“And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron” (2 Kings 23:12).
TEXT — 2 Kings 23:4-14
Message
Jonathan Edward once said, “When God has something very great to accomplish for His Church, it is His will that there should precede it, the extraordinary prayers of His people… when God is about to accomplish great things for His Church, He will begin by remarkably pouring out the Spirit of grace and supplication.” There cannot be true spiritual awakening without realization of our spiritual state, uncompromised teaching of the word of God, a conviction for sins and wholehearted repentance and prayers. Revival comes when we acknowledge our emptiness and sinfulness and turn from all unrighteousness. The world cannot be transformed without a revived and awoken church. A cold, lukewarm, bland and lethargic church cannot contain God’s move and outpouring of heavenly torrential rain. The rain that bathed the earth after three and a half years of famine in Samaria was precipitated by the long importunate supplications of Elijah, the Prophet of fire.
God remains the same and is ever willing to do what He did in years gone by, but His people are unwilling and unprepared. If we are willing, God will rend the heavens (2 Chronicles 7:14). Josiah’s significant reverence for God and his unalloyed dedication to doing God’s will, given the horrible legacy left behind by his ungodly predecessors, indicate that believers can live above board no matter how corrupt and decadent our environment and vicinities are. There can be no excuse for sin.
Josiah’s courage in carrying out these reforms shows that where there is a will, there will always be a way. His bold steps in confronting the decadent and corrupt national idolatrous practices are inspiring. Christians and ministers of God must not fold their hands and watch the forces of darkness proliferate our communities with all forms of satanic and ungodly activities. As a matter of urgency, we must, through prayer, spiritual warfare, and power-evangelism resist the devil and bring spiritual awakening and sanity to our world.
There is no better time than now. Fascinating musical concerts, fundraising projects, and powerful motivational speeches cannot bring the long-awaited revival to the Church. They cannot replace genuine repentance and confession of personal or congregational sins. People must also return to the secret place of prayers, weeping, and mourning for hypocrisy, rebellion, and wickedness. Only these will hasten the reformation we all need.
Thought for the day
Revival comes through repentance, humility and prayer.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
