Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 

—Psalm 51:7–13

Scripture:

Psalm 51:7–13 

As we look at the trouble and turmoil in our country now, it isn’t hard to see that the United States is reaping the results of years of disobedience to God and His Word. We’ve worked hard to remove God and His Word from our courtrooms, from our classrooms, and from society in general.

But our society’s troubles are all symptoms of a deeper problem. Simply put, it’s the effect of sin that we’re seeing. We’ve been so careful to arm ourselves against the enemy on the outside, yet we’ve forgotten the enemy on the inside. And we’ve missed one of the most important blessings of history.

Abraham Lincoln made this proclamation in 1863: “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” Honest Abe was right. We are rotting from within.

How will we solve this problem? Politicians can’t do it for us. While they can offer some help, their efforts won’t get to the root of the problem. The only answer is a heaven-sent spiritual awakening. The only answer is a revival.

The words of the psalmist reflect the spirit necessary for a revival. “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you” (Psalm 51:7–13 NLT).

There will never be a spiritual awakening in this nation until we believe in the one and only true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Without this, there will never be moral change or a cure for our countless social ills.

This is the message God has entrusted to believers. This is the message we must deliver to the nation as we pray for and work toward revival.

Reflection question: What would it look like in your life to be restored to the joy of your salvation? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said 

—Acts 27:25

Scripture:

Acts 27:25 

Many Christians are tempted to believe the lie that when we’re in the will of God, everything will be smooth sailing. But often just the opposite is true. Doors slam in our faces. Obstacles appear in our paths. Storms arise that threaten to drive us off course.

That’s why we need to remember that we have a spiritual enemy who wants to stop us from doing what God wants us to do. And he will use any means at his disposal to accomplish his work, including causing us to doubt God’s goodness and protection.

Acts 27 tells the story of the apostle Paul’s voyage to Rome. Though he was a prisoner facing trial, he recognized that his circumstances would give him a momentous opportunity to share the gospel with several highly placed Roman officials. He reasonably could have expected smooth sailing all the way to his destination. After all, he was doing the Lord’s will even as his life hung in the balance.

But that’s not how this story goes. An incredible storm arose that caused the people on his ship to despair of their lives—but not Paul. It seems there was no obstacle big enough to stop the apostle. He always seemed to rise above his circumstances. His words to his sailing companions in Acts 27:25 summarize his mindset: “So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said” (NLT). As he went through the storm, he knew God had shown him what to do, and he would let nothing deter him from that course.

When a hard time hits, when a crisis hits, when a tragedy hits, often our first instinct is to look for a way out. We ask God for an airlift out of our problems.

But God wants us to learn in the midst of them. Romans 8:35 and 37 say, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (NIV). Notice the phrase “in all these things.” It isn’t saying we won’t face some of these things. But it says that in them we are more than conquerors.

If you’re seeking to obey the Lord, expect opposition. Expect obstacles. Expect difficulties. But also expect God to see you through.

That applies on a national level as well. Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president, once gave a speech in which he talked about “the man in the arena”—that is, a person, such as a national leader, who is heavily involved in doing what he believes is right, all the while enduring the attacks, criticism, and second-guessing of those who sit on the sidelines.

In an earlier devotion we talked about how electing believers into office facilitates revival in our nation. But we also need to stand by those leaders because our spiritual enemy will do his best to wear them down or neutralize them through continuous attacks.

They need our support.

Reflection question: How can you show real support for the Christian leaders of our nation? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 

—Acts 2:44–47

Scripture:

I love new believers. They are the lifeblood of the church. When I have the privilege of speaking to other pastors, I tell them that if they don’t have a constant flow of new believers coming into their congregations, they will become spiritually dead. We can either evangelize or fossilize.

Show me a church where new believers are not coming in, and I’ll show you a church that is stagnating. Show me a church that has new believers coming in on a regular basis, and I’ll show you a church that has vibrancy and life.

That said, new believers need older believers to stabilize them. New believers’ hearts are full of zeal, but they don’t understand the ground rules yet. They need older believers to teach them.

Older believers also need new believers. They need their zeal. They need their passion. They need their excitement to remind them of what they’ve forgotten.

Sadly, it’s usually the new believers who want to do the most when they know the least. When we ask people to help out with something at Harvest Christian Fellowship, we often have new believers who come and say they want to help: “I’ll do whatever you need. I would like to sign up for six ministries.”

While we’re very appreciative of their willingness to serve, we want them to have a good foundation first so they can be properly trained and equipped to do what God has called them to do.

On the other hand, there are older believers who have known the Lord for years, maybe even decades, who don’t give a passing thought to helping out at church. It should be just the opposite.

But as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, I want to point out that what’s true for the church is also true for our country. New believers are the lifeblood of our country. Our nation was forged in the flames of revival. And we pray for a new revival to sweep across this country.

The description of the church in Acts 2:44–47 serves as a model: “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (NLT).

In the meantime, every new believer, every decision made for Christ, represents a mini revival. As these new believers commit themselves to the biblical truths and principles on which our nation is built, our nation becomes incrementally stronger, more vibrant, and more attuned to God’s leading.

When we share our faith, we’re not only changing lives, but we’re also changing our country.

Reflection question: What would it look like in your life to prioritize sharing your faith? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie