DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 7.2.22

TheArm of the Lord “The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shallsee the salvation of our God.” (Isaiah52:10) The human arm is often used in the Bible to symbolize spiritual strength or power. The word is first used in Jacob’s dying prophecy concerning his beloved son Joseph: “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands ofthe mighty God of Jacob” (Genesis49:24). The source of all true strength is in the mighty God, so it is not surprising to find at least 40 biblical references to the Lord’s powerful “arm” or “arms.” One of the most striking is our text, promising that when God “bares his arm” for His great work ofdelivering the lost world from its bondage to Satan and sin and death, then the whole world will see His salvation (literally His “Jesus”). In a real sense, therefore, “the arm of the Lord” is none other than Jesus Christ. When He came into His world, however, the world refused Him. Just a few verses later, introducing the incomparable 53rd chapter of Isaiah, appears this tragic question: “Whohath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah53:1). Nevertheless, some believed, and the first was His own mother. In her “Magnificat,” spoken in faith before Jesus was born, Mary said, “God my Saviour...hath shewed strength with his arm” (Luke1:47, 51). This confession of faith is the first use of “arm” in the New Testament and again refers to the saving arm of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, His arm is not only mighty to save, but also secure to hold: “His arm shall rule for him....He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom” (Isaiah40:10-11). HMM --------------------- Forgiveness That Sets You Free By Emma Danzey Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive asthe Lord forgave you.” Bear with Each Other The truth is that we are all sinners. There are going to be moments when we get on each others nerves, say things that we shouldn’t, and react in ways that are not Christ-like. When this verse talks about bearing with each other, this means that we have greatpatience for those around us. We give grace and endure through hardships. Part of hardships included having moments where we need to forgive or ask for forgiveness. Bearing is not a small task, it is a word that implies grueling difficulty. Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” The Holy Spirit empowers us to live by the fruit of the Spirit. This helps us to bear with one another in love. This is not our own love, but with Christ’s love. Forgive One Another Forgive one another is not just a suggestion, it is a command from the Lord. This is not an easy endeavor. We can only do this by the help of the Holy Spirit. I once was asked, “What is forgiveness?” Forgiveness is not acting like everything is ok, lettingsomeone walk all over you, or enabling abuse. Forgiveness is not holding the sin of another against them, but releasing their action to the Lord who is the Judge and entrusting Him with the situation. It is not ignoring that there is hurt or pain that needshealing, but it is being willing to release the encounter to God and walk forward with Him. This concept of forgiveness can only truly be found in Jesus. Everyone has been wronged, but the fact is that we have all wronged others. Jesus gives the most pure version of forgiveness because He was sinned against, but never sinned against anyone Himself.If anyone had the “right” to hold a grudge it would be Jesus, however He chose forgiveness in His perfection. His abundant love poured out on us so that we would be reconciled to God. The gospel is all about reconciliation for our sins. Forgiveness is a core theme. When we struggle to free someone else from our hearts and minds with bitterness, it eats us up and does no good. Forgiveness is following the life of Christ, releasing ourdesire to be in control, and living free of the bondage of unforgiveness. This does not mean that we accept sin, this does not mean that we say that what another person did was ok, this does not mean that we do not set boundaries with unhealthy or harmfulpeople. This does however mean that we move forward, we release unforgiveness and choose to love like Jesus did for us. We are humble enough to admit that we too are in need of forgiveness and we need to extend it to others. If You have a Grievance, Forgive as the Lord Forgave You As Christians, forgiveness is a foundation of our faith. We forgive because Christ forgave us. When we ponder the many times we have let God down and have been in need of constant forgiveness, we are much more likely to be more ready to forgive. Maybe you have someone who you need to forgive? Whatevergrievance that you have, do not forget to forgive like the Lord forgave you. When we think about how God forgave us, He did not only forgive partially, He forgave fully and completely. We do not have the right to pick and choose when we want to forgive andwhen we do not. The truth is that we are called as believers to a higher standard. We are called to forgive with the power of God in us to forgive fully and completely. Again, this is not excusing sin or diminishing its pain in your life, but it is honoringGod, freeing yourself, and witnessing His love to the offender. Forgiveness That Sets You Free - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 26 • •2022Jun 26 Forgiveness That Sets You Free By Emma Danzey Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive asthe Lord forgave you.” Bear with Each Other The truth is that we are all sinners. There are going to be moments when we get on each others nerves, say things that we shouldn’t, and react in ways that are not Christ-like. When this verse talks about bearing with each other, this means that we have greatpatience for those around us. We give grace and endure through hardships. Part of hardships included having moments where we need to forgive or ask for forgiveness. Bearing is not a small task, it is a word that implies grueling difficulty. Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” The Holy Spirit empowers us to live by the fruit of the Spirit. This helps us to bear with one another in love. This is not our own love, but with Christ’s love. Forgive One Another Forgive one another is not just a suggestion, it is a command from the Lord. This is not an easy endeavor. We can only do this by the help of the Holy Spirit. I once was asked, “What is forgiveness?” Forgiveness is not acting like everything is ok, lettingsomeone walk all over you, or enabling abuse. Forgiveness is not holding the sin of another against them, but releasing their action to the Lord who is the Judge and entrusting Him with the situation. It is not ignoring that there is hurt or pain that needshealing, but it is being willing to release the encounter to God and walk forward with Him. This concept of forgiveness can only truly be found in Jesus. Everyone has been wronged, but the fact is that we have all wronged others. Jesus gives the most pure version of forgiveness because He was sinned against, but never sinned against anyone Himself.If anyone had the “right” to hold a grudge it would be Jesus, however He chose forgiveness in His perfection. His abundant love poured out on us so that we would be reconciled to God. The gospel is all about reconciliation for our sins. Forgiveness is a core theme. When we struggle to free someone else from our hearts and minds with bitterness, it eats us up and does no good. Forgiveness is following the life of Christ, releasing ourdesire to be in control, and living free of the bondage of unforgiveness. This does not mean that we accept sin, this does not mean that we say that what another person did was ok, this does not mean that we do not set boundaries with unhealthy or harmfulpeople. This does however mean that we move forward, we release unforgiveness and choose to love like Jesus did for us. We are humble enough to admit that we too are in need of forgiveness and we need to extend it to others. If You have a Grievance, Forgive as the Lord Forgave You As Christians, forgiveness is a foundation of our faith. We forgive because Christ forgave us. When we ponder the many times we have let God down and have been in need of constant forgiveness, we are much more likely to be more ready to forgive. Maybe you have someone who you need to forgive? Whatevergrievance that you have, do not forget to forgive like the Lord forgave you. When we think about how God forgave us, He did not only forgive partially, He forgave fully and completely. We do not have the right to pick and choose when we want to forgive andwhen we do not. The truth is that we are called as believers to a higher standard. We are called to forgive with the power of God in us to forgive fully and completely. Again, this is not excusing sin or diminishing its pain in your life, but it is honoringGod, freeing yourself, and witnessing His love to the offender. Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you holding on to any bitterness or struggling to forgive? Take time to pray and ask God to help you release this and pray for this person. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” With God’s help we can all be more forgiving like our Savior Jesus. ------------------------ SpiritualEntropy “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be ableto judge between his brethren?” (1Corinthians 6:5) The word for “shame” in this verse is the Greek entrope, meaning “turning inward” or “inversion.” It is used only one other time, in 1 Corinthians 15:34: “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” Evidently this special variety of shame is associated with taking controversies between Christian brethren to ungodly judgesand also with failing to witness to the non-Christian community. Instead of bringing the true wisdom of God to the ungodly, such “entropic Christians” were turning to worldly wisdom to resolve their own spiritual problems. This inverted behavior was nothingless than spiritual confusion! The modern scientific term “entropy” is essentially this same Greek word. In science, entropy is a measure of disorder in any given system. The universal law of increasing entropy states that every system tends to disintegrate into disorder, or confusion, ifleft to itself. This tendency can only be reversed if ordering energy is applied to it effectively from a source outside the system. This universal scientific law has a striking parallel in the spiritual realm. A person turning inward to draw on