Message
As I mentioned yesterday, being born again can happen in an instant. It can be likened to a woman who gives birth to a child at a hospital in the morning and is back home by the afternoon. Revival, however, is a process. As I mentioned yesterday, a doctor who revives a patient whose heart had stopped beating will not let the patient go home immediately. The first thing the doctor will do is to ensure that whatever stopped the heart from beating in the first place is dealt with. In , when a father welcomed his prodigal son back home, the first thing he did was to clothe him with a new robe. This implies that the boy’s old garments were removed. If you have lost your fervency for the things of God and truly want to regain intimacy with Him, then you must rid yourself of the sins that caused your heart to grow cold in the first place. If you used to fornicate, then you must stay far away from the people or things that always led you to fall into that sin. Delete files that are on your phone that may cause you to think immoral thoughts, delete telephone contacts of people who influence you negatively, and relocate to a new environment if you can. If that old, sinful garment is not removed and burned, then you will only be deceiving yourself by claiming to want revival.
Secondly, after the garment of sin is removed, you will need to take a bath. The prodigal son could not have put on a new robe while looking dirty; he must have taken a bath first. says that we are washed with water, which is the word of God. You must cultivate a lifestyle of studying the word of God daily.
Finally, you will need new garments, which signify a new lifestyle. In today’s Bible reading, after the angel removed Joshua the high priest’s filthy garments, he clothed him with new ones and warned him solemnly to walk in the ways of the Lord and keep His charge. urges you to present your body as a living sacrifice to God and to renew your mind. That is the only way your new garments can remain spotless and pure. Beloved, being revived is a continuous process that requires allowing God’s word to transform your life and renew your mind for the Master’s use.