Are you Ready for Revival? Don’t Miss It! New

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

I’ve been sitting with a thought that makes me uncomfortable, in a good way.

A revival can be “on the way,” and we can still be the reason it doesn’t land the way it’s supposed to. 

Not because God isn’t able.
Not because God isn’t willing.
But because we’re not ready… and we don’t want to admit it.

We pray for God to move. We talk about how we need a “fresh outpouring.” We share clips and stories and testimonies. We shout “Send revival!” and “Do it again!”

But then revival starts getting close—close enough to touch our real lives—and suddenly people get strange.

When the presence of God is a concept, everyone loves it.
When the presence of God is a confrontation, it gets quieter.

Because a true move of God doesn’t just make you feel something. It makes you face something.

It messes with your schedule.
It exposes the parts you’ve learned to hide.
It makes you deal with what you’ve been managing.
It requires surrender in places you’ve been negotiating.

And I don’t want to be one of those people praying for revival while also doing little things that make it harder for revival to come.

So I’m writing this with one simple goal:

To help you recognize the ways we can unintentionally become “blockers”—and what it looks like to become ready and participate when God starts moving.

Not hype. Not performance. Not vibes.

Real readiness.

Let’s say it plainly: revival isn’t entertainment

A lot of people treat revival like a spiritual event—something you attend, rate, and talk about later.

But revival isn’t a concert.
It isn’t an emotional high.
It isn’t a few intense services and then life goes back to normal.

Revival is God coming close—close enough that things change.

Revival restores what’s dead.
Revival exposes what’s fake.
Revival heals what’s broken.
Revival confronts what’s unclean.
Revival calls people out of compromise.
Revival breaks chains that people have normalized.

And when revival shows up, it will always create a dividing line:

Some people will lean in.
Some people will resist.

And the scary part is that resistance doesn’t always look like open rebellion.

Most of the time, it looks like “reasonable” excuses.

• “That’s too much.”
• “That’s not how we do it.”
• “I don’t trust that.”
• “That feels emotional.”
• “I’m not sure about all that deliverance stuff.”
• “I’m uncomfortable.”

And here’s the truth that gets people quiet:

Sometimes our discomfort isn’t discernment.
Sometimes our discomfort is conviction.

How people become blockers (without meaning to)

This isn’t a list to shame anyone. This is a mirror. Because if we can see it, we can repent. If we can name it, God can heal it.

1) We get picky about who God uses

This one is more common than people admit.

We’re fine with God moving… as long as it’s through someone we already respect, someone we already trust, someone who fits our mental picture of “anointed.”

But God has never been loyal to our preferences.

He used a stutterer (Moses).
He used a young shepherd (David).
He used fishermen with rough edges.
He used the outcast.
He used the overlooked.

In real revival, God often uses people that make religious folks uncomfortable.

And the moment you start thinking, “Why them?”
You’re not far from becoming a blocker.

Because if you can’t celebrate grace on someone else, you’ll start resisting what God is doing in the room.

2) We carry offense like it’s wisdom

Some people call it discernment, but it’s actually pain.

A lot of us have been hurt.
By leaders.
By churches.
By people who had titles but no character.
By folks who shouted loud but lived wrong.

I’m not denying any of that. Church hurt is real.

But if you don’t let God heal that hurt, offense becomes a lens you see everything through.

So when God starts moving, you don’t worship—you watch.
You don’t soften—you tighten.
You don’t repent—you analyze.

Offense makes you suspicious of anything that requires trust.

And here’s what offense does in a revival atmosphere:

It turns you into a critic in a room where God is trying to turn you into a vessel.

3) We want control more than we want God

This is one nobody wants to say out loud, but it shows up constantly.

We want God… but we want Him on our terms.

• “Move, but not like that.”
• “Heal people, but keep it orderly.”
• “Save people, but not the messy ones.”
• “Deliver people, but don’t scare anybody.”
• “Pour out, but let us keep the schedule.”

Revival has never fit neatly into human control.

The Spirit is not a guest we host.
He is King.

And if we’re more committed to our comfort than His presence, we will resist the very thing we asked for.

4) We don’t want to deal with our own stuff

This is the quiet killer.

