When we are tired or have gone through a particularly trying time, nothing feels better than doing something that revitalizes us. Revitalizing may come from many avenues but normally it involves rest and the partaking of food or drink. We recharge our batteries by resting and taking on more fuel. This will refresh our bodies and our minds, but there is a refreshing that the Bible refers to that rejuvenates our spirit.

There are only a few references to being refreshed in the scriptures but they are significant. We find in Exodus 23:12 Moses explaining the laws pertaining to the Sabbath and why they should keep the day holy. It was for them to honor God, to rest, and to have the Lord refresh them. The Sabbath rest that we now have includes peace, joy, freedom, security, grace, and refreshment. All of which are found in God. In His rest and presence we are refreshed and renewed.
In Jeremiah 31:25 God speaks through the prophet and tell the exiles in Babylon that when they return He will refresh all those who are weary. He will not only bring them home, but He will see to it that they are reinvigorated, restrengthened, and revitalized to carry on their lives. He provides a way out for us and then makes sure that we can move on by replenishing us.

We see this principle clearly in Acts 3. Peter is speaking to the Jews in the temple about their ignorance and participation in the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter states that they had killed the Author of life. They were not in a good place. Peter did not diminish their predicament but showed them the way out. If they would repent and turn back to God, He will not only forgive but make a way for “times of refreshing.” As they were restored back to fellowship with God, this refreshing was to come from the presence of the Lord. Restoration to fellowship with God is amazing in itself, but God then refreshes, gives us His rest, feeds us with spiritual food, allows us to drink from His fountain, restores our soul, reinvigorates our vision and purpose, strengthens our hands for the tasks ahead, and heals all of our wounds.

Peter spoke of these times as coming on the heels of repentance, and rightly so. I believe that these times of refreshing can also come whenever we have need of them. When we are stressed, tired, fatigued or facing difficulty He comes and refreshes us. At other times, we draw near to our Father and are in His presence just enjoying His fellowship and He refreshes us. We have also seen where He moves sovereignly upon the church as a whole, pours out His Spirit on the body, and He refreshes us together. These times of corporate refreshing are wonderful. God reveals His hand to bless and revitalize the body so that everyone can see His commitment to and His intervention into our lives. The body is subsequently infused with new faith and vision to see His work advanced. Are these times of refreshing revival? No, but, I believe they are precursors or forerunners of revival because God has showed His love and power to His people and as they call out for more and draw nearer, revival is not far off.

He is a God that restores, renews, revives, and refreshes. I am glad that He does all these things and that He does them all at the right time. So, when the winds of refreshing are needed, draw close to God, put up your sails, catch the wind of the Spirit, and let Him revitalize you.

How do you get your energy back? How do you get refreshed? It can vary from a week’s vacation in an exotic place to just going to bed early! We’re all different and we re-energize in different ways, but when we are weary, really weary, and we need refreshing, there really is only one source: HE RESTORES MY SOUL.

As tempting as it may be to curl up on the sofa, put on a movie, unplug the phone and lock the door, there are times when that just won’t cut it. It had its place, it worked last week, but this week…I need…refreshing. Super-charged, get-up-and-go, take on the world, yes I am actually alive and kicking, refreshing!

As already pointed out, in Psalm 23, it states, “He” restores my soul. I have had to come to the realization that only God is the restorer of souls. No-one else. Nothing else. Those other things may help for a while, but at the end of the day, it’s only God who can breathe His supernatural breath into my soul and cause it to prosper, be in peace, and sing.

Isaiah 40:29-31, “He gives STRENGTH to the weary and INCREASES THE POWER of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
According to this scripture we will:
1) Have strength.
2) Increased power.
3) Soar.
4) Run.
5) Walk.
6) Not get weary or faint.

Over the years God has given me practical tips on how to stay in His strength and allow my soul to be restored. By keeping Him as our hope and our dwelling place, it means we are focused on Him and allow nothing else to replace that hope. He is our vision. There have been times when I have had to examine the amount of space in my head that is occupied by books I read, TV I watch, and words I listen to. I have had to pay attention to the people I hang out with. I try to stick with the ones who have faith, the ones that make me feel encouraged when I walk away, having felt pleased to be in their company. I avoid critical talkers. Anyone can do that, and because we live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people, there will always be opportunity to discuss such things. Stay away.

I pay attention to meetings. When I go to church, I go with an expectancy that God will speak to me. For me. About me. Meet me. That I will feel His presence. This is not the time to stay away being “refreshed” at home. It doesn’t work for me. I have to be with His people, where there is a power in combined faith and corporate worship that causes praise to go through the roof, where I can push life aside and say, “There you are!” to the face of God. It’s where others come with a word of encouragement, a prophetic word, an exhortation, a scripture, a song. It’s where someone stands up and preaches the word of God that I believe has the power to radically change my life. Where we pray together, break bread together, stand up for and alongside each other. It’s where He is! He is always there dwelling with His people.

A tactic of the enemy is to make you believe that God has nothing more to give you, that there is no deeper, higher, more intimate place you can go. That there are not things undiscovered or unearthed. That this is it.

