Rhythms for Revival: Remain

Jesus encourages in John 15:4,

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

When we remain in Jesus, He will remain in us.

His love will revive us.

His strength will sustain us.

His truth will fortify us against attacks from the enemy.

His Spirit will gently guide and convict us.

Yet how many of us actually remain in Him? Spend time with Him? Abide in Him?

In the Bible Study Experiencing God, Blackaby & King write,

“If you are experiencing a time of spiritual dryness in your life, you may be trying to do things on your own that God has not initiated. However, when you abide (REMAIN) in Christ, you will be amazed at what God accomplishes through your life.”

They continue on, “Sadly, the chronic ailment of Christians today is burnout, particularly among pastors and those in Christian ministry. They grow weary doing things for God in their own strength. Yet Jesus promised that those who walk alongside Him and work with Him will find rest for their souls.” (see Matthew 4:8-10 which was from our first revival rhythm: RELEASE). 

Revival comes through a daily walk with God - remaining in Him day by day.

The Israelites in the wilderness had to daily rely on God to not only lead them but also to provide food and water for them. Manna, quail, water, and directions - these were all provided on a daily basis.

Blackaby and King go on to write,

“Nowhere does the Bible teach that God gives us a life plan and then abandons us to work it out. Rather, the pattern and emphasis in Scripture is a DAILY WALK with Him in which He gives new assignments and then works through us to accomplish them.”

They finish, “As long as we walk daily with Christ, we will always know where to be - right beside Him - and will always end up where He wants us to be. Jesus did not say: ‘I will give you the entire plan.’ ‘I will give you a road map.’ ‘I will tell you which direction to go and send you off.’ He did say, ‘I am the way’ (John 14:6).”

Will we remain in Him?

Because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

We will never experience true revival.

These are Jesus’ parting words to His disciples and to us found in John 15 - Abide in me. Remain in me.

When we choose to abide, He will revive.

But as we begin to experience revival - our human nature is to revert back to relying on self.

When self is revived, when self becomes stronger,

we tend to put our trust back into ourselves, back into what we can accomplish in our own strength.

But Jesus says “die to self”. “Deny oneself.” And “remain in Him”. 

Are we truly remaining in Jesus? Keeping Him in His rightful place within our lives - first and only?

Let’s start with this - do you know how to check your average minutes spent on your phone each day through your settings?

Take a minute now to look at the average amount of time you spend on your phone every day. If you are feeling brave, you can even check to see where those minutes are spent - social media, online shopping, texting with friends, camera…

Now consider how many hours do you spend on average a day with God….or maybe it’s just minutes.

How many minutes do you intentionally spend with God?

Convicting, right?

Paul David Tripp writes, 

“Human beings by their very nature are worshipers. Worship is not something we do; it defines who we are. You cannot divide human beings into those who worship and those who don’t. Everybody worships; it’s just a matter of what, or whom, we serve.”

We were made to worship…so what is the object of your time, your money, your thoughts, your worship?

Is it actually Jesus?

When was the last time you delighted in reading His Word? 

Enjoyed a conversation with Him? 

Listened for His voice and lingered in His presence during a worship song? 

Oftentimes, when we feel revived, we begin to run our race again but instead of remaining in Jesus, we replace Him with idols - objects of our affection, time, money, thoughts. We may not think they are idols but if they replace our main focus and we center our lives around them - it is an idol.

I encourage you today to be mindful of what or whom you serve (worship) throughout each day because we all worship.

It's just a matter of what, or whom, we serve. 

If you are longing for revival in your life, perhaps it's time to start making some changes.

When we choose to walk away from the temptations and distractions of this world and reject the attacks from the enemy to instead walk with Jesus, work with Him, and allow His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us….we will experience revival and restoration. 

He will restore our mind, body, & soul. 

But we have to make the choice to remain deeply rooted day by day in complete surrender and dependence on Him.

This is why our revival rhythms start with the prefix “Re”.

“Re” means again & again. A daily dependence on God means a new way of living - rhythmic living.

Day by day, we release our burdens at the foot of the cross, release our selves, release our mind, body, & soul. Surrender.

And then we remember Whose we are. We remember God’s character and His faithfulness. We remember that our identity is rooted in Him and His love for us. We remember that apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Then we simply make the choice to remain in that love. Remain in Him and He will remain in us.

When we choose to abide, He will revive.