Where is God Amidst All This Chaos?
Special: Counseled by God Free Video Event and up to 50% off!

Why I Believed I Could NEVER Be Part Of Revivals & WHAT CHANGED MY MIND

Mark Virkler's picture

While at Roberts Wesleyan College, majoring in Religion Philosophy and minoring in Psychology, I did a paper for my psychology course which I titled “The Psychology of Revivals.” I truly desired to be part of a revival.


Revivals are Christological in focus and emotionally fervent

My concluding statement in that paper was that “revivals are Christological in focus and emotionally fervent.” To put that in plain English, revivalist preaching focuses on the life of Jesus, and revivals involve a great amount of emotional intensity.

That saddened me for several reasons. I was taught dispensationalism, the belief that the lifestyle of Jesus was not available to me during this time period. That meant I could not hear God's voice, see visions, or move in the power of the Holy Spirit. This belief pushed me toward preaching from Paul's epistles since doctrine now became central, displacing an intimate love relationship with Jesus. Another reason I rejected revivals was because there was no way I was going to lower myself to be governed by my emotions. You see, at that point in my life I strongly believed that emotions were soulish, unreliable and untrustworthy. They had no place in a mature Christians lifestyle. Theology and the mind ruled.

So I made a terrible decision 

It’s too bad that I will never be able to be part of revival." 

However, today God has completely changed my mind about this. I have rejected dispensationalism and I believe that I can live the lifestyle of Jesus. I believe Jesus’ death on the cross provided at least 12 divine life-transforming exchanges. My preaching centers on us replicating the lifestyle of Jesus. Jesus lives within us through the Holy Spirit. His love, grace and power flow out through the heart of every Christian and this transforms every aspect of our lives.

I now live focused on Jesus, seeing Jesus at my right hand (Acts 2:25; Ps. 16:8), and turning to Him for His input about everything I do. I no longer need to ask, “What WOULD Jesus do?” I now ask, “Jesus, what ARE You doing?” He isn’t dead or un-communicative. He is alive, Immanuel, God with us. As His sheep, we hear His voice (Jn. 10:27). We get to live and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).


Discover how to receive, honor and release Kingdom emotions and power!

Unleashing Healing Power Through Kingdom Emotions 

Valuable 14-part training series available at no cost for a limited time (March 15-24, 2021)

Click Here to REGISTER and Save Your Spot for This FREE Video Event 


Concerning emotions: Are they really all that bad?

Spurgeon discusses the fact that the compassion Jesus felt was so strong the Gospel writers needed to create a new word to describe it. They turned the word "compassion" from a noun to a verb. Jesus, moved by compassion, healed (Matt. 14:14). Compassion was the carrier wave upon which healing power rode.

God sent Ezekiel “embittered in the rage of his spirit" (Ezek. 3:14). Here we find an example of an emotion that is in his spirit, not his soul. It was put there by God and it was a driving force of his ministry! Wow!

Roaring sure involves emotional intensity. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah roars at the enemy (Hos. 11:10). This emotional intensity, once again, is a carrier wave for the power of the Holy Spirit to destroy the works of the enemy.

Proper use of mind, will and emotions

It is interesting that even though I believed mind, will and emotions were soulish and to be set aside by a spiritual Christian, all I actually set aside was emotions (except anger, which I clung on to). I still used my mind to build a theology concerning the Lord, and I still set my will to come against sin in my life. So it was really only most emotions that I rejected. However, that way of using my mind and the will was also incorrect.

  1. Now I present my mind to the Lord, asking for Him to illumine my thoughts as He did the disciples on the Emmaus road, and the result is that I experience my heart burning within as He opens Scriptures to me (Lk. 24:32).
  2. Concerning my will: Now, rather than setting my will to attack sin, I set my will to come to Jesus and ask Him to circumcise my heart of sinful desires, and give me a new heart. I set my will to ask the Holy Spirit to anoint me with the power of Almighty God. He does.
  3. Concerning emotions, I gaze upon the pictures God gives me, and His resulting emotions flow. This is because emotions are by-products of the pictures I gaze upon. So I can always have the Kingdom emotions of love, joy and peace (Rom. 14:17) by simply deciding to ONLY gaze upon the pictures of what Jesus is doing!

Does honoring emotions cause marriages to become unstable, or might emotions strengthen a marriage?

People might ask, "Well, what happens when the emotion of romance wears off in your marriage? If you are allowing emotions to influence you, aren't you setting yourself up for a divorce?" Not really, because I have already asked God for His vision concerning my wife and our marriage. His response was to honor Patti the way He made her and to love and cherish her and help her fulfill her destiny. She is perfectly designed by God to complement me and help me fulfill God’s destiny for my life, even as I help her fulfill God’s destiny for her life. Since emotions are by-products of pictures, and I am gazing upon godly pictures concerning the gift that my marriage is, love and romance continue strong. Even lost love can be restored by remembering your first love, and going back to do the things you once did (Rev. 2:4,5). Gazing upon God’s picture of the gift that your spouse is will restore love, honor and appreciation for the fact God puts opposites together so we can become whole. A woman wants and needs to feel emotional warmth from her husband, so honoring emotions will strengthen your marriage.

Experience revivalist style worship that is Jesus-centered, emotional, anointed and popular!

The Throne Room Worship below releases the anointing of the Holy Spirit. People experience a touch from God, are healed, and transformed. Listen and experience the Spirit.

Add new comment

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 421 - 430 of 479

Pages

Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams Digital Videos

The content of these videos is the same as the Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams DVD Set but in digital format. Receive your product immediately with no shipping costs!

Price: $39.95

Your Extraordinary Life Digital Video Downloads

Mark Virkler | 16 Digital Video Sessions

Can you imagine starting new believers off with the Holy Spirit! What if the first thing you were taught as a newborn Christian was how to connect easily and daily with the Holy Spirit Who was living inside you, anointing you, empowering you and transforming you?

Price: $39.95
4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3 Download

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3s

by Mark Virkler | 10 Sessions

As seen on the Sid Roth "It's Supernatural" program, this audio download of the 10-hour course will draw you into a classroom experience with others who are learning to hear from God right alongside you. It follows along with the LEARN 4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice notebook.

Price: $59.95

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3s - Abridged Edition

by Mark Virkler | 10 Sessions of MP3

A complete description is available by clicking here, where you will find information on the 60-minute version of this product. The main difference is that these 10 sessions are shorter, averaging 40 minutes each. You asked for it and it's finally available! The same core teaching now abridged, making the sessions easier to fit into your Sunday School class, home group meeting or lunch hour Bible study.

Price: $39.95

Counseled by God MP3 Download

by Mark Virkler | 13 Sessions

Just Released – 35th Anniversary Edition

The foremost training in the world helping you become emotionally whole by hearing the voice of the Wonderful Counselor! ?You will receive an impartation as you listen to the 13 sessions of Mark Virkler sharing life-transforming principles on how to restore your heart by receiving daily counsel directly from God.

Price: $59.95
Language of the Heart

Language of the Heart - 10 Musical Renditions

Wayne Tester

Do you desire more freedom from anxiety, depression or past hurts? Do you need more inner healing, but you don’t know how to get it? 

Price: $9.95
Prayers That Heal the Heart MP3 Download

Prayers That Heal the Heart Audio MP3 - Revised & Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition

by Mark Virkler | 15 Sessions

Prayer counseling that breaks every yoke! Everything you need to experience deep healing of your soul and spirit. Did you know that you don’t need to be continually plagued by negative thoughts, feelings, pictures or memories?

It is not part of the "human condition" to feel the constant nagging of doubt, insecurity, or anger. No matter what sin you are trying to overcome, what lie you think you’ll always believe, or what traumas your heart has suffered in the past, you will receive total freedom and restoration by praying these prayers in faith.

Price: $59.95

Everyday Angels MP3s

By Charity Virkler Kayembe

You can partner with Heaven’s angelic hosts!

Do you have guardian angels? Does God want you to know them? Find out what Scripture reveals and how YOU can interact with the company of Heaven!

The supernatural realm permeates our natural world! Therefore, experiencing angels should be an everyday occurrence–we simply need to open our spiritual eyes to their reality and role in our lives.

Price: $49.00
Hear God Through Your Dreams MP3s

Hear God Through Your Dreams MP3s

by Mark Virkler | 5 Sessions

A newer version has just released: Click here for Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3s by Charity Kayembe and Mark Virkler (featured on Sid Roth in November, 2016).

Price: $24.95
Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3s by Mark Virkler and Charity Kayembe

Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3 Downloads

Receive divine counsel nightly. Increase emotional health, wisdom and creativity

Learn How to Hear God’s Voice, Even When You Are Sleeping

Recorded live at Catch the Fire in Toronto!

Price: $39.95

Pages