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Monday, April 16, 2012

The Power of Surrender: Breaking Through to Revival


The Power of Surrender: Breaking Through to RevivalThe Power of Surrender: Breaking Through to Revival by Michael Catt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Michael Catt again writes another wonderful book packed with great principles. This book is about revival. Michael is the pastor of the church in Albany, GA that produced the movies: Fireproof, FlyWheel, Facing the Giants, and Courageous. I leave you with this one quote, "We need a divine intervention. Our problems can't be fixed by money, machine, politics, or philosophy. Looking around should make us look up to God. Revival is not worked up; it is prayed down. It is when God breaks through into the life of a person, a church, or a land and puts things back in order."

If you enjoy reading about revival and like for God to use another to bring conviction to your heart then this would be a good book to read.


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Below are more great quotes from the book:


Mark Twain said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me: it’s the parts I do understand.”  p. 23

Sowing is not all; thorns must be grubbed up. We must not only turn over a new leaf, but tear out the old one. The Old man must be slain if the new man is to live. The call to amend finds its warrant in the new man is to live. The call to amend finds its warrant in the assurance that there is still time to seek the Lord, and that, for all His threatening, he is ready to rain blessings upon the seekers.  ~ Alexander MacLaren p. 27

Not only will revival demand personal preparation but also persistent supplication. p. 28

No repentance is true repentance which does not recognize Jesus as Lord over every area of life. ~John C. Chapman p. 33

We cannot stay the same. Repentance must come in the pews before we can expect to see it in the people of this world. Vance Havner wisely said, “Many a so-called revival is only a drive for more church members, which adds more unsaved sinners, starched and ironed but not washed, to a fellowship where even the true believers have not been aroused for years.” The church needs to return to the mourner’s bench because the mourner’s bench is for the members first. p. 39

To talk about a worldly Christian is like talking about a heavenly devil. ~Billy Sunday p. 40

When I see a bird that looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, has webbed feet like a duck, paddles in the water like a duck, and prefers the company of ducks, it is hard for me to resist the conclusion that it must be a duck?...When I see a Christian who looks like the world, talks like the world, walks like the world, goes places where the world goes, and prefers the company of the world, it is hard for me to resist the conclusion that they are of the world. ~Vance Havner p. 41

Boomers have largely rejected the Word of God as the basis of their authority and become gods unto themselves, bowing down to five gods who have “self” as their first name: self-will, self-righteousness, self-confidence, self-pleasing, and self-exaltation. pp. 46-47

How many churches invite us to come and see how they do it—how they grow their ministries and organize their programs—when in fact, in the eyes of God, they are naked. If we could only see our churches the way God sees them! p. 50

There is a world of difference between a crowd and a congregation. p. 50

If we fail to repent today, we have one more day to repent of, and one less day to repent in. Thomas Fuller wrote, “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late.” p. 55

The characteristic of revival is that a profound consciousness of sin is produced in many persons at the same time by an awareness of God. ~Ian H. Murray p. 57

We can get sidetracked by the good, which is the enemy of the best. p. 71

Our opinions do not matter; what God says matters! p. 77

The foundation of every reformation of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God made plain to the people.  ~Frank Cooke p. 81

Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against the conscience is neither safe nor right. God help me, here I stand.  ~Martin Luther pp. 85 – 86

I go to conferences and listen to pastors talk about how they no longer carry their Bibles to the pulpit. They just put their sermon and text on their Blackberry or iPod and scroll down. Are they ashamed to be seen with a Bible? Like a politician without a teleprompter, they might be sunk if the battery ever died on their gizmo. p. 86

The Scriptures “are profitable for doctrine (what is right), for the correction (how to get right), and for instruction in righteousness (how to stay right).” ~Warren Wiersbe p. 101

Revival is not some emotion or worked up excitement; it is an invasion from heaven that brings a conscious awareness of God.  ~Stephen Olford p. 105

We need a divine intervention. Our problems can’t be fixed by money, machines, politics, or philosophy. Looking around should make us look up to God. Revival is not worked up. It is prayed down. It is when God breaks through into the life of a person, a church, or a land and puts things back in order. p. 107

Spirituality is not measured by the church calendar but by our conscious commitment to holiness, without which no one can see God. He is looking for clean hands and a pure heart. I see a lot of raised hands in worship these days, but I wonder if they are holy hands. p. 110

We have better church signs today but few signs of His power—and we aren’t looking for signs of His coming. pp. 110 – 111

Those who are on the Lord’s side need to show up, stand, up, and speak up. p. 113

True intercession is the costliest of all Christian service. It is no mere lip service. It is the heart-agony of the Father expressed through us by the Holy Spirit…We never really pray until our hearts and minds become the praying-ground of the Spirit.  ~James A. Stewart  p. 113

Keys to Revival—Richard Owen Roberts: 1) It is extraordinary. “Without organization, advertising, or even sometimes, human leadership, revivals have altered the hearts of men, the social attitudes of millions, and the destinies of nations. 2) It is a work of God. “No amount of human effort can produce true revival. Everything God has told us to do we ought to do, but having done it all, we must still wait upon Him to do what He alone can do.” 3) It produces extraordinary results. “Conduct that has always seemed acceptable will appear unbelievably wicked.” p. 115

We are called to work out what God has worked in us. If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, then the world should see nothing else. p. 116

Conformity to the world can be overcome by nothing but conformity to Jesus. ~Andrew Murray p. 116

David reminds us that what God teaches us in the sanctuary should encourage us in the wilderness, and what God teaches us in the wilderness should lead us to praise Him in the sanctuary. p. 122

God, your will. Nothing more. Nothing else. Nothing less.”  ~Bobby Richardson  p. 124

