Revival series part 4

 by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., Revival Historian

Keys for Stewarding Personal Revival, Encounter, Awakening (taken from Jen’s book SustaiN the Flame)

When the fires of revival get ignited, then what? The Moravians knew that it was important to then steward the flames of revival to keep the oil burning and thus they cultivated the new wine skin of 24-7 prayer. Though the wineskins for how to steward the fires of revival may look different, we can learn from the Moravian’s example that unity in prayer is a key for stewarding corporate revival.

And when revival comes to us personally or God meets us in a profound way, it is also important to steward those encounters to keep the oil burning. Cultivating family around the fireplace of revival, stewarding a heart of worship in all circumstances, and praying in tongues regularly are keys that can profoundly shape our spirituality and keep us focused on the face of Jesus. In addition to these, the following are some rhythms and pathways to greater intimacy with Jesus and stewarding the fire that I have found helpful in my life.

1. Stay Full of the Oil of Intimacy

In Matthew 25:1-12, we see the story of the wise and foolish virgins. This parable is symbolic of making sure we steward the oil of intimacy in our lives to keep the fire burning. If we try to rely upon other’s secret place encounters and stewardship of their relationship with Christ, it won’t get us to where we need to go. We must personally make sure to invest time in the secret place with Jesus, getting filled up by Him with the Holy Spirit and fire. There is no shortcut to building intimacy with Jesus, it requires time and an open and vulnerable heart. In John 15:1-8, we see that all fruitfulness flows from intimacy with Christ. We must stay connected to our Source. Read Walking on Water: Experiencing a Life of Miracles, Courageous Faith, and Union with God to go deeper in this area.

2. Consume the Word of God

We must be a people who know the truth deeply, especially in the midst of the increasing delusions, lies, and deceptions of the enemy. People who work at banks know when there is a counterfeit bill because they handle so much real money. When we are saturated in the truth, we will know when something is off. The shaking in our world will only increase. We must stand strong on the Word of God which is a solid rock. We must read it, eat it, breathe it, meditate on it, memorize it, and make declarations with it. Audio versions of the Bible are also a good way to get the Word hidden in our hearts.

3. Steward Encounters and God’s voice

We must learn to discern and steward the voice of God through His Word, encounters, as well trusted prophetic voices in speaking into our lives. If God marks you, linger in that space. Don’t shift or transition too quickly out of an encounter with God. Don’t jump right into a conversation with someone or look on social media or get distracted another way. Allow what He has just blessed you with to permeate to the deepest levels. Meditate on what it good and it will have a greater effect on you. Journal what He has shown you. When God speaks to you, obey Him immediately and keep your heart tender toward Him. Steward prophetic words over your life. Make sure to audio record them, and then listen to them, write them out, and pray over them until they become a reality.

4. Fast

Develop a rhythm of weekly or regularly fasting to keep the fire burning. You would be surprised at the radical shift that regular fasting can have in your life. Jesus regularly fasted and we must learn how to walk in His footsteps. Many revivals, encounters, or defining moments in revivalists’ lives were birthed while on a fast. See my book Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God for more on this with practical tools to help get you started or a reframing of what it really is to re-ignite you.

5. Learn to Wait on the Holy Spirit

Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God.” How many times do we stop talking, moving, planning, to simply just be with God and sit in His presence?[ii] Too many of us think we have to strive, contend, push to see God move. But what if rather than trying to make things happen on our own, we instead spent time with the Holy Spirit, listened to what is on God’s heart, were fully yielded, and simply responded to where He was leading? What if like Moses, we weren’t going to go anywhere, even into revival or into our destinies, if He didn’t go with us? What if we became a people that was led by fire in the night and cloud in the day? Or a people who wouldn’t move anywhere without His presence (Exodus 33)?

 6. Embrace Rhythms of Run, Rest, Release

It is important to discern what season you are in so you can steward it well in preparation for the upcoming season. Many times in life, there are seasons where you run hard, rest, then release or birth new things. This is cyclical in nature. During times of revival, things accelerate, people are running fast, it’s time to push. But it is also important to embrace the Sabbath. Recognize what season you are in and adjust to make sure you get what is needed in that time. The sabbath is not only Biblical, it is also a key for unlocking greater creativity in our lives. Embracing the sabbath, having fun, eat healthy, exercising regularly, and stewarding our bodies which are temple of the Holy Ghost are essential to run hard and finishing well. We don’t want to be a people who burn and then burn out. We need the sustaining burn.

7. Surround yourself with other Burning Ones

A single flame alone might burn for a little while, but for that flame to increase and not die out, it is important to unite with other flames. The more flames come together, the greater the fire and likelihood that your flame will not whither. I’ve seen too many people be a part of a great culture, environment, or ministry school for a season, get radically impacted, and then back to their homelands without being intentional to find and run with other sold-out burning ones. Soon, their fire wanes or even worse, they go back to a lifestyle they had before God encountered them powerfully. We must find other passionate Jesus lovers wherever God places us. The great thing now is that even if you can’t find any in your hometown, you can run with other burning ones in online communities for support to keep the fire burning. Ask God to surround you with spiritual mothers and fathers, kindred-spirited burning friends, and others you can encourage.

 8. Steward the Power of the Testimony

Another way to build up your faith and keep the fire burning is to recount and thank God for the testimonies of His faithfulness in your life and how He’s come through in the past. Whether it is by framing a picture on a wall that reminds you of a breakthrough or of His radical provision, writing down testimonies on a 3x5 card to go over to encourage yourself in, or some other creative way, do it! Steward these stones of remembrances (Joshua 4). By stewarding testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the Bible, in revival history, in the lives of others, and in your own personal history with God, you are prophesying into future breakthroughs and radical acts of faith.

9. Learn how to Deal with Disappointment

One of the greatest things that I’ve noticed takes Christians out or sidelines them is when they fail to deal with disappointment well. Some might suffer loss, have something happen to them they don’t understand, step out in faith for something that doesn’t happen. Rather than learn from it and trust God will turn it around for their good, many get discouraged, disillusioned, build up distrust against God, or condemn themselves as failures. If we really believe all the promises found in Romans 8 and have a healthy perspective on God the Father, we won’t turn to bitterness or embrace disappointment. Instead, we will deepen our connection with the Father and learn to trust Him even more. Memorize and believe Romans 8 and you will not be shaken.

10. Choose Unity and Love

This is both important on a personal and corporate level. Strive to be at peace with all people and take the road of humility again and again (Romans 12:18, Philippians 2). Trust God to vindicate you where you’ve been wronged. And just as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.

11. Don’t be Afraid to Shine

And finally, don’t be afraid to shine (Isaiah 60). God has appointed some to be leaders in our generation. Not everyone has been given the same amount of influence, favor, resources, anointing for leadership upon your life. Be the gift God has called you to be, however that might look. Not everyone was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but Moses was. Then it was Joshua who God appointed to lead them even further into their promised land. Humbly do the assignments God has entrusted to you without making excuses, making yourself look smaller, or sabotaging the call of God on your life (Ephesians 2:10). Give all the glory to God but when the invitation is there, step in while clinging to Him.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Hopefully some of the rhythms I have learned in my own life for stewarding the fire will encourage you. There are many more ways to steward the fire that may be unique for you.

• Which of these keys are you already doing well in?

• Which of these keys are highlighted for you to develop further?

• What other keys have you noticed that can help you steward the fire in your heart that may be unique for you in this season?

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These tips were taken from Jen’s book Sustain the Flame.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

As you step out in fasting for fire to learn how to position yourself to feast upon God, I pray these few tips help equip you in your journey. To dive even deeper check out the book Fasting for Fire which these tips are based up.

Be Led by the Spirit

Make sure you are led by the Spirit every step of the way as you venture out in faith to fast. Be wise and seek counsel or medical advice first regarding fasting if you have health issues. If you are pregnant, do not fast food but instead fast social media or something similar. For those who still want to participate in a fast but cannot because of health or weight issues, seek the Holy Spirit on how to be led in an alternative fast.

Start Small

If you have never fasted before, I suggest starting with a smaller fast and skipping two meals one day while drinking lots of water. If that is too hard, try drinking juice or a thicker liquid. For longer fasts, it is advisable to eat fruit just before. Remember that fasting is not just abstaining from food; it is also filling your soul with something better: the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Don’t avoid God by staying busy. Spend the time you would normally have spent eating instead in worship, silence, prayer, meditating on God, reading the Word, praying with a friend, or waiting upon Him. If you have a chance, go to an isolated place where you connect well with God. During your normal day, when you get hunger pains, turn your attention and affection toward God. The fast is the most effective when it is intricately woven together with communion with God.

 Uncomfortable

I find that days one and two are the hardest of any fast, no matter how long the fast is. This is when your body is detoxing. Usually after making it past day three, it gets much easier. During longer fasts, many times energy levels drop, and you may get cold easily. You may find yourself tired and needing to take naps or struggling to sleep throughout the night. Another thing to take into consideration is that many times one of the harder parts of fasting is not being as social since most events surround food. These gatherings are still fine to join but sometimes it is helpful to communicate with the host ahead of time so it is not awkward at the dinner table.

