The Move of God: Staying in Revival

When I was younger, I remember body surfing at Coral Beach one day in Southern California. A few of our mates took off and decided this day was a good one: surf was up due to a storm off the coast. So, we loaded into our cars and took off to the beautiful Pacific Ocean. 

Now, Coral beach is aptly named due to the fact that coral “boulders” are scattered through the bay. We picked a lane between the boulders and swam out to the breaks and began to enjoy a few hours of surf. At the end, refreshed and ready to retreat back to the shore, a curious thing happened, we couldn’t make any traction into shore. No matter how hard we swam, we were basically in the same place. To make matters worse, we were stuck in the breaks between several coral boulders. Eventually we just threw ourselves into the rising surf and let the waves batter us into the shore. Five athletic, teenagers swam up to the shoreline and rolled on our backs coughing and heaving, trying to breathe, completely exhausted and grateful just to be on shore.

As we lay there with the waves bushing up against our feet, a shadow caught our attention. We opened our eyes and the lifeguard stood over us. “I was going to give you a couple more minutes before I went out to get you”, was his opening word to us. We laughed at that, secretly thinking we weren’t sure we had a few more minutes in us. He continued, “The next time you go out, study the currents before you go. If you get caught in one, simply swim to the side to get out of the flow. A few strokes and you would have been fine.” With that, he strode back to his lifeguard station and retook his place in hawk like vigilance over idiots like us who were unprepared for the conditions we waded into. You see high surf can also mean strong rip tides and Coral Beach was already known for strong rip tides, that only got worse when there was a rising tide.

Now, what does this have to do with revival and this move of God? 

It is easy to get caught up in the “currents” - the media, social media, politics, sports, economics, jobs, etc. Too often, we then think we are called to “fight against the current” and we struggle with the thoughts, culture and milieu around us.  We fight against them and expend tremendous amounts of energy: physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. We can end up getting stuck in a seemingly never ending cycle of surviving. God in His grace always provides a way out, 1 Corinthians 10:13.  Simply swim out of the “currents”.  A few strokes and you are out. You see, the enemy of the best is the good. Politics will come and go. That stress today will be forgotten tomorrow. Even the hardest things you’ve been through are defined by that last part of the sentence, “you’ve been through”, you are already looking back at them. So, why do the “currents” capture our attention? Why do seemingly good things drown out the best?

Simple. It's where our focus is. 

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” (Matthew 6:21) That’s how Jesus defined focus in a way; heart connection and treasure, that which we value. The “currents” scream for attention and value placed on them in time and energy. They want you connected so that your heart, emotion and energy can be raised and lowered like a yo-yo. 

There is however, a better way,  an ancient path.    

"Thus says the LORD:

"Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you will find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16a)

The rest is in the return. Move aside from the “currents”, whatever shape they take, pull out and let the Lord move you into His place where there are “still waters”. Sheep by nature don’t take well to fast waters. They like green pastures and still waters. We were made to love and be loved by Him. This move of God is being carried in rest, intimacy and worship. It is in intercession laced with love. The path to revival is well placed, but you have to observe the currents to stay in its pathway and find that rest and revival go hand in hand. Why? Because Jesus is our rest and He is revival.

A New Intercession Movement

Whenever God moves, there are new lanes of His Spirit. One of these is a new intercessory movement, awash in love and worship. Here in Fusion, it is being led by two couples, Jonny and Pietze Duffield and Issac and Brittany. It takes place on Thursday evenings at 6pm in the family room. Others have volunteered to come in during the week and worship and pray. You can be greeted at different hours at the building by worship and intercession.  Finally, very soon, we are going to do encounter nights every week. Be on the lookout for them. We are called to minister to the Lord first and foremost as a priority. It is more than a value or program, it is who we are. 

Janice and I invite you to begin to come to these Thursday night gatherings to ministering to the Lord as priests, prophets and royals. God is already moving. He is here. It is happening!