I am amazed (but not shocked) that all writers on revival emphasize the same essentials. Praying for revival is not an option—it’s essential. p. 132

One of the miracles of the grace of God is what He is able to do with the torn nets of lives surrendered to Him.  ~G.B. Duncan p. 133

The Biblical order is revival first (where the church gets right) followed by evangelism (where the lost are saved). p. 134

Revival is the exchange of the form of godliness for its living power.  ~F. Carlton Booth p. 142

Our actions reveal our attitudes. Our sacrifices reveal our surrender. A wrong response reveals a wrong heart. p. 149

I believe nothing so distinctly causes the people of God in any generation to “stand in awe” as when they hear of the great works of God in awakening his people powerfully.  ~John H. Armstrong p. 157

God bombarded me with the awareness that I was a joke. I had the talk but no walk. There’s a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing Him personally. Revival and revolution will come when people get to know God as He is, not as they want Him to be. p. 160

Pray at the start, praise at the stop.   p. 165

The problem with most of us is we want to organize, and we’ve forgotten how to agonize. p. 166

A revival may produce noise, but it does not consist of it. The real thing is a wholehearted obedience.  ~Earnest Baker p. 179

Pentecost was preceded by forty days of waiting and praying. They knew they couldn’t give what they didn’t have. Repentance and prayer are the tests of a genuine and deep work of God. p. 191

When the Spirit touches you, you don’t fall backwards; you fall forward on your face before a holy God.   ~Bill Stafford p. 194

Revival is the exchange of the form of godliness for its living power.   ~John Bonar p. 203

God uses people in our lives to stir us and stretch us. He places people along the journey to challenge the status quo of our lives. They make us want to do better, be better, pray more, love more, and serve more. p. 207

You don’t have to chase key men when you know the One who holds the keys.    ~Vance Havner p. 210

My calling is to be faithful and available.  p. 210

Never try to predict or underestimate the person God might use. p. 211
     
Never move a fence until you find out why it was put there.   p. 219

When all that you are is available to all that God is, then all that God is is available to all that you are. ~Ian Thomas p. 229

Moses spent his first forty years thinking he was somebody. He spent his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.   ~D.L. Moody p. 234

Most people are too big for God to use because they want to be somebody. To be used of God, you have to be willing to be a nobody. That’s what servants do. God is not looking for celebrities; He’s looking for servants. p. 236

God can do much with little. He doesn’t need us, our stuff, our gifts, or our programs. He needs our availability and yieldedness. p. 237

I am convinced one thing that is killing our churches is our attempt to do God’s work on our terms. We are serving in the flesh, not in the spirit. p. 241

If you manipulate and connive and scheme and lie to get yourself to the top, don’t thank God for the promotion.   ~Chuck Swindoll p. 242

We can’t achieve spiritual things with worldly thinking. My fear is that we measure success in terms of money, buildings, budgets, and size, not prayer, faithfulness, holiness, and other kingdom-focused standards. p. 242

If you intend to go on with God, prepare for those times when He chooses to wean you from his having to always come through at your appointed time. If He can trust you to trust Him, He will put you in tight places where your soul is enlarged and your vision is widened. Then you will be able to delight more in who He is than in what He does.   ~Jack Taylor p. 248

Statistics show that professing believers live no differently than the world. Something is clearly wrong when followers of Christ are not following. Something is clearly wrong when believers don’t really believe….We have diluted, watered down and compromised Jesus in our western culture to the point that he is hardly recognizable. We have made Jesus fit our culture to the point that he follows us. We call the shots. We direct his steps.    ~Mike Minter p. 251

When God is in control, you’re not. p. 251

God has done something for us; now He wants to do something to us, in us, and through us. p. 255

Let God have your life; he can do more with it than you can.    ~D.L. Moody p. 257

There is a quote from the Welsh Revival: “Once you’ve experienced the fire, you are never content with the smoke.” We have become content with the smoke. We throw water on the alter, not so we can allow God to prove Himself like Elijah, but simply to produce more smoke: the smoke of numbers, excitement, emotional experience, being relevant, etc. As long as we are content with these, we will never see Him. We must become like David in Psalm 63, recognizing we are in a dry and barren place, passionately longing for Him, remembering what it is to behold His power and glory.   ~Mark Bearden  pp. 262-263

It was the angel that fetch Peter from prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.   ~Alan Stewart p. 265

We are more bent on having crowds than building a church. Success is determined more by numbers of people and dollars than by whether or not God showed up and moved mightily.   ~Ronnie Floyd p. 266

Churches all across America are empty. Not just in numbers, but primarily in substance. Over the last fifteen years I have observed these indicators that concern me with how far away my generation is from genuine revival: 1) Worship is no longer about pleasing God but rather pleasing ourselves through personal preferences in worship. Worship is more about ‘getting’ than ‘giving’ anymore. 2) Our generation would rather be entertained that exhorted. 3) Leaders are more interested in numbers and accomplishments than holiness. 4) Prayer is given little emphasis and exercised mostly out of formality There are so few willing to wait, watch, and wail in the upper room until power comes from on high! Old timers called it ‘praying through,’ but our generation appears to be ‘through praying!’ 5) A lack of brokenness and desperation in our lives. We have become the Laodicean church—‘rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.’ Our dry eyes are an outward evidence of an inward void. 6) The church has lost respect and its voice of authority to the world. We are no longer the measuring stick the world looks to for the standard of living.   ~Alan Stewart p. 267

Spurgeon’s words hold true: “The true preacher should be more holy than his people, lest he be unfit for office. He should be as holy lest he be a hypocrite. Depth of walk with God is the more essential qualifier for the responsibility of God’s presence.”   ~Mark Bearden p. 270

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