It’s actually possible for believers who have been actively involved in Christian service to become somewhat unmotivated or disoriented after receiving a fresh revelation of the all-sufficient love of God for them.  Many times the activities we are doing are really, unknowing to us, in the pursuit of favor from God or men.  When someone comes to the realization that they are already in full possession of everything they need, the only motivation remaining to do any good works is genuine love.

Real ministry comes from the overflow of abiding in this divine love, manifesting itself in selfless giving.  What I just described is a positive reason for “ministry burnout.”  The other is simply that the “why we are doing what we are doing” is burned out!  Both give an opportunity to be motived by a greater love.

As you may have guessed, I personally have experienced this particular “problem” of ministry burnout on several occasions during my 17 years of Christian experience.  Mixed motives have caused me many times to be in pursuit of the public limelight. I’ve experienced burnout because of disappointments and failed expectations, and burnout because I became more aware of the all-sufficient God.  I much prefer the latter.  Either way, any of us in this God-ordained situation can only pray like the Psalms, “Enlarge my heart, that I may run the course of your commandments.”

Maybe you’ve been struggling in ministry? Pastors and leaders are under a barrage of assault from immature sheep (being sheep-bitten) and genuine satanic assault.  Some efforts are birthed simply from the wrong desires, and need to be reestablished by the Lord himself.  (“unless the Lord build the house…”)

Whether you are discouraged or being “reestablished” by the Lord, we can pray two ways.

1. Father, increase my capacity to love.  Enlarge the borders of my heart to love like You love.

2. Father, bring a deeper revelation of Your all-sufficient love towards me. I welcome the reestablishing of Your work through my life.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”  (Ps 23:1)

“Pursue love…”  (1Cor. 14:1)

- Richy Clark

Before there was time, God, all three … of Him, was.  Needing nothing, He dwelt in perfect completion, in perfect harmony with… Himself.  Nothing needed to be added to this perfect union of the Trinity.  No need to be validated as good or benevolent, no need for a companion to bring Him to wholeness.  He was and is whole.  Holy.  All together set apart in perfect completeness.   What then, could motivate a God to create a spectrum of matter and call it our universe?  Why create an Earth if there is no need for it?  Why humans in His, likeness?  Jesus gives us a hint in His final prayers to the Father while on earth …”that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” ( John 17:26 )  It is the overflow of perfect love within the Trinity that created time, matter, earth and our vast universe.  It is a love that cannot be contained, compelling the Godhead outward into vulnerable, unending expansion.

It’s this kind of love that God has invited us into, receiving it, becoming fully satisfied in it, and partnering with Him in the ever expansion of it.

In the famous Psalm, King David declares, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”  In other words, Jesus does such a wonderful job at leading us, that we have need of nothing.  Paul, the Apostle says we have been given, “all things in Christ…”

Wounded hearts that live motivated in the pursuit of acceptance, notoriety, and affirmation, always fall far short of genuine altruistic love.  A love that needs something isn’t really love. (as God defines) It’s more of an “I’ll give for what I can get.”  To love from God’s love is vulnerable, yet fearless. It can be painful to our soul, yet refreshing to our spirits. This kind of love is inexhaustible.

…more on this in Part 2!

Recently, I was leading worship for a small prayer gathering in California. 40 or so people gathered in an old Baptist church, that was apparently no longer Baptist. When worship ended, a friend of mine got up to share his burden for California, and then we opened the mic for others to pray as the rest of the room joined in agreement. After about 3 prayers, a young man took the mic and, as if to do us all a favor, declared enthusiastically, “We don’t need to pray for revival, revival is already here!” From the worship leader position, I had a front row seat to watch the response in the room. About a third of the congregants nodded their heads in agreement; the rest of the room was either deflated or slightly irritated. I had a sudden “opportunity” to say a few things.

