by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. 

Igniting revival begins by simply being in love with Jesus and sharing that passion with others. It only takes one match to light a revival fire that has the potential to impact generations.

In the early 1900s, spiritual hunger was being awakened in Wales. Methodist preacher Joseph Jenkins led a conference in 1903 focused on cultivating a deeper life in Christ. The next year, after being confronted by one of his congregants who said his preaching lacked power and conviction, Jenkins did some deep soul searching. He studied the writings of South African Andrew Murray and read a biography about D.L. Moody, which caused him to hunger for a greater experience with God. One night as he wrestled with God into the late hours, he had a life-changing encounter where he said he felt as if he was enveloped by a blue flame as the Holy Spirit descended upon him.[i] Overnight, he was transformed and ignited with fresh fire for God.

Florrie Evans was in his youth group and was being convicted by his new fiery preaching. On February 14, 1904 after the church service, Florrie wanted to connect with Jenkins but was too afraid to approach him. She later paced in front of the door to his house for about 30 minutes before getting the courage to knock on his door. When she finally did, he welcomed her in, and they sat in silence for a time until she spoke up to share her heart and how she longed to know God. He asked her if she had allowed Jesus to be Lord of her life. She wasn’t sure if she could do that yet because she feared what she would have to give up. He encouraged her to accept Jesus as Lord of her life and to shut herself away in her room to fully surrender to Him and to welcome the Holy Spirit.

The next Sunday, after the main service, Jenkins led another smaller meeting of about 60 young people, and asked them this question:

“What does the Lord Jesus Christ mean to you?”

One boy stood up and exclaimed, “Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world!”

This was not what Jenkins was looking for, so he rephrased the question and put the emphasis on the word you in his question. That’s when 19-year-old Florrie Evans stood to her feet and with a tremor in her voice proclaimed,

“I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart!”

God crashed in the room, and many started to break down and cry under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Revival began to spread in her church and beyond. Florrie’s declaration of love for Jesus is said to have been the spark that ignited a flame of what would later become known as the Welsh Revival.

Several months later, a group from Florrie’s church traveled to the region where 26-year-old coal miner Evan Roberts (1878-1951) was attending ministry school. He attended a revival meeting they led in Blaenanerch and it was there that he had his defining “bend me” encounter where God marked him with fire.[ii] About a month later, after having an open vision, he felt compelled to preach to the young people at his home church at Moriah Chapel. It was there, on October 31, 1904 that he preached and convinced all 17 people present to be saved. That was the beginning of what would later become known as the Welsh Revival of 1904 -1905 where in less than six months, over 100,000 people got saved. Shops closed down, people reconciled, crime decreased, debts were paid off, and the nation was brought to a spiritual awakening which continues to have ripple effects around the world to this day.

When this revival burst upon the scene, people from around the world were drawn to Wales to partake in what God was doing. They did not come to see an anointed speaker or a talented worship group on a stage; they came to meet with God. One eyewitness recounted:

“I saw a large, deep gallery surrounding the chapel literally packed with men. They were manly, intensely earnest faces, not looking around or talking one to the other, but with one consent utterly taken up with God. The body of the chapel was also crowded with men and women of all classes, with but one purpose–TO MEET GOD. There was no opening to the meeting; the hearts were full, and burst with prayer and praise to a God felt to be in our midst.”[iii]

The meetings were marked by prayer, testimony, and worship. The spontaneous leading of the Holy Spirit took precedent over any set plans or agendas. People were drawn to this revival to encounter God in a greater measure than ever before.

And it all got sparked by a teenage girl who simply declared her love and devotion for Jesus.

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” –Matthew 22:37

Never underestimate the power of declaring your love for Jesus to this world.

*This excerpt was taken from Jen’s new book Feasting on God’s Presence: 40 Days of Encountering the Holy Spirit through Fasting coming out December 2024 and available for pre-sale today.

How does learning about how one teenage girl’s intimate love for Jesus ignited a powerful move of God impact you? What does it look like for you to declare your devotion and love for Jesus today?

NOTES

[i] “Florrie Evans: The Girl Who Started a Revival” by David Pike https://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-story-of-girl-who-began-revival.html

[ii] Daniel M. Phillips, Evan Roberts: The Great Welsh Revivalist and His Work (originally London: Marshall Brothers, 1906 2nd edition) accessed through a digital copy purchased from The Revival Library (www.welshrevival.org), 113.

