Awakening Begins with Acknowledging Our Need

Pray – (1/2 minutes)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Jesus said, . . . ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’” (John 8:31-34)
   Passage: Romans 3:9-12

        If someone won’t recognize and admit he has a problem, he can’t be helped to address and solve that problem. That truth in our physical and emotional life is true in our spiritual life. Unless a person admits and acknowledges his sin and acknowledges his need for a Savior, he will never find the answer God has given through Jesus. When Jesus pointed to Himself as the truth and the giver of freedom, the Jewish people who heard Him were offended. They claimed that they had never been slaves, but that itself was a refusal to acknowledge physical reality. The Jewish nation had been under occupation many times throughout their history.
       Jesus then told them He was referring to being a slave to sin. Satan doesn’t care if people are religious. He knows that a man-centered religion, bound by tradition that ignores the gospel will be cold and lifeless and not make any difference in the world. Prior to the Great Awakening, the spiritual condition of America was in poor shape. People had left the coldness of the mainline churches and immorality was rampant. Into this condition, God raised up preachers to call people to repentance. The Spirit moved mightily and thousands responded. That conviction was the first step in a Great Awakening that would lay the foundation for the United States to be born.

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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)