Refining

During a fast, be aware of what comes up for you and take time to journal and process it. Are you easily irritated, feeling out of control, or experiencing some other extreme mood shift? What things are you running to rather than food? What themes are emerging in your heart? What relationships is He bringing to the surface, and is He asking you to respond in a certain way? Is there anyone you need to forgive or be reconciled with? Is there anyone you need to reach out to or become more aligned with? Ask the Holy Spirit what is really going on during these times and what He might be bringing up within you to heal. Ask God to go to the root of any issues that emerge. I encourage you to press in, worship, pray, scream, dance, run, intercede, beat a drum, contend, or whatever you feel you need to do to respond to God when the hunger gets severe.

Pay Attention

Pay attention to the details and themes in what is being highlighted to you during a fast. Many times, we can hear the still small voice of God more clearly and see things we haven’t been able to see before. Also, be aware of possible new alignments God may bring to you. Who is God highlighting to you during this time? Who is reaching out to you during a fast? Are there potential divine connections or anointed alliances He is bringing? Is He putting a burden on your heart for a specific person or nation? Is He putting a new idea in your heart? Is He redirecting your steps? Don’t be surprised if God changes your plans or redirects you during a fast. This is actually very common. In the process of focusing on His face and His agenda more precisely, many times people hear things from God that seem “out of the blue.” These revelations are from God and can be expected during a fast. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel anything or see what you have been praying for during the fast. Setting yourself aside to feast upon Him alone is an act of worship, which He is pleased about whether you experience a tangible immediate result or not.

There’s Grace

It is important to give yourself grace during a fast. If you end up breaking the fast prematurely or before the original goal you had set for yourself, don’t beat yourself up or come under condemnation (Romans 8:1–4). Celebrate each small victory. If you have never fasted before and you were able to fast one meal rather than two starting off, celebrate that you are on your way. There have been times when I couldn’t even make it to the end of my one-day fast and I had to eat. The grace had lifted for me to continue, and that’s okay. The beautiful thing about fasting with pure motives and the right perspective is that we are not fasting to try and prove a point to anyone or even to ourselves; we are simply positioning ourselves to know God better. We fast to encounter more of God. There are no rules here. We do it to fall more in love with God. The more we practice fasting, the easier it becomes.

How to Break a Fast

Practically speaking, it is important to break a fast well to avoid injuring your stomach or harming your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so make sure to be wise and steward what goes in there. Breaking a fast is usually good with liquids, fruit juices, and then moving on to fruit and vegetables. Slowly integrate more regular foods into your diet depending on how long the fast was. Generally, you can come off shorter fasts with a light meal of fruits or vegetables and then work your way toward weightier meals. Coming off of a fast will vary for each person and depend upon how long the fast was. For longer fasts, be gentle and slowly ease back into your regular diet so that you don’t shock your system. It is important to replenish your body with the proper nutrients. Coconut water can be helpful to drink before, after, and sometimes even on a liquid fast because it is rich in electrolytes. Taking vitamin supplements can also be useful. The main thing to be aware of on the other side of a fast is that your body has gone without nutrients and will need some time to replenish them to get back to normal. Do some research to learn the best way for you to come off of a fast, and record what works and what doesn’t for future fasts.

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Join our FREE 3-Day Fasting for Fire Challenge Jan. 4-6, 2024 or our 4 week module and 21-Day Fast.

Learn more in Fasting for Fire: Igniting Fresh Hunger to Feast Upon God

Revival Series Part 2

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., Revival Historian 

Now that we have explored semantics and some development around the term revival and exploring its meaning, let’s go even deeper to the impact it should have on one’s life and what comes afterwards.

In the natural, if someone is sleeping, barely alive, or has suddenly died, they need to be awakened or revived. Many times, someone will use smelling salts (ammonia inhalants) to awaken a person who has passed out or become unconscious. They put this aroma under the person’s nose to breathe it in. Suddenly, when this happens, the person is revived from their previous unconscious state. Once this person has become revived from their formal sleeping state, they do not need to remain in a state of trying to be revived because they have already come back to life. There is no more need for them to inhale the smelling salts. This person must now begin to live more empowered since their awakening.

This can be a metaphor for revival. Some people have become spiritually unconscious or fallen asleep and they need to be re-awakened. Others have become dead inside and need to be resurrected back to life. Once they have been awakened and brought back to life though, now it’s time to move from the resurrected state to the empowered state of living, being transformed, and stepping into their destiny.

Revival is only just the beginning. Once a person is awakened, then it’s time to fully live.

In Hosea 6:2, it says, “After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.” Here we see that revival is not meant to be a continual state as much as what needs to happen whenever our spirits begin to wither away or die on the inside. Once people are revived, they then need to live the abundant life Jesus died for them to have (John 10:10). Transformation, reformation, revolution, and destiny must follow. Once revived, we must learn to live as burning ones on fire for Jesus constantly remaining full of the oil of His presence.

Jesus is Revival

All that said, at the heart of revival is Jesus. Jesus is the truest revival we will ever know. Beyond living for revival, we live for the Reviver. When we become awakened spiritually, we fall more in love with Jesus. When we fall more in love with Jesus, transformation takes place within our hearts, and we impact those around us. Revival is truly just more of Jesus.

We are born to live revived lives in the Spirit of God. We are made to be burning ones who don’t burn out. We are born to live loudly for our King of kings and display His glory through our lives. As we become awakened to King Jesus, our destinies begin to unfold in a greater measure. We step out in faith, hand in hand with our best friend Jesus, and can bring hope to a world that desperately needs it. From a place of intimate union with God, as we yield to and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we become agents of revival wherever we go. The burning flame inside spreads and ignites others whose flame has dwindled.

The Reviver by Rolland Baker

Rolland Baker, co-founder with Heidi Baker of Iris Global is a missionary in Mozambique, has experienced revival firsthand. His insights in the epilogue of his book, Keeping the Fire, are worth noting.

“I return at the end to where I began: with the Person of Jesus

Iris is not about us. It is about Jesus.

Revival is not about manifestations or miracles; it is about the Reviver, Jesus our Savior.

We have only one destination, one home, one reality, one resting place, one source, one

motivation, one reward, one possession, one point of contact with God, one source of real

satisfaction – and that is Jesus…

Everything we value has been found in Jesus. The key to our core values is therefore

falling in love with Him. 

Love is a gift of relationship, not just self-sacrifice. The secret place is not necessarily found in a prayer closet or a posture of soaking, or in battling for a just cause, or in a massive prayer and fasting effort. Even the most amazing miracles can leave us lonely and without relationship. We can run out of motivation advancing the noblest ideals and working at all levels to transform society. We can minister until we have no more strength, and still go home and lie in bed without the relationship for which our hearts are made.

Everything is okay with relationship. It is all that Jesus cares about, all that motivates Him. He could do many more amazing miracles to dazzle the world with His powers, but He is interested only in relationship. The entire creation, all the grandeur of the physical world, and all His works are designed to serve one thing: relationship. Revival has no content without it. Renewal and manifestations are pointless apart from it. Miracles only find their meaning it. Joy is shallow and groundless unless rooted in it. Without relationship we are the living dead…

Revival is all about Jesus.[i]

Revival Without God: A Warning

Revival can easily become an idol in our lives and take the place of Jesus. It can possess us and become an obsession. Not that there is anything wrong with desiring revival, but anything that comes before our passionate pursuit of Jesus becomes idolatry. We must always seek Jesus first, yield to the Holy Spirit, and pursue the God of revival. Revival never should become an idol in our lives. Our obsession above all else, including revival, must remain loving Jesus wholeheartedly. As we love God with all our minds, hearts, bodies, and spirits, revival is a natural overflow.

We don’t want to end up one day in front of God sharing how we released “revival” in the world but did it apart from personal and intimate relationship with Him. What would be the point of doing signs and wonders without Him and His presence or without love (1 Corinthians 13)? Moses could have easily had revival, stepped into his destiny, and saw his dreams come true. But without God’s presence, he wasn’t going to move (Exodus 33).

Revival without Jesus is not only empty, it is dangerous. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Casting out demons, setting the oppressed free, and performing miracles definitely feels like revival and that the kingdom of God has come in people’s lives. The only problem is that doing any of these works of revival is dangerous when not deeply connected to the Source of revival which is Jesus Himself. It appears from this passage that it is quite possible to do the works of revival without being known by God. This is unsafe ground to walk on. We must do the will of the Father and remain connected in relationship with Jesus as we do these works of revival. In their book about revival, Hansen and Woodbridge say, “You can have signs and wonders, but if you don’t have God, you don’t have revival. God-centered revivals withstand the temptation to treasure the blessings of revival over the one who blesses.”[ii]

More than anything, revival needs to be birthed from a place of a deep burning passion for more of God and from an overflowing relationship with Him. As we stay connected to the Source, His steadily burning and increasing flame within us will ignite and awaken many around us, releasing revival wherever we go. As we knit ourselves to other burning ones and learn how to live in the fire of His presence together, we encounter His love and power in a way that radically impacts our world. Let us be a people who burn for revival fire to be ignited in our own hearts and for that to spread to a lost and dying world.

See part one “What is Revival” in this Revival Series HERE

Join our School of Revival family or take a revival history course in our online School of Revival HERE

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NOTES

[i] Rolland Baker, Keeping the Fire: Sustaining Revival Through Love: The Five Core Values of Iris Global (Kent, United Kingdom: River Publishing & Media Ltd, 2015), 141-143 used with permission in an email dated 12/19/2022 from Tim Pettingale, Director of River Publishing & Media Ltd.

[ii] Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 25.

Revival Series Part 1

 by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Revival Historian

*This was written before the 2020 lockdown and recent Asbury Revival outbreaks and is now a chapter in my book Sustain the Flame: Secrets to Living Saturated in God’s Presence and Holy Fire.

