return to HOME PAGE Give Me Revival or Give Me Death “      "Give me liberty or give me death", said Patrick Henry in his historical stirring speech to the House of Burgesses as he urged them to legislate military action against the British. Patrick Henry unquestionably had a significant role in the shifting of our founding fathers to stand against the British tyranny. At that point the House was leaning toward not taking any action against the British. But, Henry so challenged the people that after his speech that the crowd jumped to their feet and shouted, “To Arms, To Arms!” What a critical moment in history! One speech from a man known for being a radical, a man that gave a speech a few years earlier that was so radically against the British that people said “It smacked of treason”, this man’s speech now played a critical role in our nation changing directions to take up arms against the British.      I tell you that the last few weeks I have had this rolling around in my heart, and I say, “Give me revival or give me death”. I believe that we are at a similar place that our nation was back in March of 1775 when Patrick Henry gave that speech. There are great things taking place in our nation today, but we must not be asleep at the wheel and miss what God is doing! In 1775 our nation was almost asleep as those representatives in the House were leaning toward not taking military action against the British. Can you imagine that? Had Patrick Henry not riveted them with such a radical speech who knows where we would be today. A situation can be so dire and urgent, and yet people can still be blinded and asleep to any notion or need for change or action.      I believe we are in the same place spiritually right now.  As good as it is to have a beautiful sanctuary or a cutting edge television ministry, we must understand that is just the avenue by which the power of the Word and the Holy Ghost will operate to produce fruit that remains.  It's great to have the most trendy ministry and cutting edge approach, but if we have done that and left out the power of the Word and the manifestation of the fire and gifts of the Holy Ghost then we have missed the boat entirely.  Just as leaders back then had to be awakened to the fact that our nation was in jeopardy, we must be awakened today. Unsaved people here in the U.S. have no idea what the power and the love of God is. We dare not be satisfied with the current state of revival in this nation; if we think this is acceptable then we are sadly mistaken. I am not saying that there aren't strong moves of God in various churches and places here in the U.S., I know that there are many mighty men and women of God that are having a strong impact.  Christianity is supposed to be affecting and changing its culture. The apostles in the book of Acts were literally FEARED by their adversaries to the point that when they showed up in town it was said, “The men that have turned the world upside down have come here also.”  The cry and the need is immanent, Give me revival or give me death!      In that speech Henry also said, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings”. This couldn’t be more accurate of a statement today for the church. Some people are afraid of diving into Holy Ghost revival because they don’t want to rock the boat. We cannot become satisfied with success that comes at the expense of the move of God. As new testament Christians we cannot compromise the very thing that marked the ministers of the early church! They built the church on the foundation of the fire of the Holy Ghost and extreme confrontational preaching of the Word of God. Those are the very things that the devil is pressuring Christians to compromise today.      We can’t delegate the Holy Ghost and His gifts to the back room for people to find Him if they want Him and be a fully obedient christian.  Neither can we withold the salavation message of the Gospel and be obedient to the Lord.  That is having a form of Godliness and are denying the power thereof. If we keep back our voice for salvation, and the message and manifestation of the book of Acts due to fear of offending someone I believe it could be said that guilty of treason against the kingdom of God. Let's not go up in the rapture with the Lord and not be able to look Him in the face due to regret for having compromised the very power and baptism of the Holy Ghost and salvation for which He died. You may say that’s not what He died for. But it is! Read Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33. Jesus died and rose again that He might be our baptizer in the Holy Ghost and fire. Just because there is success doesn’t mean that there is any real impact made by the kingdom of God. Is our ministry growth based on a better program that lures Christians from other ministries or is it based on the book of Acts evangelism driven by the power and the fire of the Holy Ghost? My goodness, is there not a fire burning in your soul for the move of God here in this nation? I pray God use me and this ministry to so provoke the people of God that a cry arises just like in Patrick Henry’s day saying “To Arms To Arms!” I pray that the same people that have been satisfied with our current state of revival and true Christian influence would now turn and shout, “Give me revival or give me death.” Maybe we need a Declaration of Revival to be penned and signed. As Pastor Bob Nichols says, “Whatever it takes, however long it takes, we will see revival in this nation.” I pray every breath in my body and in this ministry would exude Holy Ghost revival. I pray that there be a body of believers who are not willing to just sing about revival but that are willing to lay down their lives, their time, their pocketbooks, their prayer, and their faith for the move of God. True revival will only be born on the back of supreme sacrifice. Give me revival or give me death!