Oh God, Would You Rend The Heavens?

Chapter five, revival will cost you. Now, if you have stuck with me this far, I want to congratulate you. That is a major accomplishment. There's many different types of people who will read this book, listen to this book. The first group is those who are hungry for more of God, and they're saying amen after every chapter or every subheading. Then there's those who are what we would consider carnal Christians who aren't ready for this type of commitment yet. And then we have those who are hard-hearted, which are threatened by a lot of what we've been talking about. But if you've made it this far, this chapter is where the rubber meets the road. Revival will cost you. And I'm gonna talk a little bit about fasting and prayer and a couple of other things that are vitally important. For those who want information, I did write a book entitled Feasting and Fasting, What Works, What Doesn't and Why. As far as fasting goes, it's probably up there with those types of books who get right to the point. So it's not long and winded, it's a short book and it gets right to the point. But let me just get to this book right now. Decades ago, Gordon Cove challenged readers when he wrote, you have not sought the Lord with all your heart until you have tried a protracted season of prayer and fasting. Could a lack of prayer and fasting be one of the hindrances to a spiritual awakening? Absolutely. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A full stomach makes seeking God difficult, prayer hard and worship challenging. And I can tell you, as a person who preaches often, that I need to fast before I preach, even sometimes 12, 16, 20 hours before speaking. Just feeling that hunger, feeling that emptiness inside of the stomach leads, in my case, to being filled with the Spirit. This doesn't mean if you eat, you're not filled. What I'm saying though is if I get filled up on big breakfast, like it's hard to speak at a men's breakfast or big lunch, big dinner, it's hard to preach later that evening or big breakfast on Sunday, it just makes it very difficult. A lot of it has to do with your body's processing. Food takes 50% of your body's energy to convert that food into energy that it needs. So let me just get back to what Gordon Cove finalized when he said those words about not seeking God with all your heart, with all your soul. He finalized that statement with this. In many cases where fasting has been added to the prayers along with deep consecration and weeping before God, the answer has miraculously come. So fasting doesn't twist God's arm, but it does bend my knee. Fasting is not a work. It's exchanging one appetite for a greater one. The spark that ignites the flame. My goal isn't to overemphasize fasting, but it is clear that fasting has fallen by the wayside and King's stomach is still on the throne. In reading about the spiritual renewals under the preaching of John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Duncan Campbell, Evan Roberts, some of the Puritans, the first great awakening, the second great awakening, many other books on revivals, I have found that along with keeping the word of God front and center, intense prayer and vigorous fasting were the sparks that ignited the flame. God heard the cry of his children. Fasting is more about desperation than it is discipline. Although it is a discipline, the discipline is an outworking of the desperation in our heart. Granted, in the same way we cannot produce a field of corn by making it rain, a spiritual awakening cannot be orchestrated. It's God's work alone, but we can prepare the soil of our heart by fully surrendering our lives. God revives those who submit themselves to him with an open and empty hand or hands. Let me repeat that. God revives those who submit themselves to him with open and empty hands. Isaiah 57, 15, check it out. So it's a joint relationship where God says, you do this, I'll do this. So I love God's sovereignty, I rest in God's sovereignty, but with the sovereignty comes responsibility on our end as well. Jesus said that when he is taken away, his disciples would fast. Notice he said, when you fast in Matthew 9, in Matthew 6 and 16, check out both those chapters, Matthew 9 and also Matthew 6. He said, when you fast, not if you fast. So there is a call to fasting. The excuses range from, well, it's not for us today, and the one I love the most, I'm just not convicted about fasting. That's like saying, I'm not convicted about praying. You can't say that because it's part of spiritual disciplines. Granted, I don't wanna put fasting on a pedestal. It's just one of many tools. I also like when people say fasting is legalistic. Leonard Ravenhill was famous for saying the things in the Bible that we don't like, we call legalism, and that definitely applies to excuses about fasting. I love what A.W. Pink wrote in his commentary titled Gleanings from Joshua. In other words, his thoughts on what is going on in the book of Joshua. He said, indeed, it would be strange if we apprehend how that on one hand, Canaan was a free gift unto Israel, which it was, and they entered by grace alone. But on the other hand, they had to fight for every inch of it. And although we are totally dependent on God, a spiritual awakening will not come without a fight. Did you get that? A spiritual awakening, personally, corporately, in our nation, in our church, in our state, will not come without a fight. There is a cost, there is a price to pay. Ask any farmer who gets his field ready for planting and then harvesting, and then preparing the soil again, if there is any