It’s time for the church to rise up and be radiant!

I don’t know about you, but I am excited about the season we are in. Since we’ve crossed the threshold into the new year of 2020, we have not merely stepped into a new decade, but a new era—a new season in the Spirit.

Because of the magnitude of what God is doing in our day and age, it is necessary for the church to be spiritually discerning like the sons of Issachar, who understood the times that they were living in and knew what course of action to take accordingly (1 Chronicles 12:32). This is what I believe is part of responding to God’s calling on our lives, both corporately and individually. I feel the Spirit of God is saying that 2020 is the beginning of a great revival, and that this will be a decade of great harvest in America.

In 1984, my wife, Sue, and I moved our family from the Washington D.C. area out to Los Angeles because of a prophetic call. Two years prior, I had a dream in which an African American man appeared to me and said, “The Lord is calling you to Los Angeles, for there will be a great harvest.” Through various seasons of spiritual refreshing—such as local and global expressions of the renewal movement of the 1990s, and a variety of prophetic words in recent years from leaders like Loren Cunningham and Cindy Jacobs—it has become clear to me that we are already in the midst of a significant move of God, and this is only going to increase in the days ahead.

We are living in an extraordinary time, and as followers of Christ we need to prepare for what God is getting ready to release into our nation. When revival comes, it comes first to the church. That means revival is coming your way!

The Lord is calling you to rise up and be radiant because his glory is rising upon his people. Listen to what the Word of God says in Isaiah 60:1–2:

“Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned, and Yahweh’s glory now streams from you! Look carefully! Darkness blankets the earth, and thick gloom covers the nations, but Yahweh arises upon you and the brightness of his glory appears over you!”

Isaiah 60:1–2 TPT

With this passage in mind, just take a look at society. You will easily see that we are living in a dark time. Biblical values are constantly being challenged by mainstream culture, while proponents of immoral lifestyles are idolized in the limelight. But remember that it is in the midst of darkness that Light can shine the brightest.

I have read the commentaries of biblical scholars who write that Isaiah 60 is a prophecy about the postexilic return of Israel to their homeland after spending seventy years in Babylon. In Scripture, there are often different layers of interpretation of the prophetic. I believe the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is for the end times—for us—when the glory of Jesus Christ will shine with greater clarity and power than at any other time in history.

You were created to live each and every day with a vibrant awareness of God’s divine presence, Christ in you, the hope of glory!

“Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!”

Colossians 1:27 TPT

When the church is revived and has tasted God’s glory, we will bring in a great harvest of souls. We see this amazing promise in the next verse of Isaiah’s prophecy:

“Nations will be attracted to your radiant light and kings to the sunrise-glory of your new day.”

Isaiah 60:3

Are you currently living a lifestyle that radiantly reflects the glory of God?

Each one of us has a God-given call to walk as an ambassador of Christ in our generation. Perhaps you feel called to the cultural mountain of media, or government, or arts and entertainment. Wherever it may be, you have the opportunity to be a carrier of his glory and to spark godly change in your sphere of influence.

It is the ever-increasing glory of God—bringing extreme blessings in its wake—that will cause entire nations to come to our Light.

“…We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18

As an integral part of this great harvest, we must lead lives full of the Spirit, marked by both power and purity. Lives of radical, Spirit-inspired holiness are necessary to fuel the advancement of God’s kingdom in our cities, states, and nation. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill and empower you so you can courageously preach the Gospel of the kingdom with signs and wonders following!

When a massive harvest comes in, societies are transformed. During the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905, entire communities saw radical transformation as souls came to Christ and started to do life according to the Spirit! I want to submit to you that God desires to do that again—but on an even larger scale.

Be intentional about cultivating a Spirit-led, supernatural lifestyle. That is exactly what the body of Christ is destined for, and that is what will release more and more of God’s glory in your life and in the lives of those around you. Walking in Christ’s authority, you can do your part in helping fulfill our collective mandate to disciple nations and radiantly usher in a great revival.

“Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”

Matthew 28:19–20 TPT