#187 Positioned for Revival (3 - Positioned Through United Prayer)

If we're going to position ourselves to see the movement of God in our generation, we have to continually devote ourselves to the right thing.

And what they devoted themselves to was united prayer. Welcome to the One Cry Podcast, a nationwide call for spiritual awakening. The goal, accelerating the movement of God through sharing revival truth, stories, and reports. Welcome to the One Cry podcast. I'm Kyle. I'm with my host over here, Bill Eliff, the man, the myth, the legend. I know, I'm actually pointing at you. That worked. I've never done that before. That's going to be bad that we know we can do that now.

Listen, it's an absolute privilege for us to be able to do this podcast, because honestly, for me, it just helps rekindle what's in our hearts and what God's done in our lives. So, Bill, it's an honor to host it with you and be a part of it. Man, this series, it's probably—well, I'll just say it this way. I think it's going to be right on time because I think that the Lord, in faith, we're recording these ahead.

In faith, we're already watching, but we're believing 2025 is a significant season in the spiritual life of our nation. And we don't want to miss it. So with that, Bill, we've been in a series on how to position yourself for revival, for a real move of God. And I know God's shown you some things in Acts 1 that can help us do that.

Well, that's true. And, you know, we talked here in the last few weeks about positioning ourselves to personal holiness and just being ready, just your heart being ready over time to hear the Lord, cooperate with the Lord. So when he comes, you're ready. And we talked about positioning ourselves through choosing desperation, not just a kind of a hopeless old me, but choosing to fast and pray and get serious about crying out to the Lord for a greater movement, for more. We just want more.

And, you know, the disciples, as Jesus left, were wanting more, and they knew Christ had promised more. And after the resurrection, he began to unfold what that was going to look like. And I just want to draw your attention briefly to one verse, and then we're going to pray together about how to position our self-revival. Jesus, as he was ascending, you know, the story in Acts chapter one that he said, now, look, guys, you're going to receive power and you're going to have to have power.

And to do what I've told you to do, my great commission to you to make disciples of all nations. But you're going to receive power and it's going to happen when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Now, he was prophesying about what he said he would do, that I'm going to ask the Father, he's going to send the Spirit who will be with you, but will be in you. This was a new iteration. This was a new level.

I've been walking beside you in the flesh, but now I'm going to send the Holy Spirit, and he's going to indwell you. I've been dwelling with you. He's going to indwell you, and you'll have all the power you need to do anything I'm asking you to do. So as he was ascending, they were gawking up into the sky, and the angel said, Guys, where are you looking up here? He told you to go and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. So they go back.

And then this is one verse that if you're a preacher today and you're listening to this, You've preached on this one verse, but I just want to remind us of it. He says, these all, he's talking about all the disciples, these all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Just break that down phrase by phrase for just a moment. These all with one mind. There's something about unity there.

That God that just pleases God. And what was their one mind? Their one mind was they needed the Lord. Their one mind was, we're waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. We're waiting for power. We have got to have power to do what God has asked us to do. And we're completely united in this. So these all, with one mind, look at this phrase, were continually, continually. So this wasn't Peter and the guys coming back and saying, well, let's have a prayer meeting.

We really need the power of God. So hey, maybe next Tuesday, can you guys come together and we'll take a moment. We always said, let's just take a minute and pray, which is indicative of the way we live. Let's just take a minute and pray. We'll just have a brief prayer meeting. And now these all with one mind were continually, continually. In other words, we're going to stay here until God comes. We're going to stay here until the power comes.

We're going to stay here until God does what he promised he would do. We're continually. Now look at this next little phrase I'm reading from the New American Standard Translation. These all, with one mind, were continually devoting themselves to prayer. Now, that word devote, I've talked about this before, but it means to be strong towards. Everybody's strong towards something. You know, some guys watch TV in great excess. They're strong towards TV.

They know what's on. They know when it comes on. You know, they know how to handle the remote better than most. Some people are strong towards their work. Some people are strong towards sports. Some people are strong towards hobbies, you know, whatever it is. But they devoted themselves to something. And if we're going to position ourselves to see the movement of God in our generation, we have to continually devote ourselves to the right thing.

