WHEN GOD SHOWS UP
WAKING UP TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR MIDSTLesson 3: Personal Revival
In Colossians 1:25-27, Paul reveals God’s secret plan to the Gentiles – that having Christ in our hearts is the only hope of experiencing the glory of God. “Christ in us, the hope of glory” is the heart of this lesson. Personal revival can only come to those who walk in an awareness of the indwelling Christ. Many believers walk in unawareness that we are the dwelling place of the Living God. Sin is usually the reason. Confession and repentance lead to the mercy and grace of God, as we will see illustrated in the life of King David.
In this lesson you will learn:
• learn how it is possible to experience personal revival.
• gain a fuller understanding of the importance of cultivating an awareness of the Living Christ dwelling in you.
• grasp the importance of recognizing and confessing personal sin quickly, repenting, and receiving God’s forgiveness with gladness.
• learn how to “narrow the gaps of unawareness” of Christ in you through the use of Prayer Triggers.
Reading:
• When God Shows Up – pages 17-20 (The Refreshing Rain of the Lord’s Presence)
• When God Shows Up – pages 21-24 (A Burden for Revival)
• Hosea 6:1-3
• Hosea 10:12
Watch Video for Lesson 3
Discussion Questions:
1. Discuss Stephen Olford’s definition of revival: “Revival is ultimately Christ Himself, seen, felt, heard, living, active, moving in and through His Body on earth.” Even though Olford is describing revival in the Church, does this seem to be an adequate description of what personal revival could look like in your life? Why or why not? What would you add or how would you change this definition to make it more complete?
2. If you can, describe a time in your life when God was very present, but you were unaware of His presence and involvement until later.
3. What would it take for you to walk in the awareness of Colossians 1:27: “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”? Have you ever really paid attention to the biblical fact that Christ is IN you? Explain your answer.
4. How would you compare Colossians 1:27 about Christ in you, the hope of glory to Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”? What does Galatians 2:20 add to your understanding of Christ IN you?
5. How would walking in a better awareness of Christ in you help you to be more aware of sin?
6. Dave said in his book, When God Shows Up, pg. 27: “What a difference it would make in our lives if we truly lived out the truth of Christ in us, the hope of glory; if we were walking daily with Jesus – aware of His presence. His love, His strength, and His direction.” How do you think this truth would change your faith walk? Describe how the awareness of each of the following would affect how you live: His presence? His love? His strength? His direction?
7. What is the role of prayer in the “awareness” of Christ in you?
8. On page 32 of When God Shows Up, Dave states, “True repentance never stays merely at the stage of confessing sin and desiring forgiveness. It moves us beyond that to a desire for a pure heart…a longing to stay out of sin…to walk in victory.” King David asked God to create a new heart in him and to renew a steadfast spirit within him (Psalm 51:10). Describe the struggle for yourself, or someone you know to move beyond sin. How could the prayer of David be a game changer for you or this other person in order to win the battle over sin?
9. What prayer triggers could you use to “narrow the gaps of unawareness” of Christ in you?
10. Dave mentioned that when we walk in awareness we look at sin differently. Do you agree or disagree and why?
11. Consider Moses and his “tent of meeting” with God. What does “meeting” with God look like for you currently, and what does it mean to you? Describe how you might create your own personal tent of meeting with the Father if this is a new concept for you.
12. After considering David’s words in Psalm 51, describe how your own sin may have blocked the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Watch Dave’s Summary Video (2-3 minutes)
Spend Time in Prayer
A Psalm 51 Prayer Experience
Experiencing personal revival is not an automatic or easy experience for God’s people. Our Father requires that we continually desire to live holy, pure and godly lives. It means being vigilant to be present to God’s desires and to fight the temptations of our adversary, the devil. As the popular expression states, “The battle is real.”
For this time of prayer, we will expand the commentary Dave Butts gave us on pages 31-34 of When God Shows Up. Using the Living Bible translation, take some time to pray with David as he recognized his sin, confessed, repented, and asked God to restore him to joy even after he acknowledged that there would be logical consequences to that sin. King David shows us a powerful outline of how to deal with personal sin in our lives. In order to fully grasp the scriptural connection between our prayers and the story of King David, be sure you have read 2 Samuel 12:1-25 (the sin) and Psalm 51 (after the sin was revealed) prior to beginning.
Note to Leaders:
• If needed, review 2 Samuel 12:1-25 with the group and remind them that Psalm 51 was written in response to this time in David’s life.
• We recommend allowing a minimum of 20-30 minutes for this prayer time. If you don’t have this much time available, shorten the time for each prayer point and be sure everyone has a copy of the PDF of this prayer experience as well as the PDF of Psalm 51 (TLB translation) to take home and utilize this week and into the future.
Psalm 51 Prayer Experience PDF
Psalm 51 (The Living Bible translation) PDF
• Walk your group through this season of silent, personal prayer giving adequate time for each section (some may take more time than others).
• To transition to each bullet point, simply say, “Let’s be bringing our prayer time to a close” to give everyone a few moments to finish before starting on the next point.
• You may wish to have some Kleenex available as some people may feel the weight of sin greatly.
Next Steps:
Pay attention to your heart this week. Practice keeping short accounts with God and determine that you will live differently. This will prepare your heart for personal revival. Don’t forget to welcome His forgiveness with joy and gratefulness.
The prayer exercise below will help you to learn how to receive the forgiveness of the Lord by proclaiming it to yourself and others, and then walking in freedom.
WALKING IN THE FREEDOM OF FORGIVENESS
(Prayers and Proclamations)
Download PDF
Supplemental Material for Lesson 3:
• Where Is Your Tent of Meeting? (Dave Butts – blog)
https://www.harvestprayer.com/where-is-your-tent-of-meeting/
• Time in the Tent (Kim Butts – blog)
https://www.harvestprayer.com/time-in-the-tent/
• What Is Repentance? JI Packer (3-minute video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gExLXpPJDd8&feature=youtu.be
• The Cure by Tony Evans – short article on Repentance
https://tonyevans.org/the-cure/
Optional Consultation/Question-Answer Session
With every PrayerU course, there is an option to have a one-hour Zoom session with your instructor(s). This is your opportunity to engage your instructor(s) on a personal level with either a question-answer session, a deeper level conversation about the course content, or both.
There is an additional cost for the consultation session and scheduling is subject to availability.