Rev. Steve Hill
OUR BIGGEST NEED - REVIVAL
Steve Hill
Many want 2008 to be different. They want fresh revelation from the Word of G. They want their family members to become Christians. They want their churches to grow. They want revival to come to their land. Many others are in desperate need of physical or emotional healing.
Like most Christians, I too have a quite lengthy list of all the things I want from God in this year. But through the years, I’ve learned a few lessons on how to receive from God.
Most of us know the story of the blind man. Bartimaeus – Mark 10: 46-52. Here we have a man who desperately needed something from God, but was willing to go after it with all his heart, soul and strength. Perhaps you’ve heard of miracles that take place in other nations, especially in the Third W countries. Where the blind are seeing, the deaf re hearing and the lame are walking. Why do things happen so frequently?
It is because of hunger. Whenever you get a true hunger for god, He is sure respond and give what we ask for. The story of Bartimaeus can help teach us three important truths.
First, when expecting to receive something from God, we must recognize that we have a true need. I’m not speaking about a ‘want’, but I’m speaking about a real need, a legitimate one. Blind Bartimaeus was blind! He could not see and he knew it!
Many of us have a desperate need in our lives but lack the ability to recognize it. For example, many people want revival in their church but rather than going after God they go after the latest bells and whistles. They don’t recognize that the true need is fresh fire from heaven, which only comes from going after Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus recognised that.
Second, when receiving from God, we must have faith in the one who can meet that need. Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus. He didn’t appeal to the disciples or His friends, or to members of the crowd but he cried out to Jesus (v 47)!
Friends, we must go after the One who can meet that need. This is why so happen in foreign lands.
People recognize that medicines, doctors and financial institutions are not going to fix their problems.
They must have a touch from God. \they must have faith in the one who can meet their need.
The third thing we can learn from Bartimaeus is that he went after Jesus alone.
If you receive anything from this article, it should be the importance of going after Jesus by yourself.
Every move of God I’ve been part of has come from pursuing Jesus on my own. My personal hunger was met as I’ve fought to receive something from God.
I’ve fought in prayer, I’ve fought in fastings and I’ve fought in binding distractions. God always responds to my personal desperation.
Despite going after Jesus alone, never be afraid to take wise counsel, and appreciate that the Lord can use others to speak to you.
The Bible says that Jesus commanded Bartimaeus to be called. Jesus did not respond personally, he sent someone else.
Are you willing to receive from a pastor, an evangelist or another messenger from the Lord? During this year, God is going to allow other people to speak into our lives. Be willing to receive from them and you will see how they will bring you closer to Jesus.
What is your real need this year? Bartimaeus was a man with several needs, yet he went to God with the greatest need. No doubt, he was in poverty - he probably had no clothes or house, yet he focused on his most important need - he was blind.
n the UK, alcoholism isn’t the problem, nor drug addiction. Crime rates are not the biggest need, nor financial crisis.
The biggest need is revival. Once God moves and answers the biggest needs, watch all the other things follow.
Rev. Steve Hill
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