11 Ways to Sustain Your Personal Revival

Cultivating revival in family, stewarding a heart of worship in all circumstances, and praying in tongues regularly can profoundly shape our spirituality, keep us focused on the face of Jesus, and help increase the flame within.

Here are a few more keys I’ve learned in how to sustain and steward personal revival.

1. Stay Full of the Oil of Intimacy

In Matthew 25:1–12, we see the story of the wise and foolish virgins. This parable is symbolic of making sure we steward the oil of intimacy in our lives and keep the fire burning. If we try to rely upon the overflow of another’s walk with Christ, it won’t get us to where we need to go. We must personally make sure to invest time in our secret place with Jesus, getting filled up by Him with the Holy Spirit and fire. There is no shortcut to building intimacy with Jesus; it requires time and an open and vulnerable heart. In John 15:1–8, we see that all fruitfulness flows from intimacy with Christ. We must readily stay connected to our Source.

2. Know The Bible

We must be a people who know the truth deeply, especially in the midst of the increasing delusions, lies, and deceptions of the enemy. People who work at banks know when there is a counterfeit bill because they handle so much real money. When we are saturated in the truth, we will know when something is off. The shaking in our world will only increase. Our feelings and emotions may vary. We need to stand strong on the Word of God, which is a solid rock. We must read it, eat it, breathe it, meditate on it, memorize it, and make declarations with it. Audio versions of the Bible are also a good way to get the Word hidden in our hearts.

3. Steward Encounters and God’s Voice

We need to learn to discern and steward the voice of God through His Word, encounters, and the prophetic voices speaking into our lives. When God touches you, linger in that space. Don’t shift or transition too quickly out of an encounter with Him. Don’t jump right into a con- versation with someone, look on social media, or get distracted another way. Allow what He has just deposited within you to permeate to the deepest levels. Meditate on what is good, and it will have a greater effect on you. Journal what He shows you. When God speaks to you, obey Him immediately and keep your heart tender toward Him. Steward prophetic words over your life. If possible, try to audio record them, and then listen to them, writing them out and praying over them until they become a reality.

4. Fast

Develop a rhythm of weekly or regularly fasting to keep the fire burning. You would be surprised at the radical shift that regular fasting can have in your life. Jesus regularly fasted, and we are called to walk in His footsteps. Many revivals, encounters, or defining moments in revivalists’ lives came while the person was on a fast. See my book Fasting for Fire for more on this topic. This book has testimonies as well as many practical tools to help get you started. It reintroduces fasting as a lost art of feasting upon God and an invitation to greater intimacy with Jesus.

5. Learn to Wait on the Holy Spirit

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” How many times do we stop talking, moving, planning—to simply be with God and sit in His presence?1 Too many of us think we have to strive, contend, or push to see God move. But what if, rather than trying to make things happen on our own, we just spend time with the Holy Spirit, listen to what is on God’s heart, are fully yielded, and respond to how He is leading us? What if, like Moses, we choose not to go anywhere, not even into revival or into our destinies, if He doesn’t go with us (Exodus 33)? What if we become a people who are led by fire in the night and cloud in the day, a people who won’t move anywhere without His presence (Numbers 9)? Or those who flow in the river of His Spirit and easily follow where He is leading (Ezekiel 47)?

6. Embrace the Rhythms of Rest, Run, Release

It is important to discern what season you are in so you can steward it well in preparation for the upcoming season. Many times in life, there are seasons when you rest, run hard, and then release or birth new things. This is cyclical in nature. It is important to recognize your season and make any necessary adjustments so you can be sure to get what you need during that time. The Sabbath is not only biblical, but it is also a key for unlocking greater creativity in our lives. Embracing the Sabbath, having fun, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and stewarding our bodies which are temples of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19), are essential to running hard and finishing well.

7. Surround Yourself with Other Burning Ones

Most of this book has highlighted this key. A single flame alone might burn for a little while, but for that flame to increase and not die out, it needs to unite with other flames. The more flames that come together, the greater the fire and likelihood that your flame will not wither. I’ve seen too many people be a part of a great culture, environment, or ministry school for a season, get radically impacted, and then return to their homelands without intentionally finding and running with other sold-out burning ones. Soon their fires begin to wane or even worse, they go back to the lifestyles they had before God encountered them powerfully. We need to find other passionate Jesus lovers wherever God places us. The great thing now is that even if you can’t find any in your hometown, you can run with other burning ones in online communities. Even at a distance, they can provide support for you to help you keep your fire burning. Ask God to surround you with spiritual mothers and fathers, kindred-spirited burning friends, and others you can encourage.

8. Steward The Power of the Testimony

Another way to build up your faith and keep the fire burning is to recount and thank God for the testimonies of His faithfulness in your life and how He’s come through in the past. Do this in whatever way works best for you. You could hang a picture that reminds you of a breakthrough or of His radical provision, write down testimonies on 3x5 cards so you can encourage yourself, or listen to a recording of a song, a significant moment, or a prophetic word that touched you. Steward these stones of remembrances (Joshua 4). By remembering testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the Bible, in revival history, in your own personal history with Him, or in others’ lives, you are prophesying into future breakthroughs and radical acts of faith.

9. Learn How to Deal With Disappointment

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed that takes Christians out or sidelines them is when they fail to deal with disappointment well. Some might suffer loss, have something happen to them they don’t understand, or step out in faith for something that doesn’t happen. Rather than grow and learn from that experience, and trust that God will turn it around for their good, many get discouraged, disillusioned, build up distrust against God, or condemn themselves as failures. If we really believe all the promises found in Romans 8 and have a healthy perspective of God the Father, we won’t turn to bitterness or embrace disappointment. Instead, we will deepen our connection with the Father and learn to trust Him even more. I encourage you to memorize portions of Romans 8 and meditate on the truths found there so that you will not be shaken.

10. Choose Unity and Love

This is important both on a personal and corporate level. Strive to be at peace with all people and take the road of humility again and again (Romans 12:18; Philippians 2). Trust God to vindicate you when you’ve been wronged. And just as Christ forgave you, also forgive others.

11. Don’t Be Afraid to Shine

Finally, don’t be afraid to shine (Isaiah 60). God has appointed some to be leaders in our generation. Not everyone is given the same amount of influence, favor, resources, or anointing for leadership. Not everyone was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt—but Moses was. Then God appointed Joshua to lead them even further into their Promised Land. Be the gift God has called you to be, however that might look. Do the assignments He has entrusted to you without making excuses, making yourself look smaller, or sabotaging His call on your life (Ephesians 2:10).