We hear the word “Revival” thrown around a lot these days, but what really is revival? In part one of these series, we will lay the framework for defining this term before going deeper into the realities that revival is only just the beginning and starting point, not the end all.

Semantics

Looking purely at semantics and the Scriptures to begin with, the term “revive” is used 23 times in the Old Testament in the New King James Version. It comes from the Hebrew word חָיָה châyâh which means “to live, to revive, to keep, leave, or make alive, to give life, quicken, recover, repair, restore to life, save, be whole.”[i] Notice the essence of staying alive once someone has been revived.

The first time the word revive is used in the Bible is in Genesis 45:27 when Jacob, who already grieved the loss of his son Joseph whom he thought was dead, realized that he was alive. It was then that his spirit was revived.[ii] In 1 Kings 17:22, the word goes beyond reviving hope of one’s spirit to mean resurrecting a physical human life. Here we see that Elijah prayed for a dead child who was brought back to life.[iii] Then in 2 Kings 13:21, the word was again used to describe one who was physically dead returning back to life when his body was thrown in Elisha’s grave.[iv]

The word revive is used the most in Psalms at 14 times and especially throughout Psalm 119. The Psalmist cries out for God to revive him according to His Word, His lovingkindness, His justice, and even His judgments. He also asks God to revive him in His way and His righteousness. There is also a turning back to God, deliverance from great troubles, and a hunger to be revived so that God’s people may rejoice in Him once again.[v]

In Isaiah, we discover a God who revives the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite ones. In Habakkuk, there is a desire for God to revive and make known His works of old once again.[vi] And don’t forget the revivals that happened under Kings Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah along with many other personal revivals that took place in people’s lives throughout Scripture.

In the New Testament, in all other translations included, nowhere was there an equivalent of this word used. This could possibly be because the church in the New Testament didn’t need revival because they were already fully alive and living it. Persecution many times proves to help along these lines of staying burning hot in our love for Christ.

Etymology

When we look deeper into the etymology of how this word has developed over the centuries, we see that roots for revive come from the Old French word revivre (10c.) and directly from the Latin word revivere which is translated “to live again.”[vii] By the 1560s, the word revive had the sense of “returning to a flourishing state” or of feelings or activities “beginning to occur again.”[viii] In the 1650s, revival meant the “act of reviving after decline or discontinuance.” At the essence of the word, revival is the call to live again.[ix] What has since died and been forgotten, needs to become awakened once again.  

In the 1660s there was a unique take on this term as it was used for “the bringing back to the stage of a play which has not been presented for a considerable time.”[x] Might it be time for an encore in the platform of Christianity to welcome the Holy Spirit back to take center stage once again? In the early 1700s, it is believed that New England Puritan pastor Cotton Mather was one of the firsts to connect this term to religion. In one of his writings in 1702, he connected the term revival with religious awakening in the community.[xi] By 1818, the term revival was used to describe “enthusiastic religious meetings (often by Methodists) meant to inspire revival.” A few years before this in 1812, the term Revivalist was being used as “one who promotes or leads a religious revival.”[xii]

Exploring Paradigms for Religious Revival

Moving beyond semantics now into the study of revival history, there are various perspectives on religious revivals by both practioners and revival historians. For some, revival only happens within the church, and for others, it’s when the world is awakened to Christ as well. Some see revival as something that we should be living in every second of the day while others see it as episodic moves of God.[xiii] Some see it coming as a result of prayer while others see it only as a sovereign act of God. While there could be a whole separate book on this subject alone, I present a small snapshot of a few of the varying perspectives below.[xiv]

Charles G. Finney (1792-1875), known as the father of modern revivalism, believed that we very much play a role in awakening the church and bringing sinners to repentance as led by God. He saw a need for revival to happen periodically to wake up the church because it so regularly became stagnant. He saw revival as “nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”[xv] He compared revival to a crop of wheat and emphasized that God uses means to cultivate both. Finney believed that if the fire was kept burning in the church, there would have been no need for revival, but unfortunately, he saw that was rarely the case.[xvi] About revival, he wrote:

I AM TO SHOW WHAT A REVIVAL IS. It is the renewal of the first love of Christians, resulting in the awakening and conversion of sinners to God. In the popular sense, a revival of religion in a community is the arousing, quickening, and reclaiming of the more or less backslidden church and the more or less general awakening of all classes, and insuring attention to the claims of God.

It presupposes that the church is sunk down in a backslidden state, and a revival consists in the return of a church from her backslidings, and in the conversion of sinners.[xvii]

Martin Lloyd-Jones described revival as “the outpouring of the Spirit over and above his usual, ordinary work; this amazing, unusual, extraordinary thing, which God in his sovereignty and infinite grace has done to the Church from time to time during the long centuries of her history.” [xviii] Christmas Evans (1766-1838), an influential one-eyed Welsh Baptist preacher said that “Revival is God bending down to the dying embers of a fire that is just about to go out, and breathing into it, until it bursts again into flame.” Duncan Campbell of the Hebrides Revival said that “Revival is a community saturated with God.”[xix]

In his study on Pentecostalism in The Everlasting Gospel, William Faulpel sees revival as having a seven-stage process: conception, gestation, labor, birth, growth, reproduction, and maturity.[xx] He compares it to the life cycle paralleling the birth of a new baby. Mark Stibbe from the U.K. defines revival as “a season ordained by God in which the Holy Spirit awakens the Church to evangelise the lost, and the lost to their dire need of Jesus Christ.”[xxi] He distinguishes renewal as confined to the Church while revival as something that reaches beyond the church and into the world.[xxii] He likens renewal to a stream and revival to that same river becoming a “flood that disturbs boulders and overflows banks.”[xxiii]

Like Stibbe, I would also say there are special seasons, windows of opportunity, or kairos moments, where the Spirit is at work to awaken and revive the Church.[xxiv] At the turn of the twentieth century, revivals were springing up all around the world in this sacred and set apart kairos season of time.[xxv] Revival broke out in Wales in 1904-05, in India in 1905, and then in Los Angeles in 1906 at Azusa Street amongst other worldwide moves near the same time. The early twentieth century was pregnant with revival. There was something anointed, set apart, and special about that kairos moment that these saints were able to recognize and tap into. The result was revival that is still impacting us over a hundred years later.

Defining Revival

As we seek to define revival here, I would say that revival is when the fire of first love for Jesus is re-ignited in the hearts of believers. As a result, their lives are transformed, and the kingdom of God is expanded all around them in various ways that impact, shape, and reform culture and society.

Revival is for Christians whose fire has waned. If someone has never encountered God’s love for themselves, they can’t necessarily be re-awakened to it. It is only when the fire of first love has been snuffed out that one needs revival. Once that original flame is re-ignited, the awakened ones naturally influence those around them, and many times others are brought to salvation as a result.

Ultimately, revival is becoming fully alive to Jesus again. And it’s important to understand that revival is not the end goal. It is only just the beginning.

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P.S. Before you completely disagree with me, wait to read Part 2 of this series “Revival is Just the Beginning.” Both of these pieces have been written before the 2020 lockdown and recent Asbury Revival outbreaks and are featured in chapters of my new Sustain the Flame: Secrets to Living Saturated in God’s Presence and Holy Fire. See Sustain the Flame ecourse for a whole teaching on the topic of what revival is and how to steward it.

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NOTES

[i] Strong's H2421 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2421/nkjv/wlc/0-1/ “to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:—keep (leave, make) alive, certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (God) save (alive, life, lives), surely, be whole.”

[ii] “But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.” –Genesis 45:27 (NKJV)

[iii] “Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.” –1 Kings 17:22 (NKJV)

[iv] “So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.” –2 Kings 13:21.

[v] Psalm 71:20 is a call to be delivered from great troubles.Psalm 80:18 is a reviving in order to turn back to God.

Psalm 85:6 says, “Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?” There is purpose to praise in the reviving work. We see in Psalm 119:25,107, 154 that one can be revived according to His word: “Revive me according to Your word (119:25).” Psalm 119:37 we can be revived in His way: “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,  And revive me in Your way.” Psalm 119:40 we can be revived in His righteousness: “Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.” Psalm 119:88 and 159 we can be revived according to His lovingkindness: “Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.” In Psalm 119:149, we can be revived according to His justice: “Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.” Psalm 119:156 we can be revived according to His judgments. “Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.” Psalm 138:7 when in trouble we can be revived: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand. Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” Psalm 143:11 we can be revived for His name’s sake: “Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.”

[vi] Isaiah 57:15 (NKJV) says, “For thus says the High and Lofty One, Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” And then in Habakkuk 3:2, “O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”

[vii] https://www.etymonline.com/word/revival

[viii] https://www.etymonline.com/word/revival

[ix] According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word revival can mean: “1: an act or instance of reviving: the state of being revived: such as a: renewed attention to or interest in something b: a new presentation or publication of something old c (1): a period of renewed religious interest (2): an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings 2: restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract).”

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revival Accessed December 11, 2022

[x] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revival

[xi] Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 31.

[xii] https://www.etymonline.com/word/revival

[xiii] Roger Finke and Rodney Stark, The Churching of America 1776-1990: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1992), 92. According to Roger Finke and Rodney Starke, while “all organizations need renewals or revivals of member commitment, it is also true that these must be episodic. People can’t stay excited indefinitely.” Most people don’t have the capacity to remain in a heightened state of being revived.

