I think we could all agree that the United States needs a spiritual awakening. We can’t bring a revival about, but we can pray for one. And God tells us, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
When Jonah went to Nineveh, he delivered a message of judgment: In forty days, Nineveh would be overthrown (see Jonah 3:4). There was no promise of forgiveness, no mention of God’s love. Jonah basically was saying, “You are all going to die.” And as far as he was concerned, he could have cared less.
But the people listened to Jonah and repented. And the Bible tells us, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (verse 10).
This was probably the greatest revival in human history. And it started with a flawed message from a flawed messenger.
We are all flawed messengers. But we have a perfect message: It is the good news of Jesus Christ. We can tell people that God loves them, that God will forgive them, but they are separated from Him by their sin. And if they will turn from their sin and put their faith in Christ, they can be forgiven.
Though we can’t bring about a revival, we can pray for one. So here is my challenge to you: Don’t isolate. Infiltrate. As I have often said, Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church; He said that the church should go to the whole world.
-Greg Laurie
hiking2christ 