[iii] Report by Mrs. M. Baxter in The Eleventh Hour in S.B. Shaw, The Great Revival in Wales (Chicago, IL: S.B. Shaw Publisher, 1905), 13-14.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

On April 6-7, 2024, me and some of the School of Revival family headed out to Thomasville, Georgia to host an encounter night and to minister at Victory Fellowship Church after a one year delay. See blog about our kairos moment in Macon, GA immediately following this time in Thomasville to learn more of the back story.

While in Thomasville, we got to be a part of a regionwide encounter night where God met us in a powerful way. At the end, we called up the leaders of the various ministries and churches in the region and got to lay hands on them and bless them.

Then on the Sunday, we got to minister at church and so many people came to the altar to surrender afresh and lay down their lives fully consecrated unto Jesus. It was so beautiful. Watch the teaching in video below.

Thanks for all the prayers in partnering to see God pour out His Spirit across the globe. I pray you are blessed, inspired, challenged, and ignited with fresh fire for first love of Jesus as you watch this session.

Blessing you!

Jen

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Revival Historian

Welsh Revival (1904-05)

Less than 20 people (17 people) gathered at Moriah Chapel October 31, 1904 when Evan Roberts preached. All present gave their lives to Christ. When these 17 people came to Christ, Roberts knew that the revival he had been praying his whole life for had come.

In less than six months, over 100,000 people got saved and the entire nation was radically transformed. This later became known as the Welsh Revival and released impartation for the Azusa Street Revival. Roberts, only 26 years old at the time, led that first catalytic meeting with less than 20 people present.

Azusa Street Revival (1906)

On April 9, 1906 in a little home on Bonnie Brae St. in Los Angeles, less than 20 people (around 15 people), many of whom were on a 10 day fast, gathered together with one agenda, to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. They wanted to tap into what those at the Upper room waited for. As William J. Seymour preached on Acts 2, the Spirit fell upon them, baptizing several of them in power. A few days later, after their porch fell through because of the weight of the increasing people coming who were hungry for an all-consuming encounter from God, they moved to Azusa Street, Global Pentecostalism was birthed, and the rest is history. But, it all started with a remnant of hungry ones. Around 15 people gathering in a home with no other agenda than to position themselves and call out to God for Him baptize and utterly consume them with the Holy Spirit.

Asbury Revival (2023)

Fast forward to today. On February 8, 2023, in Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, less than 20 students (around 19 students) remained to linger in God’s presence after a required chapel service where the speaker shared about Romans 12. Other students began to filter back into the chapel later throughout the day. More people continued to be drawn to this well of revival. People gathered non-stop in the auditorium for a few weeks with eventually over 25,000 people came to partake of this well in a town of only 6,000.

This would be the 9th revival since 1905 that was birthed from this deep well at Asbury, many occurring in February. This fire has since ignited many other revival fires around the globe. It has given people permission to linger.

The re-opening of the well of revival at Asbury was catalytic to unstop wells around the globe all at the same time. There was some anointed in this Kairos moment where He used that well as a key unlock and cause other wells to spring up and new wells to arise.  It gave people permission to linger.

In letter to intercessor Frank Bartleman, Evan Roberts wrote:

“Congregate the people together who are willing to make a total surrender. Pray and wait. Believe God’s promises. Hold daily meetings. May God bless you, is my earnest prayer. Yours in Christ, Evan Roberts.”

We don’t need huge crowds; we just need the hungry.

Remember, it was less than 20 people who were a part of catalyzing the Welsh Revival, the Azusa Street Revival, and the 2023 Asbury Revival.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Gather the hungry, pray, seek the Lord with no other agenda than to love Him with everything inside you.

In another letter from Roberts to Bartleman, he says,

“I believe that the world is upon the threshold of a great religious revival, and pray daily that I may be allowed to help bring this about. Wonderful things have happened in Wales [Asbury] in a few weeks, but these are only a beginning. The world will be swept by His Spirit as by a rushing, mighty wind. Many who are now silent Christians will lead the movement. They will see a great light, and will reflect this light to thousands now in darkness. Thousands will do more than we have accomplished, as God gives them power.”

I wonder what would happen if we substituted the word “Wales” for “Asbury” above… They were in Kairos moment in the early 1900s, a special window of opportunity where God accelerated the expansion of His kingdom all around them. We are in another Kairos moment today.