And what they devoted themselves to was united prayer. These all, with one mind, were devoting themselves continually to prayer. Now, why in the world would you do that? Well, you would do that if you realize that communion with God is the great essential in your life. Is that you need the presence of God, and the way we enter into his presence, the way we commune with him, the way we talk to him, and we let him talk to us, is prayer.

And somehow along the way, these fledgling disciples, and they were young disciples, and they were young disciples, had watched Jesus enough that they knew that the secret to the power of Jesus' life was his communication with the Father. They prayed. And so much so that they came to Jesus one day and they said, Lord, teach us to pray. We want to know how to do this. We want to know how to commune. We don't know how to pray like we ought to pray. So Jesus taught them how to pray.

And then he said, Now go wait and pray and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, of the power of the presence of God. And so they did. And they did it continually. And they were strong towards it. And they were devoted to it. And you just get the impression they're not leaving until God moves. They're not stopping until God comes in power.

They devoted themselves to prayer. let me just pause right there and ask you a very important question could that sentence be said about you and your church these all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, you say well we don't really do that you know well you may not see the power of god like they saw it We may not experience revival. We may not be ready when God wants to move. We may not be postured for it because we're not postured in prayer.

But the people who see the movement of God are people who are in God's presence enough in prayer that they're hearing and listening and anticipating. And their spiritual senses are attuned to God. And they're devoted to him in unceasing prayer. I've often made the statement that there's something about united prayer that is irresistible to God. I've got eight kids and 27 grandkids currently. I don't know where that'll go in the days. There'll be more, I'm sure.

When one child comes to me and says, you know, dad or granddad, we want to get ice cream. It's just one kid. I say, well, talk to your mother about that. Or, you know, I'll call you in a little bit about that. And so I can push that off. But when all eight of my kids, when they were younger, and all of my grandkids now come in and they're screaming, ice cream, ice cream. We all scream for ice cream. You know where we're going? We're going to get ice cream.

And what they don't know is I wanted ice cream before they even wanted it. And I want them to experience that. And so God, there's something about the heart of God with his children. But his children with one mind continually devote themselves to prayer. God hears and answers that cry. You'll never find a great movement of God in revival and awakening that was not preceded by united prayer. Never in human history will you find that. Never in the Bible will you find that.

And so we just want to challenge you as we're talking about positioning ourselves for revival, that if you want revival, then pray and pray with others and pray with one mind and pray continually.

And look, don't give up praying until you see the movement of God in your generation and in your life and in your city and in your family. And I want us just to pray for that right now. All right. And wherever you are, I want to ask you to just stop and join with me. And for a minute, I want us to just pray about our praying. Just ask God to help us in the coming year to get positioned for revival by Extraordinary United Prayer. Would you join me in that right now?

Father, we thank you so much for... This way that you have given us to come into your presence and to commune with you. Lord, nobody else has that but those who know you. Lord, this ability through the Spirit, because Christ has given us an introduction into your throne room, and we stand in grace facing you, we can come and we can pray. And forgive us, Lord, for not availing ourselves of that privilege more.

But I pray, Father, this year for everyone who's listening, I pray for myself, I pray for Kyle, I pray for all of us, Lord, that we would be men and women of great, prevailing, devoted, united prayer. Whatever praying we've done in the past, I pray this year we would take that up a whole new notch. And we can't even do that without the help of your spirit. So Spirit of God, we've been learning that you're our helper. So Lord, help us pray.

Help us pray. Help us to stay in prayer. Help us to be devoted to prayer. Help us to not give up in prayer. Help us to not faint in prayer, Lord. And I pray that we would be positioned to see a mighty movement of God across our nation and really around the world in this day, and we'd be right in the middle of that. So help us, Father. We pray that in your precious holy name. Amen. Amen.

Well, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. Kyle had to slip out before we got through here, but we're so glad that you've come, and we're talking about how to position ourself for revival. I believe it's coming. In fact, I believe it's here and we want to be ready. Amen. Join us next time. And in the meantime, with one mind, with others, unite together in unceasing prayer. Music.