his own bank of power, or seeking power from an ineffective outside source, will inevitably deteriorate eventually into utter spiritual confusionand death. But when Christ enters the life, that person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (2Corinthians 5:17). Through the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Scriptures, “his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2Peter 1:3). The law of spiritual entropy is transformed into the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans8:2). HMM ------------------- Fearand Rejoicing at God's Word “Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.” (Psalm119:161) While no author is given for Psalm 119, Jewish tradition and Rabbinic analysis attribute it to King David. This alleged authorship fits with many parts of the lengthy psalm, and especially this verse, which is given in a two-part contrast. Princes (rulers) literally threatened David’slife on a number of occasions and caused him a great deal of fear and consternation. But instead of fearing what man could do to him, he stood in awe of God’s Word. The Hebrew verb for “standeth in awe” (pahad) actually means to be in great fear and trembling. It’s a synonym for the much more common Hebrew verb for fear (yare). In fact, Psalm 27:1, written by David, uses both verbs; “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear [yare]? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid [pahad]?” A strong reverence for God’s Word is a healthy part of the Christian’s life. Isaiah 66:2 says, “But to this man will I [Yahweh] look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Ezra 9:4 says, “Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel.” But we aren’t merely to deeply revere God’s Word. The verse following today’s text says, “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil” (Psalm119:162). And in verse 127: “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” When it comes to the Word of God, we are to rejoice over it and deeply desire it. JPT ------------------ InChrist Jesus “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,but after the Spirit.” (Romans8:1) One of the key doctrines of Christianity is the union of the believer with Christ. In fact, the expression “in Christ” or its equivalent is found over 160 times in Paul’s epistles alone. Since, in God’s sight, we are “in Him,” all His attributes and accomplishmentsare credited to us as well. For example, Paul said even to the carnal Corinthians that “of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1Corinthians 1:30). To the Romans (see today’s verse) he said that being in Christ frees us from the judgment, since Christ has already borne our judgment. To the Galatians, Paul emphasized that “ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians3:28). The Ephesian epistle has many such expressions, the most comprehensive being Ephesians 1:3: “[God] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” To the Philippians, he promised that “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:7). The Christians at Colosse were assured that “ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians2:10). Even when we die, we “sleep in Jesus” and, when He comes again, “the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1Thessalonians 4:14, 16). Paul even wrote to Timothy that God’s “own purpose and grace” had been “given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2Timothy 1:9). These are only a few examples of the marvelous blessings shared by all who are “in Christ Jesus.” We should be willing gladly to acknowledge “every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Philemon1:6). HMM -------------------- UniquelyQualified - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh�s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt �Genesis41:46 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/uniquely-qualified/- Listen Joseph had gone from being a spoiled young man to running an estate to being in prison to becoming the second most powerful person in the world, in charge of Egypt�s foodsupply. A famine had struck the land, and Joseph�s brothers traveled from Canaan to Egypt to buy food. Egypt was the only place that had food because God had given Joseph the abilityto interpret Pharaoh�s dreams. As a result, Joseph warned Pharaoh to prepare for the future. When Joseph�s brothers arrived, they didn�t recognize him, but he recognized them. And when Joseph eventually revealed his identity, his brothers thought they were dead men. But Joseph told them, �Don�t be upset, and don�t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. .. . God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors� (Genesis 45:5, 7 NLT). God can and will use the experiences of your life to help other people. Since our son Christopher went to be with the Lord, I�ve had a new ministry that I never asked for�andfrankly never wanted. I�m often ministering to people who have lost loved ones, especially children. I don�t have all the answers for them, but I point them to Jesus. And I share some of the things that I�ve learned in this process. I�ve found that it actually helps me asI help them. The apostle Paul wrote, �[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God hasgiven us� (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT). God can take what you�ve gone through in life and use it for His glory. --------------------- ScatteredAbroad �Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.