. I've seen glimpses of it. But all they really do is make me want more revival, because I don't think I've tasted the fullness of it. And this conversation that I've been having with Erica, it reminds me of a special moment when I saw one of those glimpses. It happened at a True Woman conference. It was in the year 2012. And right here on my phone, I have a very special picture of what I saw. A little white-haired woman stopped us all in our tracks. Here's my friend, Mary Kassian to tell us what happened.

Mary Kassian: One of the most profound moments for me in the whole conference came in the last session, after Pastor Bill talked about revival.

Pastor Bill: We need to know and believe that God can still send mighty nationwide revivals worldwide . . .

Mary: And revival is something that the Lord has had on my heart for years and years and years.

Pastor Bill: Revival is the extra ordinary movement of the Spirit of God that produces extra ordinary results.

Mary: So, Bill presented this and my heart is stirring. Boy, I've just wanted it for so long. I've just yearned for it and in this true woman movement, that's really what we're yearning for. We're yearning for women's hearts to be revived.

And by taking a look in and addressing those issues that are standing in the way of our relationship with the Lord, I was just aching and yearning as he was speaking.

Then there was this moment when I saw this little white-haired lady. You could tell she was a prayer warrior, an intercessor. She just was walking slowly, making her way to the front, as the message was happening. She had a white hanky, and she was waving it from time to time, but she was just moving toward the stage to just kneel down and pray. And the Holy Spirit just spoke to me.

And I was like, this is a woman who has been faithful to the end. She's nearing the end of her days. And Mary, will you be faithful to hang on and to fight and to push and to believe and to have faith and to yearn and to pray for revival for the rest of your days. But that's so symbolized the heart cry of this conference and really of the whole True Woman Movement. We are indeed seeking Him together for a spiritual awakening in our hearts and in our homes and in this land.

Portia: Well, I think that it is really hard to watch. I get weepy because I am certainly weepy. That is such an encouragement for me to just be steadfast to the end. Well, now it's time to get grounded in God's Word. We've got a special guest with us today. Danny Vanker is the CEO of Life Action ministry—dedicated to praying and believing for revival. So welcome to Grounded Donny. What passage are you teaching from today?

Donny Vanker: Good morning, Portia. We're going to actually look at Luke chapter 15 when Jesus gives us an illustration about when there was life again.

You know the word “revival,” it's used a lot of different ways. Even internally, with the different ministries, sometimes we're talking about a big corporate revival, that this movement of God that sweeps the nation. Sometimes we talk about little “r’s,” the personal revival, the transformation inside our hearts. Even Erica was talking about the most simplistic definition of the word “revive.” It literally means “life again, or life back.” And Jesus gives us the definition of life. Science actually has a very difficult time defining that word. There's a lot of people, even in Christendom, a lot of authors and speakers that give all kinds of definitions.

Thankfully, we've got Jesus who gives us a very simple definition. It ties in exactly what Erica was talking about, with what God was calling people to in in Ezekiel. That word yada in Hebrew, and the Greek is translated as gnoso. It means to know. And Jesus in John 17:3, He says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God.” He's talking to the Father and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

So, any revival, any life again, that's going to come from this intimate knowledge, this this deep connection, not just intellectually, but emotionally with God. 

And so, what's going to bring us individually and corporately to that what is going to transform the church into a revived church where they have experienced that intimacy with God. And often we might think that it's just time with God. But that didn't work out with for the Israelites standing in the glow of the pillar of fire and in the shadow of the cloud. That didn't happen for the angels that were in the presence of God and yet fell. It didn't happen to many of those that walked with Jesus, the manifestation, the ultimate picture of who God the Father was. 

It's more than just time; there something has to happen internally. Jesus gives us a picture of them. In Luke chapter 15 He gives three different parables. There's the parable of the lost sheep. There's the parable of the lost coin. And there's the parable of the lost son.

Many of us are familiar with those in the first one. The sheep is lost, and the shepherd goes and finds the sheep and returns the sheep to the flock. In the parable of the lost coin, there's a woman that loses and she goes and finds. In the parable of the lost son neither the father nor the older brother goes and finds the son that's lost. I'm just going to read a little bit, and then we'll look at it. Luke 15:11 says, 

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ You’re dead to me. And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'"

And the son goes and does this. And what's amazing is that he already had time with the father. He was living with the father, but the father didn't have his heart. Even though he was experiencing many of the blessings of being with the father, he wanted those for himself, wanting to control those things for himself. And he went and squandered everything. He separated himself from his life, literally, when it says that the father divided his property, divided his life. And so, there's this separation. And what brought that young man, the younger brother back to the father, it was a deep sense of desperation. He was totally broken. He was totally in need. 

He hoped that his father wouldn't reject him. He wasn't expecting many of the blessings; he just was trying to live. And what's amazing is when the son comes, it says in verse 20,

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again.”

Again, that same word from the Greek, gnosis; yada would have been the word in Hebrew. There's life again. He's back in that relationship, in that intimacy, in that fellowship. He was lost and is found, and they began to celebrate.

I believe with all of my heart that what is going to proceed a revival in the Church, not only in America but in every other country that exists, is not going to be from the Church becoming holy on its own. It's not going to happen. That's akin to saying, “Go fix yourself before God is going to fix you.” It is brokenness, that is what is going to be the prerequisite for us to experience this intimacy. 

