Does any movement that God has raised remain the same? As we walk through history, we are struck by the fact that what begins well often does not endure. To understand our position, we must return to the roots and the heights (peaks), examine how far we have strayed, seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him so that He may draw near.

Three main pillars seem to be prevalent when God starts dealing with His Church in where she is. Ruin is when the people are backed into a corner with no hope, but to cry out to God, like the children of Israel at the Red Sea. Repentance is when God, in an act of mercy, shows their need and the depraved condition they are in, and Refreshing is what He sends to revive His Church. The key to this is the matter of Ruin. Is revival a nice-to-have, or do we really see where we are in God's sight?

What is the great need we see around us? Not in America, but in Christianity that claims to preach the Gospel, believes the Bible from cover to cover, and holds to the fundamentals of the faith. What is the great need among us? It really comes down to the question: is God really enough? or do we need all the frills we are so used to that they have become part of our understanding of the essentials of Christianity, even though they have no basis in Scripture.

Is revival about saving our face before men, or is it about desiring Him, even if it means our shame before men? The great need of our day is honesty, not sincerity. Our need for God, and the acute sense to know it, will drive us to the place where we can seek God in the way He is pleased to send His gracious work of refreshing into our midst.

The essence of the Gospel is the man, woman, boy, or girl who is truly born of God. How do we answer life's fundamental questions of why we are here? Where are you going? What is the purpose of life? and such. As we look into the restless nature of man, we must realize that only God can satisfy us. God alone.

In times of great darkness, God, in His mercy, has seen fit to send an awakening to revive His Church. But during these moments, one of the areas people become aware of is this matter of who God is, and deep grief over all the shallow representations of God that we have built over the years. The need we have today is to return to the basics and relearn who God is, not as the culture dictates, but as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. We approach the Scriptures as students and not as teachers. 

There is a grave danger when we equate the breadth of what we have accomplished or what is seen on the surface, and don't desire or see the depth that one should be concerned about. The tallest trees that stand must have deep roots, or they will topple, and the destruction will be great. 

When talking about Revival, it is easy to show that our lives are not corrupted by the obvious. One may consider their faithfulness to God's house, prayer for Revival, abstaining from known sins such as pornography, coveteousness, etc, and allow one to be blinded, not realizing the need for absolute surrender.

Do we need revival? Are we in a state where we can handle the power of God coming upon us while we live in disobedience to what God expects of us? The apostle Paul said that to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) is our reasonable service; is that the reality of our congregation? Why are we unable to stop the tide of sin? What is the deeper issue that we need to deal with?

This matter of God coming down and manifesting Himself in our midst comes at a great price of seeking after God. But this is not without opposition. Just as the early church was persecuted and nearly extinguished, the matter of seeking God for revival must be in the realization of the spiritual nature of what it is. It is a spiritual warfare that one must be prepared to face.