1 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,560 Hi and welcome to the We Are Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,760 We are a local church based here in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:12,120 --> 00:00:15,040 We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,400 encourage, inspire and instill fresh faith in you. 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,640 We enter the season of Pentecost with great anticipation and 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,560 expectation of a revival. We believe that God is taking us 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,800 into a time of great harvest that will be brought about by 8 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,000 His reign of favour and abundance. 9 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,120 As you listen in today, we hope that you will experience revival 10 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,760 in your home, a revival that will impact generations to come. 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,720 Hi Church, it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,440 As you know, we've started a new month, the month of May. 13 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,800 Like someone said, the word opportunity is in the name of 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,080 the month itself. Anything may happen, right? 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,680 The theme for this month, it's the month of Pentecost and we're 16 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,080 looking at a theme of revival. And specifically we believe we 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,240 hear God saying that's going to be a season where there's going 18 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,880 to be a revival rain. It's not going to be a revival 19 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:07,760 fire, It's going to be a revival rain for us. 20 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,160 And last week we had Jeremy and Ruth come here from Mumbai and 21 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,480 we had such a lovely time with them in person. 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,880 And couple of things that Jeremy left with us, he took looked at 23 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,320 recipes for revival, you know, individuals to be revived. 24 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,680 He gave us three recipes and the three were being extremely 25 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,640 committed, being extremely generous and being extremely 26 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,480 sacrificial. And that's what he left with us. 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,280 There was a lot to Mull over. And today we're going to be 28 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,480 looking at revival in our homes. Each of our families look 29 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,440 different. This past week we had VBS at 30 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,200 church and it was an amazing time. 31 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:47,400 We we had about 46 kids from different backgrounds, different 32 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,560 cultures come together. Just because everyone believed 33 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,480 in the name of Jesus. That was the common unifying 34 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,080 factor and we had such an amazing time. 35 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,360 We loved the time with the children and we we believed that 36 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,600 through this VBS kids were carrying Revival back into their 37 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,080 homes. And that's why we wanted to, you 38 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,080 know, share today about what revival would look like in each 39 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,520 of our homes, in each of our families. 40 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:11,960 None of our families are perfect. 41 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,880 There are so many things that plague us sometimes that disrupt 42 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,440 our homes and our unity. But we believe that the our God 43 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,600 is a God of families. He puts us in families for a 44 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:24,760 reason. And so today we're going to be 45 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,520 looking at how God is going to be bringing about a revival. 46 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,880 First we looked at how he brings it about in individuals, but 47 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:33,960 today we're going to be looking at how he brings it about in 48 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,240 homes. Psalm 68, verse nine. 49 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,080 And the Passion translation reads, You, O God, sent the 50 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,880 reviving rain upon your very inheritance showers of blessing. 51 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,640 To refresh it, this is what God does. 52 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:51,000 He sends his reviving rain. And that's the central theme for 53 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,160 this whole month is going to be just experiencing a season. 54 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:56,840 It's not going to be a year. It's not going to be a month. 55 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,640 It's going to be a season of God pouring out his spirit on us. 56 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,800 And if you're in Chennai, you know what the Indian summer is 57 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:05,320 like. We're having it bad here. 58 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,920 Our days are incredibly hot and it makes us very, very weary. 59 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:14,400 Our everyday challenges make us emotionally weary, and sometimes 60 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,840 we have these uphill battles and climes that make us spiritually 61 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,200 weary. So all of us know what it's like 62 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,160 to feel tired, exhausted and worn out. 63 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,440 And that's why this verse makes so much sense, because he pours 64 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,840 out his reviving rain on his weary inheritance. 65 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,800 And today, as we look at families, I specifically want to 66 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,560 look at a Psalm written by the Psalmist David. 67 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,520 It's Psalm 65. It's a beautiful Psalm. 68 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,080 And as we look at, we're going to look at it in two portions. 69 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,160 We're going to first look at the first half and then the next 70 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,280 half, we're going to look at what God really looks for in his 71 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,440 people, right. We're going to be reading from 72 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,800 Psalm 65 verses 1 to 8 from the NIV translation. 73 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,000 This is what it says. Praise awaits you, O our God and 74 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,160 Zion. To you, our vows will be 75 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,240 fulfilled. You who answer prayer to you all 76 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,080 people will come. When we were overwhelmed by 77 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,280 sins, you forgave our transgressions. 78 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,600 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your 79 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,560 courts. We are filled with the good 80 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,760 things of your house, of your holy temple. 81 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,959 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds. 82 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:21,760 God, our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of 83 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:26,240 the Father, sees who formed the mountains by your power, having 84 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,360 armed yourself with strength, who still the roaring of the 85 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,320 Seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the 86 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,600 nations. The whole earth is filled with 87 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,480 awe at your wonders. Where morning dawns, where 88 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,160 evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. 89 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:47,280 I love how the psalmist David brings to life who this God is. 90 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,560 He's no longer some distant reality, but he is the God of 91 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,840 the present, the God who creates and sustains and holds 92 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:57,640 everything together. And this whole Psalm really is 93 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:02,120 about God's amazing Providence, His forgiveness, his mighty acts 94 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,520 of power, and his tender care for each one of us. 95 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,360 So when you look at the first half, there are two distinct 96 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,680 themes that are coming out, two distinct themes that are very 97 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,520 clear. The Psalmist is talking about 98 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,720 how this God is worthy of all our praise. 