An Article of Faith

God has used individuals from all walks of life to lead the way to revival. But they all had one thing in common: God’s power and anointing. There is but one requirement to be used as a leader in a movement of revival. You must have the Holy Spirit upon you:
“When [Jesus] came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.’ He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently. Then [Jesus] began to speak to them. ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’” (Luke 4:16-21 NLT.)
You may be a pastor, a teacher, a businessman, a housewife, a student, or a child. I believe that God is calling you to be an instrument to fervently pray, share the message of revival, and lead others in your sphere of influence to do the same.
OneCry is not a program or an event. OneCry is you and your circle of relationships. The spirit of OneCry can be summarized by a symbolic action taken with an ordinary piece of chalk with which you kneel down and draw a circle around yourself, and then look to heaven expectantly and pray, “Lord God, send revival, and begin it right here in this circle!”
This practice (traced back to the English revivalist Gypsy Smith) puts into action something we all know in our hearts: For any revival to sweep through our churches, or for any great spiritual awakening to blaze through our communities, the work of the Spirit must begin in individual hearts. It must begin in your heart. It must begin in my heart. The old spiritual got it exactly right: “It’s not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”
Revival isn’t a result of human ingenuity, nor is it dependent on superstars. Instead, revival often starts in the hearts of ordinary people whom God prompts to pray, repent, obey, take risks, and make sacrifices. Revival spreads through unlikely people and unheard-of prayer warriors; through college students who counsel and businesspeople who pray; through dads who get serious about God and through children who seek Christ’s kingdom with simple faith. It begins when someone somewhere gives their heart fully to the Lord – when someone falls in love with Jesus all over again.
Could it be that you have a part to play in setting the stage for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Could it be that God wants to use your life, your obedience, and your prayers? (Taken and adapted from: OneCry: A Nationwide Call for Spiritual Awakening. Visit www.onecry.com.)
“If My people,” declares the LORD, “who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV.)

Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.