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What kills revival once it's started? Part 1: Neglect Of Daily Disciplines

We’ve just come through an incredible week with Life Action and the Thirst Conference. God worked powerfully in many hearts. But now comes the question: how do we keep living in that spirit of revival instead of sliding back into “normal” Christianity until the next big event?

Some might say revival can’t be hindered — that once God starts something, nothing can stop it. But Scripture tells a different story. The letters to the churches in Revelation, for instance, show that God’s work among His people can be resisted or neglected. Time and again in the Bible, revival was lost because God’s people drifted.
I believe we can hinder revival after we’ve experienced it. Over the next few posts, I’ll share three common ways that happens. Here’s the first:
1. Neglecting Daily Disciplines — Bible Reading, Prayer, and Soul Care
Revival is simply the manifestation of God’s presence and power among His people. But where is His presence most real to us? Not in the excitement of an event, but in our daily time alone with Him.
When we stop seeking God personally, we begin depending on the event of revival rather than on the God who revives.
Matthew Henry once said, “When God intends to do a thing, He sets His people praying.” Revival begins when God’s people respond to Him — and that response always leads to prayer. As we pray, God draws near and manifests Himself however He pleases.
But if we stop praying once the event ends, we drift back into event-dependence instead of God-dependence. The flames of revival fade, not because God has changed, but because we stopped fueling it through daily communion with Him.
Revival isn’t something to attend. It’s someone to abide in.
Stay close to the One who revived you — and you’ll stay revived.
Neglecting taking care of your body through poor eating and lack of sleep, and you'll become so physically exhausted that you'll become no spiritually good. I have seen physical exhaustion hinder revival on more than one occasion.
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So, get a good night's sleep. Eat healthy. Wake up and spend time with God in His Word and in prayer every day, including the days of revival if you want to continue to experience His presence in your life deeply.

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