I. Biblical Principles Regarding Revival Prayer
A. God has not been silent about what He wants to see in His people before He sends
B. You don’t have revival by seeking revival; rather, you have revival by seeking
C. All revivals have a passionate commitment to
D. Prayer is lining up our hearts and lives with His will so that He can send His blessings in fresh and powerful ways!
E. Reflection/Discussion Question: Reflect for a moment on your own prayer life and consider the following questions. What kinds of things do you tend to pray for or about the most? What types of things do you tend to pray about very little or seldom? What might we learn about your beliefs about God from your prayer life? What might we learn about your beliefs or views about prayer from your prayer life?
II. Exploring The Nature of Revival Prayer
A. Revival prayer is characterized by
_. (Jonah 3:8; Nehemiah 9:1-2)
1. Only the
heart is big enough for God to dwell in! (Luke 18:9- 14; Psalms 51:16-17)
2. Broken hearts are rare today, and even rarer are broken
.
3. Revival will never come to proud people or proud
_.
4. Reflection/Discussion Question: In this portion of his message, Keith made the point that: “Broken hearts are rare today, and even rarer are broken churches.” Do you tend to agree or disagree with this statement? If there is some truth to the statement, why is it that “broken hearts” are rare today? What are some reasons why churches today are rarely characterized by brokenness?
B. Revival prayer is characterized by serious
_!
1. Revival prayer tends to make a lot of us
because revival prayer tends to be “full throttle!” (Jeremiah 29:11)
2. Revival prayer warriors are
_, not sprinters!
3. The Bible does not say, “Preach without ceasing.” However, the Bible does say, “
_ without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17)
4. Jesus’ parables about prayer in Luke 11 and Luke 18 could be summarized in this brief statement: Don’t give
!
5. Reflection/Discussion Question: Think back on your life and the lives of family members. Can you recall seasons of your life when you prayed consistently for something or someone for long periods of time? What kind of impact did these consistent seasons of intentional prayer have on your life? In your family, who prays like a “marathoner?” What have you learned from that person?
C. Revival prayer is rooted in a pursuit of
_! (Isaiah 55:6-8)
1. The chief thing keeping revival from coming to America involves the church being unwilling to
_ her sins and get serious about pursuing
_. (Psalm 66:18)
2. The prayers of a
person are powerful and effective! (James 5:16; I Timothy 2:8)
3. We need to be asking ourselves: Are my hands clean and holy? Is my heart pure? (Psalm 24:3-4)
4. When we get serious about our pursuit of
_, God will respond. (Jonah 3:10)
5. Maybe, we all need to ask ourselves this question: Do I need to do some
_ with God today? God will visit His people when He is genuinely invited!
6. Reflection/Discussion Question: Think back over your life and the lives of other believers that you know really well. When you and/or other believers are either struggling with sin, temptations, or an undisciplined spiritual life, how does that impact a person’s prayer life? Can you think of a time in your life when you intentionally turned away from a pattern of sin in your life and toward God? What can you recall about that time of “personal” revival and renewal in your life?