A true move of God shines a light.

And light makes people choose.

If I’m secretly living in compromise, revival will feel “too intense.”
If I’m addicted to comfort, revival will feel “too long.”
If I’ve been performing spiritually, revival will feel “too real.”
If I’ve been hiding trauma, revival will feel “too close.”

And instead of confessing, people critique.
Instead of repenting, people label.
Instead of getting free, people point fingers.

But revival doesn’t start with pointing.
It starts with surrender.

5) We confuse being “busy” with being “ready”

This one hits a lot of church folks.

You can be involved in ministry and still be spiritually dry.
You can be faithful in attendance and still be lukewarm inside.
You can serve every week and still be unhealed.

Activity is not intimacy.

Some people are so busy “doing church” they don’t have time to actually be with God.

And when revival comes, the people who survive it aren’t the busiest ones.

They’re the hungriest ones.

6) We fear what will happen if God actually answers our prayers

Let’s be real.

We pray for revival… but deep down we’re worried:

• What if God asks me to change?
• What if God exposes me?
• What if God calls me deeper?
• What if God disrupts my lifestyle?
• What if God sends people I don’t know how to handle?

Some people don’t fear the devil.
They fear surrender.

Because surrender means you can’t stay the same.

So what does it look like to be ready?

Let’s get practical and honest.

Readiness isn’t a feeling.
Readiness is a posture.

1) Start with a real prayer, not a religious one

Here’s a prayer that actually works:

“God, what in me would fight Your move?”

Then be quiet long enough to hear the answer.

And when He answers… don’t defend yourself. Don’t explain. Don’t negotiate.

Just surrender.

Some of the strongest moments of growth are when you stop arguing with God and start agreeing with Him.

2) Clean up the compromises you’ve been calling “small”

Most people don’t fall away because of one giant failure.
They drift because of unmanaged “small” compromises.

Stuff like:

• the way you talk when you’re irritated
• what you watch when nobody sees
• the bitterness you keep feeding
• the pride you keep protecting
• the secret habits you keep excusing
• the unforgiveness you keep justifying
• the gossip you keep calling “concern”

Revival doesn’t only bring joy.
It brings purity.

And purity isn’t punishment—it’s preparation.

3) Forgive people—because you deserve freedom

Forgiveness isn’t saying what they did was okay.

Forgiveness is saying, “I’m not letting this live in me anymore.”

Some of you are carrying old church pain and you don’t realize how much it’s shaped your expectations.

You walk into worship ready to be disappointed.
You hear preaching ready to be offended.
You see leadership ready to suspect.

That’s not protection. That’s bondage.

If God is bringing revival, He will also bring healing. But you have to let Him.

4) Stop trying to look strong and let God make you whole

There’s a difference between being strong and being whole.

Some people don’t want healing because healing requires honesty.

It requires admitting:

• “I’m not okay.”
• “I’m not free.”
• “I’m not as mature as I pretend.”
• “I’m hurting.”
• “I’m angry.”
• “I’m ashamed.”

But revival doesn’t shame you for needing help.
Revival invites you to come into the light.

5) Make room in your week for God

This is where it gets real.

Most people don’t need a new prophecy.
They need a new schedule.

If you don’t have time for God in a normal week, you won’t suddenly have time when God starts moving.

Start small but start real:

• 10 minutes of prayer with your phone away
• a chapter of Scripture, slowly
• worship in your car without rushing
• journaling what God is convicting you about
• asking God for hunger again

You don’t become revival-ready by talking about revival.
You become revival-ready by building a life that can hold it.

6) Learn how to respond when conviction comes

Conviction is not condemnation.

Conviction is God inviting you to come closer.

When conviction hits, the worst response is:

• blame
• excuse
• minimize
• justify
• distract

The best response is:

• “You’re right, Lord.”
• “Help me change.”
• “I surrender.”

A soft heart is revival-ready.

Okay—what does participation look like when God starts moving?

Because some people will say, “I want revival,” but what they really mean is, “I want to feel something.”

Participation is deeper than feeling.

1) Show up hungry, not picky

Sometimes we bring a consumer mindset into the presence of God.

