Brokenness: The Key to Revival

​On Wednesday morning, as I was listening for God's quiet voice, I heard a sentence that led me to do more research on what was said. I heard, "Brokenness is the key to revival."  Our church has been contending for revival for quite some time, but this aspect of our pursuit has not been articulated before. Of course, the individuals who make up a church and the way they walk out their faith has an influence on what happens to the entire body. God knows how He made us and our potential for the future. His love for us compels Him to break off areas of our lives that compete with our focus on Him. God wants to be our first priority, so He actively targets for removal areas of our lives that keep us from being completely submitted to Him. He strips away and breaks off anything that hinders our intimacy with Him.
 
Moses is one that was transformed by the breaking that God sent his way. He went from a position of prestige and privilege, power and pride, to one of humility as a lowly shepherd who lived in a tent. It took God forty years to mold Moses into a God-reliant individual who would follow His directions to bring the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. When we look at the large picture, we should see that God had to break off and remove from Moses all that was Egyptian. Then He would do the same thing to the Israelites that Moses would oversee. God's intent was to liberate His people from bondage so that they could live in the fullness of HIs promises.
 
Spiritual maturity comes after we have been broken. Surrender, change, and growth are a part of being broken. This process is demonstrated beautifully in the life of Peter, the fisherman. Jesus chose him to be part of His inner circle. On numerous occasions Jesus poured into Peter's life to help in his preparation for what was to be his life of supernatural ministry after the ascension of Jesus. Peter needed to be broken of his desire to have everything go his way. He was chastised for his declaration that the Lord would not have to suffer and be killed. Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." (Matthew 16:23)
 
In another Peter refinement moment, Jesus warned him that he would fall away in fright. Peter makes a vow, declaring, "'I never will!'  'Truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, 'This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.'"  (Matthew 26:34) We know that Peter went on to deny Jesus three times as he sat in the courtyard when Jesus went before the Sanhedrin. Scripture says that after the rooster crowed, Peter "wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:75) Other situations in the life of Peter contributed to his transformation and made him into a God-fearing, powerful man of God who was able to walk out his destiny of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
 
Why would God tell me that brokenness is the key to revival? I believe we must look at the components of revival to see the results. They include all the fruits of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22, 23) But the foundation for all of these is humility, and in humility we place the Lord in His proper position as head of our lives, and we yield to His plans and purposes for us. Our heartfelt prayer needs to be, "Father, break us and revive us so that you can mold us into Your image." Here is God's Word to us: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17)