Revive My Heart
Revive My Heart
As we step into a new year, many find themselves spiritually exhausted, shaped by disappointments that have quietly trained their hearts not to expect too much from God. The Hebrew word for revival, chaya, speaks of spiritual renewal where God restores life to what has grown weary, quiet, or dormant in our souls. Jacob's story in Genesis 45:26-28 perfectly illustrates this - when he heard Joseph was alive and ruling in Egypt, his spirit was completely revived.Disappointment doesn't just hurt us in the moment; it shapes how we receive good news later on, teaching us to stay guarded even when God is doing something beautiful. Like driving while staring only at a rearview mirror, many of us step into the new year still carrying old disappointments that begin to steer our present. The rearview mirror is for reference, not residence. We must throw off everything that hinders us, including grief and disappointments we've carried too long.Revival comes when we can see the future God has prepared. When Jacob saw the carts Joseph sent, his spirit revived because they showed him his future wasn't a dead end. Vision gives us direction, not details - like an arrow on a road sign pointing us forward without explaining the entire journey. When vision returns, strength, excitement, energy, and peace return. Faith doesn't wait for certainty; it responds to God's direction. We must put on our shoes and move forward, taking the next step God is showing us, whether that's forgiving again, believing again, or stepping into His calling.
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How to Revive Your Heart for the New Year
As we step into a new year, many of us find ourselves feeling tired and worn out from the challenges of the past. Perhaps life hasn't turned out exactly as we planned, and disappointment has quietly shaped what we expect from God. But what if this year could be different? What if God wants to reignite something fresh within you?
The story of Jacob in Genesis 45:26-28 reveals a powerful truth about spiritual revival. When Jacob heard that his son Joseph was still alive and ruling in Egypt, "the spirit of their father Jacob revived." This wasn't just good news—it was a complete transformation of his spiritual condition.
What Does It Mean to Have Your Spirit Revived?
The Hebrew word for revival is "chaya," which speaks of spiritual renewal where God restores life to what has grown weary, quiet, barren, or dormant in our souls. Revival isn't just about feeling better—it's about God awakening faith, restoring expectation, and carrying your heart into the promises He has always had for you.
When our spirit is revived, the future becomes possible again. We don't just cope with life; we step forward with renewed purpose and vision.
Forget the Past Disappointments
How Disappointment Shapes Our Expectations
Jacob was disillusioned. Life hadn't turned out the way he planned, and years of grief had trained his heart not to expect too much. When the good news came that Joseph was alive, he couldn't believe it—not because the news wasn't true, but because disappointment had conditioned him to protect his heart.
This is what disappointment does to all of us. It doesn't just hurt us in the moment; it shapes how we receive good news later on. It teaches us to brace ourselves, to hold back, to stay guarded, even when God is doing something beautiful right in front of us.
The Danger of Living in the Rearview Mirror
Think of a car's rearview mirror—it's small and sits on a big windscreen. The rearview mirror is useful for glancing at, but it's not meant for staring at. If we tried to drive while focusing only on the rearview mirror, we'd crash.
Many of us step into a new year still carrying and staring at old disappointments. Without realizing it, the past begins to steer our present. The rearview mirror is for reference, not to set up residence.
Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to "throw off everything that hinders." Not everything that hinders us is sin—some things are grief, burdens, and disappointments we've been carrying far too long. We need to decide that yesterday's pain will no longer shape where we're going.
See the Future God Has Prepared
When Vision Returns, Strength Returns
When Jacob saw the carts Joseph had sent, his spirit revived. The carts weren't just transportation—they were a picture of where God was taking him. They showed Jacob that his future wasn't a dead end and that his life wasn't over.
Revival didn't come through information alone; it came because Jacob could see again. When we can see the future God has prepared, everything changes.
Vision Gives Direction, Not Details
In Scripture, vision isn't God showing us every detail of the future, but it gives us clear direction. Like an arrow on a road sign, vision points us forward without explaining the entire journey.
Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Without vision, life becomes going through the motions. We become reactive instead of purposeful, settle instead of being challenged, and our faith turns inward rather than outward.
When vision returns, strength returns, excitement returns, energy returns, and peace returns. Our spirit comes alive, and we're called to action.
Take Action with Your Revived Heart
Faith Responds to God's Direction
After seeing the carts, Jacob declared, "I am convinced my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." Notice that Scripture calls him Israel here, not Jacob—his revived spirit reminded him of his God-given identity.
Jacob didn't know what Egypt looked like or how long the journey would take. He didn't even know if he'd survive the trip. But faith doesn't wait for certainty; faith responds to God's direction.
Put On Your Shoes and Move Forward
Shoes are made for movement. Different shoes for different seasons and purposes, but none are designed for sitting still. When we put on our shoes, we're saying, "I'm not staying where I am. I'm stepping into what's next."
God doesn't show us the future so we can just admire it. He shows us the future so we can move forward. Acting on the future means putting on your shoes and taking the next step—choosing not to stay comfortable but moving toward what God is calling you to do.
What Does Taking Action Look Like?
For some, taking the next step might look like:
Forgiving again
Believing again, choosing faith over circumstances
Praying again for a loved one's salvation
Stepping into that nudge you're feeling from the Holy Spirit
Moving toward the plan God has shown you
You don't need all the details or clarity for every step. You just need to take the next step that God is showing you.
Life Application
This week, choose to stop living in survival mode and step into the revival God has for you. Identify what past disappointments you're still carrying and make a conscious decision to stop letting them steer your future. Ask God to show you the "carts" He's sending—the signs of the future He has prepared for you.
Then put on your shoes and take action. Whether it's re-engaging where you've pulled back, saying yes again to something God has called you to, or simply choosing to believe that your story isn't over yet—take that next step in faith.
Questions for Reflection:
What past disappointments am I still staring at in the rearview mirror?
What "carts" is God sending to show me the future He has prepared?
What is the next step God is calling me to take, even without having all the details?
How can I live more in my God-given identity rather than in past grief and disappointment?
Remember, if you're still breathing, your story isn't over. God has more for you than just surviving—He wants to revive your heart and lead you into the abundant future He has prepared.
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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Good morning, everybody. How are we doing? Awesome, thank you. Thanks, William. My boy's brought up my props, hasn't he?
Alright, you ready for the word? Who loves the tennis? Who's interested in the tennis starting this weekend? Yep. Can't wait to get home and see that tonight.
I usually book my holidays in around the tennis because I enjoy it so much. Funny story. Last year, Daniel and I went into the tennis to watch it live. We got one of those day passes and William and Daniel and I, we all went in there and we sat down. It took an hour to get in there, right?
Get through the gates and everything. We sat down to watch this match and it was a really intense match. And then suddenly I felt something at the back of my head and I'm like, oh. And you can hear the guy going, oh, no. And you know, when other people come overseas, they don't know how to use our little sauce packets.
He was eating a pie and he squished the sauce. It exploded all over my head and it was down my head and down my hat and everything. And I was just like, I had blonde hair and now I have pink hair. Anyway, that's got nothing to do with what I'm preaching. Are you ready for the Word this morning?
All right. We are going to the beginning. We are in the beginning of the year. We are going to the beginning. Book of Genesis 45, 26, 28.
It says, they told him Joseph is still alive. In fact, he is ruler of Egypt. Jacob was stunned. He did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
And Israel said, I'm convinced my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die. The spirit of their father Jacob revived. And this is the turning point in this whole story. Because before Jacob could move forward, before, before he could step into the next chapter or into the promises that God had laid before him, his spirit came alive.
The Hebrew word for revival is chaya. Say that with me. Chaya. And it speaks of spiritual renewal, where God restores life to what has grown weary, quiet, barren or dormant in our soul. And most of us can start off the new year, can't we?