99 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,600 So often we wonder why is God expecting us to praise Him? 100 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,160 And when you look around, when you look at the simplest things 101 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,680 all around you in nature, it should evoke praise because he 102 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,520 is worthy of our praise. And he lists a couple of reasons 103 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,440 as to why we have to worship and praise him. 104 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:37,920 It's not about whether I can or cannot. 105 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,000 It's really being coming to this place and saying God, I can't 106 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,760 help but worship you. Why do I have to worship him? 107 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,400 Why do I have to praise him? Well, because he forgave all our 108 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:47,680 sins. That's what he says. 109 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,320 He forgave all our sins and iniquities. 110 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,120 Why do I have to praise him? Because he causes me. 111 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:57,360 He's chosen me and caused me to live in his courts close to him. 112 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,520 Why do I have to praise him? Because he has filled me with 113 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,600 good things. Why do I have to praise him? 114 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,720 Because he's formed the earth in all its complexity. 115 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,680 The mountains, the hills, the oceans, the forests and 116 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,800 everything in between. And he maintains it all. 117 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,800 And the beautiful thing is that the psalmist highlights how this 118 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,760 God who does all of these big things is also so personal that 119 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,680 he answers every prayer and every hearts cry. 120 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,280 Isn't that amazing? Every time I sometimes, you know 121 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:30,160 when I sit and dwell on who this God is, when I just spend some 122 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,600 time thinking of you know, I am so blessed that I get to call on 123 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,160 this God who is managing the whole world right now. 124 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,200 And yet, when I say Jesus help me, he tunes his ears to my 125 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,440 call. Isn't that amazing? 126 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,400 And that is why he's worthy of all our praise. 127 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,440 He's worthy of all the honour. And so I believe that primarily 128 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,320 the way of revival is going to touch our families is when our 129 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,920 families have two different components. 130 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,200 Our families need to be centered on praise. 131 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:00,960 Our families need to be having prayer as a pivotal part of 132 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,680 their lives. Appraising and a praying family 133 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,200 will experience revival. You can be running a family 134 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,600 which looks different. It may not look like the 135 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,440 traditional family. Whatever God has given you right 136 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:13,880 now. You may be a single parent with 137 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,840 your children. Yours may be a blended home. 138 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:18,640 I don't know what your situation looks like. 139 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:20,120 Maybe on the middle of a separation. 140 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,440 Maybe you're in a marriage, which is hard, but you're making 141 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,840 it work every single day. Whatever it looks like, maybe 142 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,720 you're grieving over the loss of a spouse to an ailment. 143 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,680 Maybe you've lost a child. Wherever you stand on the 144 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,080 spectrum, family is God's gift to you. 145 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,080 And what you are going to do with this family matters to him. 146 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,800 And interesting thing is that no matter what we do, revival comes 147 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,000 only from God. So if you're looking for a 148 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,440 revival today, you've come to the right place. 149 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,920 It is God who brings about this revival. 150 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:53,560 And so I want to ask you as a family, whatever your family 151 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,880 looks like, you could have multiple children. 152 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,800 You could have one child. Are you a family that praises 153 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,320 God before your miracle even happens? 154 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,120 Are you someone when you see those doors closed that you wait 155 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,120 in that hallway and praise God unashamedly? 156 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:13,040 Are you people who model praise in spite of hardship? 157 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,680 Because that is what your children will be observing, that 158 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,000 is, what is caught rather than taught. 159 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:20,880 You can't tell your children you know what you need to praise 160 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:22,400 God. They need to see you do it. 161 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:27,320 They need to see you model it. I want to ask you is prayer a 162 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:32,679 staple in your home as much as your rice and your Dal and your 163 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,320 water? Is prayer a staple? 164 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,720 Is prayer your first option or is it your last resort? 165 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,159 Because all of this sets the tone for revival. 166 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,800 If prayer is a distant, you know task, if it's something that you 167 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,400 look at as a drudgery, if praise doesn't even feature in your 168 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:55,200 lives, how can God revive you? There has to be a point of 169 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,320 connection, that connection between heaven and earth and 170 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,280 praise and prayer do that. It's also interesting that 171 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,880 praise and prayer don't have to be so complicated. 172 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,440 It's so important that we live in this place of constant 173 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,600 relationship with God, where these just come as an overflow 174 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,440 of that. Have you modeled conversation 175 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,360 style prayer often times at home when the kids are going through 176 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,200 hardship or when they're having a bad dream of sorts, when 177 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,120 they're talking about something that's heavy on their heart. 178 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:25,200 I made it a habit to immediately, as they're speaking 179 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,800 to me, to direct the conversation and say dear Lord, 180 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,160 please help us, we're confused about this. 181 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,680 Help us so that the children know he's that close. 182 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:37,000 He's also listening to this conversation and we can invite 183 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,680 him into the situation right now. 184 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,120 Have you modeled that his prayer staple? 185 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,840 I love this verse, especially if it says blessed are those you 186 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:48,240 choose and bring near to live in your courts. 