[xiv] Prayer, surrender, consecration, and repentance many times precede personal and corporate revival. In all my research on revival up to this point (over two decades), I have noticed that hunger was the one constant that drew people to seek more of God in desperation, which resulted in revival. Prayer seems to regularly play a pivotal role in this. It’s not ours to determine how God will move, but it is ours to prepare, position, partner, pray, and invite Him to move in and through us as agents of revival. We must be a people who step out in faith to reach the lost as if their salvation depended upon us. We must be a people who immediately respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to use our lives however He wishes because we are motived by love for Jesus.

[xv] Charles Grandison Finney (1835). Lectures on Revivals of Religion p.14

[xvi] “There is so little principle in the church, so little firmness and stability of purpose, that unless the religious feelings are awakened and kept excited, counter worldly feeling and excitement will prevail, and men will not obey God. They have so little knowledge, and their principles are so weak, that unless they are excited, they will go back from the path of duty, and do nothing to promote the glory of God. The state of the world is still such, and probably will be till the millennium is fully come, that religion must be mainly promoted by means of revivals. How long and how often has the experiment been tried, to bring the church to act steadily for God, without these periodical excitements. Many good men have supposed, and still suppose, that the best way to promote religion, is to go along uniformly, and gather in the ungodly gradually, and without excitement. But however sound such reasoning may appear in the abstract, facts demonstrate its futility. If the church were far enough advanced in knowledge, and had stability of principle enough to keep awake, such a course would do; but the church is so little enlightened, and there are so many counteracting causes, that she will not go steadily to work without a special interest being awakened.

As the millennium advances, it is probable that these periodical excitements will be unknown. Then the church will be enlightened, and the counteracting causes removed, and the entire church will be in a state of habitual and steady obedience to God.”

Charles G. Finney, Lectures of Revivals on Religion (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1868), 9

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/f/finney/revivals/cache/revivals.pdf

[xvii] Charles G. Finney, Lectures of Revivals on Religion (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1868), 12

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/f/finney/revivals/cache/revivals.pdf

[xviii] Martin Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 1987), 199 in Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 35.

[xix] Duncan Campbell, The Lewis Awakening, p. 14-15

[xx] William Faupel, The Everlasting Gospel: The Significance of Eschatology in the Development of Pentecostal Thought. Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series, ed. John Christopher Thomas, Rickie D. Moore, and Steven J. Land, vol. 10. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996).

[xxi] Mark Stibbe, Revival,The Thinking Clear Series, ed. Clive Calver (London: Monarch Books, 1998), 14, 223.

[xxii] Mark Stibbe, Revival,The Thinking Clear Series, ed. Clive Calver (London: Monarch Books, 1998), 17.

[xxiii] Mark Stibbe, Revival,The Thinking Clear Series, ed. Clive Calver (London: Monarch Books, 1998), 49.

[xxiv] Jennifer A. Miskov, “Coloring Outside the Lines: Pentecostal Parallels with Expressionism. The Work of the Spirit in Place, Time, and Secular Society?”, Journal of Pentecostal Theology 19 (2010), 94-117.

[xxv] Additionally, I introduce “sacred time” into this discussion as a “special season when revivals, awakenings, and stirrings of the Holy Spirit are concentrated and occur in higher frequency than in other times… when people all around the world experience heightened manifestations of God’s presence” at the same time. Jennifer A. Miskov, “Coloring Outside the Lines: Pentecostal Parallels with Expressionism. The Work of the Spirit in Place, Time, and Secular Society?”, Journal of Pentecostal Theology 19 (2010), 115.

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

If we have eyes to see, history can prophesy into our future. In a time when we desperately need to SEE MORE of God and understand His heart, learning about the life and legacy of African American, William J. SEYMOUR (pronounced “See” “More”) can open our eyes to give us prophetic vision into rewriting our future narrative. I believe there are keys within the Azusa story that will prophesy into how to navigate through our present storm of racism to unlock a greater destiny.

One of the greatest movements in history was ignited when handful of African Americans met together in a home with their only agenda to encounter more of God. William J. Seymour, son of slaves, blind in one eye, humbly paved the way and was used by God to ignite a revival fire that has since spread around the globe introducing millions of people to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit in a powerful way.

On April 9, 1906, just before leaving for the prayer meeting, Seymour's friend Edward Lee began to speak in tongues after he laid hands on and prayed for him. After this, Lee, Seymour, and the others walked the couple blocks up the street to the Asberry home on Bonnie Brae Street for the 7:30 p.m. prayer meeting. There, a handful of African American saints gathered together because they wanted to encounter God in a greater measure. There were only about fifteen people including children present at the meeting. They had a song, a few prayers, and several testimonies released. Seymour shared the testimony of how Lee spoke in tongues less than two hours before. Even though Seymour had yet to receive the “evidence” of speaking in tongues, he continued to preach about it from Acts 2 that night.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

Then something happened that they had all been waiting and longing for. God crashed into that meeting like never before. Ruth Asberry’s cousin Jennie Evans Moore, who lived across the street, was resting on a stool, when she suddenly fell to the ground and began to speak in tongues. She is known as one of the first women in Los Angeles to speak in tongues during this time.

 She recalled that it felt like a vessel broke inside of her and water “surged” through her entire being. When this rush came to her lips, she spoke in six different languages that she had seen earlier in a vision. These tongues were each interpreted in English. Following this release, Jennie, who had never played the piano before, walked over to the piano and played it under the anointing while singing in tongues. She recounted the story in an article called “Music from Heaven” in the Azusa Mission’s newspaper called The Apostolic Faith:

For years before this wonderful experience came to us, we as a family, were seeking to know the fulnes of God, and He was filling us with His presence until we could hardly contain the power… On April 9, 1906, I was praising the Lord from the depths of my heart at home, and when the evening came and we attended the meeting the power of God fell and I was baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire, with the evidence of speaking in tongues…As I thought thereon and looked to God, it seemed as if a vessel broke within me and water surged up through my being, which when it reached my mouth came out in a torrent of speech in the languages which God had given me…I sang under the power of the Spirit in many languages, the interpretation both words and music which I had never before heard, and in the home where the meeting was being held, the Spirit led me to the piano, where I played and sang under inspiration, although I had not learned to play.

-Jennie Moore, The Apostolic Faith 1:8 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1907), 3.

A few days later on April 12, 1906, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after waiting upon the Lord and praying with a white brother, not giving up until he “came through” and spoke in tongues at nearly four o’clock in the morning.

Crowds of both black and white people from different churches in the area came to the house on Bonnie Brae Street to see and partake in what God was doing. At one point, the house swelled with people so much that the front porch caved in. No one was injured, but they realized that they had outgrown the house. Within a week, they moved to a vacant building at 312 Azusa Street. 

During a time of heavy racial segregation, Seymour, the leader of what became known as the Azusa Street Revival, created a place where everyone would be welcome regardless of their skin color or nationality. One of the biggest breakthroughs at the Azusa Street Revival was that the walls of race, gender, and age were broken down. Eyewitness and historian Frank Bartleman observed that “the ‘color line’ was washed away in the blood.” This was in relation to racial divides being abolished by the blood of Jesus.

To have people from different races worshipping alongside one another and praying for each other during a time when lynchings were common and many years before Martin Luther King, Jr. came onto the scene is truly remarkable. Seymour’s early leadership team was racially mixed and also included women. Regular participants of the Azusa Mission in the early years included people from various ethnicities and backgrounds including African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more. Visitors would come to Azusa and experience such love and humility present in the people. One person said, “From the first time I entered I was struck by the blessed spirit that prevailed in the meeting, such a feeling of unity and humility among the children of God.”

The early days of the Azusa Street Revival were marked by unity, humility, and love regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender. Seymour emphasized the need to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. In 1908, the leadership at Azusa said, “The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.” Love was what was needed for this baptism of the Holy Spirit experience to be sustainable. They realized that love heals, love restores, and love is the way forward.

They also wanted more of God in those days no matter what it looked like. They “did not have a thousand other things” they wanted before Him. Nothing was going to stop them from encountering more of Him. They were all in it together no matter the color of their skin. These early Pentecostal pioneers paved the way for us in such a remarkable way. We are greatly indebted to these beautiful saints who said yes to pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly no matter what the cost. Now it’s our turn build on their breakthroughs.

How will we build on the momentum of William J. Seymour and those at Azusa Street, of Martin Luther King Jr., and of so many others who have gone before us? How will we take what they have done for us and go even further in our day? What will happen in our day when love supersedes all differences and we run toward Jesus together with total abandonment? What does it look like to say yes to radical love today?

To learn how to let your voice of justice, love, and racial reconciliation be heard and to make a difference, join our 5 Day Ignite Azusa Challenge that has now been turned into an Ecourse.

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., is a Revival Historian, Author, Teacher, Writing Coach, and Itinerant Minister who loves to lead people into life-changing encounters with Jesus and invite them into the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Jen is the founding director of the School of Revival which focusing on raising up leaders to steward the upcoming billion soul harvest. Jen also facilities Writing in the Glory Workshops around the world to catalyze authors to write their first books. She has supported Bill Johnson in his Defining Moments book as well as authored Walking on Water, Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution, Writing in the Glory, Life on Wings, Spirit Flood, and Silver to Gold. She founded Destiny House (2012-2019) and also taught activation classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministries (2014-2020). She currently teaches at her alma mater Vanguard University and also at The King’s University in Texas and recently launched The School of Revival. She is ordained by Heidi Baker with Iris Global and received her Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K.