Feeling a little bit tired, feeling a little bit worn out from the year before. This year, God wants to revive your spirit. He doesn't want you to just Simply cope with 2026 and live in a spiritual groundhog year, repeating the patterns of the past over and over. Again, he wants faith awakened, expectation restored, and your heart carried into the promises that that he has always had for you. Because when our spirit is revived, the future becomes possible again.
We are nearly three weeks into 2026 and before we go any further, God wants to reignite within you. He wants to light a fresh fire for the year ahead. Because there are promises prepared for you, there is futures waiting and territory to be entered into both in our personal life and as Connect Christian church as a whole. Yes, there's more ground to take. And that leads me to one defining question this morning.
How will your spirit be revived and set on Fire for 2026? Today, I've titled my sermon Revive My Heart and let's just pray together. Hey, Lord God, we are not here just to hear another message this morning, Lord. We are here to encounter you, Lord God. We.
We don't want to go out the same way that we came in, Lord God, I just pray that hearts right now would just begin to be open to you, Lord Jesus. That you would speak to every single person, Lord God, that you would ignite something alive in them again. Lord Jesus, we pray this in your mighty name. God is good, isn't he? As we step into all that God has prepared for us, both personally and as Connect Christian Church, we need to make space in our hearts to be revived.
And that begins by forgetting the past disappointments. My first point today is forget the past disappointments. Are you ready?
Jacob was disillusioned. Life had not turned out the way that he planned. Has anyone else's life turned out the exact way that you planned? We've all faced seasons like this, haven't we? And for us control freaks, that's even worse.
Jacob had buried dreams. He'd buried hope. And he had buried his precious son. Years had passed and day to day responsibilities continued. And disappointment had quietly shaped what he expected from life.
So when the good news came that his son was alive, he couldn't believe it. Not because the news wasn't true, but because disappointment had actually trained his heart not to expect too much. And if we're honest, we all do that as humans, don't we? We've all had situations like that. We don't stop believing in God, but we just stop expecting him to surprise us.
We stop expecting the one who. Who conquered the grave to surprise us.
Twelve years ago, just last week, we got the phone call that we had been chosen to be the adoptive parents to our boy William. And it was amazing news. It was miraculous news. All our dreams had come true in that moment and that moment, I was so stunned, I couldn't really believe what I was hearing. Over the next hour, I sat down about 10 different times just to have my breakfast.
I'm an organized, control person, right? I know where everything is. I know exactly how many minutes it takes me to get breakfast because I plan my day around my routine and everything. So to sit down for 10 times, it just shows how stunned and shocked I was. My body had not caught up to what my ears had actually heard.
And for the next four days, I lived with this quiet coping mechanism running in the background. This is too good to be true. This is not going to happen. Something's going to fall apart in it all and the rug will be pulled out from under me. Not because I didn't want to believe it, but because 14 years of pain and infertility and disappointment had trained me to protect my heart.
And this is what disappointment does to all of us, isn't it? It doesn't just hurt you in the moment. It shapes how you receive good news later on. It teaches you to brace yourself, to hold back, to stay guarded, even when God is doing something beautiful and amazing right in front of you. All right, where's my first object this morning?
Here we go. What have I got in my box? My bag of tricks. All right, does everyone know what this is? This is a rear vision mirror.
I let Pastor Adrian know I stole it from his car this morning before the service started. You better get that back. You're not very good with a gps. You won't be good without a rear vision mirror. A rear vision mirror, it's small, right?
It sits on our big, huge windscreen. But the. But the rear vision mirror is small. It's a very useful tool. But it is there to glance at, isn't it?
It's not there to stare at and to focus on. If we all exited. Please don't do this. If we all exited the church car park this afternoon just focusing on our rear vision mirror, we're going to crash into each other, right? It won't be long before we have a huge insurance claim.
If we try to drive looking backwards in our rear vision mirror, we're bound to crash because we are supposed to look through the big windscreen in front of us. In the same way many of us step into a new year, still carrying and staring at our old disappointments of the past. And without realizing it, the past begins to steer and our present. The rear vision mirror is for reference, it's not to set up residence.