� (Acts8:4) God has given two great commissions to His people, both of which would require worldwide effort to accomplish. Both, however, were so resisted that God Himself had to step in and force His people to be obedient. Immediately after the great Flood, God gave the following command: �Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth� (Genesis 9:1). This was an extensionof the Edenic mandate given to Adam in the beginning, a commission to fill the earth and exercise dominion over it under God (1:28). Noah�s descendants, however, decided to stay in Babel and �make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of thewhole earth.� As a result of this rebellion, �the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth� (11:4, 9). Over 2,000 years later, the Lord gave His disciples another great worldwide commission: �Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature� (Mark16:15). Then followed the coming of the Holy Spirit, and soon �the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly� (Acts 6:7). But they remained in Jerusalem instead of spreading out to �the uttermost part of the earth� (1:8). Therefore, God once again intervened, and �there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem: and they were all scattered abroad� (8:1).Then, finally, began their full obedience to the great commission, for �they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word,� and eventually some �of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues� will stand in saving faith before theLord (Revelation 7:9). HMM ---------------------- Waiting on God Psalms 37:1-9 Waiting on God is an important spiritual discipline in our walk of faith. King David�s life teaches us about the value of following the Lord�s plan and the danger in moving ahead of Him. When David was a young shepherd boy, the prophet Samuel anointed him as Israel�s next king. Yet he did not become the ruler for many years. Waiting for the Lord to place him on the throne was made more difficult because the current king, Saul, turned againstDavid and repeatedly tried to take his life. Despite the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill his enemy, David held back. He wouldn�t allow anyone else to attack Saul either (1Sam. 24:1-7). He waited on God and was greatly blessed for his obedience. King David also knew what it was like to move ahead without the Lord. One year he chose not to join his troops in battle, even though that was one of his duties (2Sam. 11:1). During the time he stayed home, he noticed Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and he coveted her. Acting upon his desires, he conceived a child with her and then tried to cover up his sin. What a mess he made of his life. Instead of following theLord�s plan and being blessed, he experienced divine chastisement and much heartache. As believers, we want to obey the Lord, but there may be situations when intense desire propels us forward without waiting for His direction. Like David, we will experience the blessing of obedience or the heartache of disobedience. Be sure to seek out God�splan before you act. ----------------------- He Will Be There - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him �Psalm 91:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/he-will-be-there/- Listen As a pastor, I�ve done far too many funeral services for children. I�ve looked at parents sitting in the front row and tried to find the right words to bring comfort to them.Before our son Christopher went to Heaven, I would walk away from those services thinking, �I hope this never happens to me because if it did, I don�t think I could handle it.� But then one day it did happen to me. And we were the parents sitting in the front row at the funeral service. Here�s what I can tell you: No matter what you go through, Godwill be there for you and with you. Maybe you�ve seen someone going through a hardship and thought, �I don�t think I could handle that.� You don�t have the strength you need now to deal with that yet. But Godwill give you what you need, when you need it�not necessarily before and certainly not after. God doesn�t always deliver us from our circumstances. God doesn�t always take the problems away. But we can glorify Him despite our problems. Then there are times when God allows hardship in our lives so that He can step in and deliver us from it, and people will be amazed. Maybe the Lord wants to heal you of somethingor deliver you from something. A disability can turn into an ability when we place it in God�s hands. A disadvantage can turn into an advantage. Have you had a tragedy or problem in your life that has gotten your attention? Call out to the Lord, and He will save you. In some instances, He may even rescue you. Wherever you are in life, God is ready to step in and bring comfort to you. He�s ready to bring hope to you. But you must come to Him. ----------------------- A Clean Heart Psalms 119:9-11 Reaching our full potential begins with a clean heart�one that loves the Lord and desires to obey Him. However, each of