187 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,920 We are filled with the good things of your house, of your 188 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,800 holy temple. You answered us with awesome and 189 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:57,000 righteous deeds. Last week Jeremy and Ruth were 190 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,680 sharing of how their family has a small prayer book in which 191 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:04,120 they write the things that are, you know, on all their hearts 192 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,520 needs for the family and how God meets them. 193 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:08,840 And as soon as they left, that's what I started doing. 194 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,240 I wanted my children to see that God hears the smallest prayers, 195 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,680 the smallest desires that God comes through. 196 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,320 He may not answer it the way we want, but he still hears us. 197 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,600 It's so important that we bring our children into a place of 198 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,960 close relationship with God. And that happens not by 199 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,520 lecturing them, not by actually pounding them with the Bible, 200 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,840 but actually living it out. And I love that in Jesus we are 201 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,680 brought near to the holy courts, we're brought near into the 202 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:40,080 inner court. We have direct access. 203 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,640 And it is in that place of dwelling with God that I begin 204 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:47,000 to experience his goodness. It's there when I begin to see 205 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:52,360 his mighty works. If I don't dwell, I will not 206 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,840 experience God in all of his greatness. 207 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,280 So many of us are so busy doing. We're doing for God, we're doing 208 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:01,200 for the church. We're doing so many things. 209 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,240 But I want to ask, do you dwell as much as you do? 210 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,920 Because when you dwell you can do more? 211 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,440 You do exactly what's in line with God's heart. 212 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,080 For you, it's so important that we dwell, and it's very 213 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:17,400 interesting. You know, a family that praises 214 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:22,480 and praise is a family that's automatically at a place of 215 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:25,360 complete surrender because both praise and prayer have a similar 216 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,200 posture. They both have submission and 217 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,120 surrender as their posture. You know, if you praise, if 218 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,360 you're even mildly motive, you would put your hands up like 219 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:35,760 this. We generally don't praise like 220 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,160 this, right? We praise like this or we praise 221 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:40,960 like this. When we pray, hands come 222 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:43,120 together. Even if you don't hold your 223 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:44,560 hands, you're just having a conversation. 224 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:48,880 There's a tendency to actually breathe out and to surrender 225 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,920 things to God, And it's so beautiful because it isn't that 226 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,040 posture or surrender or submission that God is actually 227 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,000 activated. His power is activated because 228 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,480 it's when my scheming and my working stops, when my striving 229 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,880 sees that God gets to work. He can't do all that he has 230 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:13,000 longed to do for me if I'm also grinding along with Him, and so 231 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,800 important that families need to come to a place of submission, 232 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,600 of surrender. So when you have those moments 233 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,640 of praise as a family, when you have those moments of prayer, it 234 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,840 is avidly encouraging your children, avidly encouraging 235 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,600 other members of the family to get into a posture of submission 236 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:37,120 to God and what is surrender and submission actively look like It 237 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,640 means that God, I can't bring revival. 238 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,080 I know we need reviving in this home, but I can't do it. 239 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,200 It's admitting to God that I am Yuri, but I cannot revive 240 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,760 myself. My marriage is on the brink of 241 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:51,800 disaster, but I cannot revive it. 242 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,680 My health needs reviving. My body is so exhausted and in 243 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,360 pain. But God, me nor the doctors can 244 00:12:58,360 --> 00:12:59,840 do what is needed. You can. 245 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:05,760 It's saying my career is is lagging behind and God, my 246 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:08,680 plans, my goals. None of that is helping. 247 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,840 Will you revive it? It's admitting that my children 248 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,520 need a reviving beyond my parenting hacks in my books and 249 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,760 all my rules. My children need a reviving from 250 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,120 God himself. That is what submission and 251 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,600 surrender looks like. That is what it means when we as 252 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:26,760 a family praise and pray. We're telling him. 253 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,800 God, I am out of ideas. I need your help. 254 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,240 What have you been clinging to so tightly that you've been 255 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,120 unable to praise with abandoned? What have you been holding on so 256 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,680 tightly? What baggage and burdens have 257 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:44,520 you been clinging on to that your prayer life has just become 258 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,840 non existent? God's asking you today will you 259 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,760 come back? Will you once more lift your 260 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,520 hands and praise? Will you once more lift up holy 261 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,480 hands in prayer? This past week, two of our 262 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,640 church friends had gone to the beach at Basanaga where they 263 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,200 were doing the turtle walk. You know, these really turtles 264 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:09,760 that have hatched on the beach of Best not a, the Elliott's 265 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:14,320 beach, were being led to go back into the ocean where after 15 266 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,880 years, the grown turtles would return to lay their eggs at the 267 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:19,840 very same spot they were hatched from. 268 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,520 And so one of my friends was showing me the video of this and 269 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:26,080 she was explaining this thing to me, which which blew my mind, 270 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,000 but it also made this make sense. 271 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,040 So she was saying that a bunch of them were asking the 272 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,320 scientists who were there, why can't we just carry these little 273 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,400 turtles that have just hatched and directly go and put them in 274 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:39,840 the ocean? It would make it easier for 275 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:41,840 them. Why do they have to walk those 276 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,360 15 or 20 feet from the place of hatching right to the, you know, 277 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,680 where the water's edge is? Why do we, why do we have to 278 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,440 allow them to walk? And so he explained this thing 279 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,520 to them. He said what we're doing is 280 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,320 allowing the sand and the beach to imprint on the turtle. 