We are warned in the Bible about our need to be on guard against false prophets, especially as the end of the Age draws near, and amongst the many signs that we are present at the birth pangs of the end there are many appearances of false prophets in the world today; those who would seek to lead Christians away from Christ and away from God, under the guise of Revival. What is needed therefore, is a greater awareness and discernment of all that is going on around you.
By and large the stage is well set for such things. It's widely recognised that the church in general is lukewarm at best, and there are many who are today crying out "Lord, Lord," whom Christ will not recognise when the Day of Judgement comes. It is time for people to look long and hard at themselves and REPENT of all that is wrong in their lives, Christians and non-Christians alike. Part of the act of repentance will be recognising the need for spiritual reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. No matter what you may be led into thinking, one thing is absolutely certain, and that is that there is no other way to the Father except through Jesus Christ the Son. He is the Truth! He is the Life! He is the Way!
If you are invited to one of the many Revival Meetings that are taking place in the world today and decide to attend, make sure that before you attend you go before the Lord in prayer, seeking His protection from anything in that Meeting that might be harmful to you. If you know beforehand that there is controversy about the Meeting or the leaders then ensure that if you really feel that you must go then you are covered by prayer for the whole time that you will be at that Meetings. There are leaders today whose agenda is far from bringing people to know the One True God. Rather the agenda that they work to is to distance you from God and from Jesus by all manner of hocus pocus, trying to convince you that the 'signs and wonders' that proceed at those Meetings are of God, when in fact they are from Satan himself. In order to discern what is true revival and what is false, everything MUST be measured against the Bible. Only God's Word is paramount!
So how can you be sure that you discern correctly? Firstly, of course, it goes without saying that you must know God in a deep and intimate way, both through prayer and your daily walk with him. The more you can identify God then the more easily you can discern counterfeits! If you handled large quantities of bank notes as part of your daily job then you'd quickly recognise the counterfeits from the real thing. It would become almost second nature to you. In the same way, once you get to really know God through living the faith, spotting the false amongst the true will become second nature. As soon as something counterfeit is offered you will instinctively recognise it as such.
Of course, getting to know God means that you also need to enjoy getting to grips with His Word, for the easiest way to recognise non-Scriptural teaching is to know what Scriptural teaching is. It has often been said that too much knowledge, just as too little, is a bad thing. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you know all the answers and therefore ignoring the need for a Spirit of Discernment.
The Holy Spirit will guide us provided that we let Him. The still small voice that we hear when things are wrong will save us from being deceived, PROVIDED that we hear, listen and obey! If you feel that something is wrong then don't ignore the feeling. Immediately send up 'arrow' prayers, asking for confirmation one way or the other.
How easy it is for people to be fooled simply because they are being offered something that they desire. For so long Christians have sought Revival. They have looked everywhere for signs of it. They have prayed for it. They really want it badly! Then along comes someone who appears to make all the right noises, say all the right words, have the right appearance, and WHAM!!! Without any questioning people are ready to accept that, just because something looks right then it must be right.
Satan is very cunning. He knows every weak spot of the human race, and he will exploit the desires and lusts of people whatever they are, whether it's power or money or sex. The only way for us to stand against Satan is to ensure that our hearts are right with God, and that means that we need to undergo a lot of soul-searching to discover all that is wrong in our lives. It's never an easy task to admit that you are not as good as you should be, but it is an essential one if you are to be right with God. Having exposed all that is wrong then we need to confess it to God and express our sorrowful repentance. We need to throw ourselves on His mercy and seek His forgiveness. Only then, through confession, repentance and forgiveness, can we be right with God.
Many of the 'signs' of the current wave of Revivals, such as the Lakeland Revival, display acts of chaos. Leaders such as Todd Bentley project spirits of chaos into people's lives, not spirits of peace. Standing back from the event, do you really imagine that it's pleasing to God to see His people jerking around in a convulsion, or running about screaming, or being kicked, or punched, and much more, all supposedly in the Name of Jesus!
True, God will supply your needs, not only that, but He will do so in abundance. But do you really think that one of your needs is to become immensely wealthy? Do you really believe that God will dispatch angels who will help you to amass worldly wealth? Is it not true that when you pay overt attention to worldly wealth then the true wealth that awaits you in heaven is gradually getting further and further away from you?
Of course we would love to see and to experience Revival, but only when it is TRUE REVIVAL. Remember that revival starts with the individual responding to God and living in obedience to Him in and through Jesus Christ. It comes about when we get on our knees and confess, when we repent, when we receive forgiveness, and then when we do as Christ has commanded us, and go out and share the Gospel message of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
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