“Brokenness, however, is but the beginning of revival. Revival itself is being absolutely filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, and that is victorious living.”
Roy Hession
Are we being continually filled with the Holy Spirit? “Revival is when we can say yes at any moment of the day.” How is this even possible? We know we are not perfect. But in Christ, we can live a life full to overflowing only and always because of GRACE. “All we have to do is to present our empty, broken self and let Him fill and keep filling.”
This reminds me of Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” The word “present” in Greek is in the aorist tense meaning every time the opportunity arises, we must present ourselves as a living sacrifice (another example of dying to self).
Our cups must be empty for God to cleanse and fill them to overflowing. Roy gives the picture of Jesus coming alongside us filling our cups with the water of life. Imagine Jesus as a well that never runs dry. He is the Living Water and has come to dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). He is our Source.
But again, our cups must be clean. Have you ever reached into the dishwasher for a coffee cup only to find you forgot to wash the dishes? I have done this many times. We can’t use dirty cups! God can’t use dirty cups either and desires to cleanse us first and foremost.
Christ’s blood was shed once for all and provides forgiveness for all who believe (Hebrews 10:14-18). At the moment of our salvation His blood is applied to our hearts and we are forgiven. But as we walk the Calvary Road of sanctification, we will surely trip and stumble. The Bible tells us just what to do when this happens.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NASB1995).
The word for “sin” here is referring to the “trippings and stumblings” we struggle with as believers. Because Christ’s blood was shed once for all time, our past, present, and future sins are forgiven, and our relationship with Him is eternally secure. However, our fellowship with God gets broken when we sin. The only way to restore that fellowship is to come to Him in humble confession.
The need for daily cleansing was role modeled when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Peter protested at first, but then he wanted Jesus to wash his head and hands too! But like us, because he had believed, he didn’t need the whole bath. He needed his feet washed from the daily trippings and stumblings.
“Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you” (John 13:8-10 NASB1995).
“If we are to know continuous revival, we must learn the way to keep our cups continually clean.”
Roy Hession
The only way to keep our cups continually clean is to continually present them to Jesus as often as the Holy Spirit convicts us. One indication of His conviction is the loss of our peace! Paul tells us in Colossians 3:15 to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
“Everything that disturbs the peace of God in our hearts is sin, no matter how small it is and no matter how unlike sin it may appear to be at first. This peace is to ‘rule’ our hearts, or a more literal translation, ‘be the referee’ in our hearts. When the referee blows his whistle at a soccer match, the game has to stop. A foul has been committed. When we lose our peace, God’s referee in our hearts has blown His whistle.”
When the Divine Referee blows His whistle, TIME OUT! All activity must stop until the infraction is made right. What an incredible way to live life! As we move throughout the day, as soon as we lose our peace, we must run back to Jesus in humble confession.
“Many times a day and over the smallest things, we shall have to avail ourselves of the cleansing blood of Jesus. We shall find ourselves walking the way of brokenness as never before. But Jesus will be manifested, in all His loveliness and grace, in that brokenness.” As we begin to seek God for His cleansing, “He will show us just one thing. It will be our obedience and brokenness on that one thing that will be our first step into revival.”
As I close this post, snow is falling. I love how quiet snowfall is at night and can’t help but think of the lyrics to this old hymn.
“Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat. I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet. By faith for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow- Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Whiter Than Snow/James L. Nicholson
Chapter 2 Homework
Day 1: The Role of the Holy Spirit
- Read Romans 5:5 and Romans 15:30. Record what you learn about the Holy Spirit.
- According to John 15:26, who does the Holy Spirit bear witness of?
- Read John 16:5-15 and list everything Jesus says about the Holy Spirit.
- Read Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 1:22. What similarities do you see?
- Read John 14:16-18. What promises does Jesus give about the Holy Spirit, and how does that comfort your heart?
Day 2: Filled with the Spirit
- Praise God we can never lose our salvation (justification) because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise! When Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled with the Spirit, this is a reference to our sanctification.
- Read Ephesians 5:15-21. What does being filled with the Spirit look like based on verses 19-21?
- Record Galatians 5:16 in your journal. What promise is given?
- Read Galatians 5:22-23. When we walk by the Spirit, what fruit does He produce in our lives?
- Based on Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19, what can we do to the Holy Spirit if we are walking by the flesh? Can you think of a time when you grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit?
Day 3: Peace of Christ Ruling
- Read Colossians 3:1-17. In your journal, record everything in this passage that reminds you of walking by the flesh, and everything that reminds you of walking by the Spirit.
- Based on Colossians 3:15, what is to rule in our hearts? Why do you think this is important?
- Read Psalm 46. Where does the psalmist place his trust? How does verse 10 give the idea of letting the peace of God rule in your heart?
- Read Philippians 4:6-7. What do you learn about the peace of God in these verses?
- Based on Ephesians 2:13-14, Who is our peace?
Day 4: Word of Christ Dwelling
- Based on Colossians 3:16, what is to dwell richly in us? Do you see any similarities with Ephesians 5:19-21?
- Read Psalm 119:9-11. How does the Word of God help us?
- Read Psalm 19:7-14 and record in your journal the benefits of God’s Word.
- Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What do these verses say about Scripture?
- Read Hebrews 4:12 and list what you learn about the convicting power of the Word of God.
Day 5: Confession of Sin
- Read Psalm 32. How does David describe the freedom of being forgiven, and the misery of unconfessed sin? How could unconfessed sin cause you to become stagnant in your walk with God? In what ways do you identify with Psalm 32?
- Read 1 John 1:9, Psalm 86:5, and Romans 8:1. What promises do you see in these verses, and how do they encourage your heart?
- Confession is simply “agreeing with God” in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. What does Proverbs 28:13 say about confession?
- Read Psalm 51:17. What is God’s attitude towards a broken and contrite heart? Verse 17 compares a broken spirit to a sacrifice. How does this remind you of dying to self?
- Read Psalm 103 and record everything you learn about God’s character. How does this encourage your heart in light of all we have learned this week? Ask God to examine your heart. Is there anything you need to confess to Him? Take some time to thank Him for His forgiveness.
Please note that unless stated otherwise, all italicized quotes that are not directly cited from an author or Scripture are direct quotes from the book, The Calvary Road, by Roy Hession.
Simply Persuaded 