WE HAVE A SERIOUS FUEL SHORTAGE
By W. G. Guy
Most people fail to recognize how much we depend on fuel to maintain our entire society. Without fuel nearly everything stops as fuel is the energy that keeps things going. Basically, fuel is what lights the fire that produces energy in so many ways. This applies to providing electricity, allows vehicles of every sort to operate, and more. A shortage of fuel means that things we depend on will shut down and no longer provide what we so much depend on in this life.
However, there is an even more important fuel shortage that most people are not giving any thought about. This critical fuel is called PRAYER. Prayer is the fuel that powers the church; and intense, fervent, effectual prayer is what brings a true Holy Spirit driven REVIVAL. Without such prayer the church dries up and becomes powerless – which is the state of the church in this present day. The evidence is overwhelming when you look at the extreme corruption in our society today.
The following are excerpts from World Challenge – Pulpit Series Newsletter of October 17, 2022, by Pastor Gary Wilkerson, son of David Wilkerson:
Tragically, Christ’s church has been ineffective in turning the tide. God’s people are too prayer-less and thus powerless at the very moment we should be calling on God with effective fervency. We’ve grown spiritually anemic, distracted by entertainment and a pursuit of fleshly cravings.
A famous quote, attributed to either C. H. Spurgeon or Archibald Brown, prophesied all of this more than a century ago: “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”
As moral chaos unfolds, the church continues with business as usual. Congregations remain prayerless while their leaders lack holy integrity. Churches substitute entertainment for true worship; the gospel is watered down and preached tepidly, and the people lead lukewarm, compromised lifestyles.
Imagine the church ridding itself of foolish reliance on entertainment, flashy trends and how-to gimmicks for church growth. Imagine Christians stirring themselves to return to the heart of the gospel, repentance, holiness and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is time to pray. It is time for each of us to appeal to heaven for a revival in the church and an awakening in the nation. (end excerpts)
For my doctoral dissertation I did a study on revivals, on how revivals began, what occurred, what were the results, and how they ended. I even had a book published that was a summary of my studies called, AWAKENING THE SLUMBERING SAINTS, published by Fairway Press. My findings showed that every great move of God and revival began with a group of people praying for God to pour out His Spirit on the people and interceding for the community. This group was led by a fiercely dedicated individual who inspired a group of others to the cause. They would not give up no matter how things looked or how long it took to see the results. Mostly these were a small group consisting of few people.
All revivals came to an end, some lasting for longer periods than others. What I discovered was the reason why the revivals ended when they did. It was the lack of prayer! When the revivals began, those that were the prayer warriors behind that move of God got to rejoicing so much in the fresh spiritual environment that they were no longer praying for revival, but instead, began to relish in the move of God and rejoicing in it. They failed to realize that it was their prayers that fueled the fire of God that brought the revival.
PRAYER IS THE FUEL THAT FEEDS THE FIRE FOR REVIVAL! Without the prayer, the flow of the fuel stops, and the power is no longer available to keep the supernatural fire and move of God going.
Many times the “fire of God” is used in reference to a revival or move of God in our midst. This spiritual fire is associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the one who orchestrates revival and the move of God.
Luke 3:16 – John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
A signature of the baptism and outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the “tongues of fire”:
Acts 2:3 – And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
On many occasions, fire is associated with the manifesting presence of God, such as Moses experienced when he was called of God to deliver Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:2 – And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
There have been supernatural outpourings of God in the past where flames appeared on places of worship, yet the fire did not consume the building, but drew the attention of others to that location to see and hear the gospel message. I had the privilege of pastoring a church in an area that experienced the fire of God fall on a congregation.
This was in a small rural town in Minnesota with a population of 351 where I pastored an Assembly of God church in the late 1970’s. In 1978 the church celebrated its 50th anniversary having been founded on a great revival in the area in the late 1920’s. Also in the vicinity, about six miles out of town in the rolling farm lands, was another Assembly of God church that also was part of this same revival.
For several nights in a row they held services where the power of God fell and the church building appeared to all the surrounding area to be on fire. This church was set on a hill that could be seen for miles around and the fire drew people to come watch the church burn down. It didn’t, and people got to hear the gospel preached under a true anointing. Fifty years later I had the privilege of ministering in that church as it was considered a sister church of the one I pastored.
This is the kind of revival that is available if we can only get people to pray for another move of God.
Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
We need to recognize that it is this fervent prayer that brings the move of God into our midst. Preceding the Holy Spirit outpouring on Pentecost the believers were assembled in prayer:
Acts 1:14 – These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Why did the early church operate in so much supernatural demonstration and power: it was because of continued prayer and seeking the Lord.
Acts 6:4 – But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Prayers of the gathered saints opened the doors of the prison where Peter was held captive.
Acts 12:5 – Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
We should obey the exhortations by the apostle Paul:
Romans 12:12 – rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
The words instant in prayer mean to be earnest toward and continually diligent in seeking God for His response.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
James 5:16 – Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
As in the case of oil based fuel, when there is a shortage we have to pay a much higher price to obtain what we can get. There is also a higher price to pay in order to secure the spiritual fuel we need get the power of God moving in and with us. That higher price is the fact that we sacrifice our personal and selfish pursuits and spend quality time and effort in prayer. If you want God’s power you will have to pay that price; but it is definitely worth it!
Scripture gives us another example of a serious fuel shortage that is described by Jesus when He tells about the ten virgins, five of whom were foolish and run out of fuel.
Matthew 25:2-8 – Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps (lights) are gone out.
This serious fuel shortage was more costly to the five foolish virgins than they ever realized.
Matthew 25:9-12 – But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other (foolish) virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
It appears from what Jesus said, that having this special fuel is the key to identifying as being one of His and able to join with Him at His return.
