40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 26: Graced with POWER - UNIFIED IN POWER

There is power in gathering together under the name of Jesus. We see this in the early church in Acts. When they gathered the presence of God and the power of His Spirit was evident as they began to speak in tongues, prophesy and preach the Gospel with a Godly confidence.

When the church gathers and experiences a time of awakening and refreshing, it has an overflow effect into homes, workplaces, communities, cities and even nations. Never underestimate the power in gathering and how far reaching what we can achieve together is.

The British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon once said, 'A true revival is to be looked for in the church of God. Only in the river of gracious life can the pearl of revival be found. It has been said that a revival must begin with God's people; this is very true, but it is not all the truth, for the revival itself must end as well as begin there.'

40 Days of Revival: Lent Day 25: Graced with POWER - EMPOWERED TO BEAR FRUIT

One of the most wonderful things about living a life that is led by the Holy Spirit is that we are empowered to bear fruit. That means we can actually expect that the work we put our hand to would achieve good results, be that in business, in our relationships, in our creative pursuits, in our character and even in our efforts to share Jesus. As we see evidence of this and it becomes one of our foundational beliefs, we live with greater confidence and faith.

Psalm 92 is a 'Song for the Sabbath Day.' Make time this weekend to allow it become your own song. Copy verses 12-15 down and put them somewhere visible for the coming days. Choose to have a mindset that expects everything that you put your hand to, to flourish!

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 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 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.