We are alive for such a time as this. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. The Tsunami wave of revival we have been praying our whole lives for has already begun and is upon us. It’s time to lean in for the ride of your life and don’t let Him go.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.  

Ankeny, Iowa

October 1-2, 2022

October 1, 2022 I found myself at Heartland Church in Iowa for Fan the Flame Women’s conference (2 Timothy 1:6-8) revival fire day conference. So much prayer, fasting, and expectation preceded this beautiful assignment. I was invited earlier this year to speak at the women’s conference at Heartland church by Kate McGovern. When she was praying for who to invite, she felt God told her to watch Sid Roth. When she did, it just happened to be the episode I was on! The very next day, a beautiful one named Sandra who I had helped with her book project years ago via Writing in the Glory called Kate to suggest if she hadn’t found a speaker yet to consider inviting me. That was crazy confirmation. Immediately, when I got the invitation to go to Iowa for a revival fire women’s conference, I felt God all over it and knew deep within my spirit this was not just a nice little ministry trip, this was a God ordained and orchestrated assignment from heaven. As our team of intercessors and theirs too, prayed and fasted leading into the event, we all felt there would be a birthing and also saw that the fire of God would mark people.

Episode on Sid Roth where I share about the Welsh Revival and Azusa Street Revival

The first meeting on Saturday, I invited the women to spend some time simply waiting upon the Holy Spirit. As we “dove into the River” of His presence and waited upon Him, He began to move in power. People were weeping, others having birthing pangs as if in labor, some singing out prophetically, and others experiencing freedom simply by taking the time to hear what God wanted to say to them. After a good time of waiting upon the Holy Spirit, I proceeded to share about a teenage girl named Florrie Evans who loved the Lord Jesus Christ with all her heart and boldly proclaimed her love in a 1903 meeting in Wales. Her sold out and personal devotion to Jesus was the match that lit the revival fire that would later spread to and ignite a young coal miner named Evan Roberts who in turn led the Welsh Revival (1904-05). During and after sharing about the Welsh Revival people came up to the altar to lay their lives down and welcome the fire of God to burn in them.

I was so blessed to have Sara and Christy from School of Revival and Amy from Destiny House come all the way to Iowa to partner together in helping birth this church and region into a greater realm of the Holy Spirit. After the first meeting, Christy shared

I've had many instances of people being ignited with fire when I laid hands on them but something new took place this time; women would instantly start weeping with the laying on of hands and I would literally see Jesus over them cupping their hearts, their faces, their dreams, their visions, their families and releasing his Fatherly love so preciously that I started weeping as well. It was the most touching experience I've had while ministering. It was a love for his daughters that was like giving the gift of a Father's blessing to be fully known and fully loved in the purest form possible so that they could burn brighter for him. 

In the morning session, while standing in the back of the room after Jen took time to wait on the Holy Spirit I saw the Spirit sweep across the room touching people and releasing them from restricting lies and affirming them of their worthiness to be loved. So much love being released to fan the flame of the fire that these women were carrying with their hunger for more of Jesus. And then, at the end of the 1st session, I was led to just start prophesying to women's hurts with love from the Father. That He saw their pain, disappointments, discouragement and hopelessness but he was giving them the ability to move past it and receive the truth of how he saw them. More tears and so many redeeming hugs!! Hearts were getting filled with the spring of life like Jesus did for the Samaritan women at the well in John 4.

In the second session, we opened it up for people to share testimonies of what God had done earlier so we could all celebrate and give Him glory. In Revelation 19:10, it says that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Celebrating what God did in the past prophesies and releases breakthrough for Him to do it again! Here are a few of the testimonies that were released:

• One woman who laid her life down at the altar, was healed of mental health issues.

• Another had her voice restored to her where she had previously felt shut down. God revealed that He had always heard her!

• One woman felt fire as she laid at the altar and deep pain from her past was healed.

• Another testified that she believed she was healed from ovarian cancer.

• One saw a vision from the Lord of her dancing with Him and Him restoring her first dance.

• One woman who had been devastated by loss of many in her family within the last year was completely delivered and set free from fear, anxiety, death, and oppression from the enemy. Her countenance was visibly different the rest of the conference. 

