Awaken 2009

Awaken 2009
5600 Brainerd Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37421
ph: 423-899-5869

Prepare

Spiritual awakening is not solely a sovereign act of God. In Ephesians 5:14 we are given the command to awaken ourselves from spiritual slumber. We must be proactive in our own revival, as well as the revival of others. In order for "Awaken 2009" to have the most impact possible, we must prepare ourselves individually. That preparation involves two parts,  repentance and prayer.

#1 Prepare By Repenting

Repentance is what God requires of all people everywhere. It is what an awakening or revival is all about. It involves three essential components:

  1. CONVICTION -This is a ministry of the Holy Spirit that convinces you of your guilt and causes you to feel godly sorrow. It most often comes from hearing or reading the word of God, but may also manifest with no obvious reason. Ask God to reveal areas of your life where repentance is needed. If you have ignored conviction in the past you may have become desensitized to it and should ask God to renew your conscience.
  2. CONFESSION - Upon feeling the Spirit's conviction we must agree with Him that we are in fact guilty before a holy God. Verbal confession of our sins before God is like pleading guilty in a court of law. We give up all possible defense for our actions and throw ourselves, guilty and deserving of punishment, at the mercy of the judge. Accepting responsibility for our sins and crying out to God for mercy results in a cleansing and forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt.
  3. CONVERSION - After we have been cleansed from our sins we turn and walk away from them. Christ didn't die so that we could sin without consequence, but that we would be freed from the power of sin and live a new life. Conversion involves being proactive about cutting off easy access to the temptations and sins we may have grown used to over time. It also involves making amends or restitution for our past sins by going to those we have sinned against and making it right.     

# 2 Prepare By Praying

There can be no awakening without prayer and the prayer that brings awakening is governed by three simple principles:

  1. PURPOSE - Prayer needs to be specific and focused. You need to know why you are praying and  what you are praying for. If awakening is the purpose of your prayers then you should be asking God to convict both believers and nonbelievers. The essence of revival involves conviction of the sins of commission and complacency resulting in repentance and obedience to God. 
  2. PASSION - We must pray in faith knowing that spiritual awakening is God's will! If we don't believe our prayers are according to His will we won't believe they will be answered. Our prayers should be infused with passion because we know He will answer! Don't just pray with your intellect, but from your heart. Be passionate and expressive to God in your prayers. Act like you know He hears and is ready to answer.  
  3. PERSISTENCE - Prayer is not a sprint; it's a marathon. Don't become discouraged and give up before you see the answer. Continue praying even when you don't feel like it. You may need simply to begin going through the motions but that's okay, just do it. If you make yourself pray God will encourage you and renew your passion.   

Awaken 2009
5600 Brainerd Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37421
ph: 423-899-5869