Under King Manasseh, things could not have been worse. We read in 2 Chronicles 33:6, "Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger." After the long reign of King Manasseh, his son, Josiah takes the reign, and we read in 34:2, "And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord,...". We read in 34:14, as Josiah ordered the temple to be cleansed and purged of all the idolatrous items placed there by his father, "Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses." The Bible had been missing all of these years. When they presented the Book and read it to King Josiah, we read in 34:19, "Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes." The Word of God cut him to the core and he immediately set about trying to make things right according to God's Word. Though, destruction was prophesied for Judah in the future, the prophetess told Josiah in 34:27, "because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the Lord." We next see King Josiah gather all the inhabitants of Judah in 34:30, "...And he read in the hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord."

If you know someone who does not know Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives, besides presenting them with the gospel message, invite them to read the Bible which has the power to bring revival to the heart. If you find yourself backsliding and feel your faith is slipping, reignite your heart by spending time in God's Word. Not cherry-picking favorite verses, or focusing on certain books, but allowing the entirety of God's Word to direct our lives. The choice is ours. We can try to focus on the externals and bring about some temporary changes, or we can focus on the internals, by continually bathing our hearts in the Word of God and bring about revival. There are no shortcuts. Our walk is continuous, and we need to surround ourselves with Him forever.