Transformative Prayer: Encountering God for Revival
Summary
In my sermon, I began by sharing my personal testimony of radical transformation from a life of drug addiction to one of fervent prayer and devotion to God. This transformation was sparked by a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit, which led me to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. This moment of conversion was not just a turning point for me but also became a catalyst for revival among my friends and community, as many experienced similar transformations.
I emphasized the power of prayer, particularly revival praying, which I described as intense, desperate, and often beyond mere words—manifesting in tears, tongues, and travail. This type of prayer is not just about asking for personal needs but is a deep, spiritual laboring that aligns with God's will and purposes. It's about engaging in spiritual warfare and interceding for the broader community and the world.
Throughout the sermon, I highlighted the importance of understanding our identity in Christ. This understanding shifts our perspective from earthly concerns to heavenly realities. I spoke about the throne of God and how true prayer and worship connect us to the divine reality of God's kingdom. This connection empowers us to live out our calling as heirs and co-heirs with Christ, bringing His rule and reign into our everyday lives.
I also touched on the role of intercession in bringing about revival and transformation, not just individually but corporately and regionally. I shared about historical revivals where prayer played a crucial role, drawing parallels to what we are seeking in our own context today.
The sermon concluded with a call to deeper commitment to prayer and intercession, urging everyone to not be satisfied with past experiences of God's presence but to press in for more of His power and glory in our lives and our communities.
### Key Takeaways:
1. The Transformative Power of Encounter:
Personal encounters with God are not just for our own transformation but are catalysts for broader revival. When we experience the raw presence of God, it should drive us to intercede and pray for others to encounter Him in the same way. These encounters are essential for breaking addictions, healing wounds, and bringing life to dead places within us. [04:44]
2. Revival Praying: Beyond Words:
True intercession involves more than just spoken prayers; it includes tears, tongues, and travail. This form of prayer engages the heart deeply with the pains and burdens of others and the desires of God. It's a form of spiritual warfare that contends for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. [31:29]
3. Identity and Authority in Christ:
Understanding our identity as heirs and co-heirs with Christ is crucial. This revelation empowers us to operate from a place of authority and victory, influencing our environments and claiming territories for God’s kingdom. As we grasp this truth, our prayer life and spiritual engagement should reflect our royal status in God’s family. [27:20]
4. The Role of Intercession in Revival:
Historical revivals often had significant prayer movements behind them, characterized by deep, sacrificial intercession. As modern believers, we are called to emulate these examples, understanding that revival in our time also requires committed, fervent prayer that battles in the spiritual realms before manifesting in the physical. [11:12]
5. Continuous Pursuit of God’s Presence:
Our spiritual journey should be marked by a continuous, insatiable hunger for God’s presence. This pursuit involves regular, passionate prayer that seeks more of God, not being content with past experiences but always pressing for deeper encounters and greater manifestations of His power in our lives and our communities. [07:09]
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Acts 2:17-21 (NIV)
> “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
2. Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
> "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."
3. 1 Samuel 1:10-11 (NIV)
> "In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, 'Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.'"
#### Observation Questions
1. What was the catalyst for the pastor's transformation from a life of drug addiction to one of fervent prayer and devotion to God? ([00:24])
2. How does the pastor describe "revival praying"? What are its key characteristics? ([31:04])
3. According to the sermon, what role does understanding our identity in Christ play in our prayer life? ([26:17])
4. What historical examples of revival were mentioned in the sermon, and what common factor did they share? ([07:36])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the pastor's personal testimony illustrate the transformative power of an encounter with God? ([04:16])
2. In what ways does "revival praying" go beyond mere words, and why is this significant for spiritual warfare and intercession? ([31:04])
3. How does understanding our identity as heirs and co-heirs with Christ empower us in our prayer life and spiritual engagement? ([26:17])
4. What can we learn from historical revivals about the importance of committed, fervent prayer in bringing about spiritual transformation? ([07:36])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a personal encounter with God that transformed your life. How did it impact your faith and your community? ([04:16])
2. Have you ever experienced "revival praying" as described in the sermon? If so, what was the context, and how did it affect you and those around you? ([31:04])
3. How can you deepen your understanding of your identity in Christ to enhance your prayer life and spiritual authority? ([26:17])
4. What steps can you take to engage in more fervent and sacrificial intercession for your community and the world? ([07:36])
5. Are there past experiences of God's presence that you have been relying on? How can you cultivate a continuous, insatiable hunger for more of God's presence in your life? ([07:09])
6. Identify a specific area in your life or community that needs revival. How can you commit to praying and interceding for this area with the intensity and desperation described in the sermon? ([31:04])
7. How can you encourage and support others in your small group or church to engage in revival praying and intercession? ([07:36])
Devotional
Day 1: Encountering God Transforms Lives
Personal encounters with God are pivotal, not only for individual transformation but also as catalysts for broader spiritual revival. When one experiences the raw, transformative presence of God, it compels a deeper commitment to intercession and prayer for others to experience similar encounters. Such divine moments are powerful enough to break the chains of addiction, heal deep-seated wounds, and breathe life into the spiritually desolate areas of our lives. These encounters are essential for initiating significant changes both in the individual and within their community. [04:44]
Acts 26:17-18 (ESV): "I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
Reflection: Reflect on your own life-changing encounter with God. How has this experience influenced your approach to praying for others?
