Churches used to have a Spring & Fall Revival every year. The purpose was to inflame the spiritual passions of believers, with a ripple effect of reaching the unsaved for Jesus Christ. Though corporate revival services are great, it is important for each of us to have a personal revival from time to time.
A great Bible passage to think about is Psalm 24:1-6:
The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.
In this passage, we find four steps to personal revival. Two are positive: clean hands & pure heart. Two are negative: no idolatrous worship or falsehood.
I found a checklist that you might want to meditate through to give yourself a ‘spiritual inventory’ of these areas. If you find anything that is not right, simply confess your sins and God is faithful and just to forgive you.
Do you have clean hands (from wrong actions)?
- Lack of integrity with finances.
- Dishonest/wrong practices.
- Taking what is not yours
- Not doing your work well.
- Careless – Lazy
- Neglect of family
- Inflicting hurt
- Unfair treatment of others
- Dishonoring your parents
- Bad temper
- Compulsive or secret habits
- Living in immoral relationship
- Wrong sexual activities.
Do you have a pure heart (no wrong attitudes)?
- Unbelief
- Independent rebellious spirit
- Critical of others
- Resentful
- Hard to get along with
- Unforgiving
- Self-centered
- Demanding
- Selfish
- No concern for needs of others
- No concern for unsaved
- Proud spirit
- Envious or jealous of others
- Ungrateful
- Complaining
- Unwilling to confess/apologize
Do you have empty worship (idolatry – wrong affections)?
- Impure thoughts
- Sexual fantasies
- Viewing pornographic material
- Love of money/material things
- Desire for wealth – gambling
- Tight and controlling
- Lacking a generous spirit
- Self-centered interests
- Little hunger for God
- Time alone with God
- Putting a person before God
- Putting work before God
- Putting sports before God
- Robbing God of time
- Robbing God of money (tithe)
- Neglect of prayer/God’s Word
- Trusting in charms/horoscopes
- Ruled by financial concerns
- Little love or passion for Jesus
Do you have any falsehood (wrong words)?
- Tendency to lie
- Putting down others
- Talking against others
- Critical of others
- Tendency to gossip/slander
- Using verbal abuse
- Swearing
- Unkind or harsh words
- Untrue words
- Promises not kept
It will be of no benefit to examine yourself, unless you determine to change that which you find wrong in your heart, temper or conduct. Do not put it off! that will only make matters worse. Confess to God those sins that have been committed against God and others. Go through this list as carefully and solemnly as possible.