You have the ability to stop the fuel shortage! Will you?
By W. G. Guy
Most people fail to recognize how much we depend on fuel to maintain our entire society. Without fuel nearly everything stops as fuel is the energy that keeps things going. Basically, fuel is what lights the fire that produces energy in so many ways. This applies to providing electricity, allows vehicles of every sort to operate, and more. A shortage of fuel means that things we depend on will shut down and no longer provide what we so much depend on in this life.
However, there is an even more important fuel shortage that most people are not giving any thought about. This critical fuel is called PRAYER. Prayer is the fuel that powers the church; and intense, fervent, effectual prayer is what brings a true Holy Spirit driven REVIVAL. Without such prayer the church dries up and becomes powerless – which is the state of the church in this present day. The evidence is overwhelming when you look at the extreme corruption in our society today.
The following are excerpts from World Challenge – Pulpit Series Newsletter of October 17, 2022, by Pastor Gary Wilkerson, son of David Wilkerson:
Tragically, Christ’s church has been ineffective in turning the tide. God’s people are too prayer-less and thus powerless at the very moment we should be calling on God with effective fervency. We’ve grown spiritually anemic, distracted by entertainment and a pursuit of fleshly cravings.
A famous quote, attributed to either C. H. Spurgeon or Archibald Brown, prophesied all of this more than a century ago: “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”
As moral chaos unfolds, the church continues with business as usual. Congregations remain prayerless while their leaders lack holy integrity. Churches substitute entertainment for true worship; the gospel is watered down and preached tepidly, and the people lead lukewarm, compromised lifestyles.
Imagine the church ridding itself of foolish reliance on entertainment, flashy trends and how-to gimmicks for church growth. Imagine Christians stirring themselves to return to the heart of the gospel, repentance, holiness and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is time to pray. It is time for each of us to appeal to heaven for a revival in the church and an awakening in the nation. (end excerpts)
For my doctoral dissertation I did a study on revivals, on how revivals began, what occurred, what were the results, and how they ended. I even had a book published that was a summary of my studies called, AWAKENING THE SLUMBERING SAINTS, published by Fairway Press. My findings showed that every great move of God and revival began with a group of people praying for God to pour out His Spirit on the people and interceding for the community. This group was led by a fiercely dedicated individual who inspired a group of others to the cause. They would not give up no matter how things looked or how long it took to see the results. Mostly these were a small group consisting of few people.
All revivals came to an end, some lasting for longer periods than others. What I discovered was the reason why the revivals ended when they did. It was the lack of prayer! When the revivals began, those that were the prayer warriors behind that move of God got to rejoicing so much in the fresh spiritual environment that they were no longer praying for revival, but instead, began to relish in the move of God and rejoicing in it. They failed to realize that it was their prayers that fueled the fire of God that brought the revival.
PRAYER IS THE FUEL THAT FEEDS THE FIRE FOR REVIVAL! Without the prayer, the flow of the fuel stops, and the power is no longer available to keep the supernatural fire and move of God going.
Many times the “fire of God” is used in reference to a revival or move of God in our midst. This spiritual fire is associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the one who orchestrates revival and the move of God.
Luke 3:16 – John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
A signature of the baptism and outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the “tongues of fire”:
Acts 2:3 – And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
On many occasions, fire is associated with the manifesting presence of God, such as Moses experienced when he was called of God to deliver Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:2 – And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
There have been supernatural outpourings of God in the past where flames appeared on places of worship, yet the fire did not consume the building, but drew the attention of others to that location to see and hear the gospel message. I had the privilege of pastoring a church in an area that experienced the fire of God fall on a congregation.
This was in a small rural town in Minnesota with a population of 351 where I pastored an Assembly of God church in the late 1970’s. In 1978 the church celebrated its 50th anniversary having been founded on a great revival in the area in the late 1920’s. Also in the vicinity, about six miles out of town in the rolling farm lands, was another Assembly of God church that also was part of this same revival.
For several nights in a row they held services where the power of God fell and the church building appeared to all the surrounding area to be on fire. This church was set on a hill that could be seen for miles around and the fire drew people to come watch the church burn down. It didn’t, and people got to hear the gospel preached under a true anointing. Fifty years later I had the privilege of ministering in that church as it was considered a sister church of the one I pastored.
This is the kind of revival that is available if we can only get people to pray for another move of God.
Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
We need to recognize that it is this fervent prayer that brings the move of God into our midst. Preceding the Holy Spirit outpouring on Pentecost the believers were assembled in prayer:
Acts 1:14 – These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Why did the early church operate in so much supernatural demonstration and power: it was because of continued prayer and seeking the Lord.
Acts 6:4 – But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Prayers of the gathered saints opened the doors of the prison where Peter was held captive.
Acts 12:5 – Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
We should obey the exhortations by the apostle Paul:
Romans 12:12 – rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
The words instant in prayer mean to be earnest toward and continually diligent in seeking God for His response.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
James 5:16 – Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
As in the case of oil based fuel, when there is a shortage we have to pay a much higher price to obtain what we can get. There is also a higher price to pay in order to secure the spiritual fuel we need get the power of God moving in and with us. That higher price is the fact that we sacrifice our personal and selfish pursuits and spend quality time and effort in prayer. If you want God’s power you will have to pay that price; but it is definitely worth it!
Scripture gives us another example of a serious fuel shortage that is described by Jesus when He tells about the ten virgins, five of whom were foolish and run out of fuel.
Matthew 25:2-8 – Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps (lights) are gone out.
This serious fuel shortage was more costly to the five foolish virgins than they ever realized.
Matthew 25:9-12 – But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other (foolish) virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
It appears from what Jesus said, that having this special fuel is the key to identifying as being one of His and able to join with Him at His return.
You have the ability to stop the fuel shortage! Will you?