work involved. And God would often parallel spiritual awakenings, pour out your rain on a dry and barren land, a thirsty land, and till up the soil of your heart, break up the fallow ground. And even if you go back to farming hundreds of years ago before heavy equipment, you had to work very hard to produce that fruit. So the same thing applies here. And again, not talking about works, not talking about rules and regulations, and, oh, I have to do this checklist for God. It's out of obedience to his word and our relationship with him that we want to incorporate spiritual disciplines into our life, and then there is fruit. Look at the book of Joel, for example. The people's provision had dried up and withered away. That's what the book of Joel is about. Everything is dried up, the locusts have devastated the land and they were desperate, and God did not give up on them. To show the magnitude of their sin and the need for humility, God told Joel, consecrate a fast, which is call a fast, set aside time to fast, and cry out to God. Crying out, fasting, and repentance were the sparks that ignited the flame. And it is the same today, that that type of desire, fasting and repentance and calling out to God, those are the sparks that ignite the flame. Now, I should clarify here, I'm not a person who cries out to God publicly and bares my heart and wears my emotions on my sleeve. You know, I'm pretty reserved, pretty conservative, but there are times even at home or sometimes at church where you're agonizing. God, please visit us today. Save our kids in the children's ministry. God, bring salvation. I'm so desperate to see you move in our nation. I'm so desperate for godly legislation. Oh God, would you rend the heavens and come down? Lord, I'm crying out to you. I don't know what else to do. And God says, I'll hear the cries of my children and I will answer them in my time. So don't give up, look up. So close yet so far. Many people say that they desire a spiritual awakening, but when it actually happens, they're often the first to criticize it. A spiritual awakening, especially in a corporate setting, deeply affects emotions because sin is brought to the surface and spiritual deficiencies are brutally exposed. Unless a person's heart is tender and pliable, they don't like those things happening to them. Again, let me say that. Unless a person's heart is tender, pliable, teachable, they don't like things happening to them that are outside the box of their expectation of what God is. They're comfortable, they're uncomfortable Christianity. And as soon as you shake the comfort zone, many people don't like that. As a result, they develop a hard heart to deep movements of the spirit. If I had a dollar for everyone who left the church because worship was too emotional and convicting, I would have a nice slush fund to spend on the weekend because, oh, it's just too emotional, too much time at the altar, why is worship so long? And a heart that's crying out to God and looking for God, looking to God to revive them and recognizing he's our only hope, they're not gonna be in a hurry to worship. Granted, there's times when we're in a hurry, I'm not saying that, but more often than not, there should be a desire to sit at the feet of the Savior, to soak underneath the breadth and depth of the cross and what happened there. Now, I'm just shooting you straight. The biggest critics of this book will be those who need to hear it the most. It's without fail. They like the section on false prophets, go get them, Shane, but they will tune out the rest because they're not in tune with the spirit. They prefer to be stoic and dispassionate and unmoved because the doctrine of the Holy Spirit exposes their complacency and their lack of spiritual fervor and fire. They prefer to only talk about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Word. Some of you will catch that. They prefer to talk only about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Word. No, the triune nature of God is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. How truly sad it is, like a man dying of thirst in a boat on a beautiful lake, but too scared to jump in. They are barren, dry, and thirsty, yet so close to living water. Do you really want God to rend the heavens? I released this closing paragraph that I'm about to read a few times over the year. The relevance is so important that I'd like to share it with those who are listening. Again, and even if you've heard it before, I think it's worth noting. Nearly a decade ago now, I prayed, Lord, bring revival to the churches, but I was not ready for the response that followed. After I prayed, it was almost as if God was saying this. You don't want revival. It will ruin your schedule, your dignity, your image, and your reputation as a person who is well balanced. And that is so true, because appearance. I don't want to get carried away. I don't want people to think we're part of this charismatic hype, but I just want more of God. Lord, what does that look like? So again, you don't want revival, Shane. It will ruin your schedule, your image, and your reputation as a person who is well balanced. And I think well balanced is good, but God was hitting the nail on the head. Men will weep throughout the congregation during a genuine revival. Women will wail because of the travail of their own souls. Young adults will cry like children at the magnitude of their sin. And with the strength of my presence, the worship team will cease playing. Time will seem to stand still. You won't be able to preach because of the emotions flooding your own soul. You'll