Revival Report - November 2008

Dear Revival Family,
"It's like a blowtorch--we can't get in front of it."
"If we had the entire army, we still couldn't stop it."
"Wind is king here; it's dictating everything we're doing."

These statements were used to describe the ferocity of the recent wildfire near Los Angeles. But they also reflect what many are feeling about the events of the last month, in which the American banking system almost collapsed, major companies failed, and the stock market lost nearly 50% from its peak value.
Genuine fear swept the country as we tried to comprehend the crushing loss of our retirement savings and the mind-numbing cost of the government-sponsored bailout of our financial system. Many still worry about the security of their jobs, not to mention the future of a country saddled by massive levels of personal and national debt.
Even more troubling than the financial crisis, however, is the moral disintegration it exposed. Stories of calloused corporate greed and widespread political corruption betrayed our public trust and undermined our confidence in those in power. Congressional approval ratings bottomed out at only 11%, and a cry for credible leadership echoed across America.
But most disturbing of all was the fact that at the height of the crisis, when experts were wildly scrambling for solutions, not once did President Bush, John McCain, or Barack Obama--professing Christians--suggest that we stop to pray! The candidates did not even end their debate speeches with the historic phrase "God bless America." Apparently, as far as our leaders are concerned, God isn't part of the solution at all.

The Urgency of Now

The absence of God-consciousness in our society today is what makes this such a critical moment for America--so urgent that I feel compelled to stop everything I was doing in order to send you this special edition of Revival Report. In my lifetime, our nation has never experienced a more dramatic wake-up call with so little public acknowledgement of our need for God.
Regardless of whether the worst of the crisis is now over or whether it proves to be a precursor of even more turmoil in the days to come, there is a vital spiritual lesson we must not miss: God uses times of crisis to call people and nations back to Himself. Times of uncertainty, financial or otherwise, are divine opportunities to recognize the futility of our idols and to embrace the true hope that is in Jesus Christ alone.

Prayer in Times of Uncertainty

The prophet Hosea lived in times very similar to ours. Pervading winds of wickedness and unbelief swept over the people of God. Lust and greed dominated the political and religious landscape as worship of Baal filled the land.
The hope of Hosea's day must be our cry today: "It is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and rains righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12). In times of crisis, our hope is Jehovah God! No matter how dark the hour or how insurmountable the problems, there is no limit to God's power.
A. W. Tozer echoed this belief in the all-reviving power of God in an article entitled "Revival: No Limit to What God Could Do."
There is no limit to what God could do in our world if we would dare to surrender before Him with a commitment like this:
"Oh God, I hereby give myself to You. I give my family. I give my business. I give all I possess. Take all of it, Lord--and take me! I give myself in such measure that if it is necessary that I lose everything for your sake, let me lose it. I will not ask what the price is. I will ask only that I may be all that I ought to be as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen."
If even 300 of God's people became that serious, our world would never hear the last of it! They would influence the news. Their message would go everywhere like birds on the wing. They would set off a great revival of New Testament faith and witness.
God-sized change is possible for America today. But it is critical to recognize that every revival in history has been birthed, cradled, and nurtured in prayer. That's why now is the time to seek the Lord as never before. WE MUST SEEK HIM! The wind of evil can be overcome by the wind of the Spirit of God, but believers must repent, and we must pray!

Ripe for Revival

As strange as it may sound, I believe the crisis and uncertainty that America now faces are part of God's providential plan to invite America to spiritual awakening and revival. While I grieve over the hardships many are now experiencing, there is a sense that this is the season we've been waiting for--an opportunity for believers everywhere to express their confidence in God and to testify that Christ alone is the true hope of America.
The connection between crisis and spiritual revival is part of American history. In 1857 the stock market dramatically crashed amid loss of confidence in the American banking system and U.S. economy. Five thousand businesses failed within a year, and thousands lost their jobs. Yet in the midst of financial calamity, thousands of businessmen turned to prayer, and the great prayer revival of 1857-58 resulted in almost a million conversions!
The same situation is true today. The change we need in America will not ultimately come from the politicians in Washington or the market leaders at the Treasury or Federal Reserve. According to Scripture, real change begins in the hearts of God's people and is empowered by God's Spirit (1 Pet. 4:17; Zech. 4:6).
That's why I am eager to report that a passion and hunger for God to send a sweeping revival appears to be growing. God is working now in the lives of His people:
Even as I was writing this letter, a pastor called asking what I thought about him starting "prayer clubs" in his county. God had given him this burden: "If we have local Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and book clubs, why not have local prayer clubs for revival?"

