This little message is harsh and i will intersperse scripture with commentary. The scripture comes from James 4:3-10 and will be indicated by capital letters.

Why do we want revival? Have you ever really thought about that question? Oftentimes, we want revival to receive blessing, or to make the work of witnessing easier, or to prove that we are right in our beliefs. WHEN YOU ASK, YOU DO NOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE YOU ASK WITH WRONG MOTIVES, THAT YOU MAY SPEND WHAT YOU GET ON YOUR PLEASURES.

We expect and plan for God to do great things among us, but we are not truly following him with all we have. Look at the things we are committed to - school, work, hobbies...not that any of these things are inherently bad, but often when we go about them we don't even think about God or invite him to be with us. Not only that, but while we complain in our hearts about how much time church and DOCSide and personal time with God takes up, we have no

problem spending hours on extracurricular activities, music, food, computers, the pursuit of the opposite sex, television, or myriad other things. YOU ADULTEROUS PEOPLE, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD IS HATRED TOWARD GOD? ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO BE A FRIEND OF THE WORLD BECOMES AN ENEMY OF GOD. OR DO YOU THINK SCRIPTURE SAYS WITHOUT REASON THAT THE SPIRIT HE CAUSED TO LIVE IN US ENVIES INTENSELY?

And then there are some of us who do commit a lot to the work of God, in platoons, on the worship team, with personal time, and so on. But we have a haughtiness and pride that makes it "our" accomplishment, "our" work, and a

sign of "our" devotion. We still act as if we are good because we're giving "our" time to God. We love our positions of authority within DOCSide, we love having our egos stroked by one another, and we love feeling more important than our brothers and sisters. BUT HE GIVES US MORE GRACE. THAT IS WHY SCRIPTURE SAYS: "GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

What can we do? As alive as we are, we have so much more potential! What will it take? I am reminded of the songs we often sing about purifying our hearts, putting us through the refiner's fire. Don't we realize that pure gold has nothing in it but gold? Not silver, copper, platinum, diamonds, or any other good thing in it...it is wholly gold. In the same way, purity within us demands that we give up what is good for what is best. We have deceived ourselves, as Gerald pointed out yesterday, that we can compromise with our time and our commitments and still be pure. A time is coming and has now come when

Jesus will ask us to count the cost and will let us walk away rather than compromising on commitment, just as he did for the rich young ruler. SUBMIT YOURSELVES, THEN, TO GOD. RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. COME NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL COME NEAR TO YOU. WASH YOUR HANDS, YOU SINNERS, AND PURIFY YOUR HEARTS, YOU DOUBLE-MINDED. GRIEVE, MOURN AND WAIL. CHANGE YOUR LAUGHTER TO MOURNING AND YOUR JOY TO GLOOM. HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.