The 3:12 Revival

Awakening.

Renewal.

Restoration.

Revival.

I’ve been thinking about revivals a lot lately. There is a longing in my heart for this idea of a restoration, coming back to Scripture and letting it take hold of my heart in a fresh, new way. I’m ready to breath new life into relationships, to lean into my weakness with the confidence that it is exactly that moment when God will be strongest in my life.

I want to reignite what my friend Alisa calls the “rebel joy kind of glow.” I want to see Truth and light and hope change the landscape of my work and my family and my heart. I want to surround myself with women who look at the internet without fear, who guard themselves with the sword of the Spirit and jump in feet first because they know our God will fight for us – not on physical battlefields but on social ones.

The thing about revival? It never starts from a comfortable place. It starts because something has gone so far the wrong direction that a drastic change is needed – a reclaiming of what once was good. And it starts with Scripture, and that Scripture moves hearts, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, change happens. 

I want to see change happen because I want my daughter to see the side of the internet that I know. The one that is full of women who encourage and speak kind words. I want her to know that social media can be used to glorify God, further His Kingdom, and do good work when people come together for a common cause. I want her to grow up with an internet that is a place to learn, be inspired, collaborate, find community, and be challenged. Not a place of judgement or jealousy.

What if there really were a revival of the internet? What if social media became our own 312 Azusa Street? What Scripture would inspire change?

Maybe 3:12 Revival kind of Scriptures? Because what if we could take the internet and social media and take it from this:

Romans 3:12

All have turned away; together they’ve become worthless. No one does good, not even one.

Hebrews 3:12

Brothers and sisters, pay close attention so you won’t develop an evil and unbelieving heart that causes you to abandon the living God.

Matthew 3:12

He carries a winnowing fork in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor; He will gather up the good wheat in His barn, and He will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.

…to a place where the chaff has been cleared, we’ve paid close attention, and we’ve turned back? Maybe it would feel a little more like this?

Philippians 3:12

I’m not there yet, nor have I become perfect; but I am charging on to gain anything and everything the Anointed One, Jesus, has in store for me—and nothing will stand in my way because He has grabbed me and won’t let me go.

Ephesians 3:12

His faithfulness to God has made it possible for us to have the courage we need and the ability to approach the Father confidently.

Colossians 3:12

Since you are all set apart by God, made holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a holy way of life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

He has grabbed me, and He’s not letting go, friends. What can we do today to shine brightly right where God has us, in our own spaces on the internet? What corner of Facebook can you bring hope to today? What rebel joy can you share on Instagram? What encouragement can you offer on Twitter? What blog post can you write that reaches across timezones and boundaries and offers Truth to the heart of the one person God needs you tell your story to today?

A 3:12 revival of rebel joy. Count me in.