281 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:59,160 So for that 15 feet that they are walking, they, you know, 282 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,040 walking so slowly, their newborns, their newborns, they 283 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,480 are just toddling. They take these cute little 284 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,120 tracks and they head into the water. 285 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,720 And he said what we are doing is we are imprinting it on their 286 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,680 memory. They are imprinting where they 287 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,520 walked and then once they find the ocean, they dive in and they 288 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:20,640 go into the ocean. 1520 years later, they returned to the very 289 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:23,960 same spot they went in from. They lay their eggs again. 290 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,800 There it is in order that they know where to come back. 291 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:33,040 And parents, grandparents, our job is huge. 292 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,280 Our job is to imprint on them. What are you imprinting today? 293 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,880 Have you been imprinting And impatience in your weight? 294 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,400 A grumbling in your weight? Have you been imprinting? 295 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,320 All that has happened maybe in the past, in the church, all of 296 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,040 your church. What have you been spilling that 297 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,560 out on your child so that what is imprinted on them is only 298 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:56,560 malice and slander and gossip? But, or have you chosen to 299 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,680 praise in every storm? Have you chosen to pray through 300 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,480 every trial and stand strong till your breakthrough came? 301 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,480 Because what you have imprinted is what they will return to? 302 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,480 There may be years when they wander away, There may be years 303 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,160 when they don't believe in anything. 304 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,920 But what we imprint in these years, the formative years, is 305 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:19,280 what they come back to. We cannot underestimate our role 306 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,800 in our families. Each of us play a role in 307 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:27,880 leaving a lasting legacy. So I ask you again, is your 308 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,200 family ready for revival? If you are, you need to step 309 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,840 into a place where praise and prayer become your arsenal. 310 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,840 They have to become your weapon systems. 311 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,640 The second thing, the second-half of the Psalm is so 312 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,200 poetic. And as I was reading it, I was 313 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:46,000 reading it in different translations, and I wanted to 314 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,320 read it to you from the amplified version because it is 315 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:54,320 so beautifully drawn out. Because this part of the Psalm 316 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:56,600 is actually talking about a revival of the land. 317 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:01,840 It is talking about God visiting his earth and blessing it. 318 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:07,440 And every part of this, this half speaks of the supernatural. 319 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,720 It talks about how only God could do all of this. 320 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,920 There is no scope for me to actually put my hand in this 321 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,800 and, you know, try to help. It is purely God. 322 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,599 Revival in our lives is from God. 323 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:21,760 It is off God. It is not of me. 324 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,560 I cannot, you know, conjure it. I cannot manufacture it. 325 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,319 It is from God. And so I want us to read this 326 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,240 versus 9 to 13 of Psalm 65. We're going to read it. 327 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:34,760 And as I read it, I want you to just allow your imagination to 328 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:35,720 run. While it says. 329 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:40,280 You visit the earth unsaturated with water, you greatly enrich 330 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,400 it. The river of God is full of 331 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,720 water. You provide them with grain. 332 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,360 When you have so prepared the earth. 333 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,480 You water the fields furrows abundantly. 334 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:54,040 You settle the ridges of it. You make the soil soft with 335 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,880 showers blessing the sprouting of its vegetation. 336 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,920 You crown the year with your bounty and goodness, and the 337 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:03,920 tracks of your chariot wheels drip with fatness. 338 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:08,000 The luxuriant pastures in the uncultivated country drip with 339 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,120 moisture, and the hills guard themselves with joy. 340 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:13,600 The meadows are clothed with flocks. 341 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,040 The valleys also are covered with grain. 342 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,640 They shout for joy and sing together. 343 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:24,280 Such a poetic description of who our God is and what our God 344 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,680 does. This is what he does. 345 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:28,880 In the Passion. It talks about that first verse, 346 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:32,560 verse nine, it says your visitations of glory, bless the 347 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,400 earth. And I want to ask you this. 348 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:39,280 Wouldn't you want that? Wouldn't you want every area of 349 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:42,800 your life to be saturated with God's glory? 350 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,920 What does that look like? God's presence, God's touch on 351 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:50,080 everything you do. Your business, your investments, 352 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:55,200 your home, your plans, your house, your car, your children, 353 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:57,840 every single thing. The work of your hands, your 354 00:18:57,840 --> 00:18:59,920 passion projects, the dreams that you have. 355 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:04,320 Imagine if God's glory touches that it changes everything, it 356 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,040 saturates it. But I want to look at the next 357 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:12,600 part which says the river of God is full of water. 358 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:17,480 You provide them with grain when you have so prepared the earth. 359 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:19,960 It's so vital. The river of God. 360 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:24,280 Why in the middle of what looks like a seemingly the physical 361 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:27,680 description of you know, rain falling on the earth, why would 362 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:31,840 he interject the river of God? The river of God is mentioned 363 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:33,760 repeatedly in in the prophetic books. 364 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,960 It's it's also talked about in Revelation chapter 22. 365 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:42,040 It is this river that comes from the throne room of God, right? 366 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,000 And it is represented by the Holy Spirit. 367 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:49,920 The Holy Spirit brings into each of our lives the anointing of 368 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,160 God, and that is what changes our life. 369 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,520 That is what brings life to us. And here he says the river of 370 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:59,120 God is full of water. Isn't that amazing? 