Kingdom Revival

Posted May 28, 2020

GOOD MORNING KINGDOM

!REVIVAL. I chose that word at the beginning of this year to be my word for the year. This would be a year of revival, both physically and spiritually. 5 months in and it has already been quite a year.

On the physical side, I have had a full physical exam. I have had a golf ball sized cyst removed from my back. I learned I have Type 2 diabetes, dropped weight and lowered sugar levels 60-80 points. I got back on track to have a venous closure procedure done on both my legs. I was originally scheduled to have that procedure done in Oct 2010, but two weeks before the procedure, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and the closure was put on hold.

The closure has again been put on hold for a couple weeks. My recent physical also showed I had a large gall stone in my gall bladder, which may be the cause of slightly elevated levels in one of the liver tests conducted (though a more recent test showed that level has dropped.) So, my gall bladder is being removed today, and my venous closure, scheduled for tomorrow has been rescheduled. Now some may think I’m falling apart. I say I’m merely cleaning house, God’s house, His living Temple, which leads into the Spiritual Revival. As I progress on my physical revival, I feel myself growing and drawing closer to God, in part thanks to the current pandemic. But, just as in facing the approach of Hurricane Harvey, God has revealed even more so that He is still in control. Just as He was during the hurricane. We chose not to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, resting in God’s protection. Yes we took precautions, like clearing everything off the patios, stocking up on a small supply of essentials, lowering the hurricane shutters, and battening down the hatches as it came ashore. The results? We lost part of our wooden fence out back. That’s it. We never lost power. Even more amazing was that we never lost satellite TV signal (We have DirecTV, y’all.)

As then, we again are resting in God’s protection and He is providing big time. Three of the four of us who live under this roof work in “essential” businesses and continue to leave home every day to work out there. One works for HEB, one works with first responders, I work to sell protective equipment (safety shoes.) Pat works from home. Pat’s sister works at the hospital. My step son works at STX, where there was a big outbreak of the virus. My son and son-in-law are nurses (in Dallas and Delaware.) We generally take all necessary precautions, as dictated by the various governments. And God is protecting all of us. Why He has chosen to bless us with His protection I will never know, but I will continue to praise His name and give Him all the glory.

Through all of this, a sense of spiritual revival continues to grow stronger in me. A revival over the entire world. I see it all around me. More people are tuning in to on-line services. I have immersed myself deeper in His Word and sharing with others. I sense that I am drawing closer to the ministry God has called me to. There are people out there who are scared, hurting, suffering. Many are struggling because they can’t walk into a church building to worship. It is for them that God is calling us to be His people.

John 7:37-38 says: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” And Matthew 5:14-16 tells us, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

God has blessed each of us in some way. We are to share that blessing with others, it is not ours to hoard. He is calling us out of this darkness caused by the pandemic to be His light. We can’t hide at home, or in a church building and expect to help those who need it. We are the church. It is time to stand on that hill, shine with all God has blessed us with, and give Him praise and glory by ministering to others.

Of course we can’t do that if we are not being observant. I went to fill up some gallon jugs at my favorite watering hole, the Windmill on Holly near Airline. Someone was there using both sides to fill up 5 gallon jugs. She apologized for using both sides. I told her I was in no hurry. I then asked her how she was holding up in this pandemic. She said she was hanging on and thanked me for asking. She then asked how I was doing, and it opened the door to minister. After talking a few minutes, her bottles filled and she started to leave. She stopped and thanked me, saying she needed to hear what we shared. Her truck was on the other side of the windmill, but when she finished loading the bottles in her truck and started to pull off, she stopped and again thanked me.

A revival is sweeping the land. Don’t let it pass you by or let it die on the vine. We must shed the yearning of going back to normal and instead embrace the new normal that God has planned for us. We are the Church. So Be The Church. The building is not the final destination. It is a recharging station, a place of fellowship. Yes gathering together in fellowship is important for believers. Yes it is not the same when done over the phone, on Zoom, etc. But it is still fellowship. We are not being prohibited from worshiping. Just can’t do it in the church building for now. So, rather than spending time and energy focused on when the church will reopen it’s doors, just Be the Light for all those God puts in your path, whether at the gas station, work, store, or even the windmill.

Look for signs of God at work. I don’t even have to leave my dining room to see that. A bird has built a nest between the screen and window pane and laid eggs in it. See the picture in the comments. Life is moving forward.

Be Blessed, and pass it on!