Counterfeit Revival Culture (Praying for rain! United prayer)

We do not promote or support any of the non-biblical prayer disciplines or methods of prayer rooted in the

spiritual formation movement, mysticism, or the occult—such as contemplative prayer, centering prayer, repetitive prayers, prayer labyrinths, etc. Mark Finley writes, in the book Lord, Revive Us Again, “Satan’s concern in the last days is not the unsaved world. He already has them in his grasp. His concern is Christians. By bringing deceptions into the church, he will mislead millions” (p. 75).“Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. . . . The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he [Satan] will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit. Under a religious

guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world. . . . There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that is well adapted to mislead. Yet none need be deceived. In the light of God’s word it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements. Wherever men neglect the testimony of the Bible, turning away from those plain, soul-testing truths which require self-denial and renunciation of the world, there we may be sure that God’s blessing is not bestowed. . . . ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’” The Great Controversy, p. 464

Genuine Revival Awareness (Praying for rain! United prayer)

In our zealousness to avoid the counterfeit spirit of revival, we need to be careful not to quench the true! “There is at the present time almost a universal state of unbelief in regard to the operations of the Holy
Spirit, especially in the manifestation of the gifts. Unbelief shuts the Spirit of God away from the mind. It quenches the Spirit, and leaves the masses exposed to the delusions of these last days. Again, those who by unbelief quench the spirit in these last days will be illy prepared to share in the great blessings which God promises by the prophet Joel, quoted by Peter (Acts 2:17, 18). ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy.’ The ‘Former Rain’ was given on the day of Pentecost, and enjoyed by the early Christians, to cause the Gospel seed to germinate and take root. The ‘Latter Rain’ is coming to ripen the golden harvest for the garner of God. Take care, dear

reader, lest unbelief in you quench the Spirit, and shut you away from this great blessing designed for “them that believe.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 19“
The baptism of the Holy Ghost as on the day of Pentecost will lead to a revival of true religion and to the performance of many wonderful works. Heavenly intelligences will come among us, and men will speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Spirit of God. But should the Lord work upon men as He did on and after the day of Pentecost, many who now claim to believe the truth would know so very little of the operation of the Holy Spirit that they would cry, ‘Beware of fanaticism.’ Theywould say of those who were filled with the Spirit, ‘These men are full of new wine’ (Acts 2:13). . . . The great sin of those who profess to be Christians is that they do not open the heart to receive the Holy Spirit. When souls long after Christ, and seek to become one with Him, then those who are content with the form of godliness exclaim, ‘Be careful, do not go to extremes.’. . . But while we should be careful not to go into human excitement, we should not be among those who will raise inquiries and cherish doubts in reference to the work of the Spirit of God.”  Ye Shall Receive Power, p. 322“‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of  great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” Joel 2:12, 13 When we humble ourselves before God’s throne, confess our sins, and intercede for others, our hearts will break, and there will sometimes beweeping! However, the real sign that God is bringing true revival to our midst will be the transformation that takes place in our lives. “Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professions of love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 146

Prayer and Revival Resources

Books
True Revival - Ellen G. White
The Acts of the Apostles - Ellen G. White
Lord, Revive Us Again - Mark Finley
10 Days in the Upper Room - Mark Finley
If My People Pray - Randy Maxwell
40 Days of Prayer - Dennis Smith
Websites
Ten Days of Prayer
www.tendaysofprayer.org
Revival & Reformation
www.revivalandreformation.org
Revived by His Word
www.revivedbyhisword.org
ARME Bible Camp
www.armebiblecamp.com
United Prayer Testimonies
www.unitedprayer247.com
Find electronic versions of this book at:
    http://bit.ly/prayingforrainbook