The evening session that same night was open to men, women, and children. After waiting on the Holy Spirit and sharing about the Azusa Street Revival, God came with His power from on high and baptized people with the Holy Spirit. Many people were trembling under the mighty hand of God, on the floor, shaking, feeling electricity. God was empowering people to live boldly and become burning ones for Him. Saturday night was a commissioning where many were set apart and marked.

I got asked that night to speak at church Sunday morning by Pastor Dave who is an incredible intercessor and has a passion for revival. I felt so welcomed by him and his team all weekend long! I was so honored to continue in the flow of what the Holy Spirit was pouring out in the region. On Sunday morning, we continued in the momentum of what God had been pouring out and began by waiting upon the Holy Spirit and then diving deep into the Ezekiel 47 River. The altar was full again of those ready to dive all the way in. I found out that while we were fully immersed in the presence of the Holy Spirit and just lingering in His presence and glory, one man’s neck was fully healed. I later got a testimony that one person’s mom had come to church that day, was overcome, and weeping in the presence of God, went to the altar. She wept for about an hour there, encountered Jesus and received her prayer language!

The hunger in that region and preparation of the soil by prayer made it ever ready for a fresh wave of revival. Please continue to pray that every seed that got planted and every encounter, revelation, move of God remains and only increases in their fire and devotion for Jesus. They are perfectly positioned for a mighty move of God to spread from the heartland like wild fire. They’ve experienced revival in the past and are a praying church, positioned to steward a fresh move of the Spirit. Pray for more oil and that the fire was ignited afresh spreads across the land.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

When we create space for God to move, He always does. It’s wonderful. People get touched, healed, and marked by His love. And then there’s those times when we get caught up into a momentum that is so much bigger than anyone could imagine. That’s when we see a move of God take place where all we want to do is stay out of the way so we don’t hinder what God is doing. Well, this weekend in Fredericksburg, Virginia we experienced all of these scenarios. God moved in a special way when we created space for Him to move and we also experienced a tangible move of God. I give a brief overview and then highlight the youth meeting in detail below. Enjoy the ride!

Friday Encounter Revival Night

The Friday night Revival meeting was so tender as we cultivated space to simply be in His presence together. Kim Hager was leading worship during the encounter and ministry time as seen in photo above. To access some of her music go HERE.

Writing in the Glory Workshop

On Saturday during the impartation time in the Writing in the Glory workshop, God crashed in and marked people with His power and unlocked their voices. We also had our youngest graduate who was a two month old baby named Revival join us! I am literally carrying Revival in that picture!!!

Focus

In the Sunday morning church service, I shared from my recent transition the need to throw off everything that hinders, even the good things, and run the race with endurance keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Here’s a 2 minute clip to encourage you below to step into the gold God has for you in this season.

I Give You My Yes

Then on Sunday night with the youth group, we experienced a unique move of God unfold before our very eyes.

Immediately following the meeting that evening at 11:54 pm on March 31, 2019, I wrote the following account:

I just left the prayer room tonight at 11pm. I went there at 6pm for a youth meeting, my last event after a packed weekend of a revival encounter night, writing in the glory workshop, and preaching at church this morning. To be honest, I was pretty tired and had no idea what I was going to share this evening. I was grateful to get time in God’s presence in worship to hear His agenda for the night. It was during that time that I began to get downloads for the evening.

Then after worship, I did something I’ve never really done before in a meeting. At the very beginning of my talk, I gathered all of the youth up to the front and then invited them to sit down as if we were encircling around a camp fire, except we were going to camp around God’s presence and I was going to tell Holy Ghost stories. I started by sharing about the Welsh Revival and how it was really catalyzed by a teenage girl named Florrie Evans who, in her youth group, boldly declared that she loved Jesus with all her heart. This declaration of love lit a flame which spread to Evan Roberts who eventually stewarded and led the revival that in only 4 months brought in over 100,000 salvations.

Then I shared a little bit about the Azusa Street Revival and what happened when a handful of people gathered together in a home with their only agenda to encounter God. Revival broke out from that little house on Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles in 1906 and has impacted us generations later. I shared briefly about Pandita Ramabai in India and the revival that broke out at her orphanage. When the children were praying and going after God one night, what appeared to be fire rested on one of the girls and it looked so real that another girl got a bucket of water and was about to throw it on her until she realized that it was the fire of God. (I found out later that this youth group had experienced something similar on their youth retreat not long before). I next shared my Miracle Flight story and how one yes can lead to another yes and can actually have ripple effects beyond what we could even see.