371 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,600 As I was reading this, you know, there was this incredible set of 372 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:09,120 thoughts that started coming in because so often I am trying to 373 00:20:09,120 --> 00:20:14,320 flood my life with the water sources that I pick, I would 374 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,240 prefer. To have, like, just an injection 375 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,840 of the Holy Spirit just for that creative, you know, infusion for 376 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,040 that one project. Sometimes I maybe have a mug of 377 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,840 the Holy Spirit's inspiration just to refresh me, you know, 378 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,440 after a heavy day just to kind of splash water on my face. 379 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:31,680 I want just that much of the Holy Spirit. 380 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,680 Or sometimes it's just a tablespoon because you know too 381 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,080 much of him. I don't want to appear foolish 382 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,520 talking too much about him or being too dependent on him, but 383 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,640 rather be independent. And so I feel like so often we 384 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,520 have shut the Holy Spirit out of our lives because we are afraid 385 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,880 to misunderstand him, or we have heard things about him that make 386 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,440 us a bit afraid or or cautious of him. 387 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,840 But here so beautifully he says the river of God is full of 388 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:03,160 water, and you provide them with grain in the passion. 389 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:07,200 It says the rivers of God overflow and enrich it. 390 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:11,720 You paint the wheat fields golden as you provide rich 391 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:15,320 harvests. In the last month, as we were 392 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,560 having our prayer times as a church, this was the word that 393 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,040 kept coming back to a lot of us, where God was saying, I'm 394 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,920 bringing about a rich harvest. And so this was reiterated that, 395 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:27,960 but the one that would bring the rich harvest was the river of 396 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:32,240 God, was the spirit of God. And so I want to dwell here for 397 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,120 a bit. We're going to look at what this 398 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:41,240 river of God actually does. What does it entail for me to 399 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:46,240 involve the river of God in the garden of my life, In the 400 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,760 orchard of my life? Ezekiel, chapter 47, verses 8 to 401 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:52,000 12? I'm reading from the message 402 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,560 version. It says this, he told me This 403 00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:00,120 water flows E descends to the Aruba and then into the sea, the 404 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,200 sea of stagnant waters. Where it empties into those 405 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,080 waters, the sea will become fresh. 406 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,360 Wherever the river flows, life will flourish. 407 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,800 Great schools of fish, because the river is turning the salt 408 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,760 sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life 409 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,520 abounds. Fishermen will stand shoulder to 410 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:22,840 shoulder along the shore from Engedi all the way N to end a 411 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:27,040 glim, casting their Nets. The sea will teem with fish of 412 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,240 all kinds, like the fish of the great Mediterranean. 413 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,960 The swamps and marshes won't become fresh. 414 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,040 They'll stay salty. But the river itself, on both 415 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,160 banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. 416 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,240 Their leaves won't wither. The fruit won't fail. 417 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,320 Every month they'll bet fresh fruit because the river from the 418 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,280 Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and 419 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:56,400 their leaves for healing. If you remember some chapter 420 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,160 One, it says, the one who meditates on the law of God, 421 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:03,760 Dear night, will be like a tree planted by rivers of water which 422 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:08,920 eels it's fruit in season. And this almost mirrors that the 423 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,760 river of God. It says here the river of God on 424 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,520 both banks will itself grow trees. 425 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:20,760 And if you and I can liken ourselves to a tree, to an oak, 426 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,240 a sturdy oak that the Lord Himself is planting, my question 427 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:31,000 to you is, are you planted by the river of God, or are you 428 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:36,800 planted by a little rivulet that you have cordoned off for 429 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,880 yourself? Is your source a contained 430 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,640 bucket of the Spirit of God, or is it the river of God Himself? 431 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,600 Have you been content with the tablespoon tasting of the Holy 432 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,720 Spirit, spirit, or the syringe which you just needed in times 433 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:55,640 of help? Or have you stayed planted by 434 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:59,840 the river of God? It's so important to come to 435 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,680 this place of saying Lord, I really don't know that much but 436 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:05,520 the Holy Spirit has all been hearsay. 437 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,600 Some of it has been scary because people have scared me 438 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:13,440 and said, oh you know what, too much of that makes you appear a 439 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:17,560 bit kooky. But today God is calling us back 440 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,960 and saying will you come to the river of God because it is 441 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:26,080 running full, it never runs dry. Jesus when he stood on the last 442 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:31,080 day of the the festival in the temple said anyone is thirsty. 443 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,480 Come to me, for out of me flows rivers of living water. 444 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:36,800 And when you have it, you will never run dry. 445 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:42,240 You will never thirst again. We were meant to drink from the 446 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,080 river of God. We were meant to be planted by 447 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:46,960 the river of God, which never runs dry. 448 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,960 And when we are planted there, our life is so different. 449 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:56,200 I love this verse where it says everywhere that the waters went, 450 00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:01,720 life abounds. I wonder if we have those dead 451 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:05,760 areas in our life, but still, even after knowing Jesus, just 452 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:11,720 because we're not planted close enough to the river of God, you 453 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,840 know, so many, so many times, logistically, we plan our lives. 454 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,880 You know, there was a season when we had to move to another 455 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:20,200 city and we were looking for a house there. 456 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,880 And then we found that there was someone we knew in the city. 457 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:27,000 So we decided to go and live very close to them, just so that 458 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,040 there was moral support because it was a new city. 459 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:33,320 We didn't know anyone there. We're so careful and crafted in 460 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,320 the way we plan our lives. But what if we were to take the 461 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,920 Holy Spirit's leading and stay planted where he plants us? 462 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:45,440 Because the truth is this. No matter what we plan, no 463 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:50,080 matter what we decide and do, it's where we are planted and 464 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:51,960 who we are planted next to that matters. 