Elements of Transformation - Desperation

There are a number of characteristics or "Core Principles" of transformation that can be observed in those communities where true transformation is taking place. Fiji, Almolonga, Guatemala, Brazil, and now here in Manchester, Kentucky. Of all of those (these "Core Principles are articulated in the DVD, "The Quickening") prinicples, perhaps the most elusive for those of us in the West is "desperation."

In the DVD, "An Appalachian Dawn" the testimony of Pastor Doug Abner and other is, that they had not where else to go, they were just desperate. My own sense is that for the vast majority of our "ministry" population, we do not really understand what desperation truly is.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines desperation as: "loss of hope and surrender to despair." Now, we might at first reject that definition by saying that we as believers should never lose hope or give in to despair. And, of course, there is truth to that in the sense that the Lord is our hope, but that is exactly the point! As I observe the Christian landscape, I see a great deal of activity. A great amount of energy is being expended doing this conference and going here and there, talking about this destiny, or that program. It seems to me that having conferences or such is just another evidence that we have not "lost hope" in our own abilities to somehow "make" something happen. Desperation that leads to transformation is when we as a people of God come to the absolute place  of despair  and loss of hope that anything we produce would lead us to revival or transformation. 

This kind of desperation is evidenced by persistent prayer that has come to the realization that unless God intervenes in this situation, there IS NOT HOPE! I honestly see very little of that kind of desperation in the Church today in the West. I hear very little of repentance, and turning to the Lord. There are calls for prayer, but those periods are short-lived and we are soon back to our familiar patterns of program and activity.

 And, the reality is that this kind of desperation cannot be "manufactured" by our frenetic activities. It would seem that we are still in the "we can work our way out of this jam" mentality. The promise of God is sure to those who will give up trying to lean on self made activities. His promise is, that if we align ourselves with Him, His heart, and His ways, He will come to us as surely as the sun rises (Hosea 6:1-3).  We already know there is nothing we can do to "make" the sun rise in the East. God calls for that same acknowledgment when it comes to revival and transformation. He waits for us to truly get desperate.