Why a Revival of the Heart is Vital

January 31, 2010

“You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
There is no one like our God

For greater things
Have yet to come
And greater things
Are still to be done in this city”  Bluetree lyrics
 

There’s no denying it, times are rough and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve somehow ignored the warning signs and now we’ve begun to hit rock bottom as a nation. There are currently 12.5 million people in the U.S. or 8.1% of the eligible population who are unemployed according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s more is that the projection for the end of the year(2010) is that they’ll be 9.4 of the U.S. population will be unemployed. The average debt per American household, not including mortgage is $14,500. The total amount of credit card debit in the United States as of March 2009 was $950 billion! Finally, over 13 million people in the U.S. reported that they have at least a credit card balance of $10,000 or more month to month. How did we get here and how do we get out of this mess? I believe what our nation needs more than ever is a revival. A revival of how we spend our money, how we view our lives, and most importantly a revival on our relationship with God. Simply put, a revival of our hearts.

How did we get here? I could give you the economic reasons: the excessive debt of American families, current credit expansion, the U.S. trade deceit, but I want to focus of a few key areas. First is debit in credit cards. With so many people carrying several thousands of dollars of debit, spending has been on a downward spiral because people can’t dig out of the hole they’ve created. Also another big reason is the concept that there is no hope. With thousands of people losing jobs every day, stores going out of business, and countless people declaring bankruptcy we’ve bought in the lie that it’s a lost cause and we should just accept the reality of the situation. Finally, I believe our loss of morality and values has played a significant role in the recession. Without God in the picture, the nation is now at a state of crisis with abortion clinics, a billion dollar porn industry,  the large increase in gang violence, the decay of moral values in our media concerning movies and television, the acceptance of homosexuality, evolution taught in school systems, and the list goes on and on. It’s indeed a very dark time for the United States and if we don’t do something soon it could be too late to recover.

We need a revival and an awakening. I’m not just talking about financially but also in our hearts. We must turn from the “isms” that have plagued our nation:  Materialism, relativism, racism, extremism, secularism, narcissism, and cynicism.  The core of the problem is much deeper than money, it’s how we’re living our lives and how are attitude towards God and others is. In order to experience a cultural, spiritual, and economic revival we need to apply these six key principles:

1) Reconnect with God. Any revival of significance must start with God. The main reason why we as a nation are so much in trouble is because we act as if we’ve God and we control our circumstances. We make all of our decisions and plans before praying; ignoring God and His plans for our lives. In Joel 2:13 it states: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow in anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” Put God back into the center of your life and make Him Lord over every decision you make. Only then with our lives have purpose and significance again.

2) Rejoice in God’s Goodness and Grace. Stop complaining! We have so much to be thankful for as a nation. Just look at the devastation in Haiti–hundreds of thousands of people have lost loved ones, homes and communities are completely gone, and there is nothing but gloom and despair as people are left with literally nothing. So stop focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have. Remind yourself daily of God’s blessings even when things aren’t going your way. You may not be in a good financial position, but thank God that you have a place to live in, food to eat every day, and good health. Or you may be struggling to find a job in your field of study and stuck with a dissatisfying job; just be thankful you even have a job. There are many people who would be more than happy to have your job in these bad economic times. Gratitude goes a long ways to bring you peace and joy in your life. Without a thankful heart, we become jealous, bitter, angry, and even hateful. We must put the emphasis back on thanking God even for the small things in life that we often overlook.

3) Request and Pray for Our Nation. We tend to blame our government and leaders for the state we’ve in, but do we ever stop and pray them? Pray specially for different issues, leaders, laws being passed, etc. It doesn’t have to be anything long or elegant, just let God know your concerns about our nation. Instead of blaming others, pray for them! Also take part in letting your voice be heard and standing for what’s right. Don’t just sit back and let the moral values of the nation fall away, fight for them! We’ve become a nation of followers, become a leader and stand up!

4) Repent of Self-Centeredness. As the famous saying goes: The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.  God is not to blame for the mess we’re in—we are. We brought this upon ourselves by our greed, foolish spending, and materialistic worldview. We’ve bought things we didn’t need, with money we didn’t have, to impress people we don’t even like! So we must turn to God repenting for our selfish ways and be willing to change our attitude towards the way we spend money. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we’re told: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  Be willing to give back to others despite how tight your budget is, spend wisely, and act as a steward towards God. Only when we lose our pride and turn to God will we get out of the financial hole we’ve dug up.

5) Respect One Another. The “Golden Rule” in our society is often recited and looked upon with favor, but rarely practiced. Our society is increasingly becoming uncivil: Rudeness, disrespect, insults, slurs, slander have spread like wild fire in the internet, the media, schools, communities, and sadly even churches.  All human beings are due respect and dignity because everyone of them is created in the image of God. We all have our differences and opinions, but that doesn’t give us reason to treat ourselves as inferior to them. Be willing to take responsibility in your actions and forgive others quickly because we all make mistakes and we all are in need of grace. Let love be at the forefront of all you do and say.

6) Revere Jesus’ Name. The fact that many people aren’t offended when Jesus Christ is used as profanity or mocked should tell us how fallen as a nation we are. Instead when we use His name in prayer or use His name with reverence and love, it’s seen as offensive. Just watch most movies and television shows today and you will find this to be true. In 1 Samuel 2:30 we are reminded: “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.” How do we expect to be blessed as a nation if we curse the one who’s blessed us?! We must learn to fear and respect the name of Jesus Christ and give Him the praise He deserves. We do this by not indulging in our sinful desires and living lives of purity, love, and humbleness. Only then will God pour back his blessings upon this nation.

In conclusion, we must start a revival in our hearts. Again we need more than just a revival on our spending habits–We need to change our attitude and lifestyle towards God.  Turn back to God and embrace His will for your life. Give Him control over all areas of your life: Money, relationships, your job, family, etc. Thank God every day for the countless blessings we have as a nation and what you personally are blessed with. Keep the nation’s leaders in your prayers and be willing to stand up for what’s right. Repent of your sinful lifestyle and we willing to change the way you view your life.  Live your life by the golden rule: “Love others as you love yourself”; not just when you feel like it or others are kind to you–but under all circumstances. Finally examine your life and find what habits and actions are dishonoring God–whatever it may be: Your television viewing habits, your language, the way you dress, how you spend your money, the way you spend your time, your eating habits, etc. It’s the heart in the end that matters to God, nothing else: ^“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) So ask yourself this question: The nation is in need of a heart transplant, am I a willing donor?  

Future Features: Next week I will dive into the very conversional and highly disputed view of chastity. I encourage everyone to have an open heart and mind towards what God’s original design for sex is and to discard what you may have read or heard in the past about it that that is contrary. I will discuss how our nation views sex, the media’s lies about sex, what teens are being taught about “safe sex” and how to view sex as Christians. The facts aren’t pretty and many of our nation’s problems can be traced to our view of sex. Also look for my first profile in my Profiles section on C. S. Lewis during the second week of February. God Bless. **

Sources: Article: “Credit Card Debit Elimination And Facts about Debt in America” http://www.spendonlife.com/content/CreditCardDebtEliminationAndFactsAboutDebtInAmerica-1-223-3.ashx

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/13/reality.check/

The Purpose Driven Connection, Spring Issue 2009, page 100, “Six Biblical Steps to End the Recession”