465 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:54,760 If I'm planted near the river of God, where the Spirit of God is 466 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,480 just moving and active and leading me, everything looks 467 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,800 different. Even the most dead parts of our 468 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,560 life will come, come to life. Dead dreams long gone, ambitions 469 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,520 will come back to life. Just because the river of God 470 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,720 has got access to my life. I want to ask you, have you been 471 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:18,000 in the process of, you know, lugging around bits and pieces 472 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,520 of the Holy Spirit as you need? As an added bonus, you know I 473 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:27,000 just need this add on. Or have you gone to the river of 474 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,320 God and just plunked down and said, Lord, I'm here, plant me, 475 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,440 I'm here. I want to be beside the river of 476 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:34,680 God. I want to drink of it. 477 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,840 I want to come to life. Parts of me are drying up. 478 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,400 Parts of me are withering. I'm not a source of healing to 479 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:42,840 others. I'm a source of damage to 480 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:44,480 others. Help me heal me. 481 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,640 Or have we moved away from the source and gone far away? 482 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,720 We have our own devices. We have our own bucket. 483 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:53,280 We have our mug. We have our syringe. 484 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,920 We have our tablespoon. We sorted because this is the 485 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,680 truth. Where he leads, he will provide. 486 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,560 Where he leads, he will bring fruit out of my life. 487 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,600 Where he leads, I will be a channel of blessing and healing 488 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:10,280 to others. Where he leads, I will be so 489 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:14,720 fruitful and so prosperous, emotionally, spiritually, 490 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,600 physically, that I will be a source of shade and healing too 491 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,200 many. You may ask me, is that even 492 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,840 possible? Well, this is what Jesus talked 493 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,400 about in Matthew chapter 13 verses 31 to 32. 494 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,680 This is what Jesus says. He's told them another parable. 495 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,200 The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took 496 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,400 and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all 497 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:40,640 seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and 498 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,720 becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its 499 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:49,880 branches. You may have started out very 500 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:53,160 small, but you have been planted by the river of God. 501 00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:54,880 Will you put your roots down deep? 502 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:57,560 Will you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you? 503 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:02,680 Because revival is only mediated by the Holy Spirit, we cannot 504 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,920 attempt to revive anything in our own strength. 505 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,640 Our willpower will not do it. Our holiness will not do it. 506 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:11,240 Our righteousness will not do it. 507 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:13,720 It is the Holy Spirit who brings revival. 508 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,320 If I'm not planted beside the river of God, if he is not my 509 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:23,800 sole source, if God is not my source, I can come back to him. 510 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:27,680 There is hope. If you say I have thrived in 511 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,000 every season, that's why I can honestly say it is because of 512 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:32,840 the Holy Spirit. Praise God for that. 513 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,280 I thank God for you. I pray that you will continue to 514 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,920 thrive right where you're at. And it's so important that when 515 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:43,960 we understand this, when I'm planted beside the river of God, 516 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:49,320 he looks after every need. And can I also tell you this, 517 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,400 just because you're planted near the river of God does not mean 518 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:54,680 you will not encounter the wilderness seasons. 519 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,120 It does not mean you will have those seasons of drought. 520 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,240 It does not mean that storms won't hit you. 521 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:04,400 It only means this that in every season of the soul, he will be a 522 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,240 source. He will keep you nourished. 523 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,720 You will bear fruit in the season of harshest illness. 524 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,320 You will be able to bring healing to others. 525 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,560 Even when you are hurting purely because of the source. 526 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,600 It won't be because of you. You cannot get the glory. 527 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,760 It's the source. When we read the rest of the 528 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,440 Psalm Psalm 65 verses 10 to 13, it explains it better. 529 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,280 It says you drench. It's talking about God. 530 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:30,640 It's talking about the river of God. 531 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,800 It's talking about the rain that comes from heaven that God 532 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,440 brings about. It says you drench it's furrows 533 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,760 and level it's ridges. You soften it with showers and 534 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,760 bless bless its crops. You crown the year with your 535 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:46,120 bounty and your carts overflow with abundance. 536 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,920 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow. 537 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,440 The hills are clothed with gladness, the meadows are 538 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,160 covered with flocks, and the valleys are mantled with grain. 539 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,800 They shout for joy and sing. When you read this, you need to 540 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,800 look at it a little closer. It talks about the furrows and 541 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:04,640 ridges. What is this? 542 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,760 When a plow is dragged through soil, you have the ridges and 543 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:10,800 the furrows. You know where they deposit the 544 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,120 seed. Our lives have its ups and 545 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,440 downs. Seasons of incredible times of 546 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,600 pouring in, of of sowing the seed, the seasons which are 547 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,240 hard. It talks about how you crown the 548 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:26,480 year with your bounty. The carts, overflow carts 549 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:28,400 represent what you do for a living. 550 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,160 It counts what accounts for the things that you do because you 551 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,320 love doing it, the things that you do for others. 552 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,600 And he says in all of this you will experience abundance. 553 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,680 And you need to note your abundance is not an abundance of 554 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,920 wealth alone. It's talking about an abundance 555 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,480 of your soul. It's talking about the abundance 556 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,480 of peace you will enjoy in every season, The amount amount of joy 557 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:51,440 you will experience. It talks about the grasslands of 558 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:56,880 the wilderness overflowing. Because it's true. 559 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,960 Every one of us will walk that wilderness season. 