Our goal for this year is to live a Revived life. I named this group Revive because I want us to live a life that will be a catalyst of revival. I want us to live in such a way that when people look at us, they testify that we know Jesus. I want us to live lives that will be attractive to other people and draw them to Christ. For us to live revived lives, there are certain things that we must start to do. In this newsletter we will be looking at the first thing to do, and the rest of the year, we will be talking about things that inspire us to live a revived life.

The first thing that inspires us to live a revived life is found in this verse: Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” At the heart of this verse is surrender. Look at the first part of the verse, “A man’s heart plans his way…” We all have dreams and goals that we want to accomplish. We have desires that we are so excited about. We are created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, if He has desires, we have desires; if He has dreams, we have dreams; if He has goals, we have goals.

There is nothing wrong with having desires, dreams, and goals. The problem is the next part of Proverbs, “but the LORD directs his steps.” You may have plenty of plans, but do they align with God’s purpose for your life? Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” This is not your life. You did not show up here by accident. God has a specific plan for your life. I think that is something that we forget. We sometimes think that we have the freedom to do whatever we want to. You must understand that we belong to the kingdom of God, not democracy of God.

He gave you gifts, talents, and anointings to do specific things. Genesis 1:20-22, “20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Each animal was created to do something specific. If a fish stops swimming, it loses its identity and dies. If a bird stops flying, it loses its identity. What is the one thing that if you stop doing, you will lose yourself?

Some of you have an answer to that question and some of you don’t, and it’s okay. For you to truly get that answer you must start living a revived life. You must surrender to the Lord and let Him begin to direct your steps. Living a surrendered life is living a revived life. Putting yourself on the altar of God is living a revived life. Matthew 16:24-26, “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”