SCRIPTIURAL REFERENCES
(2 Chronicles 7:14) "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
(Psalm 85:6) “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”
(Isaiah 64:1-2) (1) "Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence," (2) "As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!"
(Isaiah 44:3) "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:"
PROLOGUE
This message aims to share some truth and insight into the body of Christ concerning the lax condition found in some churches today. People want a religion they can control and rarely question what may be preached from their pulpits, but what can you expect from people who are always in a hurry to go nowhere?
Did you know some pastors have reported feeling tired from all the pressure they face in many churches today? It is not good when people have to be begged to attend church, not realizing that their spirits will weaken without the fellowship of other believers.
All one needs to do is show up early before a church meeting and observe the attitude of the people gathered for what is supposed to be worship. Beloved, some have turned prayer meetings into a chance to spread church gossip, and there is no regard for the lost souls looking for a reason to live.
Some churches today resemble social gatherings where people catch up on the latest trends. This is the breeding ground for the start of apostasy in the church today. Do you not recognize that scripture is being fulfilled right before our eyes? Do you not agree that we are living in the Laodicean church age, as spoken of in the third chapter of the Book of Revelation?
(Revelation 3:14-16) (14) "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" (15) "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot." (16) "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
"CHURCH SOULD BE MORE THAN AN OUTWARD SHOW."
We begin this message on the roadblocks to revival, thanking the Lord for reminding me in prayer just how vital and timely this message is today concerning some of the obstacles we encounter in what I call the "Christians Process to Greatness!"
Beloved, we need revival, God's proven method of awakening his church. Revival is not all about preaching or even reaching the lost; it is about reviving or resuscitating something that is dying. We need to return to our first love and remember what it was like when we first believed, awaken from our sleep, and come back to God and pray that he will visit us with his Holiness and power.
It is time to come out of our comfort zone and seek the Lord with all our hearts, asking God to send his cleansing fire to strip away the worked-up flesh that some call manifestations of the Spirit. We need to seek God for a spiritual house cleaning that will get rid of the unconfessed sin and ungodliness in Christian leaders.
God has a plan to rescue as many as possible from Satan's camp and gather them together unto Himself, a people that He would call His family. God foreknew who would choose His plan and knew that the majority would reject it and be lost forever. Accepting Jesus is the first step in His plan, which was predestined for us before the foundation of the world.
The enemy of our soul does not mind if we make a resolution to seek God or have special meetings to help our church experience the power of God because he knows that all he has to do is sow some confusion by causing things to happen among the members that will cause fear, thus hindering their sound judgment to keep coming to the meetings to seek God for their continued growth in their Christian Walk.
Through the pages of church history, we discover that God has allowed his Holy Spirit to empower and use men and women of God in mighty demonstrations of his power, causing medical science to take another look at the power of prayer. These powerful men and women of God allowed the Lord to use them to leave his signature through them to future generations, including us today.
"DONT CHASE THE DOVE AWAY."
The Lord led me to use the dove in this message to refer to God’s Spirit and abiding presence. I have taken the liberty of providing you with several references concerning the dove as used in the Holy Scriptures. We all remember the bird Noah sent out to see if the water had receded from the Earth.
The dove is recognized as a symbol of purity, and many times throughout history, the dove has been pictured carrying the olive leaf as a symbol of peace and purity. Saints, the dove is often mentioned as the emblem of purity, which can be found in (Psalms 68:13).
The Apostle John (John 1:32) also recognizes the dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Did you know that doves and turtle doves were the only clean birds that could be offered in sacrifice, according to the Mosaic law?
(Luke 3:22) "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee, I am well pleased."
(Ephesians 4:30) "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
(Isaiah 63:10) "But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore, he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them."
God's Holy Spirit is not merely some force but a personal being who can experience grief. This ability to be grieved highlights His deep emotional connection with humanity. This helps us appreciate the consequences of our actions and decisions, knowing that they can impact His feelings.
When we act in ways contradicting His guidance or the principles He represents, we can cause Him sorrow. Recognizing this relationship encourages us to cultivate a more respectful and sensitive approach to our conduct and interactions, knowing that the Holy Spirit is deeply invested in our lives.
Can you remember when someone embarrassed you in front of others, causing you to become hurt and ashamed? This happened because you were grieved, or a better word could be because you were insulted.
Lastly, we do not like to be mistreated and grieved; therefore, we should not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to follow His leading. Instead, we should strive to live a lifestyle that influences the world and culture around us and does not allow the world to influence or affect us.
ROAD BLOCK NUMBER ONE
"THE SIN OF PRIDE."
We find in (Proverbs 6:16) that God hates a proud look, and one of the reasons God hates a proud look is because, out of the billions of people on this planet, no one is like you because no one has your brain waves, your DNA, your fingerprints and even your gifts therefore, we have no right to place our-self as being superior to another person living on this planet.
A biblical view of pride defines it as an excessive belief in one’s own abilities or worth, leading to a sense of superiority over others. In the biblical context, pride is considered a grave sin that distances people from God and leads to moral decay.
Pride can manifest in several ways, including arrogance, self-centeredness, and an inflated sense of self-importance. It is characterized by focusing on oneself rather than God or others, which can lead to behaviors that are harmful not only to the individual but also to their relationships with others and especially their relationship with God.
God values people, and he does not want us to live in bondage but in the power and victory of the cross. Our Savior dealt the Sin of humanity a mighty blow at the cross. God raised him up for our justification that we could come into his holy presence as one who has no sin because we are declared righteous through the blood of Jesus.