Over 6,000 women gathered in Chicago to seek the Lord for personal renewal. Most signed the True Woman Manifesto to become agents of change through living out biblical womanhood. (Go to www.TrueWoman.com to read and sign the manifesto.)

Sixty churches gathered for a Send the Rain conference in Douglas, Georgia. For the first time in the city's history, God broke down ethnic and denominational barriers. When asked why 3,000 adults felt compelled to gather and seek the Lord in a town of only 11,000, they replied, "We are desperate. Our marriages are failing, our kids are rebelling, and our churches are dying."
A thousand people attended a prayer meeting for revival in a small community northwest of Atlanta. It was followed by an all-day Heart-Cry for Revival pastors' conference marked by unusual hunger for God.

I spoke during the Sunday morning service at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, the weekend their movie "Fireproof" was released in over 800 theaters. Only God could cause a movie saturated with core revival truths to garner a national release and exceed box office expectations.

Sixteen Life Action revival summits and THIRST conferences have taken place in local churches so far this fall, and 40 more communities will be reached by the end of spring. In each location there have been vivid demonstrations of life-change--the kind of life-change that multiples, like in this family from Alabama:
Wow! That is about all I can say. Wow! Fifteen days ago my husband and I had two family members that we didn't have a right relationship with, and he was very hardhearted about what happened between them. After the sermon on forgiveness, my husband woke up and spent one hour with God. He then called his granddad at 6:00 a.m. It has changed him. After 7 ½ years of marriage and going to Sunday school and church services at least once a week, we have found God in our marriage. Fifteen days ago, we were playing mom and dad, husband and wife--now we are becoming a godly family.

Just as this family experienced radical change, God can also take a hardhearted nation and transform hearts, homes, churches, and communities. Widespread revival has happened before--let's urgently pray for God to send the sweeping wind of His Spirit to America again!
Thank you for sharing that vision with us. Our hope is in the Lord. And the time for revival is NOW!

Seeking Him together,
Byron Paulus and the Life Action Staff

Pride

Pride is being more concerned about what others think of me than what God knows me to be. Pride can manifest itself through shyness as well as through arrogance. Pride deals in generalities; humility deals in specifics.
When you find yourself beginning to talk in generalities about what God is doing in your life, or you are content to confess sin generally rather than specifically, you can be certain that pride is re-establishing a foothold in your life.
Keep yourself accountable to others for what God is doing in your life. Be open. Be transparent. Be honest. Be specific. Pride covers up; humility confesses.
The first tendency people have when they begin to back up on the work of God in revival is to cover up their true spiritual condition with a false cloak of spirituality. They say the right things, they do the right things, but they have ceased to be right.
Rather than being honest and transparent about their condition, they choose to "save face" by pretending to be revived when they are not. Spiritual accountability to others will help to prevent pride from settling into the revived heart.

Insight from the Word:
Proverbs 13:10 "By pride comes nothing but strife."
Proverbs 16:18,19 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Proverbs 21:4 "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin."
Daniel 4:37 "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble."

Making It Personal
• Have I confessed to God the specific sins I have been guilty of committing in the past 24 hours?
• Is there any need or sin in my life that I have refused to admit to God or to others?
• Am I leaving a better impression of myself with others than is honestly true?
• Is there any area of pride, resistance, or self-sufficiency in my life that could be causing God to resist me?

