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Forgiveness Prepares the Way for Revival
Episode #571
November 12, 2017
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
Special Guest: Carole Nelson and Jennifer Wentzel
This is the continuation of a series of Podcasts started in Episode #568.
For every wave of revival, the ground was first prepared by the Spirit, in prayer, repentance, and forgiveness. We pray Altogether Forgiven is part of that.
(Jennifer) This book is just going to, it’s going to detonate in individual lives, and then that blast is going to spread out. I absolutely believe that.
(John) When you’re in this world, it’s kind of like the villagers with the pitchforks and the axes and the, you know, coming to kill the next person. And I agree with you completely. I think it’s a detonation that will eradicate things that have taken over people, that have almost possessed people where it becomes that mob mentality. You know what I mean? And you lose all sense of reality and of humanity, and you’re now ‘the mob.’ Beyond the world in its state it goes right into the core of my own family, my own life, my own past, my own present, my own future, my own existence, and bringing that exact nuclear power detonation into my family. And so, I’m blown away. It’s phenomenal.
(Martha) We had a meeting the other night. I had gone to that meeting having a particular need and prayer. I want, I said, “Lord, I want to see Your vision for this book.” This book is like a pinnacle for us as Shulamite Ministries, a pinnacle for us as a group of people, who are church. We’ve come to some kind of corporate unity that has produced this book. Then Jennifer began to talk about the same thing she did a few minutes ago that there was no forgiveness out in the world, and of course my real prayer burden is for the last revival, not just of this nation but of this world. Everything that comes about I say, “It’s revival alone that can solve this. Only revival. Only Christ being seen can solve this.” And I felt like the Lord showed me that this book was born out of that desire for revival that is from Him, and that it will be an instrument in revival, for revival. And that’s overwhelming, more than I could ever dream of. And we all, I think we all kind of feel that way. You’re shaking your heads, “Yes, yes,” that it will have an impact, and that it’s hard for me to take that in. But… That’s what I’ll be praying. That’s what I’ll be praying for this book, that it will bring revival, bring people to their knees, bring them to repentance. We are such an arrogant world that we don’t think we need repentance. So, we miss the very best that God has given.
(Carole) Well, it brilliantly holds us accountable, individually. Brilliantly holds us accountable. And it… I know John even said. I think he used this word the other night that we as a population see forgiveness almost insipidly trite, and there is such depth to it and such sacrifice to bring it about. And the book, it comes out of, Martha, it comes out of the experience of your life. It comes out of the experience with the Lord over these very issues. And the victory that He has brought you to, brought you to through the pathway of deep humiliation and… I don’t want to speak for you, but that’s what I see. It is not just a book, a teaching book, though it teaches us, because it’s the Holy Spirit, Himself, is teaching us through those pages brilliantly, exposing our hearts through words and phrases that strike me with awe, in order to bring us to that freedom of relationship with Him and being free to manifest and express that same thing He has done for us through us to the world around us. I want it to explode my world. I want it to change my world. I want it to tear down in me first, but to tear down those walls and those barriers of my world, so that Jesus can be Who He is, and express Himself the way He wants to express Himself. In love, whatever that looks like. And I believe this book, Martha, opens a huge door to that, and opens a huge door to the revival that He’s bringing. I do believe that.
(Jennifer) And we have no idea what goes into preparing the ground, because the Lord works on so many levels. We have no idea how many things happen before the revival spark comes to life and then roars across. And I can’t say what or how, but I know, I know with every fiber of my being that this book is part and parcel of the preparation for the ground for revival. There’s just no question. There’s just no question. I know for myself that that first real experience of knowing there was hope for my utter depravity, utter wickedness, utter filthiness, utter inability to do anything about it. I didn’t have a problem, I mean, some people don’t know that they’re wrong, and I’m not talking to them. But there are plenty of us who know every night before we go to bed and every morning we first wake up, and we have for our whole dadgum lives what a mess we are. And when you get, when you reach that place where you taste forgiveness for the first time (chuckles tearfully)…game over, you know? The worst things that have ever happened to you, the worst body blows you’ve ever taken – at least it was for me – was nothing compared. It was a bomb going off, and it was a bomb of hope and love, and it just rolled through everything else. I don’t think it’s possible to have true revival, to have that door swung wide open to God if you have no experience of what it is to stand there in all your filth, and have Somebody open their arms and say, “There you go.” (chuckles again tearfully) And that’s, this book is everything on that level in every single aspect of your life. Where to go for that moment, that encounter with God, that prodigal coming home, you know. There’s the big one with salvation, but throughout our lives there are many little moments. And you opening your heart and your life in this and giving examples out of your own walk, Martha, is just, it was a gift. It was a gift, and I can’t wait for other people to experience that.
(John) The thing I liked most about the fact that she gave examples in her own life is that you actually saw it. It wasn’t someone just giving you the theory, someone giving you the theological reasons behind the scriptural basis behind. It was actual life behind it. And the amazing part of it all is because of the fact that forgiveness has become, like you said, trite, it’s become, “Oh, will you forgive me?” “Oh, yeah, sure, sure, sure.” And you just, we push it off instead of do the work of forgiveness. And because we do that, we’re really not forgiving, and things are building up, building up, building up, building up. And what you’ve done is, you’ve said, “Let me show you some examples of what it is to forgive, what it looks like, how you experience that.” And not just the waving of the hand and the blowing it off. That’s what, when you brought real life into it, that’s why it was so powerful. And I know that you didn’t really want to bring a bunch of the personal elements into the book, but I’m glad you did. And it’s perfectly worked out, because it puts feet on the ground of forgiveness.
Forgiveness Prepares the Way for Revival – Episode #571 – Shulamite Podcast
God has given all of us at Shulamite Ministries a heart for revival. But for every wave of revival, the ground was first prepared by the Spirit, in prayer, in repentance, and in forgiveness. Though we cannot see it, the Spirit is preparing the way for revival even now.
Very excited that our order shipped yesterday! But the reason for my comment is to share what’s been on my heart for weeks. I keep having an image (no, not a vision, more a thought-picture) of Shulamite: Years ago you gave drinks of water to the thirsty. As years went by and Christ enlarged you, those became streams of water in the desert. Now we see a river of Living water, flowing everywhere. And I have thought that this river will become a torrent, joining (figuratively) with other rivers and streams. And that’s not the end of it–it keeps going.
I hope this is an encouragement to you. Much love and appreciation to you.
Simply beautiful Douglas! Thank you so much for listening and speaking out what the Lord has shown you. So encouraging! Bless you and love you Douglas, so pleased the Lord has given you Living Waters through us and Shulamite Ministries. You too have so many times, brought forth Life-giving waters.
Dear Douglas, What insight! You see what we have not seen.
Can encouragement become a river of tears? Yes, that’s what you give me – and us.
Much love back to you!