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E V E R Y D A Y L I G H T
Daily readings to help you see Jesus' light in your life
by Selwyn Hughes
Is Revival an Obsession?
"Now to him who is able to do ' according to the power that works
in us." (v.20, NKJ)
-- For reading & meditation: Ephesians 3:14-21
Yesterday we looked at a church whose commitment to pray every
evening until revival came was more an obsessive demand than a deep
spiritual desire. This raises the question: What is an obsession? An
obsession is a repetitive or persistent thought or idea which crowds
into the mind and thus helps to relieve one's basic anxiety. It is
really a defence mechanism which enables the personality to avoid
anxiety by focusing not on the anxious feelings but on the continuing
or recurring thought instead. Some years ago I talked with a young
psychologist who told me that he had made a study of the temperaments
of people who continually wrote and talked about spiritual revival
and had found an interesting pattern - all of them tended to be
obsessive. I offered to take the psychological test he had devised
and it showed that although I was determined and single-minded, I was
also able to change - something an obsessive person cannot do. When I
saw he was convinced that I was a fairly well-adjusted person, I
talked to him about my own preoccupation with revival. And he said I
was the exception that proved the rule! I have no doubt that by
reason of their temperament some Christians can become obsessed about
anything - including revival. But I also know that around the world
there is a growing army of well-adjusted Christians who are
discovering within their hearts at this vital time in history a
deepening desire to see God work in great and mighty power. Some may
see it as an obsession; I see it as a possession - the thoughts of
God taking hold of the thoughts of man.
PRAYER:
O Father, while I do not want to be the victim of an obsession, I
most certainly want to be the recipient of divine possession. I give
You the freedom to occupy my whole being and to think and feel in me
day by day. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
1 John 5:1-15; Rom. 8:25; Heb. 10:22; 1 Pet. 1:3
1. What motivates us to pray for revival?
2. What does the word "hope" mean in Scripture?
Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.7.26673.1.1698058
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Copyright 2002 Selwyn Hughes, CWR, Waverley Abbey House,
Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey, England. Come to
http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.7.26673.2.1698058
for more inspirational devotions by Selwyn Hughes.
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