Spiritual Renewal and Awakening: A Heavenly Recharge
In Short
Spiritual renewal and awakening come when believers recognize spiritual dryness and intentionally turn to the Lord with humility, repentance, prayer, and renewed devotion. God stands strong with His people in our times of inner weakness to draw us closer, restore joy, and rekindle holy fire within the heart. As we cast our cares upon Him and rejoice in His presence, the Holy Spirit brings a fresh infilling that renews strength, restores passion, and deepens our walk with Christ.
Key Takeaways
- • Spiritual dryness is not something to ignore; acknowledge your need honestly before the Lord.
- • Ask God personally for spiritual revival, repentance, cleansing, and renewed devotion to Him.
- • Difficult seasons can become times when God humbles, tests, teaches, and draws us closer to Him.
- • Rejoicing in the Lord and deliberately casting our cares upon Him can restore spiritual strength and joy.
- • Look to Jesus for fresh infilling with the Holy Spirit and renewed spiritual fire.
Key Scriptures
- Psalm 85:6 — “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”
- Psalm 51:10 — “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
- Philippians 4:4 — “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
- 1 Peter 5:7 — “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
- Matthew 3:11 — Jesus “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.
Brief Bio
Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D., is a Pentecostal Bible teacher with more than 50 years of Spirit-filled ministry experience. His sermons and Bible studies are personally written and drawn from decades of service as a church planter, senior pastor, Bible college teacher and Dean, and as a trainer of ministers internationally in the Pentecostal tradition. He has published more than 550 sermons and Bible studies on JimFeeney.org, primarily on Pentecostal doctrine, theology, Christian living, and ministry.
Introduction to Spiritual Renewal and Awakening
Feeling dry? spiritually stagnant? lacking energy and motivation in your Christian walk? Seven simple, biblical principles will bring renewed fire to your spiritual life.
Over the years, I have known many Christians whose spiritual lives have ground nearly to a halt. Oh yes, they still love God and are determined to live their lives for Jesus Christ. But their inner fire seems to have gone out. Their devotional lives are dry, and ministry efforts feel more like a duty than a joy.
- •• If that describes you (or someone you know and want to help), read on for a spiritual recharge, kind of a heavenly shot in the arm.
•• Here are seven simple, biblical prescriptions for a “jump start” to your personal spiritual journey.
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(1) ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR NEED
- •• The father did believe in Jesus’ ability to heal his son. But he also openly confessed that his faith wasn’t at the level he knew it should be. So he cried out to Jesus, “Help me overcome my unbelief!”
•• You know full well if you need a personal spiritual renewal. And it is just as certain that the Lord knows it! But as the father did in these verses, you would do well to voice your need to the Lord. Just be open and transparent before Him. Here are some possible examples.- • “Lord, I do love you, but I’m kind of dry right now, and I need your help to recover my joy.”
• “Lord, I believe the Bible, but I’m having a hard time really expecting some of its promises to work for me.”
• “I know I should pray; Lord, help me to get back on track and do it.”
- •• God will certainly honor this type of humble confession to Him of our need for a personal spiritual awakening within.
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(2) ASK the Lord for a PERSONAL REVIVAL
- •• In essence you are saying, “Lord, I want the fires of revival, but it will have to start with a revival in my own heart. And only you can cause that to happen.”
- • Make this appeal on the very personal level. Appropriate the verse for yourself: “Lord, will you not revive me again?”
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(3) Seek God to FORGIVE, to CLEANSE, and to burn out the CHAFF in your life
- •• This, of course, applies broadly to all of us who fall short of Jesus’ perfect stature. But the context of these verses is speaking of sin in our lives that has not yet been dealt with and repented of before God.
•• Like the Song of Solomon’s “little foxes that spoil the vines” (2:15), even seemingly small, often hidden areas of carnality can spoil our own personal vineyards.- • With all your heart, soul, and mind, cry out to God: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” And the clear conscience resulting from genuine repentance can be a springboard to personal awakening, spiritual renewal, and growth. Without this clear conscience, it is not possible to move forward in a vibrant walk with God.
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(4) Are You Recognizing God’s HUMBLING, TESTING, and TEACHING?
- •• You may be experiencing hard times in your personal “desert.” But not all hard times can be blamed on the devil. Sometimes God in His all-knowing wisdom is humbling us, testing us, and teaching us in the midst of troubling circumstances.
- • A difficult time in your life may be permitted by God “in order to know what [is] in your heart” (vs. 2).
• The verses above show that at times God may even lead His people into a desert experience “to test you ... whether or not you would keep his commands” (vs. 2).
• Vs. 3 indicates that God is wanting “to teach you that man ... [lives] ... on every word ... of the Lord”. Have you begun to neglect your time in God’s word, the Bible? If so, remember God’s “teaching” lesson — that is, that we will find true life in God’s word.
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(5) REJOICE in the LORD!
- •• At first glance, if you are in need of a personal spiritual renewal, this may sound empty, like someone telling you, “Be warmed; be fed,” but failing to give you the clothing or food you need.
•• But in reality, according to Christian counseling professional Dr. Jay Adams, rejoicing in the Lord is a powerful prescription for recovery from a downward emotional or spiritual spiral.
