“A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.” –Proverbs 15:13

To be sure, our emotions are touched during revival. The presence of the Lord overwhelms us. Tears may follow or any other emotional manifestation of revival.

However, we must never be led by our emotions. Emotions express our inner feelings, but most of us have learned what happens when we rely on our emotions as a gauge of truth or error. Our emotions are, then, valid outlets when we’re touched by the Holy Spirit. But they are no measurement of revival or even a lack of revival.

“What is really valuable before God is not how we emotionally feel the presence of the Lord or how we even feel love towards him; rather it is how we follow the Holy Spirit and live according to what he has revealed to our spirit. Not emotion but communion with the Lord in the spirit is what is valuable before God.” –Watchman Nee

Prayer Prompt: Lord, may my emotions be moved by your presence, but guard me from making my emotions the sole measurement of your revival. Give me the strength not only to feel your love in my heart but also to demonstrate it with my actions.

Join the whole church in prayer daily, in worship together on Sundays at 10 AM, and at a new course on Life in the Spirit at 6 PM, and also on Wednesday evenings praying together for an hour at 6:30 PM.

We are becoming more intentional in our efforts to follow Christ "Upstream," rather than just drifting downstream into a new year. In 2026 we are committing ourselves as a church body to seek God's heart for revival, reading Scripture and praying along with the prompts in the daily devotional Our Cry for Revival. ConnectionOC.com 🌊​​🛶

These daily devotional videos will continue a one more day, sent each morning by email, and posted as videos on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and as podcasts on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. We encourage you to stick with reading and praying daily throughout the year.

Devotional: Nick Harrison, Our Cry for Revival: 365 Devotions and Prayers for an Outpouring of God’s Spirit (Brentwood, TN: B&H, 2024).