Revival is filled with promises. Although these promises are true—since they come not from man but from God—that does not change the fact that there is, however, a process. Very often, the promises do not come to pass overnight.

There is a process we are first subjected to. I believe this generation is in that period: the promises of revival have been given, everyone knows their role in this revival, yet we are still not ready to step out and manifest it.

Between the day David received the royal anointing in 1 Samuel 16:13 and the day he actually became king in 2 Samuel 5:4, about 15 years passed according to historians. Over time, I’ve learned one thing: a mad Saul is better than a David who hasn’t been prepared for the throne. Unfortunately, many of us have been so captivated by the promises of revival that we’ve forgotten the preparation that must accompany them.

This preparation, this period, is what we call “hiding yourself.” The promise often feels very long when we don’t know how to occupy the waiting time. I believe God allows this gap between the promise and its fulfillment so that man can prepare and rise to the level of the promise.

In every promise, there is man’s part and God’s part. If God gives His word, it will come to pass no matter what—but if its fulfillment meets an unprepared man, he will only be a borrowed vessel and will gain nothing from it. God wants to save people through us, but He begins by saving us. That’s why He gives us this time of preparation.

“Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’” — Joshua 3:5

The issue is not whether the Lord will come. That’s a promise already made, and it will be fulfilled. The real issue is preparation. God has done His part—He promises to move among the people—but the people’s part is to sanctify themselves so they can fully benefit from the promise.

In reality, whether or not you sanctify yourself, God will still move. But if you don’t, you simply won’t benefit from it. That is exactly what “hiding yourself” is for. It’s man’s response to God’s call—or more precisely, to God’s promises. Promises often have the power to seduce us when they evoke in us a vivid image of their fulfillment, to the point where we no longer see the path of the process. And yet, before getting there, there is much to learn—and much to let go of.

The consequence of exposing oneself too early is that we end up with men of God who are not firmly rooted, often bringing unbalanced doctrines. But beyond that, the greatest problem is that by stepping out before our time, we create a void in our time. I mean that when your real time of manifestation comes, you may already be burned out—and thus create a void on the battlefield.

Let the manifestations of others not push us out of our own time of preparation.

In trying to understand what often leads people to skip the time of preparation and manifest themselves prematurely, I’ve come to two conclusions. I don’t consider them the only ones, as I know there are many others—but at my level, I find these two to be among the most important: influence and motivation.

• Influence

Regarding influence, I’ve highlighted the influence of the season—or of others’ manifestations—as well as the fame of Adullam.

The influence of others’ seasons or manifestations: That desire to also be put forward, to be seen when many others are exposed—especially when those people are close to us. We’re often pressured by questions like, “So when will you be consecrated?” “When will you launch a ministry?” “When are you organizing an event?” The pressure of the “and you?”

Eventually, we start convincing ourselves that we’re better equipped than those being exposed and that if we had the same opportunity, it would all make sense. It’s an influence tainted with pride.

Many have self-proclaimed themselves as servants or started a work of ministry simply due to this influence. This influence is very subtle—and often affects even the strongest. I admit, I’ve acted under this influence several times in the past. Naturally, man has the desire to be recognized.

Maslow’s pyramid, which summarizes the five basic human needs, reveals one need that closely relates to this influence: the need for esteem. Every human being carries within the desire to be respected by others and to succeed.

In our carnal nature, we easily feel wronged when we’re not recognized for what we believe to be our true value. And the influence of others’ seasons or manifestations feeds off this need.

Naturally, we have a hard time when others are more praised than we are—especially when we believe ourselves to be more qualified. I once worked for a few months in sales for a mobile network. One principle we learned there, which also plays a major role in this behavior, was this: one way to convince a client to buy a product is by telling them that everyone around them already has it—and they’re all satisfied.

Our nature instinctively wants us to be first. It doesn’t accept others having something we don’t. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Seeing everyone enter their season of manifestation while we remain at the Master’s feet creates frustration that pushes us to want to expose ourselves too.

Let others’ seasons not rush us. We will certainly not all be exposed at the same time. Even if the hour is revival, not everyone…

This text is an excerpt from the book “REVIVAL AS SEEN BY A SON” written by Jefferson Grace Mango.

We invite you to read the next article: “REVIVAL AND RELIGION.”

HIDE YOURSELF OR REVEAL YOURSELF.