After encouraging them to all stand and put out their hands to receive, I prayed for a fresh baptism of the Spirit and fire. Then after God was touching them, I felt to create space for the youth to share anything they felt was a corporate word of encouragement for the group. A few shared their hearts and what God had shown them which was so good. Then I felt there was a guy supposed to share, especially since all of those who came up were girls. After a while when no one came up, a girl came up with tears in her eyes to share and encourage people to give God even their weak yes (thank God she didn’t let the barrier of not fitting the description hold her back from releasing what God was burdening on her heart to release). This was the Holy Spirit’s direction for what would take place next.

Then the Spirit led to open up the microphone and an invitation for whoever felt to come up and say their renewed yes to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. This was a prophetic act that I believed would unlock something. Then I stood there amazed as I watched a tangible move of God take place with this youth group.

One by one, they slowly came up and said their yes to follow Jesus with their whole hearts. They did not rush up to the microphone to say yes flippantly, but really considered and counted the cost before stepping out. These were already Christians so it was no altar call for salvation but for wholehearted yieldedness and consecration. It was a laying down of their lives to say yes to whatever God called them to. Many were weeping. Even some who never made it up to say yes were weeping. Whenever one spoke out their yes, it was important to cover them in prayer. As we continued to wait on God, many were kneeling and weeping before the Lord while others were hugging and praying for their friends.

I had never experienced anything like this before in my life in a youth group. Whenever I release the Welsh Revival or the Azusa Revival, something powerful and deep always happens. This time it was both revivals released at the same night with a youth group that was hungry for God and even preparing to send several into Iraq to release worship there. It was one of those moments of stepping into a momentum so great where everyone just gets swept up into God’s divine purposes.

Many of the youth stayed kneeling or positioning themselves to encounter God even as parents showed up. Youth group was supposed to end around 8pm but even until 9pm many of the youth were still encountering God and getting marked by His consecrated fire. Around 9:30 or 10, there was just a handful of youth left along with some parents and youth leaders present. Then one of the beautiful girls who was on the youth team to the Middle East leaving this week, went to the piano and with tears in her eyes played and sang out to Jesus and also flowed in prophetic intercession over the sons and daughters in the Middle East that are so loved by God (her mother told me that this was the first time she had ever stepped out to do something like this). Another girl got up and danced which I found out later she had not done for a year. Then we just sat there and soaked in God’s presence as these beautiful surrendered lovers of Jesus worshiped for another hour. Their moms were getting wrecked in the back watching their daughters flow so freely and yielded to the Holy Spirit. I ended up leaving at 11pm and they were still going. There was so much freedom in the house. The next day I found out that they stayed worshipping there until 1:00 a.m.

While I see God move every time we create space and give Him room to come in our meetings, I don’t always see or experience a tangible move of God as profound as this one. It feels like we stepped into something so much bigger than ourselves. I’m so grateful for the timing and opportunity to witness and be swept up in this move of God here for such a time as this. What a deep well this place is and I’m so excited for the new season God is inviting them into.

Testimonies

Watch the video below at minute 7:00-17:00 to see some of the testimonies from the youth that they released the next evening in the prayer meeting.

I am so thankful for Kim Hager welcoming me to minister in this city and launching the pioneering Walking on Water groups here, David Bradshaw for what he has built and cultivated here, Aaron the youth pastor who has been making room for the Holy Spirit and is hungry to see God move, Havilah for the courage to say yes, Susan for welcoming me in the women’s ministry, Scott Bradshaw for the revival history tour, Bill & Nancy for hosting me, Liz for that epic massage, Emily for those timeless stories, Joan Hutter for introducing me to the inheritance in Virginia and coming out twice to support what God is doing in Fredericksburg, and everyone who was a part of making this such an unforgettable week.  I am excited for what God is doing and continuing to do in greater measures here in Virginia. May all who read this receive a fresh wind of the Spirit and a deeper fire of consecration marking you so you are ready and perfectly positioned to steward the incoming harvest that is already upon us. All for His glory, Holy Spirit come!

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*If you want to learn more about the Azusa Street Revival, The Welsh Revival, and Pandita Ramabai’s revival in India, check out Ignite Azusa or join our School of Pioneering Revival