(Clip) Why Doesn't God Use Me Anymore? — Shane Idleman

Duncan Campbell's Loss of Spiritual Power

I was reading a book and I was reminded of a story about Duncan Campbell. I don't know if you know who he is. I think it was probably, I don't even wanna say, I think it was 100 years ago or maybe 50 years ago, there was a revival off of the islands of Scotland.

When you have 100 ,000 people come to know the Lord and bars close down, and I was reading a little bit more about his story, and he was this popular speaker by then, he was my age, before the revival.

And he was into studying the Bible, which is good, obviously, and about systematic theology, and about, he was preparing his sermons for I think it was a Keswick conference. They have this huge Keswick conference in Europe.

It's not as big anymore, but it used to be the main conference that people would go to, and he thought he was special, and he had his doctrine down and his theology down, and his 12-year-old daughter walked into his office one day when he was studying, and she said, Daddy, why doesn't God work through you anymore like he used to?

Surrendering to God for Renewed Usefulness

Yeah, I had to put the book down on that one. And he said he kept his composure together, and well, you know, theology's important, and of course it is, right? No, don't think I'm not saying that. And he tried to make all these excuses, but when she left, he broke down because he saw the power of God.

10, 20 years ago, he felt the power of God. People were changed, and now he turned into what he never wanted to become, just a speaker with no power. And if I remember correctly, he laid down on his carpet in his office and prayed to God, God, if you do that again, God, use me.

I apologize, this message is burning in my heart all week. And I want more people to say, God, if you would just use me again, remember. I wanna go back to that. And God said, God answered his prayer, and he was getting ready to go speak at this conference, and God said, don't go speak, go to those islands.

And he said, I can't, I'm scheduled to speak. He said, remember what you told me on the floor of your office, that if you would submit and obey me, I would do that again. And he left, and then the revival broke out, and this island's people were radically changed.

Waiting on God Instead of Relying on Activity

And I read that, and I just, where is that? We're upset at an hour and a half church service. They would get there at five in the evening and end up leaving around one a .m. And we can't understand it, why?

Because we haven't experienced that power of God. You ever sit through a three-hour movie, and you're like, that was three hours? People can sit through a three-hour church service and say, that was three hours?

And I don't want my kids to say, Daddy, why doesn't God move in you anymore, like he used to? So the church, we've lost that power. People camp out for big sales, and I remember people waiting in line for Star Wars, but when was the last time we camped out and waited on God?

And right now, people are saying, we need to do, we need to do, we need to do, look at our nation. And I wanna say, no, we need to wait. We need to wait, we need to wait. The church waited in an upper room, then the fire fell.

Peter waited for direction, then lives were changed. Paul waited in the Arabian Desert before beginning his ministry. I don't know how many people realize that. When Paul became a Christian, the Bible says that he did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.

He didn't go and talk to people. He went out and spent time with God, and then came out and began his ministry. Stephen waited on God and was filled with power and boldness. Jesus Christ himself took time and waited on God.

Returning to the First Love in Revelation

And he went out to the wilderness. Remember and return was Jesus' call to the churches in Revelation. Five of those seven churches that Jesus spoke to in Revelation, the same method, the same way to fix a problem was recommended.

Remember and return, remember and return. Remember from where you have fallen and return. Remember what you used to do and return. You've turned into this cold and callous church. In Revelation, he says, I know your works, you're faithful.

You know those who teach bad doctrine. You've got everything down, good for you, but you've lost your first love. And church, that's what's happened. That's what's happened. We've lost our first love chain.

Worship as an Expression of the Heart

How can you say that? Because I see worship and people are bored to death. If we could just hurry up. Not everybody, of course. I'm not talking about raising hands or jumping up and down or acting weird.

I'm just talking about, because your posture, does your posture not reflect your heart? I've never seen a repentant sinner weeping that God has changed his life just comfortably going, yeah, God changed me today.

I'm pretty hungry. I mean, why? Because the posture reflects the heart. And I want to see God do that again. I've commented about, many times I speak at conferences and we just have an hour and a half of prayer and worship afterwards.

Letting People Do Business With God

Men will be at the altar and the host would come up and ask me, you know, sometimes he would say, well, look at all these men. We need to go and talk to them. And I say, don't touch them. Let them do business with God.

They don't need me coming up. Are you okay? Well, sometimes it's good to do that. Of course, that's, you know, of course, we're at the reach out. But the majority of the time, let God do business with them.

Let God do business with the heart. And you have to give God time to do that. The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. A .W. Tozer said that. Let me make it more personal.

Feeling Out of Place in the World

The weakness of so many of us is that we feel too much at home in the world. The world to you should, you ever put on tight shoes or pants that don't fit? That's how the world should feel. Just, oh, just something doesn't fit because I'm not at home in the world.

A Wake-Up Call Toward Humility and Conviction

And I hope you hear my heart when I bring up difficult subjects like this. It's not to upset. It's to convict and draw out of you what God has already placed inside of you. And sometimes we need that wake up call.