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![“Go ahead, Lord—
search me!”
Article #17 of “What is ‘Revival,’
and how does it happen?”
Probably the most difficult problem that we
face when we begin to make our hearts and lives ready for the
Lord to bring us a genuine, Spirit-controlled “Revival” (i.e.
“spiritual awakening,” etc.) is something we might call
“excavation”!
“There you go again,Pastor Chuck—what in the
world do you mean by ‘excavation’? It soundslike you’re
talking about putting a skyscraperup or something!!”
You might be closer than you think!
“Oh—you mean, like,having a good foundation
before you can build anything?”
Exactly! In fact, didn’t Jesus talk about “foundations”
in the Sermon on the Mount? In Matthew 7:24-25 (NASB), for
example, Jesus said, “...everyone who hears these words of
Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man,
who built hishouse upon the rock. And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the windsblew, and burst against
that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon
the rock.”
And then in Luke 6:48[a] (NASB), He described “...a
man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation
upon the rock...” In otherwords, “excavation,” when it comes
to putting the firmest foundation undera house or other
building, is utterly critical—and also very difficult to do!
The same thing applies when we come to 2
Chronicles 7:14 (AMP). God says that “If My people,who are
called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek,
crave, and require of necessity My face...” Tough enough so
far, right? But then He blindsides us with this painful
requirement: “...and turn from their wicked ways...”
“Turn” is “bWv” (“shoob”) in the Hebrew, and the
New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology
defines it this way: “...repent, turn; return, go back...turn
back,change one’s mind; withdraw...” In other words, it has a
very definite flavor of basically abandoning one kind of
behavior and embracing another sort of lifestyle—in this case,
abandoning our “wicked ways,” and returning to “godly
ways.”
The only problem is that, in my years of pastoral
experience, I have discovered that most of us don’t believe
that we have any “wicked ways”!! This is where God comes
into the picture—if we choose to,however reluctantly and/or
grudgingly, make room for Him!
“Aha—thismust be where all that ‘excavation’you
talked about comesin—right?”
Exactly. We’ve got to come to the same place that
David was in his spiritual life when he prayed, in Psalm
139:23-24 (AMP): “ Search me [thoroughly],O God, and
know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if
there is any wicked orhurtful way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting.”
By the way, what’ve you got to lose? According to
Psalm 139:1-4 (NASB), He’s already aware of everything
about us: “O LORD, Thou hast searched me and known me.
Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost
understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my
path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with
all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold,O LORD, Thou dost know it all.”
Here are some simple but effective ways to allow
God to “search” you:
A. Begin by setting aside a special time for God’s
“excavation” ofyou.
You might want to go off by yourself for a whole day (at least
a half-day), so that you will have the time you need to listen to
the Lord properly. (If someone is with you, you more than
likely will get distracted in some way.)
B. Take some printed “searching material” with you
to help “prime the pump” for your quest for
truth.
One very effective tool for this task is found in Neil
Anderson’s excellent book, “The Bondage Breaker.” The
section is entitled “Steps to Freedom in Christ.” Dr. Anderson
calls this procedure “...a fierce moral inventory and a rock-
solid commitment to truth.”
The purpose of walking through this “inventory” is to rid
yourself of anything in your life that is providing Satan with
some sort of foothold through which he can manipulate you.
Paul gives us a great example of this process in 2 Corinthians
10:3-5 (NASB): “...though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not
of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty
thing raised up against the knowledge ofGod, and we are
taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...”
C. Write down everything the Holy Spirit shows you
as you go through this “searching” process.
You may want to later on destroy what you have written, but
there is just something so very clear and compelling about
seeing your struggle in print—and it will also help you in your
next step.
D. Meditate on each “wicked way,” and ask God
what you can do about ridding yourselfofit.
Remember, experts have shown that it takes about six weeks
to change a habit—especially if it is a long-standing one! So
be patient with yourself...and remember what yourgoal is—
not merely being a “better you,” but getting your heart ready
for genuine, Spirit-empowered, Scripture-saturated, long-
lasting REVIVAL!!
E. Your final step in the processis to talk to a
trusted, wise, loving fellow-believer about your
journey!
You will be amazed at what doing this will accomplish!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/aamicolettevisfeb282018-180305213236/85/The-Baptist-Visitor-3-320.jpg)
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The Baptist Visitor
- 1. FIRSTSOUTHERNBAPTIST CHURCHof NORTHHOLLYWOOD(1-818-761-4800) NON-PROFIT ORG. “The First Family” (www.fsbcnh.org) U.S. POSTAGE PAID 10853 Victory Boulevard PERMIT #660 North Hollywood, CA 91606-3826 VAN NUYS, CA Address Service Requested THEBAPTISTVISITOR Paul D. Whetstone (Interim Senior Pastor) February 28, 2018 Charles Cutney (Minister of Encouragement) FOUR GOOD REASONS TO JOIN WITH THE FIRST FAMILY On Sunday, March 11: Reason #1: It’s “Time Change Sunday…” …so we’ll all LOSE ONE HOUR of SLEEP on SATURDAY NIGHT, MARCH 10—and we need to be here to COMFORT ONE ANOTHER!! Reason #2: And to comfort and encourage you… …our gifted Church Hostess Team is preparing a FREE MINI-BRUNCH FOR YOU IN THE BREEZEWAY. IT WILL BEGIN RIGHT AFTER THE 8:30AM WORSHIP SERVICE IS OVER!! Reason #3: And to BLESS you even more… …our old friend and beloved brother MIKE SANDY Will be driving here all the way from FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, to lift our spirits with some EXCELLENT MUSIC AT BOTH THE 8:30AM and 11:00M WORSHIP SERVICES (One of the songs he will be singing is one that he wrote—it’s called: “Shoot That Devil Down!!”) Reason #4: And—as if all that wasn’t enough to bless your hearts… Reverend Hughlen Johnson Will be bringing a special “Spiritual Warfare 101” Message at the 6:30PM Creative Worship Service. It’s entitled: “Lethal Weapons!—Part 1” (Based on Ephesians 6:11-15) Please don’t forget this special event that you have to look forward to: On Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018, we will celebrate with a full schedule of services (8:30AM, 11:00AM and 6:30PM). Our choir will be singing at the two morning gatherings (in addition to messages by Pastor Charles and Pastor Paul)—the title of the music is “Then Came the Morning.”
- 2. "For everything thereis a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "You may delay, but time will not." Benjamin Franklin
- 3. “Go ahead, Lord— searchme!” Article #17 of “What is ‘Revival,’ and how does it happen?” Probably the most difficult problem that we face when we begin to make our hearts and lives ready for the Lord to bring us a genuine, Spirit-controlled “Revival” (i.e. “spiritual awakening,” etc.) is something we might call “excavation”! “There you go again,Pastor Chuck—what in the world do you mean by ‘excavation’? It soundslike you’re talking about putting a skyscraperup or something!!” You might be closer than you think! “Oh—you mean, like,having a good foundation before you can build anything?” Exactly! In fact, didn’t Jesus talk about “foundations” in the Sermon on the Mount? In Matthew 7:24-25 (NASB), for example, Jesus said, “...everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built hishouse upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the windsblew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.” And then in Luke 6:48[a] (NASB), He described “...a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock...” In otherwords, “excavation,” when it comes to putting the firmest foundation undera house or other building, is utterly critical—and also very difficult to do! The same thing applies when we come to 2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP). God says that “If My people,who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face...” Tough enough so far, right? But then He blindsides us with this painful requirement: “...and turn from their wicked ways...” “Turn” is “bWv” (“shoob”) in the Hebrew, and the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology defines it this way: “...repent, turn; return, go back...turn back,change one’s mind; withdraw...” In other words, it has a very definite flavor of basically abandoning one kind of behavior and embracing another sort of lifestyle—in this case, abandoning our “wicked ways,” and returning to “godly ways.” The only problem is that, in my years of pastoral experience, I have discovered that most of us don’t believe that we have any “wicked ways”!! This is where God comes into the picture—if we choose to,however reluctantly and/or grudgingly, make room for Him! “Aha—thismust be where all that ‘excavation’you talked about comesin—right?” Exactly. We’ve got to come to the same place that David was in his spiritual life when he prayed, in Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP): “ Search me [thoroughly],O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked orhurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” By the way, what’ve you got to lose? According to Psalm 139:1-4 (NASB), He’s already aware of everything about us: “O LORD, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold,O LORD, Thou dost know it all.” Here are some simple but effective ways to allow God to “search” you: A. Begin by setting aside a special time for God’s “excavation” ofyou. You might want to go off by yourself for a whole day (at least a half-day), so that you will have the time you need to listen to the Lord properly. (If someone is with you, you more than likely will get distracted in some way.) B. Take some printed “searching material” with you to help “prime the pump” for your quest for truth. One very effective tool for this task is found in Neil Anderson’s excellent book, “The Bondage Breaker.” The section is entitled “Steps to Freedom in Christ.” Dr. Anderson calls this procedure “...a fierce moral inventory and a rock- solid commitment to truth.” The purpose of walking through this “inventory” is to rid yourself of anything in your life that is providing Satan with some sort of foothold through which he can manipulate you. Paul gives us a great example of this process in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB): “...though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge ofGod, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...” C. Write down everything the Holy Spirit shows you as you go through this “searching” process. You may want to later on destroy what you have written, but there is just something so very clear and compelling about seeing your struggle in print—and it will also help you in your next step. D. Meditate on each “wicked way,” and ask God what you can do about ridding yourselfofit. Remember, experts have shown that it takes about six weeks to change a habit—especially if it is a long-standing one! So be patient with yourself...and remember what yourgoal is— not merely being a “better you,” but getting your heart ready for genuine, Spirit-empowered, Scripture-saturated, long- lasting REVIVAL!! E. Your final step in the processis to talk to a trusted, wise, loving fellow-believer about your journey! You will be amazed at what doing this will accomplish!