40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 22: Graced with POWER - BOLD

When we choose to live empowered by the Spirit, life becomes an adventure. We develop a boldness to take risks. Freed from the fear of others' opinions and self-reliance, our lives are characterised by having a go, taking a leap and the thrill of being in that faith-place where you can do nothing but trust God to come through!

On our recent Hillsong United Album there is one song that has resounded with the heart of our church, becoming something of an anthem for us in this season as we seek to discover God's heart for revival individually and collectively.
In a bold declaration of faith, the lyrics are:

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour

Let us all allow these words be the cry of our hearts today. Resolve to tune your ear to the Holy Spirit's voice and when He asks you to do something that makes you nervous - step out and do it!

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 21: Graced with POWER - ENABLED

It is not enough to know that we are 'empowered by the Holy Spirit,' we need also need to know what we are enabled to do.

When Peter addressed the people in Acts 4:8, filled with the Holy Spirit, he was fearless in the face of scepticism. Likewise, in verse 33 we read 'With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.'

It is the Holy Spirit's power that enables us to be witnesses for Christ, both in word and in action.

With the Holy Spirit's empowering we can to go into all the world and tell people that they have a Saviour who loves them and literally died for them! This Spirit who draws, convicts and saves people, is a gift to those who are prone to timidity and pride alike, as we cannot boast in our works at all, but only in the Spirit's!

As the British Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth said, 'We may be nothing but in God we can be mighty.' In what ways do you need the Holy Spirit to enable you to share Christ? Ask Him!

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 20: Graced with POWER - EMPOWERED

The book of Acts describes how early believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit, carried on the life and work of Jesus Christ after His ascension to Heaven. This account is well known to most Christians but is worth us pausing to reflect on.

Ordinary men and women were able to carry on with the life-changing work of Jesus after He had returned to Heaven. Wait. What? The work that had previously been done by the Son of God, Jesus Christ was carried on by ORDINARY men and women?

How? Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the work of Jesus was carried on by ordinary men and women.

And so it is today.

Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is the source of our power and find ourselves in a place where our well-intentioned diligence has become striving. Sometimes we forget and become overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness. Take a moment today to re-align and invite the Holy Spirit to empower you once again.

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 12: The Conversation of PRAYER - SACRIFICE

To 'fast' is to abstain from something specific for a particular reason. When we fast as Christians, we often do it to develop depth in our relationship with God. By denying our flesh something it craves, we can allow communion with God to satisfy us instead.

Legalism around fasting is pointless, as fasting is never an end to itself but an opportunity for us to put our God of grace first. Nonetheless, fasting can be a great tool for us to use to seek Him, and to set aside something that may be becoming a distraction to our time spent with God in prayer.

In the early church, we see that they fasted and prayed to hear from God and to intercede for Barnabas and Saul (Paul).

It is told that William J. Seymour, leader of the Azusa Street Revival in California in 1906, gathered with a small group of believers regularly to pray and fast to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A few days into the fast and after praying all night, William began to speak in tongues. News of this spread and attracted people from everywhere.

Fasting looks different for each person, with the Holy Spirit at different times asking us to give up different things for a period of time. This could be social media, TV, movies, coffee, sugar etc. Fasting something is humbly saying no to the flesh and yes to the spirit. It should put our focus on God and not the thing we are giving up.

Allow God to prompt you regarding whether He would like you to fast from something for a while. Determine to use the extra time in prayer and in His presence, as we believe for people to come to know Him.

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 6: The Conversation of PRAYER - PRAYER - REVIVAL'S PARTNER

There is power in prayer.

Christine Caine, founder of the anti-human trafficking campaign, A21, describes how she prayed for hours while

they were building the stadiums for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, 'I used to sit on the edge where the deep holes were dug to pour in the foundations and my tears would drip into the cement.'

Then the Director for Youth Alive in Sydney, Christine prayed that God's glory would be revealed through the gathering of His people in one place, under one accord, with one heart singing praises to His Name. This site is now Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, where thousands gather every year under the name of Jesus in Australia's largest annual conference, Hillsong Conference.



In 1904, Wales saw more than 100,000 people come to know Christ in under six months in a revival characterised by prayer, praise, joy, victory and the re-discovery of the Holy Spirit. The leader of this Revival, Evan Roberts, was a man known for his intense, fervent prayer who had believed for over 10 years to see the people of Wales come to know Jesus.

As we continue this study, let's allow God to awaken us to the conversation of prayer. With the example of the early church and great leaders like Evan Roberts inspiring us, let us intercede for our families and friends and believe for the salvation of those who do not yet know Christ.

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 3:The Art Of Being PRESENT - PRESENT IN THE COMMUNITY

From the earliest days of the church, God has been present when believers gathered. In Acts 2, when early believers met together, the Holy Spirit came like the wind, filling the place and causing those gathered to speak in tongues.

The early church hungered for both God and community. Daily they met and made space for those who God added to their community. They found what Jesus had shared with His disciples to be true; that where two or more were gathered in His name, He was there among them (Matthew 18).

When any unique individual is wholly present in a community, that community is naturally strengthened. When we take our place in the community of believers though, the community is additionally strengthened supernaturally by God's presence - and especially so when we have faith for God's presence.

Perhaps it has been a while since you have taken your place in the community of believers. Or perhaps you have been present physically but lacking faith for God's presence. Let this moment be a turning point for you. Determine that you will be found to be present and faith-filled in the community of God this weekend.