© Life Action Ministries: Revival Review--Keys to Continued Revival

Trailer Life

No I am not sick…..
What I thought would be a simple and quick project turned out to be a 4 hour multiple trip to the hardware store event……. Just to replace the toilet in the large bathroom in the trailer.

Victory in Gettysburg

October 12-22 we had the privilege of being at Gettysburg Baptist Church for an 11 day conference. During that time we saw God do some great things among His people. We wanted to share one testimony from the Senior Pastor at that church. It was amazing to see what God did in the life of his son while we were there.

“Praise Adonai! I just got finished singing that song with the worship team and band. My favorite song is that song. Thank you, members of the entire team, and all of you at headquarters for your lives laid down for the Lord. Thank you for your sacrifice and dedication.
Thanks to the “Trailer People” and their families and all the members of this team and what God has done through you for my church. I see change – revival in the eyes and focus of many here at Gettysburg Baptist Church. I pray that it’s just the beginning of what will happen here and spread to Gettysburg and from there to the area. I have prayed for Gettysburg, PA, for 25 years. It is the town where the civil war changed a nation. May it be the town where revival changes a nation!
But more than anything else, praise God for my son Ty. God changed his life during these days. He is my 42 year old son, who is my assistant pastor. But he has been angry and bitter for years. I spent the past six months trying to figure out how to fire him without hurting the church. But he’s my son so I agonized over that. I’m 62 years old and my son is 42 years old. I was always hoping he would serve on this ministry, but he was so angry I could not put him in more responsibility.
This morning, with [family revivalist], as my witness, he met with me and humbled himself, got on his knees and asked my forgiveness. I got on my knees and embraced him and we wept and I forgave him. I promised a blessing on him. It is a new day in my life – I have prayed for this moment and longed for it for years. I have always felt my son will do greater things for God than I ever could. He is more talented and gifted than I am. Now I will pray and see that happen.
Then afterward, he got on his knees and asked his mother to forgive him. Her response was the same. We are thankful and praising God. I have been walking around with the greatest joy all day. Praise the Lord! Thank all of you!”

Humility

The heart of Jesus was to bring glory to the Father in all that He did, never taking credit for Himself. The heart of humility is one that esteems others as greater than itself. It serves others, it submits, and it desires that God be glorified.
This principle is closely tied to that of honesty, for honesty before God and others will keep you humble. The moment you think you're humble, you're not!
The opposite of humility is pride, which has an exalted opinion of itself and is self-seeking. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The pathway of humility is the key to releasing the grace of God in your life.
Insight from the Word:

Proverbs 22:4 "The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life."
Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
1 Peter 5:5-6 "Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."


Making It Personal:
How have I expressed my need to God and to others in the past 24 hours?
Do I gladly receive instruction, correction, or rebuke from others, particularly from those I perceive to be "less spiritual" than I am?
Is there anyone that I do not esteem as better than myself, or that I am unwilling to serve?

© Life Action Ministries: Revival Review--Keys to Continued Revival

Interesting Things at Churches

One of the things that many of you have asked for is a look at trailer life as well as the fun things, and the not so fun things that we experience while on the road. One of things that I would like to add to this plethora of experiences is to share some of the interesting things that we run into at some of the churches we visit……
For example, the picture attached was something I had never seen before. This was the men’s bathroom at the church. I couldn’t help think about what it would be like to have someone share the experience with you while in the bathroom. No divider, no space between you and the “other guy”. “Um…. excuse me, could you pass me a square or two when you get a chance.”

Conference Testimonies

God is so good, and faithful, even when I am so low in my spiritual state or being. I want to thank you for the messages this week to remind me of all the blessings that I have missed. I had the opportunity to change that this week.

The conference this week was “exactly” what I needed. Somehow I knew that God would be hitting on the areas of my life that needed work even before your team arrived. God reminded me of His grace and love for me. I was able to pour out the “substitutes” in my life on Sunday night. What freedom that gave me. A freedom I hadn’t felt in quite some time. God is continuing to work in my life. Thank you for being a tool in His hands. May God continue to bless your walk. I will be praying for your ministry.

