A Heart for Revival is a 21-day prayer guide designed to quicken your spirit and focus your heart regarding personal and community revival.
(I’ll be sharing devotions from it each Tuesday for the next several months — though, if you’d rather enjoy them in a daily format, the eBook or PDF versions are available here for download.)
Last week the prayer focus was for a revival of the Holy Spirit amongst believers; this week we look to a primary work of the Spirit: conviction of sin.
“And when he [Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me” (John 16:8-9).
Ultimately there can be no salvation in Jesus without the Holy Spirit:
He is the One who convicts us of sin;
He is the One who puts the love of God in our hearts (cf. Romans 5:5);
He is the One by which we can truly, say as loyal subjects, Jesus is Lord (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3).
In writing his second letter to the Corinthians Paul rejoiced in their sorrowful response to his first letter—a letter which pointed out the various sins that needed to be addressed. But Paul’s rejoicing was not that his readers were made grieved in the flesh, but in the spirit; and by being grieved in the spirit it brings forth salvation.
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV).
Notice the progression that leads to salvation:
(1) godly sorrow;
(2) repentance as a result of godly sorrow;
(3) salvation secured by repentance;
(4) the effect of repentance is never regretted.
Why is there no regret in salvation? Salvation brings us back to the original purpose of our creation which is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism).
Prayer Focus
We need a revival to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in this world. Pray earnestly for a conviction of sin on those lost; pray for them to experience a godly sorrow over the sin they indulge; pray they would follow that conviction unto repentance—in Jesus Name.
