We are pleased to reproduce the latest Newsletter of Rev Tony Higton’s, Network for Revival.
Please go to networkforrevival.co.uk for further details or contact Tony at email: tony@higton.info
Network for Revival April 2019
Pray for personal revival
“Revival begins with me” is a thought which God has put in my mind during my prayer times. And I recommend that thought to you. The aim of Network for Revival is to encourage persistent, in-depth intercession for revival, which is vitally important. But a twin aim is to encourage growing holiness on the part of those interceding. In fact, intercession is undermined without growth in holiness. We need a deeper, and ever-deepening, experience of the Lord himself – a Transfiguration experience.
Three of the disciples accompanied Jesus up the mountain. Suddenly “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light,” Then “a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Little wonder that “when the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified” (Matt 17:2-6). What a transforming experience that must have been and how we need something like it ourselves!
In other words, we need personal revival, not only to deepen our prayer for revival profoundly but also to make us into people who manifest the presence of God (which is what revival is all about).
I encourage you to make Matthew 17:2-6 a basis for prayer and to ask the Lord to give you a transfiguration experience. It may be sudden or gradual, but the Lord will do it.
How to find time to pray
A member wrote to me saying he was having a problem finding time to pray and could I offer any advice from my own experience. I replied as follows and thought that the information might to be helpful for others.
I do understand the problem, especially for those in full time ministry/work. I have learnt a few things over the years since I started to pray for revival. Here are my thoughts:
1. Think about motives for prayer for Revival
Motivation helps in the effort to find the time. Here are a few quick motives to meditate on:
· Following Jesus who “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Lk 5:16).
· For the sake of the dishonoured name of God
· For the sake of the grief of God over the unrepentant
· For the sake of the unrequited love of God
· For the sake of the lost
· For the sake of the church.
2. Be assured of the immense spiritual rewards of regular prayer for Revival
I know that’s not the motive, but I can assure you that it is the result. I could (literally) write a book on what God has done and said to me in the last three and a half years of special prayer for revival.
3. Be determined to pray
I was challenged by the thought that I find time for what I think is really important. But, after three and a half years of having a special time of prayer for revival every day (and being very encouraged by what God has done consistently in those prayer times) I still have to make an effort (often now only a small one) to ensure I do pray. So don’t be discouraged if you find a certain reluctance to pray. By the way, I’m sure the devil doesn’t want us to pray for Revival and so distracts and discourages us. Another relevant thought is “I don’t have time to pray for Revival. I have to find time to pray for Revival.” I actually think that some tasks expand to fill the time available, so making time to pray can normally be fitted into the day without other urgent or essential tasks having to be neglected.
4. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Decide prayerfully how long and how often you should pray. I started with having a prayer time three times a week but eventually changed to having daily prayer. You might start with, say, 30 minutes whenever you pray for Revival. Remember also that prayer is dialogue and God will speak extensively to you if you spend time listening.
5. If possible, pray fairly early in the day
My experience over the years is that my time of prayer for Revival has taken place any time from about 10.00am (after my personal prayers) to midnight, depending on the timetable for immovable events. But the danger is the later it gets in the day the greater the temptation to leave it until tomorrow. Once I’ve had the time of prayer I feel more at peace. Obviously, if you are working full time, it may not be possible to pray early in the day.
6. You might find it helpful to go to a lonely place, if possible.
I mentioned above that Jesus did this. In the early days of my prayer for revival, I drove a short distance to a beautiful isolated spot in the country. This helped me to get into the habit of such prayer times. Maybe, even if you live in an urban area you could find such a lonely spot. For example, you could use a church building (some of which are open every day), even if it’s not of your denomination. It gets away from the phone etc (and why not switch off the mobile?).
7. Sometimes combine it with fasting
To miss a meal (especially lunch) provides a time to pray in a busy day, as well as being an opportunity for ‘fasting prayer.’
Quotations about revival
A description of revival in Point, on the West coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides Revival: “The outstanding feature of the 1949—52 revival was the presence of God … You could sense and feel the presence of God everywhere. Even the children sensed something. It was the power of God let loose! People went on their knees anywhere. We would be out at the meetings at 7.00 p.m. and then go home at about 9.00 p.m., have something to eat, then off to the next meeting in Aird or somewhere else until 11.00 p.m. or midnight. After that we would go to a house meeting until 4.00 or 5.00 a.m. This would go on night after night! Imagine Duncan Campbell going to all these meetings. He was not young! Amazingly, we kept going and did not get tired. (Colin & Mary Peckham, Sounds from Heaven, p. 185).
Tony
Call the Nation to Prayer 