All of the services have been great and God spoke to me in each one. However, during our ladies’ luncheon, God really used [revivalist’s wife] to show me some areas that I need to give over to God and issues of my heart to discuss with my husband. I know our marriage will be strengthened from the message God gave [revivalist’s wife] to pass on to me. It was awesome and she is a great, servant used by our Lord to speak to women about things we really needed to hear. . .

Thank you for the exemplary Christian example that every team member has shown through attitude and action. I have been challenged in several ways during this four day Thirst Conference, but one instance in particular stands out above the rest. I have, without realizing it before, been abusing my family by not controlling my temper, not that I have been physical, but that I so often get upset with them for little things. I mean God has been so GOOD to me, He has given me a wonderful wife and two children. I have committed to God to always stop and thank Him for them before I respond in any way going forward. May God bless Life Action.

My life will be changed in the area of brokenness and forgiveness. The Lord spoke to me in our worship and praise like I have not had in a long time. I found a greater need to be close to my wife and children. Thank you for coming to Elkview.

Thank you! Each day I waited for the evening service. What a blessing it has been to me as we praised and worshiped my Lord. My husband and I have been through much, so we were able to come and get on our knees before God. We felt God speaking to us both about forgiveness and forgiving. I hadn’t realized how much I had refused to acknowledge my sin. Thank you again.

I have returned to the high place, close to the Son. Thank you for pointing me to the King of Kings who sustains me in the rough times and now I know He enables me to live the Christ-centered life by looking to the cross. I am ashamed that I wanted to leave my true love, Jesus Christ. I have been in church 52 years; I’m 52, and used to go forward as a child over and over (Baptist church). Always wanting Jesus but not until 1980 did I truly experience salvation, spirit-filled! So many sweet times with the Lord… I began to move farther and farther away, grieving the Holy Spirit, from the one true lover of my soul. I began playing church, going in my strength. I have been so weary. . . I’ve prayed, “God, please do not let me express my depravity. Please fix me.” Over and over I asked, “Don’t you want me to serve you?” I just want to be faithful and speak your work to children. I want to be a story teller to teach the word of God, to be a full time Christ follower. Thank you for telling me that to be all that Jesus wants is to focus on the Cross. I needed all the teaching, thank you. I have been obedient to the Lord. Thank you so much.

I just wanted to let you know what God has convicted me in my life this week. I was pricked by the Holy Spirit during a message on stewardship. I’m one of those people who you would call “cheap.” I would get upset at my husband for leaving a generous tip at restaurants. Eventually I felt bad about it so I stopped griping at him for tipping well, but I still complained in my spirit. God convicted me that I have been selfish. How could I who has been so blessed, not be willing to bless others? From now on when my husband gives a good tip or when I see a need that needs to be met, I am going to change my attitude about it with God’s grace and hopefully meet the need. Thank you, Life Action, for showing me how I need to be blessing others with the blessings God gave me.

You have shown me some of the things that have hindered my growth with God. One of the things is that I was letting possessions get to me. I had a hard time with when I saw something I wanted I would figure out every possible way so I could get it. If I would put that much thought and time with God it would be wonderful. So thanks for the cup!

Thanks for reminding me of God’s power, greatness, and wonderful love. His grace truly is enough! Twenty-nine years ago, God delivered me from the bondage of sin and set me free. Praise His wonderful name! His mercies are new every day. God has spoken to my heart this week in the area of putting Him first, yes, first, even above family.

God is merciful to me. For a lot of years I have had to ask my daughter for forgiveness. I have lied to her. I have yet to do that [ask forgiveness]. The Life Action team has been God’s instrument this week to put me into action. I intend to go to her, I’m sure she will forgive me. I know this may be what we both need. Thank you for coming! Please remember me in prayer. I love our Savior!

