"...Times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord..." ~ Acts 3:19
Revival: What does it mean? Peter tells us in Acts 3:19 that it is a “time of refreshing...from the presence of the Lord,” a time when God visits us with a refreshing of His blessings, by reviving the hearts of His people and convicting and regenerating precious lost souls.
Most of us will agree that today we need a definite, positive refreshing from the presence of the Lord. I know, without the shadow of a doubt, without the Spirit of God being poured out upon us as water upon the thirsty and floods upon the dry ground, we can do nothing. Without the Spirit of God we are as ships with no wind for our sails, as branches with no sap to give life, as coals with no fire. Truly, without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). And when the Lord begins to pour out His Spirit, there will be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The hearts of God’s people will be revived, prayer will be finding its way to the throne of God’s eternal grace, and God’s people, like Jacob of old, will wrestle with Him and will not be denied until they receive the blessings from on high.
When God pours out His Spirit as floods upon dry ground, sinners will be convicted and brought guilty before the triune God; they will be made to turn to God from their sins. Cries of repentance will go up to God, hearts will be broken, homes will be made over, whole communities will be stirred, and sinners will be delivered by the power of God. They will be taken out of the kingdom of Satan and translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When God begins to pour, His people will become very fervent for the truth. They will be fearless and bold as they are filled with the Spirit of the living God, and none of Satan’s strongholds will be able to stand before them all the days of their lives.
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It's been a rough week around here between my bout with the flu and a major family crisis. I wrote this post earlier in the month, but wanted to add to it before posting as I am feeling this verse was put in my heart for this week because the Lord knew I would need it. He knew what was coming and that I would need to remember to just chill and let his presence calm me, strengthen me, and refresh my spirit.
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Your challenge this week is to use this scripture or another verse that reminds us to let Him pour His refreshing Spirit into us. When uploading your project, please use keyword ODBDBVT65 and then visit us at Our Daily Bread Designs Forum to share it!
Have a blessed weekend!
Thanks, Cheryl, once again for a wonderful message and beautiful sample. Prayers continue for you and your family. HUGS!!
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