560 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:02,640 Every one of us will have those valley episodes. 561 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:06,360 And in spite of that, when the river of God is our source, when 562 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:11,120 God himself is the one who's bringing revival, every single 563 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,600 area of our lives will thrive. And we won't just thrive, we 564 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:18,400 will thrive in such a way to be visible to others, it says. 565 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,320 The meadows are covered with flocks. 566 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:26,240 No longer is there, Baroness, no longer is there lack, no longer 567 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,120 is there insufficiency. God will pour out his blessings 568 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:34,040 because revival is his thing. It is what he loves to do to his 569 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:38,880 inheritance. So I want to encourage you that 570 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:43,560 even the hard parts you have walked Revival rain will fall on 571 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,600 that. Even the wilderness season you 572 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:49,200 have come through, Revival rain will fall on that, the bad and 573 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,480 seasons of the soul. When nothing was working, you 574 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,920 tried everything. He promises that his rain falls 575 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,960 on all of that there is going to be a harvest. 576 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:01,280 Will the warfare stop? No. 577 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:02,720 Will the hardship stop? No. 578 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:04,560 Will setbacks not happen? Not at all. 579 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:08,560 All of that will continue because we live in a world which 580 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,760 is touched by brokenness. But in spite of all of that, he 581 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:16,360 promises to bring about a rich harvest mediated by the river of 582 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,080 God. And so I want to ask you this. 583 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:22,680 Have you been so desperately trying to revive your own life? 584 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,040 Maybe you've been taking more multivitamins. 585 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:26,800 Maybe you've been protecting yourself in the sun. 586 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,320 Maybe you've been protecting yourself in relationships. 587 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:32,440 Maybe you've been putting up walls to keep certain people or 588 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:36,800 things out. But ultimately, the reviving 589 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,880 that we need, only God can provide it. 590 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:45,360 The psalmist keeps talking of the hard parts, the wilderness, 591 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:50,320 the valleys, all of it will be touched by the reviving green, 592 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,000 not just the parts that you know are already good. 593 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:54,960 He's going to touch every part of our lives. 594 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:00,600 But it will come down to this. Will you praise, will you pray 595 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:02,680 in the weight? Because if you want to see your 596 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,440 family changed, if you want to see things change in your life, 597 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,680 there has to be surrender. There has to be submission. 598 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:15,200 I also believe that this revival rain, when it soaks to the 599 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:19,640 ground, seeds that were planted long time back, things that you 600 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:23,240 may be invested in, things that may be people that you invested 601 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:28,200 in, Kingdom initiatives that you started years back, which maybe 602 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:29,920 you haven't seen. The fruit God is going to bring 603 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,480 fruit because the way nature works, when you look at just, 604 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,080 you know what a farmer does this, you know, lay the seed 605 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:39,160 down. They wait for the rains. 606 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:41,960 And when the rains come again, nothing really happens 607 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,000 immediately. Nothing happens overnight. 608 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:49,200 After a season of wait, those seeds start to sprout and 609 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,440 beautiful new growth begins to come out. 610 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:56,040 And it's God who tends these seeds that we have sown, that 611 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,520 have been sown into us. So I want to encourage you if 612 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,560 you've been in a wait for a prolonged period of time, don't 613 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:07,280 give up, don't give up. Keep raising, keep praying, keep 614 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,560 pushing through. Because the Revival rain is 615 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:12,360 coming. It's already begun in our lives. 616 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:15,679 As I close, I want to just leave this with you. 617 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,360 When you read the history textbooks, you know we've heard 618 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:23,679 of how civilizations, entire civilizations have been built 619 00:34:23,679 --> 00:34:27,239 around rivers. The Indus Valley Civilization in 620 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:30,719 India was entirely built around the Indus River. 621 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:35,560 When you look at the Chinese civilization entirely built 622 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:39,600 around rivers there, it's no different world over. 623 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,360 Why? Because the river was a place 624 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,000 where economy was built, transport was available, 625 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,600 resources were brought from other places, hydroelectric 626 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,320 plants were set up. It's no different with the river 627 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,480 of God. God is raising up a remnant, and 628 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,960 this remnant needs to build their family culture, their 629 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,840 their lives, culture Around the river of God. 630 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:08,040 We are called to settle down as those trees beside the river of 631 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,680 God. He wants us in close connection 632 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,920 with His spirit, so that we'll be so sensitive to what he's 633 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,080 doing, so that we'll be so obedient to what he's nudging us 634 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,040 to do. The farther away we go from the 635 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,720 river, the culture that we establish at home, our 636 00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:29,600 lifestyles, our choices get determined by other things. 637 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:33,160 The closer you are to the river, the closer you are to the heart 638 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:34,920 of God. The heart of the Father. 639 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:37,800 What he has for your family, what he has for your children. 640 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,840 If you're in tune with that, things change. 641 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,680 The way your parent changes, the way you run your marriage is 642 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:45,600 different. The way you host people, the way 643 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,840 you love on people, everything changes. 644 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,760 It depends on how close you are to the river of God. 645 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,240 So I want you this week to identify your hang ups. 646 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,080 What are your hang ups to the Holy Spirit? 647 00:35:57,080 --> 00:35:59,120 You've been hearing about it. Maybe from the time you were a 648 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,280 child, maybe you've seen things. Maybe you've heard things. 649 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:04,120 Maybe you have these preconceived notions. 