us was born with a nature bent away from God. Jeremiah17:9 describes the heart as deceitful and inclined towards wickedness. Pleasing self is man�s normal state. Salvation changedour hearts and lives. Jesus� death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and broke its power over us. By receiving Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation�with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit�s leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the Father better. We also received the Spirit�s power to deny our selfish desires and obey God. With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the capabilities our loving Lord has given us. The best way to maintain a clean heart is by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a mirror in which we see ourselves as God does. Through it, we discover the areas where we have been faithful and also the places where we�ve veered from His path. Expressinggenuine repentance brings God�s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). The heart represents the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep it pure, we will more easily discern the Lord�s plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him obediently. Becoming the person God planned for each of us to be requires an intimate relationship with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart from Jesus, we can�t achieve anything of lasting value (John15:5). Cooperating with the Holy Spirit�s transforming work will help us keep our hearts clean. -------------------------- AKeeper at All Times �He that keepeth thee will not slumber.� (Psalm121:3) Everyone needs that one person who �has your back,� especially in times of calamity. But who is equipped to fill this keeper role unilaterally and compassionately �by day [or] by night� (Psalm121:6)? The Hebrew word for �keeper� found in Psalm 121 is samar, meaning to guard or keep watch. David directs believers to look to that one Person who holds us fast, keeping watch over us. �I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD[Yahweh], which made heaven and earth� (v. 1). As pilgrims journeyed to Jerusalem to attend major temple feasts, they would sing and meditate on this Ascent Psalm, reminding themselves that their help came only from the Creator of the universe�Yahweh! But this psalm is not just for David and these pilgrims. David changed the personal pronouns �I� and �my� in the first two verses to �thee� and �thy� in verses 3-8. David�s keeper is every believer�s keeper! All believers have Yahweh�s protection, underscoredby His �keeping role� being repeated six times in the next five verses. •�He that keepeth thee will not slumber� (v. 3). •�Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep� (v. 4). •�The LORD is thy keeper� (v. 5). •�The LORD shall [keep] thee from all evil� (v. 7a). •�He shall [keep] thy soul� (v. 7b). •�The LORD shall [keep] thy going out and thy coming in� (v. 8a). Believer, be assured we have an eternal keeper �from this time forth, and even for evermore� (v. 8b). CM ------------------ Part of a Bigger Plan - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins�and not only our sins but the sins of all the world �1 John 2:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/part-of-a-bigger-plan/- Listen The worst travesty of justice in human history was the trial, execution, and murder of Jesus Christ. The very Son of God had come to this planet to walk among us, heal us,and deliver the greatest teachings ever given to humanity. And what do they do? They beat Him, nailed Him to a cross, and left Him to die. But this was all part of a bigger plan. Jesus did not have His life taken from Him; He cameto lay down His life for our sins. Jesus said, �For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life� (John 3:16 NLT).From the greatest tragedy came the greatest good: salvation for everyone and the forgiveness of sin. You see, Jesus didn�t stay on that cross. He rose again from the dead three days later, and He is alive. Is Jesus Christ living inside of you? He is standing at the door of your life and knocking. He is saying that if you will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. You can pray and ask God to forgiveyou of your sins, and Christ will hear your prayer. Are you down and depressed and hurting? Jesus is saying, �Let me come in. Let me refresh you and give you rest. Let me give you the meaning and purpose of life that you beensearching for.� Jesus gives us the hope that when our lives on this Earth come to an end, we will go to Heaven. Not everyone has that hope. Heaven is not the default destination of everyhuman being. It is only the future destination of those who will put their faith in Jesus Christ. ---------------------------------- Our Truthful Father By Chelsey DeMatteis �Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.