Vital signs- Thursday, October 6th, 2022

Repentance is Key

to revival. So, let repentance start with me, and then call one another to repent.

Maybe you’re not walking in deep sin, but perhaps you’ve lost that true excitement and passion that comes with the joy of salvation. Let’s not forget the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. Let’s repent for we have forgotten the joy of our Salvation!

The Apostle Peter said in Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

He was saying, “Here's the key: You must repent of your sins, then the time of refreshment will come." 

That word "refreshment" in the Greek means: the living breath of God. One definition describes it as: revival, the breath of God. Resurrection life will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will, again, send you Jesus—your appointed Messiah. Repentance is the first step towards revival. If you want to get your life back, you must start with repentance. I encourage you to get real with God, get honest, and say, "Lord, I repent." 

John the Baptist called people to repentance. Before Jesus did any miracles, John the Baptist was crying out, "Repent! Prepare the way of the Lord!" The awakening, the revival that Jesus brought with him, had been prepared by the message of repentance. When John the Baptist did this, people came from miles away out into the wilderness. They were baptized in the Jordan River, and then Jesus' ministry was launched.

Repentance is the beginning of revival, and we can’t expect the world to repent. The church must be first. The church has to decide, "You know what? We need to repent of being too comfortable with our Christian circle, forgetting about those who haven’t yet found their faith in Christ.”

We are forgetting about whom we need to reach and the world that's hurting around us. We need to get passionate about reaching our neighbors, our lost friends, and our loved ones that are far from God. That requires getting on our knees beginning to pray. Let’s start contending for miracles to happen on a daily basis.

Revival starts with you. Carry revival with you. Share it with those around you. The Lord is ready to do His part; let’s be ready to do ours. 

Paul said in Romans 13: 11, "It is high time we wake up." 

Time is running out. It's time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer than it's ever been." He said, "We must cast off darkness and immoral deeds. We have to get rid of lust, envy and jealousy, and we have to put on the clothes of right living." Once we begin to clothe ourselves with Jesus and with His light, we will have the opportunity to usher in revival.