Hebrews 12:1 says, Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. We have to throw off the past. We can't change it. We can't turn back time unless you've got a, what is it, Time machine. We can't change what's already happened, but we can choose whether we let it rule our future.
You see, not everything that hinders us is sin. Some things are really heavy. We have grief, we have burdens. We have things like infertility that we've been carrying around for way too long, things that we weren't supposed to carry. And what we do is we continue to love God deeply.
We turn up and we serve him faithfully. But we're still looking in that rear vision mirror at all the disappointment from the past. So let me ask you this morning, what past disappointments are you carrying into 2026? What things are you carrying that have already made you tired? And we're just at the start of the new year.
What situations are you continuing to play over and over in your head, thinking that if I keep thinking about it, if I hadn't done this and done this, or what if this, that it would change what moment or season are you still staring at in the rearview mirror? I'm not asking you to pretend that those big disappointments and the painful things didn't happen. But I'm asking you to decide that it will no longer get to shape where you're going.
Revival begins when we stop letting yesterday's loop in our minds and start trusting God with our future. And when the grip of yesterday loosens, you know what happens? God restores our ability to see what's ahead. My second point this morning is see the future.
Genesis 45:27 says that when Jacob saw the carts Joseph had sent his spirit revived. Jacob had lost sight of the future. The years of the grief, the disappointment, and the waiting had narrowed his vision into survival mode. Do you know when you're in survival mode, there's not really joy in your life? There's not really energy or spark or ability to get up and get going.
You live in this repetitive pattern. But when he saw the carts, something shifted. The carts helped him to see again. They weren't just transport carts. They were actually a picture of where God was taking him.
They showed him the future. They showed that his future wasn't just an empty dead end. They showed Jacob that his life was not over. And when Jacob could see the future that God had prepared, his spirit revived. Revival didn't come through the information it came because Jacob could see again.
When we learnt about William, we waited four long days before we met him. Now you think that after waiting 14 years, that four days would be okay? It wasn't. It was torture. We wanted to meet our boy.
We wanted it to be real. And it wasn't until William was put in my arms and he poked his tongue out at me that I went. God, I can see. I can see our future together. This is real.
This is not a dream anymore. This is not just hope anymore. This is not just words anymore. This is our future. Seeing him allowed me to know how much God had prepared, how big he was and how miraculous he was.
He'd provided a future. He'd been generous. And he'd poured out his love over us as a family. Everything changed when I saw William.
God restores our ability to see when our hearts are revived. All right, can we just pop up that slide, please? That's the one. Everyone knows what this is. It's something very, very simple.
It's an arrow. And most of you probably passed a dozen of these on your way to church this morning. Arrows are on maps, they are on our screens, they're on our phones, and they are on the roadside. And the arrow has one main job. It's to point us forward, right?
It doesn't give us all the details of how long it's going to take there. It doesn't give you all the directions, doesn't explain the whole journey, but it tells you which way to go. And that's what vision is. In Scripture, vision is not God showing us every single detail or every single part of the future, but it gives us clear direction. When Jacob heard about Joseph, he didn't see Joseph straight away.
He didn't see Egypt or the palace. He saw the carts. And his spirit was revived. He could see the future again. Now, Proverbs 29:18 says, where there is no vision, the people perish.
The people perish when direction is missing. People don't generally just abandon their faith suddenly, they lose their way. They don't know where they're headed. Without vision, life becomes going through the motions, becomes survival mode. We come reactive instead of purposeful.
People settle instead of being challenged. And faith turns inward rather than outward. See, vision keeps us aligned and with God and moving forward. And just like Jacob, God gives us visions and dreams and plans that help us see again. They help us to continue to move forward.
He restores our weary hearts. He gives us fresh energy. And when vision returns, strength returns, excitement returns, energy returns, peace returns. And Our spirit comes alive and we're called to go and do something then, aren't we? Can you see what God has for you?
