want a downpour of revival?

I think that most Christians would love to see a revival in their churches. But we have to realize that revival begins with us. We can't expect a true revival to break out in our churches until we experience a true revival in our own hearts and lives. But the thing that is hindering us from experiencing such a downpour of revival is sin. Not other peoples sin or the worlds sin, but our own sin. 

We tend to think that sin is just the 'big' sins like murder, stealing and adultery. But the truth is, we are all guilty of sin. Sin is any failure to conform to God's standard from His Word. 

"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)

Sin is our nature and we have to be constantly on guard against it. Sin will take us places that we don't want to go and keep us longer than we want to stay. In the book 'Downpour', James MacDonald gives us 5 'intents of sin'.

1. Sin will pursue you. Before Cain murdered his brother Abel, God told him that sin was crouching at the door. Cain didn't heed the warning and sin pursued him and won.

2. Sin will disappoint you.  Hebrews 11:25 tells us that the pleasures of sin are only for a season. 

3. Sin will trip you up. Hebrews 12:1 says that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Satan knows our weakness and he will aim at that target every time. Indeed, sin will trip us up.

4. Sin will enslave you. Romans 6:16 tells us that we are slaves of the one whom we obey, either sin, which leads to death or of obedience, which leads to righteousness. 

5. Sin will expose you. We must not be fooled. Numbers 32:23 says, ' Be sure your sin will find you out". 

Even though most of us know that these things are true, I think we need a reminder of it sometimes. We need to remember how easy it is to let ourselves slip down that slope of sin and how eager the devil is to make it slippery!

There will always be sin in the world. But we have the choice whether or not to partake in it. Let's be vigilant in the fight against the darkness of the world and focus on the One who brings us into the light. Let's confess our sins, repent and turn away from them and then be ready for the downpour of revival that will come.