God, give us a reset

For years, I’ve been seeking revival in my generation. But there is no revival without holiness. And holiness requires a reset.

Ten years ago, God put a message of “reset” on my heart. I knew God was offering a second chance to a generation, and I wanted to tell everybody. From then on, I recruited my family, my friends and our team at Pulse to go all-in for Jesus. We went anywhere God opened a door, trying to talk about the supernatural reset offered in him.

“Reset” is traditionally a technology term. Our phones, our computers, the power outlet in our bathrooms — they all have reset buttons. To reset means to clear past errors and get the system in question working toward its intended or created purpose. That’s exactly what the Gospel that God offers us — an invitation to life the way it was meant to be lived.

But if they’re not careful, it’s easy for Christians, especially Christians in positions of leadership, to put on a false front, ignoring what may be wrong, wicked and shameful in their own lives. None of us are immune to the temptation.

“Satan” literally means “adversary” and he tends to try and trip up Christians with three key temptations: power, sex and money.

Power
When we find ourselves in positions of power, we are prone to pride. We think we've arrived and we begin to think of ourselves higher than we ought. This ultimately harms our relationships and our ministries. Our service becomes self-focused, neglecting the image of God in those we are seeking to serve.

Sex
If we don’t guard our hearts and our minds, lust can quickly gain control over our lives. It takes root and creates distance between us and those we love. We begin to keep secrets from those close to us, even God.

Money
1 Timothy 6:10 warns us, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” When we allow the love of money to penetrate our hearts, materialism and greed quickly follow.

Neither power, sex nor money are inherently evil things. But they each carry heavy responsibilities and require intentional accountability and commitment to integrity. Even so, those of us with the best intentions still fall short. And God doesn't tolerate it.

Apostle John tells us, “God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the dark, we lie and do not live in the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus purifies us.” He then says “If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us” (1 John 1:5-9).

Yet, we who are the church have gotten really good at pointing out other people's sins while tolerating and even celebrating sin in the house of God.

It’s time to get honest with ourselves, with God and with our people. Repentance is about realizing our own wickedness in light of the holiness of God. Like the prophet Isaiah, we must say, “Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips.”
 
I’ve experienced this reset firsthand and it has truly changed my life. I know that by the power of Jesus, this reset message can set a generation free. I’m already witnessing this freedom unfold, and I believe this is a revival generation.

I'm calling for repentance that begins with me, and I invite you to join me in calling out to God. May God reset and revive us as we repent, so that we may share the power of his great love with a generation in need.