Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Memory text:
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Revival is God breathing new life into what has become dry, cold, or dead, like in the valley of dry bones. It is not the creation of a new life but the renewal of life to what once had life.
“So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” ‭‭(Ezek‬ ‭37‬:‭10‬).
Let’s see some of the practical signs:
Firstly, the desire for prayer is lost. This is a key indicator. Both private and corporate prayers are set aside or rarely held. Even when it is held, prayer is cold, boring, and without enthusiasm and passion. Frequent complaints are made about extended prayer time but rarely any complaints about social or other activities. Scheduled prayers are often skipped to give room for other things. Spiritual life dies when prayer dies. No man is greater than his prayer life. The believer who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. There is a negative shift, like Leonard Ravenhill puts it, we now have “Many organizers but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.” (Luke 18:1).
Another sign that revival is needed is that sin is tolerated and justified. The church of Thyatira tolerated lust and sexual uncleanliness (Rev 2:20). Saul justified his disobedience and the sin of spiritism (1 Sam 15:15, 19-21; 28:9-10).
To tolerate sin is knowing something is wrong, but accepting it anyway while to justify sin is excusing it with reasoning, comparison, or misuse of grace. A church or a believer that was well known for her holiness now compromises sin. She defends and rationalizes the obvious sinful attitudes she once condemned. She feels comfortable in what once convicted her. She compares herself with others instead of Jesus. She redefines sin instead of repenting of it.
Instead of repentance, they argue like these: “Everyone struggles with this.”; “God understands my situation.”; “At least I’m not as bad as others.”; “Grace covers it, so it’s not a big deal”. “As long as I don’t do it every day or every time “; “Times have changed, and we have to adjust accordingly”, “It’s just a movie/song.”
Friends, with these first two signs, do you need revival?

Prayer points
1. Father, please, search my heart, reveal and convict me of any sin I have tolerated or excused in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, remove every lukewarmness from me and rekindle fire on my prayer altar in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. A church or a believer that sins without sorrow needs revival.
2. I will always examine myself lest I get hardened and fall from grace.