“How did the revival impact you?”
I’ll never get tired of being asked that question.
God has touched so many hearts these past two weeks, restoring hope and joy to desperate and hurting people. As part of the student body, hearing all the wonderful stories of God’s faithfulness has restored my morale and filled me spiritually. Yet I believe it’s time to transition and begin asking ourselves a few more pertinent questions:
How can I sustain the spirit of revival in my everyday life?
How do I continue to nurture my faith and preserve this experience rather than reduce it to a spiritual high?
How can I fan the flame of my passion for God beyond the walls of Hughes?
My personal goal is to continue in the natural rhythms the Holy Spirit used to govern us during those first few days in Hughes.
One facet of this is time spent in prayer. Busy schedules restrict prayer. It’s always been too easy for me just to check prayer time off my mental checklist every morning. A 15-minute devotional shouldn’t be the only time we slow down to communicate with God. Prayer should be an active habit and a special time of quietness and privacy. The Lord often calls us to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalms 46:10) by “going into our room, closing the door and praying to our Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6).
Let yourself bask in His presence for longer than usual. Your schedule should work around your relationship with God, not vice versa.
I also need to grow by sharing my testimony and involving myself more in the church. It allows me to minister to others around me. Serving requires extreme sacrifice, but as a Christ follower, shouldn’t that be something we rejoice in? One way we serve others is through encouragement. Don’t be afraid to share your revival story! Revival movements are meant to be a spark. How we serve those around us is a flame needing fuel for the rest of our lives.
One of the scariest and most healing moments for me during the revival was when I went to the altar. Confessing is terrifying, but there is beauty and freedom in repenting in front of a crowd. Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to us in a still, small voice, and other times, in an intense compulsion to be honest and vulnerable with those around you. There is peace in answering God’s call and doing or saying what He is laying on your heart. Let the Lord take the darkness in your soul and turn it into light!
Lastly, we must fix our eyes on Christ and worship more often. Since the first few days of the revival, my head has been filled with praise songs— and I love it that way. Don’t be afraid to stretch out your arms and sing at the top of your lungs! As Christ’s children, we don’t need to be intimidated or embarrassed during worship. Allow your heart to overflow with joy as you praise His name.
This is how we maintain and reaffirm the changes the Holy Spirit has enacted. Be persistent in your pursuit of peace friends.
Our God will be with you through it all.