PERSONAL REVIVAL 101

Henry Thomas Blackaby (15 April 1935 – 10 February 2024) was a Canadian evangelical pastor.

INTRODUCTION: Henry Blackaby said, "Too many of God's people do not clearly and passionately see the desperate need for a mighty return to God by the people of God. Many do not realize they have departed. They still 'practice religion' and assume their activity is a relationship with God. Religious activity, no matter how faithful, is not necessarily a relationship with God. This has been the tragedy of God's people throughout the Bible.”

After 1962 when prayer was taken out of schools, we have been under a constant barrage for the removal of all things Christian in the public arena. As the 10 Commandments got canned from public placement and Nativity scenes were put into corporate warehouses, our nation has slipped into an absolute state of ignorance, oblivion, and utter despair.

Former President, Theodore Roosevelt, once stated, "The teachings of the Bible are so interwoven with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally impossible for us to figure what life would be if those teachings are removed."

Since this movement in 1962 occurred to remove all things Christian, there has been a 560% increase in violent crime; a 419% increase in illegitimate births; a quadrupling in divorce rates; a tripling of the percentage of children living in single-parent homes; more than a 200% increase in the teenage suicide rate; and a drop of almost 80 points in SAT scores (college entrance exams).

The government has spent an tremendous amount of money and time in an attempt to reverse our social ills. Since 1962, the government's inflation-adjusted spending on welfare has increased by 630%; spending on education by 225%; and social programming has increased five-fold, all while morality and societal issues have continue to disintegrate.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) clearly reveals the essential elements for returning to God. If you will live in light of these truths, you can experience daily, continuous revival. Failure to heed Christ’s words will lead to fruitlessness and despair.Do I have genuine poverty of spirit? Do I recognize my own inability and the critical need for God in my life? (Matthew 5:3)

1. Do I mourn over my sin? When I sin, do I experience godly sorrow that leads to repentance without regret? ((Matthew 5:4 ; 2 Cor. 7:10)

432-+

2. Am I meek? Am I willing to be governed by God alone? Is the quality of brokenness evident in my life? (Matthew 5:5 )

3. Am I hungry and thirsty for righteousness in every realm of my life—with God, with others, in every situation, circumstance, and decision? (Matthew 5:6 )

4. Am I merciful toward others? Do I exhibit a spirit of forgiveness? (Matthew 5:7)

5. Am I pure in heart? Are my motives pure? Have I laid down other allegiances and affections that I have cherished more than Jesus? Do I have a single-minded devotion to Jesus Christ? (Matthew 5:8 ; 2 Cor. 11:3)

6. Do I seek to be at peace with all men without compromising my convictions? Do I make peace when it is within my power to do so? (Matthew 5:9; Rom. 12:18)

7. Am I standing so visibly for Christ that I am in opposition to the world, the flesh, and the devil and, because of that, suffering persecution? Do I rejoice when men revile me and say all kinds of evil against me falsely for Christ’s sake? (Matthew 5:10-12)

8. Does my life create a hunger and thirst for God in the lives of others? Am I being used of God now to preserve and maintain the truth? (Matthew 5:13 )

9. Does my life illuminate the truth about God and man before others? Do people see my good works (the fruit of the Spirit) and glorify God? (Matthew 5:14-16 ; Gal. 5:22-23)