I tell you what, you can be honest. God will not reject you. Is that not good news. You can be humble and lowly and God will restore you, and He will meet you there, and that is good news. You can turn, just like the younger brother. In repentance turn about, turn the other way and realign yourself with the Father. And He will restore you; He will forgive you. And that is good news. When the Church walks in the good news and doesn't try and hide, doesn't try and pretend, that it doesn't care about what other people think. 

The old woman that you saw right there, what a humble thing, broken, coming up before. And just on her knees, begging God for help. When we are broken personally, when the church is broken, that is when God is going to move. So that is our prayer. That is my prayer for you personally. That's my prayer for the Church. So, God, bring Your revival again and help us to know You as You are.

Dannah: Amen, great stuff. Donny, thank you for sharing. You know, I can't help but think while you were teaching, I thought it while Erica was sharing, is that every time we experience disappointment and heartache in our life, we are at a crossroads and that is an opportunity for revival. It's right there. 

Erin and I were in a text thread over the weekend about that when somebody experiences trauma. Many people go into what we commonly talk about PTSD, and they become traumatized. But about 50% of people that experience trauma go into what is termed Post Traumatic Growth syndrome. They grow from it; they become better; they become stronger. Sometimes our brokenness comes thankfully when the Lord's gracious and we see our sin and it's not a big traumatic event. 

But honestly, most of my revivals have come from seasons of being sifted by the Lord when I am at that crossroads. Am I going to be traumatized by this? Or am I going to be broken by the Lord in His hands so that I can grow and that my heart will be revived? Thank you for being with us. Donny, you have encouraged me, Wow. I'm gonna have to soak in that all day long.

Donny: Blessings to you.

Dannah: Well, friends, we're gonna give you some tools today, because we don't want to just inspire you. We want to equip you. I think we need to just have our hearts poised for revival. We don't really get to set the stage and say, “Okay, God show up. We want revival now.” But we can be ready for it. 

So, if your heart has been stirred to pray for revival, I want to invite you to something that will help us get our hearts in that place where God can move. I want to invite you to cry out. It's a special free prayer event that we're going to be livestreaming from the True Woman Conference in September. You can join it from anywhere. It's Friday, September 23, from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Shane and Shane will be there to lead us in worship, and oh, how they lead my heart to the throne of God. And together with thousands of women from all around the world, we are going to join together, and we're going to cry out to the Lord asking him to revive us. I'm going to drop a link right now in the comments. We're also going to put it in the show notes. I hope you'll click on it and register to join us.

Erin: You know, Dannah, of just very few times, not even a handful I would say, but I've been in a room where women prayed and revival happened. And once you've tasted it, once you've experienced it, it's almost harder to live without it. But I think we have every reason to believe that the Holy Spirit wants to meet with us at Cry Out!. Of course, we will be there. 

And so, our invitation to you is, get a group of women in your home and anticipate that God's going to move. You don't want to miss it or hear about it after the fact or with your family, your daughters, your granddaughters. It’s totally free and could stream right into your home, your living room, your church. So, we're telling you now, don't miss it. 

And as this conversation is unfolding, one thing I've been thinking is, I think one of the unique gifts women of God bring to the Church is praying for revival. Of course, it's not that men can't or don't pray for revival. But if we could pull back the veil, I think we'd see that many of the times when God's Spirit really moved, there were women on their knees in brokenness, praying for that to happen before it happened.

So, what if the Grounded sisterhood, what if we were broken and prayed for revival and the Lord responded? It's not transactional. We never can twist God's arm. But He does move when we come to Him and tell Him we're longing for Him to bring life again. 

So, we wanted to point you to an article by Leslie Bennett, another Grounded favorite. The title is this "When Women Cry Out, Things Change." So, how about that for something to just arrest your heart today? And I want you to consider this: what if we cried out to the Lord for revival? There are thousands of us Grounded women all over the world. And what if our faithfulness which was only ever empowered by the Holy Spirit, but us praying for revival, believing maybe even until we're white headed if needed? What if that was the spark God used to ignite the spark of revival, the fire of revival all over our world? We think He can do it. We still believe in revival. I think this article is going to inspire you to ask Him to do it. What do you think Portia? 

Dannah: I mean, anything we can do whatever we feed on, whatever we feast on, is what we love and believe in treasure. And so, the more we read about revival, the more our hearts are going to be in a place where God can actually have them positioned to bring it.

Erin: I read a little bit this to our team earlier. Tozer is one of my daily readers. This is Tozer on the Holy Spirit. This I think is a great punctuation mark to in this episode with:

The man that will have God's best becomes at once the object of the personal attention of the Holy Spirit. Such a man will not be required to wait for the rest of the Church to come alive. He will not he will not be penalized for the failures of his fellow Christians nor be asked to forego the blessings until his sleepy sisters catch up. God deals with the individual heart as exclusively as if only one heart exists. 

So, we want corporate revival. We want worldwide revival, but right revival really begins with person. If there is no brokenness or personal crying out, let it begin with me. Don't wait for the fire, be the spark. This would be my encouragement.

Portia: I love that, don't wait to the fire be the spark amen. Great episode today. Well, the next one day is Labor Day and our team is taking the day off to enjoy our families and a little rest and relaxation. I don't know how much of the latter I'm gonna get with Emmi. But you know what? Grounded will still be on. Maybe you can watch it from the pool or wherever you are spending your day and so we're going to reair an episode with Laura Perry on how to respond to sexual sin with conviction and compassion. Laura is a woman who has experienced personal revival and her story I am sure will grip your heart, so don't miss it.

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