struggle to find words, but only find tears. Even the most dignified and reserved among you will be broken and humbled as little children. The proud and self-righteous will not be able to stand in my presence. The doubter and unbeliever will either run for fear or fall on their knees and worship me. There can be no middle ground. The church will never be the same again. Shane, do you really want revival? It will cost you. And I had to ponder that for a few years. And I spoke, I think it's embedded in the ebook here. The title was The Cost of Revival. And you can find it on YouTube. And I opened up and I said, I'm ready for this, Lord. I want this. I'm not gonna hide behind appearance and wanting to be well balanced. We want more of your spirit. And national revival, as most of us know, begins with personal revival. We must look in the mirror, repent and turn completely toward God. Take time now and fully embrace his promises. Return to me and I will return to you. If you seek me, you will find me. If you hunger, you will be filled. If you thirst, you will be satisfied. Check out all those promises. God says, if you return to me, I will return to you. If you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me. If you hunger, you will be filled. If you thirst, you will be satisfied. And I began to put two and two together. We think that we are waiting on God, but often God is waiting on us. So I hope this book was a tremendous benefit. I hope it pierced your heart like it did mine when God was just putting all of this into my heart to share with you. You could even pray, Lord, I want to experience a genuine, a genuine spiritual awakening in my life. Show me what that looks like. Help me lead my family, my children, my grandchildren, my spouse. Let me be a good influence at work. God, revive me. I want to break before you and humble myself before you so I can be filled with your spirit. And that prayer, my friends, is something that God will honor. Now, when I close here, I do want to mention some other books that will help you that I have written over the years. We're working on it right now. All of these should be available as free downloads on my website, church website. We're just going to have PDF files. We want to get the message out there. The first book is 40 Days to Reset Your Life. Whether it's a global reset, a financial reset, or a health reset, it's clear that we are intrigued with starting over. And this book will help people break strongholds, addictions, and get back on track and renew their focus with God. The other book I've mentioned before is Feasting and Fasting. And it's a smaller book that focuses on fasting, the spiritual and physical benefits. Another book I wrote is titled Help, I'm Addicted. Help, I'm Addicted. And this is for those who are, everything from opioids to alcohol to lust, all different kinds of addictions and strongholds. There's a common denominator there. And in order to break them, certain biblical principles need to be applied. So that title, again, is Help, I'm Addicted. And then one of my favorite books is If My People. It's about 2 Chronicles 7.14, if my people humble themselves and pray and seek my face. And it's a modern commentary on what is going on now and how we can, once again, seek the heart of God. Even though that verse was a promise to Israel, I believe that the principles still apply, the principles of seeking God and praying and turning from our wicked ways. So the title, again, is If My People. I believe the subtitle is, read this in case of national emergency. Another book is Desperate for More of God. It's a little meaty, and it focuses on how we can develop passion, a passion for God and be desperate for more of him. Another book that I really enjoyed writing about the history of our nation is One Nation Above God. One Nation Above God. And I'll read David Barton, his endorsement from Wall Builders. He said, what America is and has been was a result of previous generations. Everything she will become depends on the rising generation. Shane fully understands this and has provided our next generation of leaders with an understanding of the principles that will keep America great. This book can help secure America's future as one nation under God. So it makes a great homeschool resource as well. And then another book, Answers for a Confused Church, tackles some of the controversial issues out there. Number eight, What Works for Men. This book was written primarily for men. What Works for Men, the subtitle is Regaining Lost Ground. Another title is What Works for Young Adults. This was written specifically for young adults, probably 18 to 28. What Works for Singles tackles the relational aspect of being single, but it also helps those who are married or going through a painful separation as well. And the final book in this section is What Works When Diets Don't. Learn what works, what doesn't, and why when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. This book approaches weight loss from a biblical perspective and offers hope and encouragement. Diets don't work, but lifestyle changes do. Well, I sure hope this book benefited you in a great way. If you need additional resources, you can find us on most social media platforms. We'd be happy to reach out to you and encourage you and pray with you along the way. Our website, as many of you know already, is westsidechristianfellowship.org. Again, that's westsidechristianfellowship.org. My website is shaneidleman.com. Again, that's shaneidleman.com. So thank you for listening, and I hope that this resource helps in more ways than one. Thank you.