We need to start living as one who knows God from the free pardon of sin and put the devil where he belongs: under our feet. We must never give the devil an inch in our lives because he will tempt and lure us to take the bait dangling before us like an angler trying to catch a fish. He will make it look appealing, but remember if we do take the bait, it will have consequences and place us in bondage.
The following questions are designed to shake us into the reality that we have no grounds to stand on when it comes to insulting or offending others by judging them according to the race in which they were born.
(1.) Did you have anything to do with what era in history you would be born?
(2.) Did you have any say as to what gender you would be, who your parents would be, and where you would live?
(3.) Did you have anything to do or say concerning what nationality or race you would be born into?
(4.) Did you have anything to do or say concerning the gifts that would be placed within you at birth?
ROADBLOCK NUMBER TWO
"THE SIN OF RACISIM."
Suppose you have wholeheartedly embraced this message and taken the time to reflect on its profound truths. In that case, you are embarking on a transformative journey within your soul, one that is destined to be both powerful and uncontainable. Today, I want to delve deeper into a critical issue that the enemy of our souls is leveraging to sow division within our churches and across our nations: the sin of racism.
Racism manifests in various forms, from overt discrimination to subtle biases, and it creates barriers that prevent us from experiencing the unity and love that we are called to uphold in our communities. It undermines the very foundation of our faith as it contradicts the fundamental belief that all individuals are created in the image of God and deserve dignity and respect.
As we reflect on this issue, let us recognize the urgent need for open conversations, genuine understanding, and meaningful actions to combat this sin. The revival in our souls requires us to confront the darkness of racism head-on, not only in our hearts but also in our institutions and society at large. We can only foster healing and reconciliation, uniting our churches and nations in love and compassion.
The 1906 Azusa Street revival that touched the world started when some white people in Los Angeles were praying for a move of God. Saints of God, the Lord heard their prayer and directed a black man named William Seymour to their residence, which was against the curfew, and his visit was late at night.
The black African American people were under a curfew and were forbidden to be out at that time of the night, but our sovereign God, who knows all, had a plan to bring a mighty revival to Los Angeles.
Before the beginning of the Azusa Street revival, some white Caucasian people had been seeking God's move in their area and were very surprised when, late one night, there was a knock at their door. They were more surprised when, upon opening it, a black man stood with a patch over one eye. When asked what he wanted, he replied, "You have been praying for revival, and God directed me to come here for the revival.”
The revival began with a meeting on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. It was characterized by spiritual experiences accompanied by testimonies of physical healing miracles, worship services, and speaking in tongues. The secular media and Christian theologians criticized the participants for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at this particular time in history.
Near the end of this incredible outpouring of God’s Spirit in the Azusa Street revival, the white people began to complain about the worship of whites and blacks together, and the persecution became so great that soon the Azusa Street mission was deserted by the whites and became a primarily black church. Saints, sadly, the fires of revival that swept the world had been hindered as racism once again grieved the flow of God’s Spirit.
Lastly, how can we, as a people who had no say as to when we would be born, what gender we would be, or even what race God would allow us to be born into, think that we, as frail human beings who are dependent upon him for the next breath we breathe, could even feel that we or our race of people is superior to another when God is the one that chose and carefully planned when, where, and what race we would be born to experience life and to fulfill his divine purpose for our life?
MY CONCLUSION
The enemy never changes his strategy to divide and conquer, as holds to the old saying, “United we Stand, and Divided we Fall?” We have come to a climax between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, and we desperately need a move of God to bring a correction and a reverential fear upon us that we would put aside our differences and come together in unity of the faith, working together in harmony.
Psalms 133:1-3). "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments." "As the dew of Herman, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Pride and Racism are not only roadblocks and dangerous threats to the security of our future, but they are hindering tools sent by the enemy to keep us from experiencing a genuine outpouring of God's Spirit in true revival, for if he can keep us fighting amongst ourselves, he knows we will be weak in attempting to stop him.
There can be no room for these evil sins to exist in the life of a faithful Christian; therefore, churches and religious organizations that send their missionaries to other countries and rejoice over their pictures being taken with different races but refuse to allow other races to attend their church, are not of God and are caught up in pride and religious bigotry.
If we focus too much on our cultural differences and let them racially divide and hinder our relationship with God, we will miss the mark and the call to fulfill the Great Commission. Therefore, if we allow these differences to influence our lives, causing humanity's lost and broken pieces to slip through our fingers and miss Heaven, we will be held accountable before Him.
It is a proven fact that Racism is a learned behavior, often instilled through societal influences and cultural norms, and it is fundamentally at odds with the values taught by God. As we reflect on this issue, I pose a question for our consideration: How can someone genuinely claim to have a relationship with God while simultaneously supporting or participating in something that goes against His teachings and is rooted in hatred and division?
If we allow others and the world around us to influence us, we will miss the most critical opportunity in human history to experience the fires of a life-changing revival that can change lives for eternity.
May we come together as one body working together in unity and harmony, and let us contend for the faith and agree on the virgin birth, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave his life for all races, creeds, and people that they may be rescued from Satan's rebellion and adopted into God's royal family.
Lastly, let us not get caught up in the religious system we have today, but let us treat all men with love, respect, and honor. This will surely get God’s attention, causing him to send His Dove, the Holy Spirit, to nurture and bless our lives and ministry.
MY CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I humbly ask that you use this message to awaken the deeper spiritual aspects of our lives. Help us come together as a united body of believers, joining in love and purpose to bring about a powerful movement of your Spirit that will provide much-needed deliverance and healing to our world. May our efforts inspire hope and reflect your grace and mercy to those in need. Lord, we ask this in Jesus' mighty name. A-Men."
International Evangelist
Jerry W. Hulse, Ph.D.
Miracle Life Church International