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Day 2: The Depths of Revival Praying
True intercession transcends spoken words, involving tears, tongues, and travail. This form of prayer deeply engages the heart with the pains and burdens of others and aligns with the desires of God. It is a type of spiritual warfare that contends for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Such praying is not only about vocal expressions but is an outpouring of the soul’s deepest yearnings for divine intervention in the world. [31:29]
Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
Reflection: When was the last time your prayers moved beyond words into a deeper expression of spiritual travail? What was the situation, and how did it impact your prayer life?
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Day 3: Living from Our Royal Identity
Understanding our identity as heirs and co-heirs with Christ is transformative, empowering us to operate from a place of authority and victory. This revelation should influence how we pray, how we live, and how we engage with the world around us. As believers grasp their royal status in God’s family, their spiritual engagement and prayer life should reflect this identity, claiming territories for God’s kingdom and influencing environments with divine authority. [27:20]
Ephesians 2:6 (ESV): "And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: How does understanding your identity as a co-heir with Christ change the way you approach challenges in your life?
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Day 4: Intercession as the Engine of Revival
Historical revivals have often been undergirded by significant movements of prayer, characterized by deep, sacrificial intercession. Modern believers are called to emulate these examples, understanding that revival in our time also requires committed, fervent prayer that engages in spiritual battles before manifesting in the physical realm. This type of intercession is crucial for initiating and sustaining movements of God among us. [11:12]
Colossians 4:2-3 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison."
Reflection: What specific area in your community or nation do you feel called to intercede for more fervently?
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Day 5: Pursuing More of God’s Presence
Our spiritual journey should be marked by a relentless pursuit of God’s presence, characterized by a continuous, insatiable hunger for more of Him. This pursuit involves regular, passionate prayer that seeks deeper encounters and greater manifestations of His power in our lives and our communities. Being content with past experiences limits our growth; therefore, pressing into God’s presence is essential for ongoing spiritual renewal. [07:09]
Psalm 63:1-2 (ESV): "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory."
Reflection: What practical steps can you take today to deepen your pursuit of God’s presence in your daily life?
Quotes
1. "There's the heights of prayer and there's the depths of prayer. Psalm 130 says out of the depths I have cried to you oh God. I believe with all my heart God is awakening revival praying. If we want to see revival outpouring it's going to require revival praying. And revival praying is tears, tongues and travail. It's prayer on the other side of words." [31:29]
2. "I'm originally from Arkansas. So I'm a southern boy got radically saved in 1997. I was a strung-out drug addict and my best friend we were partying hard, but we had praying mamas. They stormed the gates of hell and pulled us out." [01:12]
3. "The saddest part of this whole verse is that the current leadership of the day looked at a woman doing this and thought she was drunk. It had been so long since the spirit of prayer had rested on anybody. You can't even discern the spirit of prayer anymore." [44:57]
4. "So February 18, 1997 Tuesday by 1230 I jump out of the van get into the parking lot kids running everywhere and I start screaming at the top of my lungs Jesus Christ I give you my life. I'm yours and that moment I passed from death to life." [04:44]
5. "We are grateful, but we are not satisfied. We are grateful, but we are not satisfied. There is more. Until all of Dawsonville is shaking under the power of God until the crack houses of Dawsonville until the meth houses the Prostitution houses are tangible underneath the manifest presence of God." [07:09]
6. "And our God has an emerald rainbow surrounding his throne. He is the beautiful God. He's the burning God and he is the merciful God and God places 24 throne thrones around his throne and on them set elders and the road throned and crowned." [27:20]
7. "There's two realities when it comes to revival praying it's heights and it's depths. It's the angels ascending and descending. That's the Jacobs ladder reality is the ascension and the dissension. And We got to learn how to go up." [24:28]
8. "Hannah began to weep. And finally the dam began to break. And she prayed one of the greatest prayers in scripture. Can you put first samuel 110 up here? I did give him first samuel 110. Look at this. And if it's not there i'll just say it." [41:00]
9. "I want to talk to you about revival praying tonight. I want to talk to you about the throne and the groan. We were singing well ago and I knew it was confirmation to me. Brother Marty, I was wrestling over should I preach on spiritual hunger tonight?" [17:44]
10. "I've been walking with him 26 years pushing in for the spirit of revival in my day. And i'm fine that the devil will let me travel the world. The devil let me fill up my calendar. But when I begin to set apart seasons for prayer and fasting all hell begins to break loose." [47:50]
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