1. Prayers for “revival” are for the advancement and enforcement of what Christ has done.  The kingdom has landed, and we get to pray it forth with authority because Christ has “disarmed principalities.” Is there still injustice? Yes. We pray this “revival” into the injustices of our time. (Is 9:7, Col 2:15)

2.  Our “completeness” in Christ does not mean we stop praying for the salvation of others or for our own fresh “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” The reality of our positional perfection before God is not in conflict with these kind of prayers, it empowers them.  We are sanctified and “being sanctified.” The earth has been redeemed and is being redeemed.  ( 2 Pet 1:3, Acts 4:31 )

3.  A burden of prayer, or travailing prayer is not based in someone looking for acceptance from God, or for the ear of God. Instead, it is someone who has been marked with the heart of Jesus, who, having “joy above His companions,” wept over the death of Lazarus.  The miracles of Jesus were done as He was “moved with compassion.” He invites us to share His burdens. ( This can also be likened to what Paul described as spiritual groanings.)  ( John 11:35, Rom 12:15, Rom 8:26)

 4. The blood of Jesus has disarmed principalities, having not yet displaced them; we get to do that! Father Nash operated in this principle, praying in advance for Finney-led revival meetings. The “breakthrough” that Nash would testify of after laboring for days in prayer, could very likely have been the rushing in of angelic assistance (as in Daniel 10),  the binding of the demonic “strong man” in the lives of individuals, or the displacement of regional principalities.  ( Mark 3:27,Col 2:15, Eph 6:12 )

The young man in our prayer meeting probably had a history of God responding to his faith! That is, if we go out and share Christ and pray for the sick, we will see results, regardless of the oppression or the sin of a city! Jesus likes people and moves in response to our faith. There is something to be said for just “going for it” in a city!

More intercessors could use a dose of faith and works mixed with their prayers. More revivalists could use a dose of a prayer burden mixed with compassion. This will all mature together in the coming days!

So, while “possessing all things”, we wrestle (disarmed) principalities by operating in faith for the advancement of a Kingdom that has already landed. Amen.

May the Finney/Nash testimony inspire you to deeper levels of Holy Spirit-burdened prayer and faith in His power to transform cities through an overcoming, faith-filled Church.  - Richy Clark

“Team Finney-Nash” had a good thing going.  God would highlight to them a city or region for a revival. Nash would go in first, recruit some praying folks and board up in a house or hotel and pray, sometimes for weeks, before sending word to Finney that they had the “breakthrough.”

During the revival, Nash was rarely seen, as he was usually praying by name for “hard cases” or those who were resisting the revival in some way. In one instance, there was a group of young men who were adamantly resisting the revival, yet still coming to the services. In a rare appearance, Nash asked Finney to speak at the service.

Finney recounts,

“Toward the close of his (Nash’s) address he waxed exceeding warm, and said to them, ‘Now, mark me, young men! God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by converting some of you, or by sending some of you to Hell. He will do this as certainly as the Lord is my God!’ He was standing where he brought his hand down on the top of the pew before him, so as to make it thoroughly jar. He sat immediately down, dropped his head, and groaned with pain.”

Finney states after this that he (understandably) regretted giving Nash the pulpit, yet didn’t want to rebuke his key intercessor, thus, he waited to see the results. Within a week all of the young men, under great conviction of the Holy Spirit, had repented and given their lives to Christ.

Team Finney-Nash thrived strong for 7 years, until Nash gave up his spirit, in prayer at the age of 56. Finney’s meetings only continued 4 months after Nash’s death. It was then that Finney ceased holding revival services and became a theological professor (a testimony to Nash’s impact).

The stories of the 2nd Great Awakening are so profound here in the 21st century, given the truths the Lord is highlighting to us all in this season. In the last decade we have seen an explosion of prayer ministries, houses of prayer, and national solemn assemblies.  Adjacent, yet not separate from this, has been a renewed emphasis on signs and wonders, revival and city transformation.  Although both movements are in an embryonic state, it is exciting what this means for us, as each mature into the “stature of the fullness of Christ.”

I will address this further in part 3 of the series.

It’s been a while since America has seen entire cities converted to Christ, but it wasn’t uncommon during what was known as the second “Great Awakening.”  (Early 1800′s) At the forefront of this move was Charles Finney, a lawyer who had had a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit at age 29.  Finney’s meetings were marked by great supernatural conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Saints who came to Christ in his meetings knew they had been “saved” from God’s day of wrath, (which is where we get the term “saved”) and had placed their faith in the righteousness of Jesus.  These meetings had profound impact on cities.  In 1830, in Rochester, a town of just 10,000, it was reported that 100,000 people had given their lives to Christ during a revival.  Streets were emptied during the services, bars and theatres were permanently shut down and crime significantly dropped for years after the meetings.  The Second Great Awakening also gave rise to the “Abolitionist Movement” which contributed to the end of slavery in the nation.

During his heyday, the religious establishment did not overwhelmingly support Finney. In fact, his strongest resistance was from the church.  Today, he is widely celebrated, (as it goes) and it is said that some 80% of his converts stayed true to the faith!

Behind every great revival is great intercession.  I cannot recall a single “earth-shaping” historical revival that was not proceeded with an intense season of burdened prayer.  Most of these “revival birthing” prayer meetings consisted of nothing more that a bunch of intercessors huddled on a front porch, barn or down by a riverside, groaning under a sprit of prayer (or travail) for a spiritual breakthrough.

Hidden behind the spotlight of the Second Great Awakening was a man known as “Father Nash.”  Born Daniel Nash in 1775, his prayer ministry began years after being a local pastor, when he was burned out and according to Finney, “backslidden.” Nash was struck with an illness that caused his eyes to become inflamed. The doctor’s solution; spend 3 days in the dark.  With nothing to do, he began praying for souls and received a “burden of prayer.” Nash joined Finney, and the rest is history.

Finney writes about Nash:

(I was asked) “Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?”  “No it isn’t necessary,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”

In the coming days the church will mature into a greater understanding of what Finney and Nash experienced, as the body is being “fitted together.”

Our western view of church life with the big buildings ( and budgets ) has us focusing foremost on those who can pay the bills; middle class families.  Eventually, we’ll get around to reaching teens, but we got to keep our machine moving.  This is a travesty, given only 4% of teens are in church!  That’s, IN church, not necessarily Christian.  Do the math, and where do you find America in the next few years? We are no longer an evangelized nation. 

What troubles me most is a false sense of accomplishment among some Christian circles.  I agree we should never be impressed with the devil, but he does have a MUCH larger youth group than ours.  We must see light break into the darkness and NEW territory taken for the kingdom. 

I don’t mean to sound critical or pessimistic, but lets not be deceived here.

- We need life long youth pastors, not budding preachers looking for the next big gig.  I’ve heard the average term for a youth pastor is less than a year.  In a culture where 50% of marriages end in divorce, flakey youth pastors aren’t going to build anything.

- We need more mission driven churches that are willing to pour, not for profit, resources into evangelizing teens.

- We need apostolic ministries who are reaching teens beyond their normal circle of influence by breaking into unreached territory though unconventional means and willing to take great risks.

- We need a gospel that demonstrates the kingdom with power.  It’s hard to argue with “God just healed my broken arm.”

- We need church planters who are willing to work a day job for 10 years if it means reaching youth and the poor.

The harvest is plentiful….

Richy Clark

In fact, the gospel is to the poor and suffering. Yet I wonder how much of our “health and wealth” preaching isolates those who are suffering. If spiritual success is finally getting that new job, car, promotion, ministry or what not, then does that mean failure for those who are not yet experiencing their “breakthrough?” We pretty much have a gospel that fits our Western worship of materialism. Put Jesus in place of that idol and you have a “successful” church. We want the gospel that costs you nothing, (except of course your tithe money) but HEY you GET a hundred-fold back, right?