What if God is not Reforming the Old as much as He is Birthing the New?

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

CREATE IN ME A NEW HEART

I read a Bible verse this morning that caused me to approach prayer differently in this unique season. In Psalm 51, David is responding to the Lord after he got exposed by the prophet Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba. In his repentance and longing for reconnection, he cried out to the Lord and said, 

 “Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

As I looked a little deeper into this verse, I discovered that the word used for “create” (bara') here matches the one used in Genesis 1:1 (בָּרָא) where God created something out of nothing in the very beginning. Psalm 51:10 in The Message Translation reads like this:

“God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

David was not simply asking God to reform and reshape his heart. He was not asking God to redeem what had gone wrong in his heart or to restore it to make it whole again. He was also not asking Him to fix what had been broken. From a place of repentance, David was pleading with the Lord for a new beginning, for a fresh start, for a brand-new heart. Psalm 51:10 in The Passion Translation says, “Create a new, clean heart within me.” David was asking God to create a brand-new heart to replace the old. He was willing to let the past die, never to be resurrected again, and instead receive a new heart. He was willing to be rebirthed into a new season. This was all in the context of wanting to be in closer relationship to God.

As I continued meditating on David’s prayer for a new heart, I was also reminded of the following verses:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV)

LETTING GO OF THE OLD TO RECEIVE THE NEW

In these verses, God promises to give us brand new hearts. There is a removal of the old and a reception of the new. This is such a radical exchange. Reading these verses stirred my heart and made me wonder if God wants to match this new epoch we’re stepping into with a brand-new heart. In the midst of this pandemic, one of my prayers up until now has been, God please reform my heart. Refine it to become like gold. Change whatever needs to be changed in my life and ministry so that I am in perfect alignment with Heaven. I invite the fire of God to come and purify my heart, thoughts, motives, and passions. I sense there is more not just for me but for us all. God, give us a Reformation.

Reform means to “re-form” or reshape something that already existed. Jeremiah 18 is a good example of this as the Potter decides to reform the clay that has been marred. Instead of throwing out the old clay and starting over, he chooses to reshape the existing clay. Thank God for this! And while that passage in Jeremiah 18 was a very significant “now word” for me a couple years back, it feels as though God is emphasizing a new word for me, and maybe for us, in this new season.

What if in this season, God is actually creating the new rather than reforming the old?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love, teach on, and have been marked by Reformation fire; it indeed has had its significant time and place in history. I’m actually a trained revival historian who has given my life to research past moves of God. I’ve seen how history can prophesy into our future. But what if in this unique season, God wants to take us beyond Reformation of the past because He is creating something brand new? What if rather than reshape existing structures, mindsets, heart postures, He actually wants to do a new thing? What if He is waiting for us to surrender the old so that we can receive the New?

I think in this unprecedented time, we need to be open to the possibility and even expect God to do something never done before.  Maybe God wants to match this unprecedented storm with an unprecedented new move of God.

POSITIONING FOR THE NEW

Today, will we make room for God to birth a new thing within our hearts, families, and churches? Will we let go of the old to receive the new? Will we let go of what’s safe, for something that’s dangerously outside of our comfort zones? Will we lean in close to the Father’s heartbeat to hear what new thing He might want to birth in and through us in this season?

What if on the other side of this pandemic, we don’t just have reformed hearts, but we have brand new ones instead? Or what if the church isn’t just reformed to become a better model of the one it was before the pandemic, but it becomes a brand new wineskin so much so that people don’t even recognize it because it’s so fresh, vibrant, and able to steward the new wine of the season? What if the following Scripture is actually a “now word”? 

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

What if in our present times, God is wanting to do something so completely new that we have never experienced or even heard of in our lifetime (Joshua 3:1-4)? What if the new thing God wants to do is so different from what we’ve seen before, so outside of our boxes, that it’s even offensive to some because they have no grid, box, or program it will fit nicely into (John 12:3)? What if the Holy Spirit wants to lead our lives, ministries, and churches beyond all of our best plans, strategies, visions, histories, and agendas in a whole new way that looks nothing like what we’ve ever experienced before?

I am not saying all of this so that you throw away everything you’ve spent your life building up until now. But I do feel that our generation is pregnant with birthing the next great awakening. Indeed, the billion-soul harvest has already begun for those who have eyes to see. Don’t be surprised if the next great awakening comes in a way we’ve never seen throughout history before, or even in the midst of or on the other side of the Covid-19 crisis and economic downturn. Be prepared just in case God wants to completely transform, turn upside-down, set new foundations, and radically transform everything you’ve done up until this point. Don’t be surprised if everything in your world looks different soon, this actually might be the work of God.

A TIME TO RISK LIKE NEVER BEFORE

There is no other time in history where the entire world been affected as it has today. There has been a global pause or reset for many of the people not on the front lines. I feel that now, more than ever, is our moment to press in for a mighty move of the Spirit no matter what that might look like. Now is our time to dream outside of the box, courageously follow our hearts, and move beyond reforming old ways so that we can lean into receiving and helping to birth the new thing on God’s heart.

It’s time to lean into intimacy with Jesus and to move wherever the Holy Spirit is leading, even if it’s into uncharted territory. There needs to be a yieldedness and willingness to move wherever the Spirit leads in the smallest of details to the greatest even when we don’t understand why. There’s never been a more opportune time to risk on the other side of this pandemic.

Enough time has now passed, change is inevitable. Normal will never look the same. I feel that the reformation of heart we have leaned into has prepared us precisely for this moment in history. I believe that we are currently in a birthing season and that God wants to move beyond reforming what has already existed into birthing something new.

On April 9, 1906, the Azusa Street Revival was birthed when a small group of family and friends gathered in a home with one agenda, to encounter more of God. This ignited the Pentecostal movement that has since impacted the world in a tremendous way. Just months before this revival, on November 16, 1905, an intercessor in Los Angeles named Frank Bartleman felt a stirring similar to what many of us might be feeling today. He said,

“Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it…

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame…Brother, sister, if we all believed God can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is ascending to the throne night and day. Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.[i]

Truly, we too will see “heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances.” Even if what God is doing in this new season feels uncomfortable because we’ve never seen or felt Him move like this before, remember that in this season, God is doing a New Thing. He’s inviting us to lean in close to His heart so that we can see and receive the new thing He has or us. 

PRAYER FOR A NEW HEART

This is my new prayer. If your heart resonates, feel free to pray this as your own.

God, I ask you in this moment to give me the strength to let go of every structure, discipline, strategy, reputation, previous success or failure that I’ve held dear to. Give me the grace to come to a place of absolute surrender of the old in my life. Help me to lay it all on the altar and to ask for Your fire to come. As I surrender everything I’ve known and lay my life at Your feet, I also invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill every cell in my body with Your power. Give me the courage I will need to welcome the new that You have for me in this season regardless of what it looks or feels like. I want more of You Jesus no matter what the cost. Let me heart explode with love for You and Your people like never before. Help me to recognize my need for You today.

God, create in me a new heart for this new season. Give me a new wine skin for the new wine You are pouring out. Give me a new mind to know You more. Fill my life with new hopes, dreams, visions, and a new reality of Your amazing love. Give me a new capacity to connect more deeply with You than ever before. Lord, Create in me a new heart and birth a new thing through me for such a time as this. Yes, and amen and let it be so for the glory of King Jesus.

Be blessed by this song based off of Psalm 51:10 written by Keith Green

Also, this is a beautiful song about God releasing new wine through our lives.

Resources

For practical tools in learning how to Position yourself for the Incoming Harvest to fully step into what God is doing in our generation, read Positioning for the Incoming Revival, join us in one of our upcoming online Live School of Revivals, or go through the Pioneering Revival Ecourse below.

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NOTES:

[i] The word used for “new” here is chadash which also meant fresh. Chadash comes from the root word “renew” that was used in the second part of Psalm 51:10 to renew a right spirit in me. This word was also described as “to polish a sword or cutting.” From Old English, the word new meant "made or established for the first time, fresh, recently made or grown; unheard-of, different from the old; untried, inexperienced, unused."

[i] Frank Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles: As it Was in the Beginning. 2nd edition (Los Angeles, CA: Frank Bartleman, originally April 1925), 39 and now printed by Christian Classic Ethereal Library (Grand Rapids, MI) accessible http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bartleman/los.pdf (accessed January 25, 2016).

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

What’s Your Address?

Part 1: Written while in Maui, HI on September 20, 2018 

Three simple words, or four if you take away the conjugation, that literally have thrown me for a loop. One of the graduates who took my Writing in the Glory workshop and who I had the privilege of helping along in the journey just published her first book, which is incredible! Then she offered to mail me a copy of her book. She sent me an email with those three words that normally make sense but in my season, I didn’t quite know how to answer her. “What’s your address?” I believe sometimes this can also be translated “Where’s home?” And the reason I am writing a blog about something that might seem to very trivial to most people is because in this present season, I don’t have an answer to that question and I am not sure when exactly I will. A few months ago I would have said one thing, a few weeks ago another, today another, and next week another.

Did you know that you are not allowed to apply for a credit card if you don’t have an address? I learned that on my recent airline flight. It’s also hard to order anything online to be shipped to you if you don’t know where it is going, or even where you’re going next.

“What’s your address?”