Can you see the vision and the direction God's trying to lead you and this church? Can you see the purpose he has stirring in your heart this morning? Can you see the future that he is preparing even when you don't have all the details? We love details. We love to know all the pieces.
When we can see the future, God is leading us into our hearts and our spirits are revived. And you know what? We don't just endure life. Then we step forward with renewed faith and purpose, don't we? Which brings me to point number three.
If the band would like to come with revived hearts, we take action. Genesis 45:28 says, I am convinced my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die. Jacob had to let go of the past. He had seen the future that God had prepared and his spirit had come alive.
And then he chose to act on on it. He chose to go to where God had shown him. He said, I will go. And he moved forward. He moved toward the future that God had revealed.
I want you to notice a little detail in this scripture. In the text it says, scripture calls him Israel here, not Jacob. His spirit, spirit reviving reminded him of who he was. The man who had been living under grief and disappointment steps back into the God given identity. His God given identity.
We are all new creations in Christ Jesus, aren't we? We need to live in the identity that God gave us, not the grief and the disappointments of the past in the new creation that we are in God. Jacob wasn't trying to make something happen. He was responding to what God had already made clear. And he took the next step even when he couldn't see all the details.
Jacob didn't know what Egypt looked like. He didn't know what the palace looked like. He didn't know how long the journey was going to take to get there. He didn't even know if he was going to be alive when he got there. He was really old.
But faith doesn't wait for certainty, does it? Faith responds to God's direction. God rarely gives us the whole picture, but he does give us the next step. All right. Ashley, William, can you come up here for a second, please?
Just want to show you a couple of things this morning. Come on, Will. Yeah, just stand next to me for a second. Look how tall my boy is, right? I'm in heels this morning and my boy is nearly, nearly caught up to me.
Just show everyone your shoes. All right?
Side view. All right, you can go sit down now. Thanks, buddy. Give him a hand. He's an awesome kid.
My boy loves shoes. These are another pair of his shoes, right? He loves shoes. Yeah. Everyone wants these shoes, don't they, buddy?
Make sure these go home with you, okay? They're beautiful shoes. He's got really good taste in shoes. He's got very expensive taste in shoes, but he loves shoes. And he's got shoes for walking, he's got shoes for soccer, he's got shoes for school, and for basketball and football.
He's got shoes for all different settings, different shoes for different seasons. But you know what? What I love about my son is that as soon as he gets home from school for the day, the first thing that comes off is his shoes. Literally. I find them in his playroom every afternoon, just barefoot because he's not going anywhere once he gets home.
He knows that because shoes are made for movement, aren't they?
Different shoes for different seasons. Walking shoes, running shoes, wherever he's going. But none of them are designed for sitting still. I said to the service last night, maybe I should have got you all to take your shoes off when you came in.
And then we recall that shoes are not designed for sitting still. You put your shoes on because you're going somewhere, right? How many of you thought about which shoes to put on to go to church this morning? Because you're going somewhere. Shoes represent readiness.
They say, I'm not staying where I am. I'm stepping into what's next. Do you notice that when babies start to walk, we put shoes on them because we expect that they're going to move around and they're going to go somewhere, don't we? And that's what action looks like here. God doesn't show us the future, so we can just admire it.
You know, if you imagine that when I met William that day at the foster family's home, imagine that I met him and we decided, okay, I've met him now, I've held him now, and I'm just going to stay here with him, with the foster family. I would have missed out on everything that God had planned for my future. We were given William to take home to be part of our family, to go and do things with him and to bring him to church so he could know who God is to raise up the next generation as well. Share his miracle story. If I had just stayed there, none of that would have happened.
We've had so many beautiful family moments.
God shows us the future so we can move forward. Acting on the future is simply putting on your shoes and taking the next step. It's choosing not to stay where you are in that beautiful, comfortable space. It's because God is calling you forward. It's re engaging where you've pulled back.
