K.P. Yohannan — K.P. Yohannan

Genuine Repentance as the Ground of Awakening

Obviously when people ask me about a great awakening, is God going to do something in America or in the western civilization? You know what? I've been here for three decades speaking to God's people throughout this nation and many European countries.

Please let me say this to you. You want to see God do something significant in this generation? It is not going to come through a whole bunch of new preachers and miracles and science and wonders. It is going to come through genuine repentance from sin and forsaking the world and the lust and going after things of the world.

Prayerlessness and Superficial Christianity

I think when in America average believer pray less than eight minutes a day and preachers pray less than 12 minutes a day according to some statistics. When we spend more time before television than prayer and on our knees, you must be joking or kidding to think that we are going to have a massive move of God in this nation through all the pulpits preaching this superficial, plastic, self-centered, money-making Christianity.

And I say this to you because I am one of those people along with a few crying out to God for reality in Christ for God's people in this nation. But will it come? Please believe me. God is desperate and He longs for people to understand the glory of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and reverse the living water flow from their inner being which will mean holiness, humility, brokenness and true burden and concern for the lost and dying around them.

From Self-Centeredness to Burden for the Lost

It is no more self-centered but other-centered. But it is going to come, my dear brother, my sister, not by you memorizing more Bible verses and going to more conventions like this but rather the question you need to ask, when was the last time you spent an hour before God or a week in fasting and prayer crying out to God for godliness and authenticity in your life, in your home?

And I think the answer is this, will God send another awakening and will there be life again for God's people here and through us touch the lost world? I think it will come if you as an individual will come to the place and say, Lord, here I am and I surrender all and forsake sin and the world and be authentic in your walk with the Lord.

Repentance from Personal Self-Centeredness

I know these are not easy words but some 30 years ago, I personally in the midst of my seminary and being a pastor, I had to come to the place of repentance, not of sin that I was committing there on the streets or elsewhere but rather of my own self-centeredness and lack of honesty in my life and walk with God.

Seeking God Beyond Superficial Christianity

And I pray somehow that a world, some 2 billion people waiting to hear the gospel, they're crying out for the living God. A people like us here, being fed so much, enlightened so much, will no more be satisfied with superficial Christianity but we will see God on our face until we find Him.

Oh, by the way, He is longing and waiting for us to come and drink until we are satisfied and God can then use our very lives to touch our families, our community, our world. Well, this economic crisis we are faced with, maybe this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Crisis, Revival, and Desire for God Himself

I am not wishing for a catastrophic depression in this nation but could it be the superficial life that we are running after, knowledge and philosophy and understanding, hoping that God is going to change us.

Maybe this crisis will drive us to our knees to seek God, not for anything that we get from Him but for Himself and that is awakening and revival. May the Lord speak to us and may the Lord change our hearts and may we come to the place and say, along with the psalmist, whom have I in heaven but you and on earth I desire nothing and no one beside you.

Amen.