Understand: His benefits are awesome! Ps 103 says “He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies.” God’s promises are “Yes and Amen.” These promises include His peace in the midst of tribulation! Our spiritual benefits primarily manifest internally. “Overcoming” is not necessarily your circumstances changing, but learning to sleep in the boat, in the midst of the storm. “Do you not know who I am?” the Lord says to His disciples. We overcome because He has overcome. And overcoming sometimes looks like being nailed to a cross.

He has asked us to follow Him in this manner.

PRAYER: Lord I renounce the idol of materialism and self-comfort in my life. Lead me into the “peace that surpasses all my understanding.“ Send the Comforter into my heart and give me strength to face every obstacle that comes my way.

We know the earth groans and travails with pain, but so does the Apostle. Paul, who is responsible for most of the New Testament writings, subsequently oversaw the maturing of the early church. His self-described prayer life uses words like laboring, groaning and even travailing birth pangs.

This last month, I’ve lead two services in two separate cities, in which a “spirit of travail,” if you will, has swept through the crowd.  Both times, the prayers began with a humble cry to have Christ’s heart for souls, and swelled into what could be heard as a corporate “groaning” in the spirit, lasting 30 min to 1 hour. This was followed by what seemed to be a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.  Upon returning to Kansas City, (our home town) I heard similar reports from other ministries who are experiencing the same thing, particularly during these last few weeks.

Could we be in a spiritual birthing moment for the nation?  I believe so. Travailing prayer preceded most major revivals in history, including Finney’s revivals, the Hebrides revival, and notably the Azusa street revival.  It’s not necessarily the perfect prayer that gets the job done, but the spirit-powered prayer.

Only a few times have I’ve experienced what can be called an “open vision.”  One comes to mind I had years ago during a prayer meeting. In the vision I saw the beautiful planet earth from space. Around the planet were these large hands, shaking the planet. I then heard a voice say loudly 3 times, SOULS!, SOULS!, SOULS!

It is time to travail America. There is always pain before new life. Don’t hide from the pain of spirit-breathed prayer.  It’s time to push.

– Richy Clark

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Gal. 4:19 My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you —

Rom. 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Rom. 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

We are never abandoned, but there are times in which the Lord seems to draw back, compelling us to follow Him.  I think of the calling of some of the apostles in which Christ says, “Follow me,” then starts walking away! The disciple then has to quickly drop his nets before he loses sight of the Lord.  In the same way, we may find God no longer meeting us in a familiar place. You Christian, are then being drawn into the unfamiliar.

As we mature in Christ, being “closer to God” starts looking less like increased prayer, more bible reading, and church services,  and more like doing what He is doing and saying what He is saying. Union with God means maturing into fullness as a member of Christ’s physical representation on the planet. Like a “river in His hands” moving as He wishes.

We all must, at some point, leave the banks of the Jordan and start taking cities. It’s what Jesus is doing.

A “Muslim Extremist” is the politically correct term for a Muslim who fully lives out the Koran’s demands for death and violence toward infidels.  Political pundits have also warned of “Christian Extremism” expecting similar results.  The fact is,  if a Christian fully lives out the Bible, the methods of war and the results are much different.

In the Messianic fervor that swept much of the Middle East prior to the arrival of Christ, most Jews were, understandably, expecting a Messiah who would lead a violent overthrow of their present Roman oppression.  Christ’s intention was made clear in the Apostle John’s declaration that Christ was sent to “destroy the works of the devil.”* These spiritual works included, sickness, disease, and demonic oppression; not to mention redeeming humanity into eternal life.

During Christ’s arrest He tells Peter, “Put away your sword.”** After His resurrection the disciples are still waiting for the violent overthrow, asking, “Is it now time for you to restore the Kingdom?”  The words of Christ echo through this present church age, “The Kingdom of God is within you…” ***

You, Christian, are made to follow in Christ’s footsteps, to “destroy the works of the devil.”  Many cry for “more of God” or to be “closer to Jesus.” Do you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Accept the Great Commission, and you will need it.  You want to be close to Jesus?  Join Him in the battle.  You may be surprised where the front lines are.

Richy Clark

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…”

*1 John 3:8    **John 18:11   ***Luke 17:21