There used to be a bumper sticker that I saw very frequently. Even though I understood the spirit behind it, I could never agree with it. Whenever I saw the words, “God is my Co-Pilot,” my immediate thought was, “Then you’ve got a fool for a pilot.”
I want God in control of my life. I don’t want to relegate Him to simply be my consultant. I want Him to set the course for my life.
With God in control, there’s always a preparation that He puts you through. The Lord does this to get you ready for what He wants to do through you. Israel was an example of this.
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
In order to bring out the best in us, the Lord does a lot of work. He chooses us, defends us, and prepares us for a great harvest. But even after He does all that work, the Lord still has to wait for us. We must produce the fruit.
That’s the key. Where is our heart at? Are we in agreement with what the Holy Spirit is doing in us? We must choose to cooperate with Him.
God is preparing for something great from us. But there’s one simple truth. The best wine doesn’t come from supermarket grapes. It comes from a field that’s prepared for that purpose.
It’s the same with us. Are we willing to go through that preparation process? The first thing that the Lord does is to dig it up and clear it of stones. In Scripture, that speaks of repentance.
If we want to experience revival – both personal and corporate – this is where we start. We must be ready to clear the stones.
Prayer is relationship with God. We need to clear the relationship of anything that hinders our walk with the Lord. That’s where revival starts.
Why is this so important? Jesus told us about it in the parable of the sower. Too often we plant the seed of the Word on soil that’s too rocky.
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
That’s what happens when we receive the Word without letting it change us. No repentance. We let the hindrances in our relationship stop the Word from taking root in us.
It’s time for true repentance. That’s the first step in revival.
Question: How often do you take a self-inventory of your walk with the Lord?
© Nick Zaccardi 2016