Go Back to the Beginning

Was there a time in your life when you were stronger spiritually than you are now? If there was, then you can return to that place again.

Think for a moment about what you did when you were a younger Christian. You probably read your Bible every day and had a prayer life. It’s likely that you were a regular at church and that you shared your faith. Do you still do those things?

Sometimes we have a breakdown in the basics of the Christian life, and we wonder what’s going wrong. It isn’t a mystery. We need to get back to doing those things again.

In the Book of Revelation, we find Jesus’ words to the church in Sardis: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again” (3:1–3 NLT).

This is a picture of a church that needed to come back to life—to awaken and get back to its roots. And this is what we all want to do. But it starts individually.

If you want to see a revival, then you need to do revival-like things. It doesn’t matter whether you feel it; just do it. Emotions will catch up. Don’t wait for a big encounter with God or some emotional experience. That may happen, or it may not. To have a personal revival, you need to go back to the basics in your walk with Christ.

We can talk all day long about a spiritual awakening in America. We can talk all day long about revival. But it starts with each one of us.