• “I hope worship is good today.”
• “I hope the preacher feeds me.”
• “I hope I feel something.”

But hunger doesn’t depend on a playlist.

A hungry person comes ready to meet God no matter what.

Revival doesn’t need more evaluators.
It needs more seekers.

2) Protect the atmosphere

If God is moving, don’t be the person who kills it with:

• side conversations
• sarcastic comments
• criticism
• gossip
• eye-rolling
• constant suspicion

When people are getting healed, delivered, or convicted, the atmosphere matters.

And protecting the atmosphere is spiritual responsibility.

3) Be willing to serve in unglamorous ways

Revival is not only microphones and moments.

Revival is:

• staying late to pray with someone
• helping someone who is embarrassed
• welcoming the person everyone avoids
• being patient with messy stories
• giving rides (wisely and safely)
• feeding people
• listening without judging
• inviting someone back even after they relapse

Revival always attracts the hurting.
And the hurting don’t come in polished.

If you only want revival with “nice church people,” you don’t actually want revival—you want comfort.

4) Be open to deliverance without turning it into a show

Deliverance is real. Healing is real. Freedom is real.

But deliverance isn’t entertainment.

It’s holy. It’s serious. It’s sometimes quiet. Sometimes loud. Sometimes messy.

If you’ve never seen people get free, it can feel uncomfortable at first.

But here’s the honest truth:

Some of the things people call “too much” are actually the results of years of bondage finally breaking.

Revival doesn’t just make people cry.
Sometimes it makes chains snap.

5) Stay committed after the moment

This might be the biggest one.

A lot of people love the altar moment, then disappear Monday through Saturday.

But real revival doesn’t end at the altar.

Revival becomes reformation when it produces:

• consistent prayer
• hunger for Scripture
• repentance as a lifestyle
• clean relationships
• accountability
• bold witness
• generosity
• humility
• holiness with joy

If the fire is real, it will change your habits.

A word for people who feel nervous about “revival talk”

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking:

• “I want God, but I don’t want chaos.”
• “I want healing, but I’m scared of emotional stuff.”
• “I’ve seen weird things before.”
• “I’ve been hurt.”

I hear you.

You’re not wrong to want wisdom.
You’re not wrong to want safety.
You’re not wrong to want accountability.

But don’t let fear shut the door on the presence of God.

Here’s a balanced, real way to approach it:

• Honor what God is doing.
• Test fruit over time.
• Stay humble.
• Stay anchored in Scripture.
• Don’t make your discomfort the standard.

God knows how to move with power and with purpose.

One last warning—and one last invitation

I really believe we’re stepping into a season where God is drawing people who are hungry, broken, and desperate for something real.

When they come—because they will—here’s the question:

Will we make room for them?
Or will we make it hard for them?

Will we be gates… or walls?

I don’t want to be the one who slows it down.

I want to be ready.

I want to be the kind of person who doesn’t just shout “revival”—but actually carries what revival requires:

• humility
• repentance
• hunger
• compassion
• purity
• courage
• patience
• love
• truth

Revival is not just a promise.

It’s a responsibility.

And it starts with a simple, uncomfortable, beautiful prayer:

“God, start with me.”

My prayer-

God, I don’t want to be the one who slows down what You’re doing. Check my heart. Show me where I’ve been resistant, offended, controlling, or distracted. Heal what’s wounded in me and deliver what’s bound. Give me hunger again. Teach me how to carry Your presence with humility and love. And when You begin to move, let me join You—not critique You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you’re local: come hungry

We gather on Wednesdays. Dinner at 6:30, then service. One week Bible study, one week regular service. It’s not about perfection—it’s about presence.

If you’re hungry for something real, come.

You don’t have to have it all together.
You just have to be willing.

Check out our other Blog post for more discussion: https://church418.com/return-to-azusa-street-revival/

• Returning to Azusa: Reclaiming Our Lost Revival and Anointing
• Let It Go: Learning to Forgive Others—and Yourself
• Real Holiness: Staying Close to God, Not Pleasing Religious Culture
• FAQ
• The Genius of the Gospel: How the Message of Jesus was Created to Transcend Time and Culture