It's saying yes again. And this is true for our church as well. God has shown us a future of growth, impact and more people finding Jesus. It's why we're doing expansion plans. It's why we're renovating the kids area, the office area, and getting a bigger building because there's more people to come to come and know Jesus.
But if we all put on our shoes and just sit still, that's not going to happen, is it? We're all called to get up and do something about it. Acting on the future means stepping in, not sitting back and staying comfortable, moving together in faith toward what God is building. Jacob said, I will go and stay, see him before I die. That was his response to the future.
I will go. And God is inviting us to respond as well. But we get to choose whether we move. For some of you, taking that next step might be, I will go. And it looks like forgiving again.
For others, it looks like believing again, choosing to believe faith over circumstances. For some, it's praying again for a loved one's salvation. And for others, it's stepping into that little nudge that you're feeling in your Holy Spirit right now, stepping into the plan that God has for you, the direction that he has shown you. You don't have to have all the details. You don't need clarity for every step.
You just need to take the next step, that step that God's showing you, that vision.
This year, you just need a revived spirit and a willing heart that says God, I will go. Because if you're sitting in this room today and you're still breathing, your story's not over. I don't care what age you are, the little kiddies, the older, mature age people, your story's not over yet. There is things that God is calling, calling you to do.
At the end of September last year, my husband and I, we put our house up for sale. Our season was shifting, and even though we didn't have all the details, we put it up for sale. And just to be clear, I'm not leaving Connect, not going anywhere, right? But the average sale for a house in lang Warren is 44 days. And after 88 days, someone asked me, how's it going?
Do you have another open for inspection this week and open for inspections. They're exhausting, right? You let strangers come in your house, you've got to clean it to the place that it's ridiculous, it's barely livable, you've got to get out of the house. Where people come into your house, it's very disruptive. And when things happen and sales come through and then they cancel, it's really, really disappointing.
And so this person, they asked me, how's it going?
And without thinking, I replied, I've given up hope on that happening. And right there in that moment, as the words came out of my mouth, my spirit quickened and I stopped myself and thought, that's not just a comment. Those words came out. I can't take them back. But it just reflected the condition of my heart.
I hadn't stopped believing in God. I hadn't stopped trusting him. But disappointment had quietly done its work, and I had moved from expectation to endurance of my situation. My circumstances were trying to rule what I was focusing on and what I was doing. And in that moment, I realized how much my life had mirrored Jacob's story in this chapter.
See, Jacob heard good news, but his spirit was. Until his spirit was revived, he couldn't believe it. Forgetting the past disappointments and seeing the future God has prepared and then choosing how we respond, that's what's so important. This week was one of the most disappointing things, when we had a really great offer for three. And it has tried to consume me as I've been prepping this word and this sermon.
And I've made mistakes and I'm a perfectionist and I don't like it, but it sucks the energy out of me. And so I just kept going. No, God, I'm going to keep going. I'm going to keep going with this word because it's important. It's important to have our hearts revived at the start of this year, isn't it?
I don't want to do things the same as I did last year. I don't want my circumstances dictating where I go with my life. God has given me a vision as the executive pastor of this church to come and change things, to organize things, to do things that empowers others so that we can grow in this place. There's a bigger calling on my life, and God sends the cart so that we can see that and we can keep stepping out and we can keep doing that.
Even this morning because my legs are quite white, right? I don't go in the sun a lot I'm quite translucent. I'm being very honest this morning, right. Just realizing this is all going live streamed. I put some fake tan on, right?
I have used this fake tan over and over and over this morning. I had a almost anaphylaxis allergic reaction to this fake tan. My legs were on fire, burning. There was red rash climbing up my legs and I've quickly had to scrub it off and thankfully it has settled down. It was not pretty, but it's almost like there's been so much trying to come at me this week to stop bringing this word and it's not where I'm going to settle.
I'm not going to stay in the disappointment. I'm going to come and preach the word because I can go on a holiday, I can do all sorts of things to try and revive my spirit and freshen up for the year. But without God reviving my heart, there is nothing. But God revives your heart and you can do anything this morning. So why don't you stand with me as we sing together?