While I was in Mozambique this summer, I got a message that the house I had been living in for several years in Redding was sold and that upon my return I would have to move out shortly after. Already having made plans to go to Maui before I heard the news, I changed my ticket to a one-way. About a week after I came to Maui, I heard the news of the terrible fires in Redding where many lost their homes. This was so heartbreaking and hard to be away from all my dear friends during this time. After that broke out, I’ve tried to come back to Redding several times, even bought a ticket back that I had to let go of because things fell through and no consistent housing opened up over there for me since my transition out of my previous place. We had already felt led to let go of the Destiny House building this summer and found out YWAM was taking it after us which was a huge blessing. But I personally still don’t have a permanent address or know what is next.

It’s interesting traveling because usually there’s an end time and a place to go back home to. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I’m not so eager to head back to the Mainland, because it feels like there’s even more places to stay here in Maui that have recently opened up versus going back to a city where much of it has been destroyed by the fires. While I admit it does get a bit tiring moving around so much, it is a huge blessing that an address doesn’t define my home. So many beautiful people have opened their homes and their hearts to me here in Maui. I am eternally grateful for these and they are one of the very God-reasons I keep extending my trip.

It’s also a blessing to realize that while at the moment I don’t really have an address, I know one day I will and that no matter what, I am at home in God wherever I go. So many others literally don’t have an address because they are living on the streets or in their cars or their house burnt down. There are many refugees out there who have had to flee their homes with only the clothes on their backs, never to return to their homeland again.

I’m on the other extreme of that and feel so rich to be embraced by the community of saints who would never let that happen to me. Life is such an interesting journey and the more I travel and leave my comfort zone, the bigger my global family seems to become. While there seems to have been many others in major transition this season as well and lots of dear friends who have returned to their home countries, it also feels sweet to know that while at the moment I’m not sure where I’m going to land, I have a place to call home around the world. God is my address. Being home in His heart is where I live. And the family of God has been so gracious and generous to me in this season.  

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Full Circle

Part 2: Written on November 5, 2019 while in Orange County, CA

After the above was written, I ended up staying in Maui nearly another month and a half and experienced quite a shift in my life. Following my 3.5 month sabbatical time there, I went to Virginia and saw God move in a special way, then back to Redding to continue transitioning. For Christmas, I went back to Orange County with family for the holidays where there wasn’t an available room in my home for the first time ever so I couldn’t even stay in my own house for Christmas but had to stay with a friend. The first week of January I went to the outback in Australia to help be a part of launching my friend’s first Iris School of Outback Mission. Instead of flying back like my plane ticket said, a beautiful family invited me to join them on the coast in Byron Bay to experience more of Australia. Since I was going to Germany soon, rather than fly everywhere and be exhausted from jet lag, I thought it would be worth it to invest the extra money to rest. After some much needed time in the sun, straight from Australia I flew to Germany and landed there in my blue jeans and flip flops. I was in no way prepared for the winter time in Europe since I had originally planned to go back and get my stuff before venturing out of the nation again. I am so grateful my mom mailed me my coat, shoes, gloves, and a beanie to stay warm.

From Germany I went to Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, then England before coming back to Orange County for a week then back to Virginia. I remember when I was staying at a friend’s house in England for nearly a week, the longest time I was at one place, I literally unpacked all of my things just to feel somewhat settled and to not have to live out of a suitcase for one whole week. Then in May 2019, I went back to Redding to close the chapter of Destiny House Redding and gather the rest of my things.

With absolutely no intention of buying a thing, a few days before I was about to head back down to Southern California, I went into the Crowning Jewels store to say goodbye to a few of my friends from Destiny House who worked there. Then I realized I needed a few thank you gifts for people so I started shopping a little bit before I saw this one necklace that totally stood out to me.

It said “Home” on it.  

I knew I had to have it since my life was so up in the air during that crazy season. I still had no idea where I was going to land except for the fact that I was continually being drawn to Europe. When I bought the necklace, it came with a prophetic card. My friend went into the back to have another worker write it out because she wanted someone who didn’t know me or my situation at all. When I opened it, my eyes began to water in the store and I felt the presence of God. The note said something to the effect that usually home means a place but for some reason she felt that home was not about a certain location for me in this season but a reminder that God is always my home. I was so touched by God in that place and it came from so out of the blue. It was lovely to see my friends and I walked out of that store wearing my necklace that said “home” on it. I wore that necklace much of the summer. Every time I put it on it was a reminder that even though I still had no idea where I was going to land, I knew that God is always my home and safe place.

This necklace stayed on me as I went back to Maui for a short visit, then to Orange County again briefly before embarking on another European adventure to 5 nations in Europe, my second big trip in the year. I went to Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Belgium, and France.

On September 13th when I was in Belgium launching the third of our Schools of Revival, I received an email from a professor at Vanguard University who wanted to connect with me about potentially teaching a class there. When I saw the email, I didn’t have the capacity to even think about it much as I was still right in the middle of the European Tour and loving it. Then as my trip was coming to a close, my last day in Paris before flying home September 23, I was able to have a phone call with the professor and agreed to meet with him the following week when I was back in town. The very next day when I arrived back in the U.S.A., I received another email from another dean who was a part of a University in Dallas, Texas wanting to fly me out to teach an intensive master’s course in the Spring of 2020.

I was still very much feeling drawn to explore relocating to Europe but also open to seeing what God might be doing and if He was leading me into a new season. I was also feeling after traveling for over one year straight and loving it that I was ready and really needed a season of being in one place for a period of time.

September 30, I met with Tommy, the professor at Vanguard University and he talked to me about potentially options to teach adjunct online classes. I’ve taught online before but prefer being in the classroom with the students. When he heard me say that, he told me that if I was in town, he would give me his class to teach. His class was History of Pentecostalism which is basically a class about the The Azusa Street Revival. 

I was a bit torn because I had set my sights on Europe and at the same time something in the mix felt like this could indeed be God. I met with him again the following week and saw the favor and potential to be present with the students there instead of online teaching. After prayer and counsel, I really felt this was indeed the Lord. Within one week, everything changed and became clear. This opportunity was so out of the blue but I began to get more and more excited as the pieces began to be put together.

So after over a year of not knowing what’s next and following my heart to plant seeds of revival in the nations, God has finally revealed to me the next steps I am supposed to take. Twenty years after graduating from Vanguard University suddenly, and on its 100 year anniversary as a school, I will begin teaching a class primarily all about the Azusa Street Revival. My Ph.D. work was significantly focused on the Azusa Street Revival. Actually one of the original reasons I went to pursue it many years ago was so that I could teach at Vanguard one day. This was a dream in my heart I had long forgotten about but that God waited twenty years to fulfill! God is so faithful! I am so grateful for the season of play, rest, pioneering, traveling to the nations that God gifted me this past year and I am excited to dive in to what is awaiting in 2020.

I had forgotten about my gold “home” necklace as time went on until today, November 5, 2019. Today when I woke up to get ready to go to the prayer meeting at Anaheim Vineyard where I grew up, I felt like I really wanted to wear my gold necklace that said “home” on it. And this time as I put it on, there was a sense of relief and gratitude. Previously, I needed to wear this necklace to remind myself that in all my journeys and adventures this past year and a half where I had no address, God is always my home and always provides family. But now, today, after over a year of not knowing what was next, where was next, not having an address or consistency in my life when I put it on, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was a reminder of God’s faithfulness. He had brought me full circle and back home in more ways than one.

In the journey, I learned that no matter where I am, God is always my home and safe place. When I wore that necklace today, I was overwhelmed with gratitude of a good good Father who always knows the way. No matter where I am or what circumstances I find myself in, I can always rest in His arms. He is such a faithful Father. Throughout all the years, He has never let me down. He has always remained my safe place. His heart is always where I find my home.

*To read newsletter I sent out sharing more about this story and turn of events, go HERE

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and friends

“The Color Line Was Washed Away in the Blood”

I want to share a testimony of what God poured out here in Charlottesville, Virginia this past week at the Writing in the Glory and Women’s Abide Conference I was a part of. Saturday afternoon November 10, 2018, I was ministering on a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and felt led to release a little of the Azusa Street Revival story along with some slides so people could see some of the main characters, including William J. Seymour. As we went into the session, deep worship and prophetic dance preceded my time of sharing and the music continued into the session. I shared an encounter Carrie Judd Montgomery had, then Ezekiel 47 and along with an invitation to dive into more of the Spirit. Then I shared about Peter stepping out of the boat yet another time in John 21 and how it doesn’t matter how many times we’ve previously encountered God or if we’ve already been baptized in the Holy Spirit, but there’s even more today than there was yesterday. After sharing some personal stories of not being afraid to use the voice God’s given and encourage others to be the unique gift He’s called them to, we waited upon the Lord for a fresh baptism of His love. As people came forward to the altar and began to get touched, I stepped out to bless what I recognized God was doing in the room.

In a mainly white crowd at this women’s conference, when I looked at the room, I saw that God was especially moving in the handful of African Americans in the room. Everyone I was drawn to pray for who I recognized the Spirit of God on in a powerful way happened to be African American. Then I took a step back and asked the Holy Spirit what was going on. Since that was the group highlighted to me, by the grace of God, I took a leap of faith and stood out on a limb doing something I’ve never done before. I called all of the African Americans to the front and the 8-9 of them came forward. I shared that I saw God was doing something special with them that day and He wanted to honor them, and also welcome their voice. I then held out my hand with the microphone for whoever of them wanted to speak. It was their floor. One of by one, some with tears, they shared their hearts while all the others in the room gathered around them up close in a circle together. It was a holy and prophetic moment that the Holy Spirit orchestrated.

