The Cost of Revival

Revival sounds glorious—and it is. But too often, we talk about revival like it’s a spiritual fire that just descends from heaven when conditions are right. We pray for it. We preach about it. We hunger for it. But we rarely stop to consider the cost of revival.

Make no mistake: revival will cost you. It will cost your comfort. It will cost your pride. It may cost your routine, your reputation, and everything you thought was “normal.” And it will absolutely cost you control.

At The Lion’s Roar Podcast, we’ve been diving deep into this idea: What does it really take to see revival—not just in our churches or communities, but in our personal lives?

1. Revival Costs Our Complacency

True revival doesn’t leave room for half-hearted devotion. It burns away apathy like fire burns chaff. If you're asking God to revive something in your life—a calling, a relationship, a church—you have to be ready to let go of your passive posture. Revival demands engagement. It calls you to rise early, pray longer, fast deeper, and pursue God with abandon.

2. Revival Costs Our Reputation

Real revival looks messy to the watching world. When hearts are broken open and people start repenting, weeping, testifying, and worshiping like their lives depend on it—it confuses the comfortable. But God has never been concerned with how things look. He’s concerned with truth, transformation, and total surrender. If your image matters more than your intimacy with God, revival will always feel out of reach.

3. Revival Costs Our Schedule

There’s no such thing as a “tidy” revival. Revival interrupts. It doesn't respect your calendar. It may turn a one-hour service into an all-night encounter. It might stir inconvenient conversations or redirect your entire life path. Revival doesn’t fit into human timetables; it demands that we align with God’s.

4. Revival Costs Our Idols

We all have them—those hidden things we love more than we should. Whether it's comfort, money, ministry success, or even control, revival shines a spotlight on what we've tried to keep in the shadows. It calls us to tear down our idols, even the ones we’ve decorated with religious language. And that tearing can hurt. But on the other side of that pain is freedom.

The Reward Is Greater

Revival is costly, yes. But it's not a transaction—it’s a transformation. It’s not earned, but it does require response. The price is high, but the reward is higher. When revival comes, dead things live again. Hearts burn. Hope rises. The Lion of Judah roars—and nothing stays the same.

So here’s the question: Are you willing to pay the price?