We're going to Pastor Adrian to close in a minute, but if you're choosing this year not to stay stuck in your past, if you are choosing to seek God and see the vision that he has for you and then take action this morning, put your shoes on and let's go. Let's sing together this morning.
Shout Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the street. Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family how come Speak the holy name Jesus.
Shout Jesus. Shout Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the street. Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family.
I speak the holy name. Jesus.
Your name. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Break every stronghold. Shine to the shadow where like a fire Sing your name. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Take every stronghold strong.
Why don't we just bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment?
Two things I want to do. First of all, I want to give some people the opportunity to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. It is the best and greatest decision you can ever make. And until you make it, nothing else you do will measure up.
People don't know it, but their whole life we're just waiting to find Jesus. We're just waiting to find our Creator. And you can do that right now. Maybe you've been away from God and at the start of this year you say, God, I've got to come back into relationship. Maybe you've never known him.
We're going to Say a prayer together. I want you to repeat it after me. We'll all say it between you and God to say Jesus, here I am. Be my Lord and my Savior. Well, let's say this.
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to give my life to you. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. So forgive me Jesus. Be my Lord and my Savior. I will follow you.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Keep your eyes closed for a moment. If you said that prayer at the end of the service, we want to give you a Bible. I talked about it before.
We're going to give you a Bible on the right hand side of the bookshop. There's a table there and we'll talk to you. We'll give you a Bible there to help you in your walk with God. Please come and get that for all of us here. What a powerful word.
Hey? What a powerful word. He wants to revive your heart.
Now here's, here's. There's a lot of challenges in there, but there's a couple of things in there that really God got a hold of me in the future. First service this morning, and I think it's true. It says of there of Jacob, when he saw the carts. When he saw the carts.
And this is what I've realized about how God works, that God is always sending carts before you. He's always sending a cart that shows you the future and the plans that he has for your life. See, Jacob had his own plans. He thought he would retire and settle down and just stay comfortable until he died. And that's my life.
We've all got our own plans. Okay, You've got plans, I've got plans. But God has greater plans. They're more powerful than your plans and they take faith to see. But God will send you a car in front of you to show you.
It'll be an encouragement. It'll be a story stirring in your spirit. Maybe God stirred you and that's why you've started coming to church. Because God put a card in front of you and you've responded. Maybe it's a word, maybe it's a dream.
Maybe it's someone else encouraging you, maybe young children. And God's stirring you with dreams for them. He's put carts in front of you and your job is to see those carts and then respond. And I'll tell you what happens when you respond and you say yes to the Lord Jesus and yes to his future. For you, like Jacob did it says there, Jacob saw the carts.
And then Katrina said, and then Israel said, and then Israel. Do you know what happens when you see the carts? And you respond, God changes your future. He changes who you are. Something happens in here.
He revives your heart, and you become a different person. The problems from the past don't hold you back anymore. And you become the man or woman that God has called you to be. And I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, there is not a single person in this room. There is not a person watching online.
That. That is not true for every single one of us. That is the truth. That he will change your life. He will change your future.
If you see the cart and say, yes, Lord, I respond. So here's what we're gonna do. I want you to speak to the Lord right now and say, lord, I see that cart. What is the cart that God's put in front? What's the future?
What's God stirring you with the future that he's got for you? And maybe you need to say, lord, right now, I'm making a choice. The disappointments of the past, let them not control me anymore. The disillusionment, the settling for just surviving and trying to be comfortable. God, I put that behind me and I'm saying yes to you.
I'm taking action, Lord. Let it be true of me. Let it be true of me. It's all through the Bible. Joshua said it.
He saw the cart, he saw the future. God had. He said, you choose today what you'll do. But as for me and my house, I'll serve the Lord. I'm taking action.
I'm going for. Come on, young families. Come on, parents. As for me and my house, I'm stepping forward. I have seen the Lord, and I'm stepping into the future he has for me and my children today.
Come on. If that's you, I want you to lift out your hands before the Lord. And I want us to declare this before God. I'm shouting, Jesus. I'm shouting, Jesus.
To my Lord. To my future, to my life.
Mountain.
Yes, Jesus. Revive my heart. Revive my heart. Revive my heart, Lord.
Mountain. Jesus in the street. Jesus in the darkness. Over every enemy. Jesus.
Your name is power. Yes, it is, Lord. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow.
Your name. Oh, your name. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow, the light of fire.
And in this place, lifting holy hands before the Lord. He's here. He's here. He wants to speak to you. He wants to carry you.
The Lord says, I've sent. Can you see it? I've sent a cart before you. It's a sign of your future. A sign.
I've got good things. I had young people, young men and women of God. I've talked to some of you today, this morning. And I can see God stirring you. I can see there's a hunger and you're wondering about your future.
And the Lord says, I put a cart. You just follow the cart. The stirring of the Holy Spirit that says, lord, I'm hungry for you. And I can see bigger dreams and other people try and bring them down. And it tries to cause confusion about what you're going to do.
And maybe this, maybe it doesn't happen. God says, forget all of that.
Respond to the stirring, respond to the spirit. And you watch what I do with your life. You watch where I take you. Come on. We're going to see some mighty men and women of God rise up.
Some 16 year olds, 21 year olds, 13 year olds, 10 year olds. We're going to see them rise up in power as they listen to the Holy Spirit and God's going to do a mighty work in them. Lord, I pray for everyone in this place.
Revive my heart. Come on. Let that be your prayer, Lord, revive. There's some family, there's some older families, older parents. You got kids who are now young adults.
Lord, your dream is that God will revive their heart and grab a hold of them. Don't you let go of that. You keep praying, you keep prophesying. You keep speaking the word of God. Maggie and Anna, you keep speaking and prophesying the word of God over your children to grab a hold of the things God has for them.
We got some young. Some families with. Your kids are in uni and you're worried about their future and their spirituality. God says prophesy over their lives. Pray over them.
See the car? I got a plan. Remember what I spoke when they were young. Remember what I said to you when they were young? Grab a hold of that and prophesy and declare.
Declare it over their lives. Some of you had disappointments last year. Some of you felt abandoned last year.
There's some young women in this place and you felt abandoned by some people in your life. And God says, I will never abandon you. And I have called you by name and I have a greater plan for your future. My plan for you is not how others have treated you. It is what I say of you, daughter of the most high God.
And I've called you to rise up and be a mighty champion for others, for your children, for the future. You watch what I do through your life. Grab a hold of the cart and say yes to Jesus. Holy Spirit, I pray for your people that we would grab a hold of that word, Lord. Let it beat in our chest, in our spirits, God.
Beating hard. Lord God. The future God has for us is greater than anything the enemy would have against us. And so I declare it. I prophesy it.
And in the love of God, Lord, I pray that your people would grab a hold of it. We pray in Jesus name. I speak the holy name. Come on, one more time. Let's declare it one more time this morning.
Shout Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the street. Jesus in the darkness. Over every enemy. Jesus.
Call my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus, come upon. Your name.
Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow. Burn like a fire. Sing it one more time. Your name.
Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is light.
Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. Where. I.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Amen. Family. Why don't you stick around and have some coffee and or hot chocolate.
Or if you like, me a cup of tea with biscuit. We got morning tea out there. Stick around and spend some time together. It's good to see you. Have a good day.
Related Bible Verses
Key Scriptures – "Revive My Heart"
Genesis 45:26–28 (NIV)
They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
Click here to read Genesis 45:26–28 on Bible.comHebrews 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Click here to read Hebrews 12:1 on Bible.comProverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Click here to read Proverbs 29:18 on Bible.comGenesis 45:28 (NIV)
And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
Click here to read Genesis 45:28 on Bible.comLuke 9:23 (NIV)
Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
Click here to read Luke 9:23 on Bible.comRomans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Click here to read Romans 12:1 on Bible.com