Times of Refreshing: Revival Begins with Repentance

Devotional

Day 1: The Unseen Hand Holding Us Through the Storm

When life’s fiercest battles rage, God’s grip remains unshaken. A man battling cancer felt warmth surge through his body as invisible hands steadied him during prayer—a tangible reminder that God holds us even when we can’t see Him. This divine embrace carries believers through seasons of suffering, preparing them for storms they don’t yet see. Just as fire refines gold, trials become the furnace where faith is proven genuine. The same hand that held a dying man through revival nights now reaches for those drowning in today’s chaos. [50:26]

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:10, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to trust God’s unseen hand today? Name one situation where you’ll choose to believe He’s holding you, even when you feel alone.

Day 2: Syringes Laid Down at the Altar

Revival begins when desperate souls trade temporary fixes for eternal fire. Just as addicts abandoned needles during historic outpourings, God still exchanges destructive habits for holy hunger. The altar isn’t a religious stage—it’s a detox zone where shame melts under grace. When the Church becomes a triage center for overdosing souls, ordinary pews become resurrection grounds. Miracles erupt not in perfection, but in raw surrender. [13:40]

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
(Acts 3:19, ESV)

Reflection: What “syringe” have you been clutching? How might laying it down today make space for God’s healing fire?

Day 3: When the Latter Rain Soaks Parched Ground

Farmers waited for autumn rains to nourish hardened soil—a biblical picture of God’s delayed blessings that bring exponential growth. The “latter rain” of revival doesn’t just sprinkle—it drenches pride, cracks addiction’s drought, and revives dead places. Like crops bursting through cracked earth, breakthroughs come when we stop rehearsing past miracles and thirst for new downpours. [27:53]

“He has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.”
(Joel 2:23, ESV)

Reflection: What parched area of your life needs this season’s rain? How will you position yourself to catch it?

Day 4: Jerking Back to Life Under Holy Fire

Revival often looks undignified—bodies shaking, tears flowing, pride crumbling. Like a locomotive releasing pent-up steam, God’s pressure demands holy eruption. The same power that made a six-year-old weep at the altar still interrupts polished religion with unscripted fire. Spiritual awakening isn’t a quiet meditation—it’s a voltage surge restarting dead hearts. [55:25]

“And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 2:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: When has God’s presence disrupted your composure? What might He want to restart in you through holy disruption?

Day 5: Chains Dropped in a Split-Second Miracle

Addicts walk free mid-fix. Backbiters become peacemakers. Drama queens transform into intercessors—not by willpower, but by resurrection power. Revival history proves God needs only a moment to obliterate strongholds. Like a squatter evicted by heaven’s sheriff, the enemy flees when saints reclaim their blood-bought authority. [18:49]

“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’”
(Luke 5:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What chain have you tolerated too long? How will you confront it today with Christ’s “get up” authority?

Sermon Summary

Acts 3:19-20 ties times of refreshing to repentance, turning back, and the presence of the Lord. Revival is not a planned-out schedule on the calendar. It is a transformed heart. The church needs more than systems, procedures, and a crowded building. Believers must examine their thoughts, motives, words, and actions, ask God for mercy, and turn away from whatever has come between them and him.

God’s work in earlier revivals gives reason to expect his power in the present. From the mountain gatherings before Azusa Street to Brownsville and the Times of Refreshing revival in Chattanooga, the deciding factor is God pouring himself out. His presence saves, restores, and equips people for what lies ahead. Refreshing does not mean that hard days will never come. The account of a father sensing God holding his hand before facing a brain tumor shows how the Lord can establish someone before a season of suffering.

Pentecostal identity cannot substitute for the living presence of the Holy Spirit. A church sign and correct doctrine do not mean that a congregation owns the Spirit. Neither fakery nor a determination to keep everything controlled belongs in the church. Genuine repentance may require uncomfortable honesty, and genuine expectation leaves room for God to interrupt familiar routines.

Christ’s power also exposes the lie that the devil owns everything. The earth belongs to the Lord; the enemy is a squatter, not the owner. Salvation is the greatest miracle: a sinner held captive by sin and death becomes born again and free. Healing and the gifts of the Spirit are not beyond the power of the Savior who raises a dead soul.

The Spirit’s wind, fire, oil, and refreshing water describe a life God fills and renews. A congregation remembered mainly for its past need not remain there. God can revive a praying remnant, restore broken lives, and make fresh testimonies a reason for others to seek him.

