Happy for the Christian is better described as revival… renewal… a fresh outpouring of God into life. Some people think the way to revival is to schedule meetings at church OR bring in a special preacher OR have a well-known pastor speak OR study a book on revival OR… OR… OR. Note: Revival and Renewal are for Christians, Awakening is what God does in saving the lost. And none of those things will bring revival or renewal or awakening.
Those things happen are when/as/if God so chooses to send them as found in Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” They do NOT happen because of anything we do. The Scripture is clear about how revival and renewal are sought.
Step 1: Seek God again like you did when you were first saved through prayer and reading Scripture. Return to worshipping God the way you did when He first forgave you your sin. Tell others about Jesus the way you did when you first came to Christ.
Step 2: Be consistent during the week with worshipping God in purity on Sunday. Ask God to show you the areas of your life that are in opposition to Him and repent of them. Quit sinning against others during the week in word and deed. Minister to widows and orphans. Take conscious steps to do good for God’s glory.
Step 3: Feed the hungry. Give shelter to the homeless. Clothe the poor. Oppose oppression. Quit blaming others for problems. Quit speaking in godless ways.
THEN you will experience revival. THEN renewal will be present in your life. THEN you will be happy as God defines happiness.
Here are the Scriptures that support the points above… God’s way to have revival and renewal, which is the only way TRUE happiness occurs.
Revelation 2:4 You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Isaiah 1:12 When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson…
Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt…