Revival is Happening

Hey, this is Dr. Ray Self with Self Talk. In today's show, I'm talking about revival. I'm talking about the revival at Asbury but I'm not talking about it in the way you would think I'm talking about it. This type of revival has been happening all over our country for many years, it's just Asbury got publicized and why was that? It's an interesting show and is a very encouraging show so please stay tuned, I really think you're going to enjoy today's episode of Self Talk with Dr. Ray Self. Thank you for listening today. God bless you.

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Hey, welcome to my show, this is Dr. Ray Self. I want to talk to you about revival at Asbury which has been in the news. I think it's great it's really cool that the news and the social media is covering these, this revival, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. People praising and worshiping God for continuous hours and as they're reporting that, people are being saved. And then there was one, looks like bonafide deliverance that took place, uh, right during. during the revival that also made a lot of news and had a lot of, a lot of critics. And so, you know, to me that's not unusual at all, from what I've seen. Was it a great thing, the revival? Absolutely, absolutely, it's a wonderful thing. My question is was it making the news because it was at a traditional Methodist University and maybe that's um unusual for them? But what I want to tell you, my dear listeners, is I've been seeing things like this for years.

I remember my little church in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We would have outpourings of the Holy Spirit almost every single Sunday. I remember we had a Sunday night service that would start at six and the Holy Spirit would just invade the place and 10:00, 10:30 at night I had to literally turn off the lights in the church to get people to leave. The Holy Spirit would be so strong, the presence of God would be so strong that he would just take over the service. It was kind of humorous and I remember many times I would literally just go sit in the back of the church and watch what God was doing through his people. Absolutely amazing. Recently, I've been involved, actually last few years, with an incredible Church in Gulfport Mississippi called Destiny Church, pastored by Chris and Patti McCall. They have revival every service. Every service, there's people pouring out their hearts to God, worshiping with all their might, and coming to the altar falling on their face before God, the presence of God just coming into the building and changing lives and changing people who, they are, and delivering people, saving people, and people getting free, and people getting intimate with God, it's just incredible.

And I've seen this kind of thing for many years at a number of churches. It doesn't make the news, it doesn't get onto tick-tock or Facebook or Instagram or, of course, even the Asbury Revival actually made Fox News, CNN news, and all that kind of stuff which was good because it was giving attention and glory to God. It's interesting that so many people think well now, this is a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I think the Holy Spirit's been outpouring for, for years, maybe centuries for those who will receive him, it's just that the media doesn't pay attention. Of course, years ago we didn't have the type of social media avenues that we do now, but I'm maybe I'm just very blessed because moving among Holy Spirit-filled churches, it's not unusual to see people worshiping with all their might. It's not unusual to feel a heavy presence of God, it's not unusual to see people healed, delivered, changed- not unusual at all. 

In many churches that I've been blessed to visit, and I think some of you listening to me understand what I'm, I'm trying to talk about. I guess what I'm saying is I think it's good that the news is saying wow, revival is coming, you know, there's a special move of God happening. And now it's, of course, there was another church just recently they were talking about… Texas A & M, and now it's actually happening at Texas A & M and I'm going… I think that's great, and I'm not, I'm not critical of it, I mean, Lord knows it seems like every time we have a revival or outpouring of the Holy Spirit, here come the critics. And then of course one thing that Satan does is whenever there is a move of God, he's going to try to throw in some counterfeit measures to discredit. Whatever he can do. To me, whenever I see these counterfeit actions or counterfeit people, it just tells me something good was going on or Satan would not have attacked it like that. 

But I think the wonderful thing is revival is happening and it's happening anytime people gather together and Worship the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to come, and enjoy the presence of God, and, and get into his presence and repent and forgive and renounce sins and allow the Holy Spirit to have his way. I think in a good Holy Spirit-filled church with good praise and worship music, it creates an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to come and when the Holy Spirit comes- now I know he's omnipresent he's, he's everywhere so it's kind of weird to say when he comes because he's actually already here, he's actually already everywhere- but when the Holy Spirit begins to really manifest himself, it's incredible to see the things that have happened. I have seen blind eyes healed.

I saw the Holy Spirit come into a traditional Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, South Memphis, Tennessee, and a word of knowledge was given that there was a lady that was blind in her right eye, the Lord wanted to heal her, and this was a little unusual for this church. The lady slowly and hesitantly, elderly lady came forward. I was with a couple of my students from ICM, they laid their hands on the lady's eye, one of my students shouted “There it is! There it is!”, and I'm thinking,” well there's what?” She said “There it is! There it is! There's, I, I feel like an eye, like a,” she was sensing like a new eye and what was incredible was the lady was miraculously healed, I mean, all of a sudden they took their hands off her eye and she said “I can see! I can see! I can see!” I'll never forget this as long as I live, it's kind of funny. She jumped up, she jumped, she leaped and as she leaped, her shoes seemed to stay on the ground. So she leaped out of her shoes and she began to run around the church, then a revival kind of broke out in that church. 

And I'm not just trying to tell you stories, but I am trying to say if you look at Asbury, what you see is young people, old people, all kinds of folks worshiping the Lord, praising God, and they didn't put a time limit on it. Excuse me, they did not put a time limit on it. They allowed the Holy Spirit to come and I think maybe that's one of the most critical things we can do is give the Holy Spirit time. So many, in so many services I've also been a part of, there's a program and you know, there's a, we do 20 minutes of praise and worship, we do five minutes of announcements uh, we, they take up the offering, uh, there is a 20-minute sermon, if anybody needs prayer you can come up front, uh, thank you for attending today, you are dismissed. But you see, it's really difficult for the Holy Spirit to work when he's being crowded out by our agenda. I'm not criticizing churches because you got to remember, Christ so loved the church, he's willing to give his life for the church according to Paul when he wrote the book of uh, of Ephesians, chapter 5. 