Because I’ve been in such crazy transition in my personal life, I didn’t have time to research the city I was going to beforehand. I actually first thought I was going to Charlotte, North Carolina and told everyone I was going to be there until the conference director told me I had the wrong state and I was going to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was not until after God poured out His Spirit in a special way upon us that afternoon that I began to hear the story of the horrific thing that had happened in this very town a year ago. This was the place where a group of white supremacists marched in, even carrying torches and chanting horrible demonic things on August 11 and 12 of 2017. The event was called “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia. During a rally, a white supremacist drove his car through a group of non-violent counter protesters where he killed a woman and injured many others. You can learn more about what happened HERE (warning, graphic images).

When I started to discover the significance of where God had sent me, I was in awe of how God moved that afternoon and my heart was broken for what all of these precious people had to endure when evil came in and targeted their city one year ago. With this new revelation, it felt to me that what had happened at the conference Saturday afternoon was even more significant that I realized at the time. I recognized it as one of those defining moments that I will never forget where God comes and moves in a special, tender, and prophetic way. I believe that what the Holy Spirit orchestrated was a seed not only for what He wants to pour out in that city and region but for our nation as well.

I believe that God has a great plan for Charlottesville because in my own experience of knowing the history of Destiny House, I know that whenever great evil is attracted to a place it’s because it’s a well of revival and there is great glory and inheritance in that place. I am confident that God is going to heal, restore and redeem what’s been stolen from this land and my prayer is that the greatest spirit of unity this world has ever seen will flow from this land of destiny.

This was a slide I released about the Azusa Street Revival that same day when I was speaking.

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 Stepping Out of the Boat: Extending my Time in Virginia

Later that evening, the night before I was to fly out, a couple of the lovely ladies from the conference came up to me and invited me to stay longer and welcomed me into their homes. Because of how God had moved that afternoon, I smelled revival. I felt the Holy Spirit doing something big in this region from all that He had been pouring out. I decided that I didn’t want to miss what He might have. I didn’t have much time to make a decision since I had already checked into my flight the next day but I was able to change my flight. Staying there meant canceling a week of activities. I struggled with doubt the first two days because I was delaying seeing people I loved in Redding and having to cancel teaching at the school of ministry which I committed to and so enjoy. Finally after much prayer with precious friends, I was able to embrace what God had placed in front of me and dove in as I counted the cost of saying yes to the tiny seed of what I thought might be the Lord. As a result of staying, we got to do another revival meeting and also open it up to the men to come along where God moved in power. I released the Azusa story in full and there was a mighty baptism of fire released where lives were marked by God’s presence. 

Making the decision to stay ties into the new shift in my life of helping to raise up pioneers. I find it interesting that these recent invitations to step out of the boat into unknown territory are happening at the same time that I am about ready to release my Walking on Water Encounter E-course as the first course in the online School of Pioneering Revival. See video below. Me pioneering into new territories makes sense and is important if I am going to help inspire and encourage others to step out of the boat. So this extended week was yet again, another one of those moments of stepping out of the boat and trusting the Lord.

The coolest thing is that when I chose to extend my time in Maui and rest before stepping into this clear yes in Virginia, I said no to a lot of opportunities that also would have provided for me financially. This conference in Virginia I sold out of all my books and I had triple the number of Writing in the Glory attendees I normally have. God totally covered and blessed me by providing for my season of rest. Entering into this huge “yes” fully rested was one of the best decisions and I’m so grateful for all God poured out during my time intersecting with this beautiful community.

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Revival Meeting: The Significance of 11-16

Since I had extended my trip, we were able to plan a region wide revival meeting where we could also invite the men to come along. The date was set for November 16, 2018 (11/16/2018). That evening, I shared a testimony of what happened to me on this same date on November 16, 2007 not long after I had first moved to England. I went to a church with a friend and was marked by the Holy Spirit. Before this time, I had become obsessed with the theme of Spirit baptism and had begun asking my friends about their experiences and was interested to learn more about it, especially as it was at the heartbeat of the Azusa Street Revival, which I was then studying in my Ph.D. there at the time. When I got home from the meeting that night 11 years ago, I was in awe of how the Spirit had marked me and as I prepared to set my alarm and turn off my phone for the night, I looked and it said 11/16 for the date at 11:16pm. I opened up the book of Acts 11:16 to see if God might be speaking. That verse was the only red letters on the page where it was recalled that Jesus said, “John baptized you with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” I was in shock and so rocked by how specifically God spoke that night. It was amazing (to read the whole account see Spirit Flood).  

Because there’s so much momentum on that date in history and because I was releasing the story of the Azusa Street Revival that same night year later, I opened the meeting by sharing that testimony. As I continued to share the Azusa story, I released a prayer by eyewitness at Azusa, Frank Bartleman, about how the Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure circumstances. As I read the prayer over people, I hadn't noticed the extra significance of it until a couple came up to me at the end of the evening and asked if I had realized that the date he released that prayer which was noted on my power point was November 16, 1905. The very same date of that day except 113 years earlier! Jesus!!! How amazing is that! Unexpected and amazing how God speaks and moves even in the details.

Many lives were touched this past week in Virginia including a couple who is going to plant a worshipping community in Richmond as a result of what God did, another being awakening and introduced to the power of the Holy Spirit for the first time in her life, reconciliation between family, heart healing, voices unlocked, shifting into a new season, and an awakening of burning ones who re-consecrated their lives to be sold out for Jesus. Thanks to everyone who prayed, offered grace when I didn’t return back to Redding when planned, those who invited and welcomed me to stay, rearranged their Sunday church meeting to have me speak, and Joan Hutter for hearing from the Holy Spirit to invite me and Amy Lancaster to come out to Virginia for such a time as this. So blessed. May a new fire be ignited in you today, filled with His fiery love!

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Testimony: The Simplicity of One Yes

Here is a beautiful testimony by Kim Hager about her time at the Writing in the Glory, Women’s Abide, and other revival meetings that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia this week November 9-18, 2018

One persons “yes” has every potential to be another person’s breakthrough. I both experienced and witnessed this in substantial ways with Dr. Jennifer Miskov’s visit to Charlottesville, Va.  Her “yes” to the Lord to come to Virginia launched a chain reaction of breakthroughs this week in so many lives and without a doubt countless more to follow.  As for me personally, I was suddenly launched into a brand new life season. 

Ministering at Restoration Cornerstone church with Kim releasing worship on the keyboard in the back.

I had been wrestling to fully get up out from underneath the clutter of busyness in ministry and the rubble of a difficult past season. In the process, some of who I am and how I was made to be had begun to dry up. I knew the Lord was positioning me for a season of writing and so I attended the “Writing in the Glory” workshop. I expected to gain a helpful resource but I did not know I would get swept up into such a move of God in the process. The authority of Jen’s message, lifestyle, and testimony literally was a prophetic wind of God to breathe life into the dry places in my destiny.  

As she faithfully released what she was carrying in her spirit, an impartation came. Her ministry was the hand of Jesus pulling me up out of the clutter and rubble of my past season and setting my feet in the broad place of my now, new season. Jen was the prophetic voice that re-awakened the dreamer and adventurer in me and called me out into the very season of deeper intimacy and fruitfulness that I am now walking into. Praise God!

I was also given the honor to lead worship and help facilitate ministry times during Jen’s stay for later meetings (some of them unplanned but divinely orchestrated).  Having been under Jen’s messaging, I was instilled with a newfound courage to step out which resulted in me giving voice to a vulnerable part of my testimony during worship that I had never shared publicly before. As a result, lives on the precipice of darkness were brought into the healing breakthrough of Jesus and hope and strength for endurance was released. I also found faith and courage to allow the Lord to re-arrange my schedule to stay with the move of God that was being released among us.

Jen took the time to lovingly yet boldly challenge me to respond based on my new season not my old one. Throughout her time here we witnessed powerful moments of God as people were baptized in His Spirit, filled with fresh faith, received emotional healing, surrendered their whole hearts to Jesus, and stepped out into new things in God. We participated in the awakening rumblings of racial reconciliation and watched the Lord awaken dreams and destiny in His people. What a great and unexpected week its been! 
I am undone with gratitude for the goodness and kindness of the Lord in what He has done here through Jen’s “yes” to him and her love for us. Thank you Jennifer Miskov for being willing and obedient to come to Virginia. You have an inheritance with Jesus here.

*Check out some of Kim’s anointed worship music HERE

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Testimony: “You Want Me to be a Catcher?” And an Invitation to a Deeper Experience in the Holy Spirit

Testimony by Emily who was already an answer to prayer for me because she helped run my book table and all the books even sold out! May God bring you to deeper depths of His Spirit as you read her account of what God did this week.

What a week. I feel like I was thrust into this new world when Joan Hutter, the director of Women’s Abide conference looked at me and said, “You’ll be a catcher.” I thought, “how did she know I’m a great catcher? Wait, what am I catching?” It was a whirlwind of praying in tongues, people passing out, loud laughter and uncontrolled sobbing. How can so many things be happening all at once? I just knew I wanted to know more about this.

