Seeking Revival? Stop trying harder to get there.

We all have areas of life in desperate need of growth. Whether you need to get more organized, structured, healthy or defeat bad habits our culture tells us that we need to try harder. When we recognize our shortfalls we decide to do just that, try harder, be better, do more. When the growth area is based upon what you do, like diet, exercise, planning, etc. effort is indeed what is needed! However when it comes to spiritual growth in the Christian life the same rules do not apply. If you want to experience spiritual revival in your heart, in your family, or in your church trying harder is not the answer.

The message of the Gospel and all of scripture is that we cannot work our way into right relationship with God, or with each other. God himself had to take on flesh (John 1:1) and live the life we could not live and die the death we should have died in order to bring us into the righteousness we were created to experience. (Romans 8:28 and John 3:16)

In our recent series "Revival still in progress" we saw in Nehemiah chapters 9-10  the returned Israelite exiles experiencing the revelation of their failure to know and follow the Law of God. Their failure weighs heavy upon them and they know they need to do better, so how do they respond? They decide to try harder, put in more effort and stay faithful for real this time around! While realization of ones need for God and a desire to be obedient is a good thing, the method by which you achieve this is not through personal effort. God does not call us to try harder, but to TRUST harder. The path to spiritual growth, obedience, and faithfulness is through surrender to Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit within you.

If you want to see spiritual revival in your life and deeper obedience to God in your actions you must start by:

Identifying areas in your life where you are:

• Trusting yourself more than you trust God
• Trying to work harder to earn spiritual health, revival, or righteousness

Surrendering those areas of your life to God and start:

• Trusting God to get you where you need to go more than you trust yourself
• Surrendering to the finished work of Christ instead of trying to do the work yourself

The call to follow Jesus is not a call to work your way into God’s presence, it’s a call to surrender to Jesus’ finished work, completed on your behalf. You need to trust harder, and surrender more fully if you want to see a spiritual revival in your heart.