First, thank you for coming to be with us. I have enjoyed every moment. God is the lover of my soul, my savior, my comforter, and my every hope. Thank you for helping me and reminding me just how awesome our God is. These days have broken me and given me a renewing of my faith. This is the best revival I have ever attended. God is using your team in a mighty way. Thank you and God bless.

Wow, how to put into meager words what it is like to feel God, know God, and commune with God? I have had an awesome, wonderful awakening from a nap I didn’t realize I was taking. How sweet it has been to collectively worship our Lord and to feel like one big family under a great Father. I would love to go on and on but I am struggling to put into writing what I have experienced and will continue to experience…thank you for being His “tool.”

I have felt a moving of God. I have needed to feel spiritual growth for years (we haven’t been members at Elkview Baptist Church for long) and I believe that growth has started. The music has been wonderful! The preaching has been wonderful! Thank you, thank you, Lord.

I have come to better appreciate the holiness of God and what that means. How I should compare my thoughts and actions to the holiness of God. If I can focus on this, I think I will make better choices with my family and my wife. Choices to appreciate them better, to treat them better, etc. When I get away from God and don’t pray or study my Bible, then I lose the appreciation of who He is and what He has done. How can I justify the choice to sin when I think about God and His love for me?

God is my loving Savior who is ever present in my daily life and only a prayer away. This week I have been reminded of His holiness and my neediness, and a refreshing of the Holy Spirit, an affirmation of a lost and dying world that I must be more persistent to reach with the Gospel.

You have certainly been a blessing to me. God has touched my heart through you and I am again reminded how great God is. I have been challenged to live a more focused life for Jesus and to honor Him in everything I do. It’s easy to be “too busy” to take the time to study God’s word and to meet with Him, but I want to do better in this area and strive to be more Christ-like. You have again taught me about true forgiveness and I am ever challenged to forgive again and again. Thank you for being here and I have been so spiritually uplifted during these past four days. Thanks to such a God-centered conference.

When I first learned that we would have several days of meetings, I thought “How in the world can we fit this into our ‘busy’ schedule?” Praise God, we did fit it into our so-called busy schedule. The Lord has blessed us so very much through the meetings. God bless you as you continue on from here… sharing truth and praise across our country, because we are a dry and thirsty land. We were honored to share our home with [team girls]. They brought joy and laughter to our house and were extremely well mannered.

Thank you for your visit to Elkview WV. I am so glad you came to this church. Thank you so much! We were drying up and needed to be refreshed and revived. Wish you could have stayed longer as you really helped me and will be in my daily prayers. Thank you and God bless you.

I have very much appreciated worshiping God with you. I trust God will continue to bless our congregation in a greater way. We will strive to continue to remember how God has been to us. We will strive to pass on to others what we have learned and felt as we experienced God’s will for our lives. Thanks for your encouragement and examples you have set before us. May God continue to bless you. We will continue to pray for you.

Thank you for ministering to us here in Elkview, WV, this week! It has been a blessing to be able to participate in the services and be fed while the team takes care of all the behind the scenes work. We often don’t get that break. It came at a good time as I realize that I need to focus more on my purpose for serving, to give of my talents to worship Him, rather than the drama that comes with being in the place where the buck stops. It’s a wonderful feeling to be refreshed. Thanks to you, the reader, for your part in this ministry for it may not always be acknowledged. Yet it serves an important part of His purposes. Thank you!

God is everything to me. Your team has given me much encouragement to continue living for my Heavenly Father. I’m 80 years old and have been more active in the church during my younger years and after meeting with you, I’m sure I’ll be able to put self last. My husband is 87 years old with Parkinson’s disease and requires much attention. Now this can be done with God’s help, without murmuring.

I came to the revival to renew and refresh my Christian faith. The Words of God washed across me like summer rain. It opened my eyes to things that I am unaware of or chose not to see. It made me search my conscience to the people I hurt over the years. After discovering those people I harmed, it made me realize I had to make amends in order to have the peace of mind that I have been looking for. Did the revival meet my expectations, yes, and more. Praise the Lord!

