Keys to Revival Part 2

Please take a look at my post Keys to Revival Part 1, to see statistics on the state of Christianity in America. These statistics are alarming and something must be done about it. The hearts of Americans are gospel hardened and our methods of evangelism we have used in the past will no longer work. We must try something different, if we are going to reach Americans for Christ. I have researched the First and Second Great Awakenings and have discovered the secret to revival. This secret or keys as I will call them are timeless and will work no matter the culture or the spiritual state of a nation. In order to reach gospel hardened Americans, we must understand these keys to revival.

The key verse for revival is the following: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” Hosea 10:12 (KJV). To understand this verse, we have to understand the meaning of the words fallow ground.  Fallow ground is farmland which has not been plowed up in a long time. This ground is very hard and difficult to plant in.  If you cast a seed on this type of soil, the seed will probably will not sprout or will get eaten by the birds. To put this into spiritual terms, if you try to witness to someone with a hardened heart, you will not have much success. The hearts in America are going to have to be plowed up in order for people to listen to our gospel message. Jesus told a parable in Mark 4 about the sower of the seeds. Some seed falls on the wayside, some among thorns, some on stony ground, and others on good soil. Many of our modern evangelism methods only seem to work on the hearts with good soil, these hearts have some understanding of the Bible. But if we are going to be successful in today’s society, we are going to have to do some soil preparation. How do we break up this soil to prepare a heart for evangelism?  According to the preachers of revival there are two ways to break up the fallow ground of gospel hardened people. One is through united prayer and the other is the preaching of the 10 commandments. The people who are praying for revival must first break up their own fallow ground before they can pray to break up the fallow ground of the lost. After there has been significant prayer for the lost, then the second key to revival can be implemented. This key is the  preaching of  the 10 commandments.

If we have a desire to pray for revival and spiritual awakening, we must first break up our own fallow ground. We cannot expect to break up fallow ground in others, if we have not done so for ourselves. Jesus says, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” Luke 6:42 (NKJV). In order to do this, we must confess all known sin. The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” Psalms 66:18 (NKJV). It would be a shame to spend time in prayer and not have an audience with God. To gain an audience with God, we must confess all known sin to Him. To assist you in confessing your sin, please use this free downloadable Sin List from A-Z. If your sin is against God, then confess your sin directly to God, but if the sin is against another person, then go to that person and make it right (Matt. 5:23-24). After confessing all known sin, you will be on praying ground. Then, you should pray with other individuals who also confessed all their sin to the Lord.

“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: ² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” Isaiah 59:1-2 (KJV).

Tomorrow I will teach on the second key, which is breaking up the fallow ground of unbelievers in prayer.