Key Takeaways

1. Refreshing Begins With An Honest Turn. Acts connects refreshing with repentance, not merely with a desire for a powerful experience. Examination must reach wrong motives, hostile thoughts, careless words, and actions that displease God. Asking forgiveness belongs with turning around, because revival begins where a believer stops defending what needs to change. [1:06:03]
2. God’s Presence Can Prepare For Suffering. A father’s experience of God holding his hand became especially meaningful when a brain tumor and death followed. The refreshing did not remove every hard thing ahead, but it established a testimony of God’s nearness before those troubles came. A real encounter with the Lord cannot be measured only by whether circumstances immediately become easier. [50:58]
3. No Church Owns The Holy Spirit. Pentecostal doctrine and a familiar name on the sign cannot guarantee the Spirit’s freedom among a congregation. Complacency can grow precisely where people assume that spiritual life is already settled. The faithful response rejects fakery without putting shackles on the Lord, remaining open to his power and honest about personal hindrances. [1:09:29]
4. Salvation Is The Greatest Miracle. A sinner held captive by sin and death becoming born again is no small work of God. Christ’s forgiveness of the paralytic places physical healing alongside his authority to forgive sins. Confidence in that greater miracle gives believers reason to seek healing and the Spirit’s gifts rather than treating them as beyond God’s power. [1:18:20]
5. Revival Is More Than A Date. A calendar can mark services without producing a transformed heart. Genuine revival involves seeking God willingly, yielding to his work, and allowing gratitude and praise to break through settled resistance. Its fruit reaches beyond a private experience as changed lives become testimonies that draw others to seek the Lord. [1:20:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:12] - Acts 3 and Times of Refreshing
[48:42] - Salvation and God’s Sustaining Hand
[52:30] - God’s Outpouring Across Revival History
[56:16] - Refreshing From the Lord’s Presence
[58:52] - A Community’s Need for Freedom
[1:05:47] - Revival Starts With Personal Repentance
[1:09:29] - Pentecostal Identity Cannot Replace the Spirit
[1:13:40] - The Enemy Is a Squatter
[1:18:20] - Salvation Is the Greatest Miracle
[1:20:39] - A Transformed Heart and Overflowing Praise
[1:25:02] - Wind, Fire, Oil, and Refreshing Water
[1:32:19] - Fresh Hope for a Praying Remnant
[1:47:34] - Prayer for Those Watching From Home

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 3:19-20
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,” [42:12]

Luke 5:23-24
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” [01:19:28]

Psalm 24:1
“The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,” [01:14:44]

Observation questions

In Acts 3:19–20, how are repentance, forgiveness, and refreshing connected, and where does the refreshing come from? [56:54]
What areas of a person’s life need examination when responding to the call to repent in Acts 3:19–20? What does turning back involve beyond asking for forgiveness? [01:06:07]
In Luke 5:23–24, what does Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed man demonstrate about his authority to forgive sins? [01:19:28]
How does Psalm 24:1 challenge the picture of the devil as an owner rather than a squatter? [01:14:44]

Interpretation questions

Why is a desire for a powerful spiritual experience not the same as the repentance described in Acts 3:19–20? What might distinguish a changed heart from a passing emotional response? [01:20:39]
How does the account of a father experiencing God’s nearness before facing a brain tumor challenge the idea that refreshing must make someone’s circumstances easier? [50:49]
If refreshing comes from the Lord’s presence, why can a congregation not rely on its Pentecostal name, history, or correct doctrine as proof of present spiritual life? [01:09:40]
How does Jesus’ authority to forgive sins in Luke 5:23–24 give believers confidence to seek healing and the Spirit’s gifts without making those experiences more important than salvation? [01:18:20]

Application questions

Repentance reaches thoughts, motives, words, and actions. As you examine your own life, is there something you have been defending that God may be inviting you to turn away from? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. What could a practical step of turning back look like this week? [01:06:07]
When have you experienced God’s nearness during a difficult season, even though the situation did not become easier? How might remembering that experience help you face a concern you are carrying now? [51:03]
Familiar routines can leave little room for fresh expectation. When you gather for worship, what tends to occupy your attention? What might help you come ready to seek God rather than simply go through the motions? [01:12:05]
No church owns the Holy Spirit. Do you find yourself more tempted to chase a dramatic experience or to resist anything unfamiliar? What would it look like for you to remain open to God’s work without pretending or putting pressure on others? [01:11:35]
Salvation is the greatest miracle. How has Jesus changed your life, and how could remembering that change shape the way you pray for someone who seems far from God? [01:18:20]
God’s past work gives reason for hope today. Is there a part of your life—or our congregation’s life—where you have begun to think the best days are behind you? What could seeking God with fresh hope look like there, and how could this group support you? [01:32:19]

Sermon Clips

37s

#JesusSaves

“The best miracle of all is that a sinner laden with sin on their way to death, held by the sin, and death that's captive. Is that somebody might raise their rear end off the pew and come down to the altars and give their life to Jesus and be set free. Born again, rejuvenated, renewed, set free, and on their way to heaven. Now you tell me, does God perform miracles?”

32s

#RevivalStartsWithUs

“I don't wanna put shackles on the lord, but I don't wanna do something that is not of the lord. I don't want this fakery out there acting like everything's hunky dory, but I also do not want to forbid the power of god operating in our midst. And and there's hindrances to revival, and the chief hindrance is you, is me.”

50s

#LatterRainBlessing

“The old test ament talks about it. Talks about it like this. You see, the heavy rains would happen in the fall. But then the the latter rains would happen in the next season. And that rain would get exponential growth and benefit and nutrients to the crops. They desired the latter rain because the latter rain meant that god's blessing was upon them. And I don't know about you, but I want god's blessing on me and my life. How is that gonna happen? It's only gonna happen if we have times of refreshing in which we are in the presence of the lord.”

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