God has reminded me how powerful He is and that when God’s people are sensitive, He will speak to us and change us. Although I had prepared my heart much before the team came, I was challenged by the Lord concerning some personal guards I must maintain.


I have been thrilled as a pastor to see people respond wonderfully to the challenge of God’s word, watching some pray before services together and seeing them respond to the challenge has been an incredible blessing. I am praying that this is just the beginning…

I have enjoyed the meetings. They have been a blessing and a cause for me to confess a lot of things that needed to be dealt with. There are still things that I need to work on. I appreciate the time and the effort that the team gives to promoting Jesus Christ and causing me to examine my own life, and make some confession that I needed to deal with in my life. Revival is a really great way to draw closer to God once again and to relearn some things that we may have forgotten along life’s journey. God is still working on me.

I have enjoyed these four days with you. I have seen that I need to reprioritize my life in order to serve the Lord in the way He wants me to serve Him. I have enjoyed the praise music as it glorifies the Lord. I have also enjoyed the messages as they have led me to the awareness that I need to focus on the Lord more every day. Thank you and God bless you.

Each service has opened my heart to God’s word and has shown me areas in my life that I need to let God lead. God is a gracious and loving God that desires for me to draw closer to Him. I have a desire to allow God to come and control me daily. Thank you for your ministry.

Thank you for joining us in our worship. Your team has refreshed me. I am working on becoming a better husband and I gained valuable tools in how to do that. I also have become more active in my prayer life by concentrating on the things that matter and not petty things like money or my career. Thank you and God bless you all.

Thank you for coming and ministering to Elkview Baptist Church. During our revival as a church, I personally experienced revival. I have learned about God’s love and forgiveness. I have also learned that I still fall far from grace, that there is forgiveness that was needed in my life. He also has shown my need to give of my time, talents, and gifts to store treasures in heaven and not treasures on earth. Most importantly I have learned that revival doesn’t have to end today, but continue throughout my walk with the Lord.

To be truthful I was not looking forward to this series of meetings. Sunday morning I came to church out of obligation. Then, the first service touched my heart in such a way that I could not wait to get back on that evening. God has spoken to me this week through His word. I have grown spiritually and I want to continue so much to practice what I have learned this week. I have turned over those things I have seen that I do not want in my life to God and praising Him for the power to overcome these obstacles in my way with His help. Praise God that you came and helped to rescue my weary soul.

It has been a blessing to know how God works in all of our lives. It’s great to become broken and to humble ourselves before the Lord and give everything to Him. To know God loves me no matter what I do or who I am is amazing. The ladies’ luncheon was awesome.

This revival has helped me to put some things in my life in proper perspective. It has increased my faith some and has shown me an area where I need to learn to trust God more. I have asked His help in developing trust in this area. I am also praying that He helps me to “keep Him first” in my life; then all other things will take care of themselves.


I didn’t know what to expect when I heard your team was coming. I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to house two team members. Wow…the surprise was worth it! How God has used every ounce of this week to minister to me is amazing to me. To think God loves me enough to use four days to minister to me in this way, is blowing me away. I didn’t realize that I needed a break from serving to be ministered to. The fact that your team did everything ministered to me, allowed me a time of renewing that God knew I needed so desperately. I needed a time to really focus on what He had to teach me. The ladies’ luncheon spoke to me in so many ways. I didn’t realize how much power I was trying to hold onto in my church life, family life, etc. every area in my life. Each message spoke to me about a different area that needed a renewing and work in my life. God and I have met in such a way the last few days that I haven’t allowed Him in many years. Thank you for the privilege to house [two team girls]. I mean thank you, thank you, thank you! These two young ladies are two of the nicest, respectful, lovers of God that I have ever met. They ministered to our family every minute we spent together. Their love of God is evident in their speech, their dress, and their actions. Again, thank you for this opportunity. God has truly begun a revival in my life this week. Thank you for allowing God to use each of your lives in this way. You are truly impacting the kingdom for eternity.