Over the past three years in particular, God has shown me that when He is in the process of meeting me and refreshing me, that it’s not a simple case of, “Oh well, cheer up then!” It’s more of a guided tour of what He wants to say to me and show me. He’s the tour guide. Not me. It means surrender. When I surrender totally and try not to be a control freak, He turns up in an intimate way and it is awesome!

One way that God has taken me by the hand and led me to new levels of previously inexperienced places is in our Deeper meetings. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when we embarked on the monthly Sunday night gatherings. The first thing I thought was, “Oh good. Worship!” and then I got practical. What shall we sing? Who can play? What are we going to do for two hours? Gradually, as the months went by, the power of His presence in those meetings began to affect my life. I found the closer I drew to Him the hungrier I became. The more He turned up, the hungrier I was.

I became totally convinced there was far more. That somehow, a happy contentment had stolen from me the desire to pursue God and know Him on a deeper level than I ever had before. God began to move out of a 2 hour slot on a Sunday night and into my week. He would wake me in the night and speak to me. I began to have frequent dreams where answers would come at me. I would be driving through town and begin to cry because His presence in my car was so thick. I found His love would wrap me in a blanket of warmth that kept out the cold of lack. I found Him. All over again. And in this process of devotion HE RESTORED MY SOUL.

I was not even looking for it. He just did it. And I realized a restored soul is part of His benefits when I drew near. Having strength, having power, soaring, running, walking, it’s all part of being in Him. It is not separate. You don’t wait until you are down and out to go find Him and ask for restoration. You don’t wait until you are exhausted to get filled again. You just live in Him. All the time. Every day.

Think Hawaii? Oh yes! Think coffee? For sure! Think movies? Certainly! Think friends? Absolutely!
Think God? ALWAYS!

Theresa Tumer
As a reporter, shooting, writing, and editing my own stories was part of the job, but the current direction of the industry worried me. I realized I needed to do something else and spent the past two years looking for a new job. Driving home from my vacation this past June I heard a song on the radio with the chorus, “I could really use a wish right now.” I had been dreading my return to work and that chorus became my prayer to God. I walked into work and received a separation agreement from my boss because my seniority and pay were higher than other reporters. Initially, I panicked. However, while on vacation I received a job offer. God went above and beyond. I was able to take off the month of June with pay knowing there was a new job with better pay and better hours waiting for me. My new job is amazing; it is all I want and allows me to take my idea and run with it.

All praise to God Almighty. He is my shield and my exceedingly great reward!

Daniel Kraft
As a student in School of the Word Canada, I am unable to work so, I started to run out of money rather quickly. I had no money for rent and no money for a bus pass. I went to God with the verse in Malachi that says, “Put me to the test.” Despite the fact I had little money, I gave all the money I had. That week a neighbor asked me to mow their lawn and I received the exact amount that I previously gave. The next day God said to me, “You put me to the test and see that I will not throw open the storehouses of Heaven.” So, I came to God with the expectation that there would be something more because God multiplies the seed sown. Four hours later I went out with some friends and they presented me with a gift from their parents. It turned out that I received enough money for my rent, a bus pass, my tithe and an offering. Praise the Lord!

Ever since the birth of the church in first century A.D., the arts have been commonplace amongst the believer’s community. From the construction of huge intricately designed cathedrals with their beautiful mosaics and painted walls, to the songs of worship sung by the congregation. The arts have been an important part of church history as well as church outreach and growth. Recently, there has been a growing movement amongst the Christian Arts community in which the very art that is being created is not just for entertainment but also more importantly for communicating the word of God.

Art is about communication. An artist’s purpose in a painting a picture, designing a piece of architecture, or writing a song is to communicate. They may be conveying an idea, a belief, a story, or an emotion. Art is such a powerful tool for communication that it has been used in the study of history as a way of understanding cultures and peoples, their ideas, their beliefs, and their stories. And it is effective because it overcomes any obstacle that different languages or illiteracy can cause. If someone cannot read, they can still enjoy art. If someone is in a foreign nation and does not understand their dialect, they can still understand their art. One needs only the ability to see with their eyes and hear with their ears to appreciate a piece of art; having it communicate to their mind and touch their hearts.

The prophetic is also about communication. All of God’s people are prophetic people. The Holy Spirit dwells within the believer and it is through the Holy Spirit that a Christian has the ability to be prophetic. What many people do not realize though, is that the prophetic voice inside them is for more than just Sunday mornings. It is a voice that can speak to and through many areas of a Christian’s life. That voice is what can inspire an idea, making something that is just good into something that is great. Specifically in the area of the arts, it is what can inspire a song or a painting to communicate the heart of God, which will change people’s lives. In fact, when Christians decide to reach to God for an their artistic inspiration, the result is a piece of art inspired by the Creator of the universe, that can touch the very depths of one’s soul, able to bring revelation and encouragement, and communicate what God is saying to His people and to the world.

At The Point Church this fall, we will be hosting a Prophetic Art Show. As the time draws near, we encourage you to seek the Lord and draw from spending time with Him an inspired idea of creativity that you can share with the church. It does not matter if you are artistic or not, God can speak to anyone and give them the ability to do what He asks. As a prophetic people let us go down new avenues of creativity as we seek the Lord this year.