650 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:08,200 Would you come to God this week and say, Lord, Heavenly Father, 651 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,040 I need the Holy Spirit. I come to you with a blank 652 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:14,000 slate. I have no expectations except 653 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,640 for you to show up and help me, and I want to encourage you for 654 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:21,160 my life. I came from a background where 655 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,560 we didn't talk much about the Holy Spirit, But as I understood 656 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:30,400 him, I realized that he is truly the paraclete, the one who comes 657 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,440 alongside me. I cannot do the journey that is 658 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,760 marked out for me without the Holy Spirit. 659 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,960 He comes alongside. He's not like you know, a brain 660 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:42,600 controlling, you know, a zombie, a fiend. 661 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:44,480 He doesn't just come behind me and say I'm going to control 662 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:45,920 your mind, I'm going to control your actions. 663 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,240 Not at all. He comes alongside me, he leads 664 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:51,880 me, he guides me. He tells me when to speak, He 665 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:54,760 tells me when not to. He corrects me when I'm wrong. 666 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:59,720 You and I need to come to a place of surrendering and 667 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:02,200 submitting to God and saying I need your Holy Spirit Lord. 668 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:03,640 I need to be near the river of God. 669 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:06,280 I can't do it without him because the river of God is 670 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:08,560 abundant. He doesn't run dry. 671 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,680 When you're running dry, He's not running dry, and when you're 672 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,600 running dry, you're ready to receive from him. 673 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:18,040 He's the one who enables you to pray when you have no words. 674 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:21,760 The Apostle Paul writes of how he intercedes on our behalf with 675 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,640 groans even when we don't have words. 676 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:30,320 He's the one who enables you to praise God for all that he is 677 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:32,880 because he knows the will of God. 678 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,320 He understands things that we can never understand. 679 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,600 So he gives language to our praise. 680 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:40,800 He gives language to our prayer. We need him. 681 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:46,680 So I want to ask you if you've been someone who hasn't been 682 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,720 imprinting the things of God and your children. 683 00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:50,960 It's not too late. It's not too late. 684 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,160 Ask the Holy Spirit how can I better imprint on them so that 685 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,600 when the days get long and hard, they will come back to the faith 686 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:01,280 of their fathers. They will come back to the God 687 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:05,320 who is unfailing. If you want a revival at home, 688 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,720 you need to begin praising. You need need to begin praying. 689 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:12,920 If you want a revival, you need to be planted by the river of 690 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:15,440 God. Can I pray for you, Father in 691 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:16,320 heaven? I thank you. 692 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,960 I thank you, for you are so mindful of us. 693 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:22,480 I thank you that from the sound we see that you are so mindful 694 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,360 of us. Lord, I thank you that you care 695 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:29,120 for your weary inheritance, and that you have promised to pour 696 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:32,880 out your reviving rain upon us. And right now we receive that 697 00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,040 rain. We pray that it will fall on 698 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:38,840 every part of our lives, the barren parts, the fruitful 699 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:41,560 parts, the hurting parts. That God, your rain, will 700 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,680 refresh us. We pray that you will strengthen 701 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:46,840 us. We pray, oh God, that each of us 702 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,320 will be like a tree that is planted by streams of water, 703 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,120 that we will not run dry. We thank you for your promise 704 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,920 that we will bear fruit in every season, that our leaves will be 705 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:00,880 for healing of Father. I pray that many will take shade 706 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:04,440 with us because they will see Christ in US. 707 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,600 I pray, oh God, that you would help us, that you would 708 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,120 strengthen us for those of us who have been so marred and 709 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:14,040 broken by fellow people in the body of Christ. 710 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,440 Lord, I pray that we will release them, that we will 711 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:22,440 forgive them, and that God we will once more step back into 712 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:26,200 the spaces you are calling us. That God, we will step back in 713 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,520 courage into the purposes that you have for us. 714 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,680 I pray that Lord, we will allow the Holy Spirit to come 715 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:37,840 alongside us, to assist us, to lead us, to guide us, and to 716 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,720 take us into the places you are calling us to, to the 717 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:42,440 inheritance that you have for us. 718 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:47,080 I pray that you would continue to help us, continue to 719 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:50,440 strengthen us. We believe, oh God, that we are 720 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:54,400 going to sing songs of joy for the way your reign of reviving 721 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,080 is going to fall on us. And so we thank you for that. 722 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:59,640 We praise you for that even before it happens. 723 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:02,960 We love you, We honor you, We thank you. 724 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,680 In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 725 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:07,720 Amen. So remember, your homework for 726 00:40:07,720 --> 00:40:11,200 the week is to revisit what you know of the Holy Spirit and ask 727 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,200 God to give you a fresh experience and that you would 728 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:17,400 walk every single day with the knowledge that he is beside you, 729 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:19,560 the paraclete helping you, assisting you. 730 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,760 Because he's the river of God. He brings you the fullness of 731 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:23,960 God. We need him. 732 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:25,720 We cannot do this life without him. 733 00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:28,600 That you would experience revival not just as yourself, 734 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:32,360 but as a family. Your home would experience 735 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:33,880 revival. God bless you. 736 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:36,520 Thanks for listening to this message. 737 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:40,400 We hope you were blessed to hear more messages like this. 738 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:44,720 Make sure to subscribe and check out our podcast channel for past 739 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:47,040 episodes. If you like what you are 740 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:51,600 hearing, consider rating us, subscribing and even sharing it 741 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:54,160 with friends. That would really help us. 742 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:59,480 For more content from Via Zion and to connect with us, go to 743 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:04,640 Via Zion dot in. Remember, whoever finds Jesus 744 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:05,640 finds life.