� - John 17:17-19 This world is a messy place. It's loud, vigorous, and rampant with waywardness. It squanders truth at all costs and labels it excluding. It elevates falsehood and celebrates it as love. This reminds me of what my life looked like before I claimed Jesus asLord over all. I sadly craved the false stability of living for the world and took the bait of the world's standards of "truth". I ushered in opinions of anyone and freely welcomed desires to feed my emptiness. "Truth" in my life at that point was formed bynothing more than feelings and emotion-based responses. But God! By His grace, He swiftly saved my soul from this path of destruction. When I finally surrendered my life to Jesus, I didn't know anything more than the Lord's prayer and John 3:16. I pray that gives you hope (either for yourself or for someone you're praying to come to know the Lord). I wasn't a Bible scholar, I didn't have much of anything in my memory tank from what I'd learned in my youth,but what I did have was a heart at the end of its rope and small a very small yet powerful reminder of God's Word. It honestly amazes me that I had God's Word still written on my heart through all my years of rebellion. These small seeds planted in my heart as a child would soon be watered and flourish into a deep desire to pursue the truths of God and His heart. I nolonger wanted to live in this emotional state of being tossed to and fro by my feelings and other people's opinions. My soul craved the actual truth, the undeniable, unwavering, all-consuming steadiness of God. As I began to grow in the knowledge of His Word through taking time to study Scripture and be poured into by mentors, His truth began to pierce the harshest parts of my flesh. The promise of sanctification began to reveal areas of my life I didn't know neededtending. Suddenly the truth I found in Christ became my anchor and the falsehood of my former life had to flee. -------------------------- Refreshed and Restored - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God of Heaven�s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved �Psalm 80:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/refreshed-and-restored/- Listen We often hear the word revival in the church, but we might wonder what revival is exactly. I think we overly mystify this word and don�t necessarily understand its actualmeaning. Revival is another word for refreshment, restoration, or simply returning something to its original condition. For instance, when someone buys an old car from the junkyard, does bodywork on it, repaints it, adds new tires and wheels, and puts in a new engine, that is a restoration.When you see it rolling down the road, you can�t believe it�s the same car. Or if you have a plant that�s withering, but it comes back to life again after you�ve watered it, that is a restoration as well. The psalmist prayed, �Won�t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?� (Psalm 85:6 NLT). And Psalm 80:19 says, �Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven�sArmies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved� (NLT). Revival is refreshment. Revival is restoration. For the believer, revival is getting back to that first bloom of a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes when we�vebeen walking with the Lord for a while, the passion begins to fade. The zeal begins to erode, and we don�t have the same excitement in walking with the Lord as we had before. We want longevity as we walk with Christ, but we don�t want to sacrifice our passion. Revival takes place when God�s people come back to life again because they are refreshed. They have been refilled and restored to their original condition. And what is the original condition? It�s the same condition as the church of the first century, the church of the book of Acts. It�s the church that turned their world upsidedown. ----------------------- A Spiritual Reboot - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you �Psalm 51:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-spiritual-reboot/- Listen Evangelist Billy Sunday said, �They tell me a revival is only temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good.� Periodically, we need a spiritual reboot. Revival is like the spark that starts the engine. We need God to intervene, and we need to keep fuel on the fire. Years ago, I was staying at a friend�s cabin, which had no central heating. That meant getting a fire started in the fireplace and then keeping wood on the fire. Everythingwas going great, except the fireplace was filling up with ash. And the metal bucket for disposing of the ashes was filling up to the top. A while later, I was sure the embers in the bucket had cooled off. It had been a long time. So I took the bucket outside, where it was very cold and very dark. Then I threwout the ashes. Much to my surprise, a few embers fell out with the ashes. And before I knew it, little fires had started. Thankfully, I somehow managed to put out all the flames before the fires spread. In the same way, revival is the spark that starts the fire we keep feeding. Just as I needed to keep fuel on the fire to keep the cabin heated, we need to feed the fire ofrevival. And we start by refueling ourselves spiritually. When we�re doing the things we always should be doing as Christians�reading the Bible, having a prayer life, being involved in our church, sharing our faith�it fuels the fireof revival and keeps that fire burning. But we when we neglect those things, we begin to fade. If you want to see a revival, then do revival-like things. Don�t overly mystify it. Just do the things you know you should be doing as a follower of Jesus Christ.