•• If you are feeling spiritually dry, cast down, or stagnant, determine to rejoice in your heart before the Lord. Don’t dwell on your circumstances, but rather rejoice in Him. Praise Him, worship Him, declare to Him how blessed and glad you are to have Him as your heavenly Father, and Jesus as your Savior. And you will find that any heaviness of soul will begin to lift as you put on the “garment of praise” (Isaiah 61:3).
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(6) Consciously CAST your CARES on the LORD
- •• This takes personal discipline, and it is not intuitive or easy for many of us who tend to internalize our worries, cares, and anxieties. But much relief can come to our souls as we deliberately cast our cares upon the Lord, asking Him to resolve them and to bring aid, comfort and encouragement to us.
•• If we don’t do this, the opposite process often takes place, and we are “choked with [the] ... cares of this life” (Luke 8:14, KJV), we are “choked by life’s worries” (Luke 8:14, NIV). And then our personal spiritual growth takes a distant back seat to the stresses of modern life.
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(7) Finally, look to JESUS for a RENEWED BAPTISM “with the HOLY GHOST and FIRE”
- •• There is a “fire” that is kindled within us via the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
•• If you’ve not received the powerful baptism with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, look to Jesus to grant you that experience, with its heaven-sent infusion of power (Acts 1:5,8).
•• If you have already been baptized with the Spirit, ask Jesus for a rekindling in you of the fire you once felt.- • Jesus intends that we “keep our lamps burning” (Luke 12:35), so He will surely give us the ability to do that if we ask Him.
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Summary of Seven Principles for Spiritual Renewal:
- 1) Acknowledge your need (Mark 9:24).
2) Seek the Lord for personal revival (Psalm 85:6).
3) Pursue forgiveness and cleansing from all sin (Psalm 51:1-4,10).
4) Consider if God is perhaps humbling, testing, and teaching you in your current “desert” experience (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).
5) Rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4).
6) Cast your cares on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7).
7) Seek to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit and fire (Ephesians 5:18; Matthew 3:11).
Follow these principles while remaining faithful in prayer, Bible reading, and church attendance, and you will find that personal spiritual awakening and renewal are ready and waiting for you!
Pastor Jim's Perspective
Several decades ago, with a team of fellow believers, I planted a church in a western U.S. state. I pastored that church for 17 years. Like most churches, over that time we experienced highs and lows, times of elation and times of sadness, times of gain and times of loss. At one point during my time pastoring that church, I lost confidence in myself and the ministry I was doing. For about a full year I felt dry, unfruitful, and uncertain of my calling from the Lord. It even crossed my mind to leave the ministry and return to secular employment in another state.
After about a year, the Lord broke through to my soul concerning this dry time, and showed me that I had inadvertently listened to demonic lies about my call, my usefulness in ministry, and the like. I began to apply some of the principles we’ve looked at in this article — especially acknowledging my need for renewal to the Lord … seeking the Lord actively for inner spiritual revival … casting my cares and anxieties on the Lord … repenting of my doubts concerning His calling … and resolutely recommitting to serving the Lord with all my heart and with a revived spirit. And God was good! He helped me regain my spiritual confidence (in Him and His work in me), and I spent more years there serving the Lord and His church with joy.
I hope my sharing this might be an encouragement to some of you readers who might have fallen, as I had done, into a time of spiritual dryness and discouragement. God is there to help you and lift you up to renewed, joyful service to Him.
Study This Topic More Deeply
- Personal Revival: A 5-Step Sermon to Spiritual Renewal
- Growing Spiritually 20 Ways
- Fresh Oil, Fresh Anointing | The Holy Spirit's Daily Enabling for You
- Christian Life Going Nowhere? Frustrated? Stagnant?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is spiritual renewal?
Spiritual renewal is a fresh work of God in a believer who has become spiritually dry, discouraged, or stagnant. It involves turning again to the Lord with humility, repentance, prayer, and renewed devotion, trusting Him to restore spiritual strength, joy, and passion.
How can I experience personal spiritual revival?
Begin by honestly acknowledging your spiritual need and asking God to revive you personally. Seek His forgiveness and cleansing, receive His correction and teaching, rejoice in the Lord, cast your cares upon Him, and look to Jesus for a fresh infilling with the Holy Spirit.
What should I do when I feel spiritually dry?
Do not ignore or simply accept spiritual dryness. Bring your need openly to God. Ask Him to search your heart, cleanse you from anything that hinders your walk with Him, renew your spirit, and restore the joy of close fellowship with Him.
Can difficult times lead to spiritual renewal?
Yes. Difficult seasons can become times when God humbles, tests, teaches, and draws us closer to Him. Rather than allowing trials to drive us away from God, we can turn to Him and allow those experiences to deepen our dependence upon Him.
How can I regain spiritual joy when I am discouraged?
Choose to rejoice in the Lord and deliberately cast your cares upon Him. Our circumstances may be difficult, but God remains faithful. As we turn our attention back to Him and trust His care for us, He can renew our spiritual strength and joy.
Can the Holy Spirit renew a believer who has grown spiritually cold?
Yes. Jesus is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Believers who recognize their need can look to Him for fresh spiritual filling, renewed strength, and a rekindling of holy fire and devotion to God.
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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.