We…revival is happening. It's happening more than you realize and the key to revival is simply this: the key to revival is to praise the Lord, worship the Lord, invite his presence. Put yourself in a spirit, have a spirit of humility, a spirit of expectancy. Be around other believers who are also expecting and give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to manifest. One thing that happened at Asbury, one of the key things in the news was revival's been going for 100 hours continuously, revival's been going for 110 hours continuously, revival has been going for 120 hours continuously. Well, what that tells me is there was plenty of time for the Holy Spirit to come and to do what he wants to do. 

So many times in my church, I'll never forget this, we would, you know, we did a lot of traditional stuff, we had our music, we had our announcements, we took up our offering I'd bring a word, but many times I would just say something like come, Holy Spirit. We invite your presence. And I would get still and I would wait, and my church would get still, and we would wait. And maybe we’d have some very soft music in the background, but we were giving the Holy Spirit opportunity to take charge to do what he wants to do instead of me trying to decide what I, what, what we need to take place, this is what we need to do here. We were allowing the Holy Spirit to come and take charge and then what was incredible was all of a sudden, somebody might start to cry, another person would just lay hands on the person next to them begin to begin to pray for them, um, other times it would be, people will just be on their face like saying, no they're on the floor on their face just crying out to God, some people have their hands in the air worshiping him.

But it was like the Holy Spirit was having his church service and it wasn't Ray Self having a service, it was the Holy Spirit having a church service. And a lot of things happened, it was incredible. In, in a way it makes you, as a church leader, it'll make you uncomfortable because remember, there's- the prophet Isaiah said God's thoughts are not our thoughts, his ways are our ways, and the Lord will manifest and do things that, that are his way and it's not the way we do things and it's a stretch and it's not our routine. You see, we like our routines, we like our programs because we know what to expect and it gives us control. But when we let go of our control and give him control, incredible things happen. Amazing things happen. This is when lives are really changed and what I think happened at Asbury, was the Lord took control. I mean, I guarantee you it was not their plan to worship God for 120 straight hours but the Lord took over and then miracles happened and then not only did miracles happen and the presence of God was. was so real there, you have witness after witness after witness. But it, it, God got glory for that. It made the news, it made the media, God got Glory.

But is that unusual? Actually, no. It's, it's, they act like this was some incredibly unusual thing that never ever happens. No, I've seen it before. Not 100 hours of straight, of worship, but the presence of God coming into a church and people being saved and delivered and filled and worshiping and even demons manifesting and people, demons being cast out, all that. It happens and it's happening in a lot more places than you realize. It's just not being publicized, amen. Again, I think what made this so publicized was this happened in a very traditional chapel service and this was like whoa, what's going on here? This is unusual for them but it's not unusual. It's, it's happening, it's happening at churches. Find those churches, get yourself involved in those churches because it is… the Holy Spirit is outpouring, he is outpouring. Find where he is. 

Now of course, I know he's in your heart wherever you go, but gather with believers who are, who want to worship and enter into his presence, and a church that allows the Holy Spirit to have control. There’s a scripture that says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and when you translate that scripture into the Greek, it said, it reads like this: where the Spirit is Lord, there is liberty, so when we give the Holy Spirit Lordship over our church services, incredible things happen. When you give the Holy Spirit lordship over your life, incredible things happen, and this is what I wanted to talk to you today. It's going to be a shorter podcast but I hope maybe I provoked you a little bit to find the revivals happening. They're all over. Find the revival close to you and get in it, get in the river, get in the river with those believers. It's not just happening in Kentucky, it's been happening in churches around our country for many years. Find those churches, find those believers, get into it. It's good for you and it's good for God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for each person listening to this show today. I pray Father, that your outpouring of the Holy Spirit, rivers of living water, the flow of revival would continue all over our land, that it would magnify, that there would be more and more and more and more of it, undeniable moves of God, Father, for your glory, Father, for your praise, Father. Lord, just direct each one listening to me today, Father. Where to go, how to enter in, how to get in that river, Father. Lord, I thank you for this opportunity to speak about you, in the hope, Father, this has given you glory. In Jesus name, amen, amen. I'm Dr. Self with Self Talk. Thank you so much for listening and God bless you.

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Hey, it's Dr. Ray Self again. I hope this show has been a blessing to you. You know, my job, my vision, my purpose for this show is just to bring encouragement, to bring hope, to break schemes of the enemy and hopefully bring truth that will bless you. In order to continue this show, I really do need your help financially to do this. This show is expensive, it's not a show where I make money, it's a show where I give money but if you can help me out, I'd appreciate it. Go to icmcollege.org/donate. icmcollege.org/donate. And of course, one cool thing, if you're interested in getting a Holy Spirit-filled college degree. We can give you credit for your life and ministry experience, go to icmcollege.org, appreciate that, and the last website, I know you’ll remember all these you because you have, like, your mind's like a steel trap and you'll never forget these. These links go to icmcollege.org/selftalk, that's the podcast website. All these links are in the show notes. Thank you again for listening to Self Talk with Dr. Ray Self.

Another final word: if there is a topic or something you would like me to discuss on the show, email me at drrayself@gmail.com, d-r-r-a-y-s-e-l-f@ gmail.com. Give me your show ideas. God bless you thank you for listening Self Talk with Dr. Ray Self.