Many today desire a revival that does not resemble any past revival but is new and undeniably their own. Yet, history tells us that when the Holy Spirit moves, the manifestations of His presence remain strikingly familiar— a wave of emotions and an impartation from heaven that goes to the very core of our inner being and begins the transformation of our hearts as only the Holy Spirit can do. He brings deep repentance-an awakening to holiness, an overwhelming love that brings both sorrow and joy, miraculous encounters, new songs, and lives radically changed. He brings an unquenchable fire that propels us to go the nations and to empower us in the great commission that we are made for! Revival is anything but boring! If the choice is between no revival or one that mirrors past revivals, let the fire fall as before! True revival is not about our preferences but about God’s presence. Are we so desperate for Him that we will welcome whatever He sends?

The other day I was reading a book written by Rev. S. B. Shaw who had been a personal witness of the Welsh Revival. One of the names that he mentioned as being used by God to fan the flames of the revival was that of 26 years old Evan Roberts. It would be hard to find any country more impacted by God than Wales during the last hundred years. Almost all of Christianity, has been influenced in some way by this move of the Holy Spirit on the Welsh people.  Evan Roberts preached that (1. Every sin is to be confessed to God, (2 Any wrong, done to man must be put right. (3. Everything doubtful must be removed from our lives. (4. Obedience must be made promptly and implicitly to the Spirit of God. (5. Public confession of Christ. Christ said, “If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me.” There it is, Christ is all in all.”

Frank Bartleman, a key voice in the Azusa Street Revival, once said, “The depth of revival will be determined exactly by the depth of the Spirit of repentance. And this will hold true for all people at all times. The fire falls on dry wood.” Revival does not come to those spiritually satisfied but to those desperate—like dry wood, ready to ignite at the slightest spark from heaven. If our hearts are damp with complacency, we must ask God to dry them out with repentance and longing. Only then can the fire fall.

Do we look back with longing or even sorrow when we remember the days when God’s glory filled our gatherings? When the Spirit was so real among us that the atmosphere was charged with His power? We had church services that weren’t just routine but were alive with prayer, followed by the unmistakable presence of signs, wonders, and miracles. Nights spent in His presence, saturated with the Holy Spirit, when His power was tangible and transformative. Do we not weep for those days or feel a quiet remorse that our children have grown up knowing so little of the awe we once experienced?

How distant it all seems now—those nights where every prayer carried the weight of eternity, and each moment in God’s presence contained the power to change us forever. Now, we find ourselves longing for something that we feel is slipping further away, asking: where has the power gone?

I remember being in such meetings when the call was given to those who were dry and thirsty and longed for a fresh touch from God to come forward. At first, I thought it was for someone else—until the realization hit me. The speaker was speaking to me. I was that person—dry, thirsty, and unaware of how far I had drifted, how empty I had become. The things that once stirred my soul had grown distant. But as I stepped out of my seat and made my way to the front, I was met by the God of my expectancy. His presence overwhelmed me. I danced until my legs ached, sang until my voice was hoarse, and found myself more alive in Him than I had ever felt. We cannot afford to wait for revival to come on our terms. The time is now. Let the cry rise from our hearts: Lord, do it again!

Do we not look back with longing as we remember the days when we were utterly consumed by the power of His presence? When prayer flowed from our hearts like a river, we were so overwhelmed by the anointing that we couldn’t stand or move without our spirits manifesting His love in power. Our meetings didn’t have an end time; we weren’t bound by clocks but held in awe by the power of God that filled the room.

A revival fire is a consuming fire that returns us to our first love.

A genuine move of God can begin quickly and like a spark setting dry grass aflame. It spreads rapidly, igniting hearts and transforming lives. Yet, the faster the fire spreads, the more we must cultivate holiness. The more powerful the anointing, the more every detail of our lives must be immersed in the holiness of God. We cannot afford to be casual in our walk with Him when His presence moves so powerfully. What might go unnoticed in a stagnant, lifeless church can lead to significant harm in a place experiencing a revival. In the revival fire, every hidden thing is exposed, every unconfessed sin becomes a stumbling block, and every impurity hinders the fullness of God’s work.

The Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” In the revival fire, God’s holiness is not just a theological concept but a living, breathing presence that demands transformation. Transformation that can only come from the Holy Spirit who consumes us with His fire.

Just as fire refines and purifies, revival fire refines us. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet records a powerful vision of the holiness of God: “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” (Isaiah 6:3). When God moves in revival, His holiness becomes the lens through which we see everything—our own hearts, the lives of those around us, and the very world in which we live. Revival isn’t just about emotional encounters; it’s about being radically changed by the holiness of God until nothing in our lives can remain the same.

What might have seemed small and insignificant in a dry, stagnant church becomes magnified in a place of revival. Hidden sin, unresolved conflicts, and compromises that once went unnoticed can now hinder the flow of God’s Spirit. This is why we must continually return to God’s holiness as we seek revival. We cannot separate the fire of God from the refining work of holiness. The power of revival and the purity of holiness are inseparable. Only when we are fully surrendered to both will we see the fullness of God’s glory revealed in our midst.

The fire poured out in revival is the consuming fire that returns us to our first love – the heart of the Father that sent His only Son to become the redemption for our sin and rose again on the third day that we may have life in abundance here on earth and for eternity. May we go after it, seek Him while He may be found and live out of His refining fire and holiness. May we  surrender in obedience to Him as long as we have breath. To do so is a taste of heaven brought to earth ! Yes, He is all and all!