A speaker warns that revivals can harden into dead ritual when believers repeat old methods instead of listening for God's new direction. He uses Moses and the rock: God said strike it once, water came. Years later, God said speak to it, but Moses struck it again and lost the Promised Land. The lesson: yesterday's formula isn't today's instruction.
Yesterday's revival can easily become today's religion. If you become stuck on how God moved in the past, you may miss what he's doing today. I'm not saying that God changes or that moral or spiritual laws change. I mean that God can't be reduced to fit our expectations. He's too creative for that. For example, think of the miracle of water from the rock. Moses was commanded by God to strike a rock. He obeyed and water poured forth. In a separate instance, Moses was commanded by God to speak to a rock, but instead he struck it like before. For this, Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land. So just because something works doesn't mean it's what God commanded. Be mindful, yesterday's power can become today's protocol. Don't get stuck in the past. To learn more about the nature of the Holy Spirit, get Holy Spirit: God Within You at encounterthespirit.com.