We’ve been studying Romans as a church and for months I’ve been anticipating Romans 8. I desperately want to know what it means to be walking in the Spirit. This conference came at a perfect time when my heart was already positioned to be looking for life in the Spirit...even though I was really only there because my boss asked me to help out at the conference with the logistics and such. I kept that as my excuse to not enter in. “I’m really just here for work.”

I mostly observed during the worship services; watching some women dance in one corner and others grab banners and twist them around like they were doing work. Women were face down on the ground while others kneeled at their chairs. This worship seemed intentional; like these women had praise and adoration to bring to the Lord and they were going to use their whole body to do it. How is there a whole community of believers coming together to worship and I feel like an outsider, like these were not my people?

I’m so thankful the Lord brought Jen to guide and help me through what was going on and to graciously answer my questions. There were a lot. To be clear, I have heard of the term “baptism in the Holy Spirit” but I had no concept of what it is in real life.

For a few days I asked questions, searched scriptures and read Jen’s book on Spirit baptism called Spirit Flood, and then Tuesday night things got weird. I had dinner at the house where Jen was staying with Nicole, and after asking a few rounds of questions from me along with some vulnerable moments exploring what was hindering me from moving forward, Jen asked if she and Nicole could pray over me. I’m not sure that I even know what happened. I am still praying about it and seeking understanding. But as they prayed over me and we took time to wait on the Lord there was something like a very heavy blanket that covered me. I looked at Jen so confused about why I was so heavy. She encouraged me to lay down and to take note of pictures and words that came to mind as this was an important time of hearing from the Lord. I laid down and almost immediately I heard the Lord say to me, “You’re clean, Emily. You’ve been washed clean.’”

This moment has changed me. Not because of some physical experience - while that is something to look into and explore with the Lord - it changed me because after years of knowing that I’m saved and that I’m covered by the blood, it was like I actually knew it and believed it for the first time. I’m actually clean!

For the past week now, I’ve been borderline obsessed with what it means to walk in the Spirit, to worship in the Spirit and to live in the Spirit. I want to spend time with the Lord, abiding in Him. What if He has more to say? What if He has more to make clear to me or has things that only He can help move from my head knowledge to my heart understanding? And more importantly, does everyone else know that they can be washed by His blood too and walk in the freedom He’s given us?

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Radio Interview

When I first arrived in Virginia, I had the opportunity to be on Jeff Gaffney’s radio show where I share some of my personal story and encourage people with hope. Enjoy these raw moments below and thanks for being a part of my journey today!

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“Heroes Will Arise from the Dust”

I close with the prayer that Frank Bartleman released on November 16, 1905, just months before revival broke out in Los Angeles at the Azusa Street Revival which later spread across the globe. I declare over Virginia, over California with all of the wild fires, and over our nation that God would pour out His Spirit of revival again in our day.

“The current of revival is sweeping by our door. Will we cast ourselves on its mighty bosom and ride to glorious victory? A year of life at this time, with its wonderful possibilities for God, is worth a hundred years of ordinary life.

“Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it. Wales will not long stand alone in this glorious triumph for our Christ. The spirit of reviving is coming upon us, driven by the breath of God, the Holy Ghost. The clouds are gathering rapidly, big with a mighty rain, whose precipitation lingers but a little.

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame.

The Spirit is brooding over our land again as at creation’s dawn, and the fiat of God goes forth. “Let there be light.” Brother, sister, if we all believed God can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is ascending to the throne night and day.

Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.”

-Frank Bartleman November 16, 1905

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Key Resources

If you would like to learn more about some of the topics mentioned above, see these resources.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

I’ve been diving into community at Destiny House for over four years now where God sends incredible people into my life for a season but then many return to their home countries after the season is over. At times it’s heartbreaking because I have come to love these with my whole heart and then they leave. I always have a choice. I can fully engage, be all in, enjoy every moment and be fully present during the time we are together. Or, I can live guarded, protected, and pull back because they are going to leave anyway. I can choose to realize that God has intersected our lives for such a time as this and that there are keys of destiny hidden inside of us for each other. Or, I can remain in relationship with them at an arm’s distance so they can’t access my heart and then I won’t have to feel pain when they leave. This would be a very sad story if I chose the latter. The abundant life Jesus died for us to have in John 10:10 is full of joy and sorrow, tears and miracles.

It’s important to be all in and fully engaged with the people God has surrounded us with in each present season. It’s not wise to pull back just before someone moves away because of fear they will be gone forever and the relationship will end. This action will sabotage great treasures that might still need to be discovered in the present with that person.

God has destined us to live and be fully alive in each and every season of life. With all of the incredible people coming and going in our lives, I want to share something that one of my spiritual father’s, Bob Fulton, taught me that will help in this transition. Being the surfer that I am, he explained it to me this way.

Imagine you are sitting at a lifeguard tower and there are people playing in the sand and in the water just in front of your tower. These are the ones God has brought into your life for such a time as this. It is important to be present with these in the moment. Some of these will stay in your life forever and that is a beautiful thing, but some also will be there only for a season and then they will move on. That is also something to celebrate and thank God for the gift of that season of time together.

Looking to the left up the beach, you can see people playing in the water and you can’t wait to do life with them. However, they are not in front of your lifeguard tower and it’s not time to give them your full attention yet. Eventually, the current will bring them to you and then you can dive in together. When they arrive, some of these will stay with you for a season and some for life. It is all worth celebrating.

Then there are those who enjoy the beach in front of your lifeguard tower who go out swimming and the current takes them to the right and further down the beach. They no longer play in front of your lifeguard tower. They have now moved on. As you look down the beach, your heart swells with so many memories. It’s a bittersweet moment but you realize this is their path. You try your best to celebrate the moments and memories you’ve had with them. You do your best to let go and trust them to God because you know if you don’t, you won’t be able to be fully present for the ones God has positioned right in front of you for the this new season.

It’s important to celebrate and thank God for every moment you have with the people you love and also to live open handedly, fully surrendering these gifts to Him. He is their Father and loves them even more than you do. He will provide other spiritual mothers, fathers, and friends, down the beach in front of other lifeguard towers. Some may even come back later on in life and visit you again, recounting memories of old.

Every moment is worth living wholeheartedly. Every season is something to celebrate no matter how short or long it may be. Every relationship is a gift from God.

Celebrate those God has positioned in front of you for such a time as this. You will never have the same dynamics and synergy of people together like what’s in front of you today. Some may transition out of your daily life but as we live wholeheartedly, pieces of our heart will carry on within each other far and wide. May God give you the grace to dive in with those He’s brought to you now. May you have a fresh perspective to celebrate, bless, and live wholeheartedly until the end of each season, thanking God for the gift of life and friendship He has brought into your life today.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, PhD and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson

Remember what life is like today because after Saturday, everything changes. At the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival to be held at the Coliseum in Los Angeles April 9, 2016, we take our first steps into a new era. The Call Azusa, where over 100,000 people will gather for one purpose, to worship Jesus and make His name great, will shift us into the next Great Awakening and a New Jesus Revolution. The name of Jesus will be celebrated once again. Being a Christian will be the coolest thing one can do. People will experience and receive Jesus for the gift He truly is without all the excess and baggage people place on Him.

Where two or three are gathered, God hears and acts on their behalf (Matthew 18:19). When the disciples and their friends were gathered together in unity to wait upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit fell mightily (Acts 2). When a handful of passionate saints met in a little home on Bonnie Brae Street April 9, 1906 for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their time, God crashed in and birthed a movement that is still having ripple effects to this day, over 100 years later. The flame that was ignited that day has brought more than half a billion people to Jesus and has spread the gospel to nearly every country in the world.

It only takes a few people to start a fire.

So if God poured out His Spirit in a powerful way through His twelve disciples and the others gathered on the day of Pentecost and also through those at Bonnie Brae Street, what might happen when not just a small handful of people gather for one purpose, but 100,000?  The prophetic act alone of worshipping in Spirit and truth with 100,000 other believers is sure to have ripple effects for eternity that will long surpass Saturday. God is awakening this generation once again.

The gathering at the Coliseum this weekend is no small thing. Make no mistake. Azusa Now will be something we will tell our grandkids and great grandkids about years from now. It will mark the beginning of a new era.

Do whatever you have to get there or to watch on live streaming. This is a once in the lifetime opportunity to be a part of something greater than we could ever dream of.

In June 1906, just months after the fire at Azusa Street was ignited, participant Frank Bartleman wrote the following:

Opportunity once passed, is lost forever. There is a time when the tide is sweeping by our door. We may then plunge in and be carried to glorious blessing, success and victory. To stand shivering on the bank, timid, or paralyzed with stupor, at such a time, is to miss all, and most miserably fail, both for time and for eternity. Oh, our responsibility! The mighty tide of God’s grace and favor is even now sweeping by us, in its prayer-directed course…It is time to ‘get together,’ and plunge in, individually and collectively. We are baptized ‘in one Spirit, into one body,’ - I Cor. 12:13. Let us lay aside all carnal contentions and divisions, that separate us from each other and from God. If we are of His body, we are ‘one body.’ The opportunity of a lifetime, of centuries, is at our door, to be eternally gained or lost. There is no time to hesitate. Act quickly, lest another take thy crown. Oh, church of Christ, awake! Be baptized with power. Then fly to rescue others. And to meet your Lord.

May a New Jesus Revolution emerge where the name of Jesus becomes famous once again and where being in love with Him is our one desire.

*Excerpts and inspiration from new book Ignite Azusa available here. See also Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson in video clip below where Lou also releases a blessing in the very end over Ignite Azusa.