Through Jesus, Not Just With Him

 

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NKJV)

There’s a growing urgency in the world right now, especially here in the UK. A sense that we’re being pushed toward a fight — culturally, spiritually, perhaps even physically. And many are calling for action. For a revolution, even.

But as I sat with this idea — and with the word “revival,” which features heavily in my own writing — I felt a quiet caution rise up. A reminder that even good words can be emptied out by overuse, and even good action can be emptied out of power when it begins in us rather than in God.

Revolution is what we do.

Revival is what God does.

And yet, this doesn’t mean we sit passively by while the world burns. There is a call to act — to stand, speak, resist, and sometimes even to fight. But the order matters. The direction matters. The source matters.

If we rush into the storm in our own strength, shouting “Jesus, come with me!”, we’ve already begun the battle without Him. But if we draw close to Him first, and stay there, and move only when He moves — then what we do is not simply resistance, it becomes obedience. Not striving, but alignment.

That’s the difference between saying:

“I’m going to the fight for Jesus,”

and saying:

“I’m going through Jesus to wherever He’s asking me to stand.”

This matters, because if revival is something God does, then our part is not to make it happen, but to prepare the soil — in our own hearts, in our communities, in how we stand and pray and speak. We can resist evil, yes, but we do so in Him, not just for Him.

It’s easy in times like this to feel the pressure to do something, to take up arms whether physical or ideological, to react to the darkness. But the harder invitation is to first take up closeness — to listen, to yield, to obey, and then to move. Not dragging Jesus behind us, but staying tethered to the One who knows the way through the storm.

Revolution is urgent and loud.

Revival is deep and rooted.

One burns fast. The other grows slowly — but shakes nations.

I don’t know yet how or whether I’ll share this publicly. But I know I need it as a reminder for myself — that every action begins with presence, that every battle begins in His shadow, and every call to stand must be answered from a place of being rooted in Him.

May God give us the wisdom to discern the difference.

And the courage to stay close as He leads us into the heart of whatever is coming.

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you…” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV)