Based on the message:

There’s a powerful scene in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis’s well-known artistic interpretation of the spiritual war between good and evil, where everything seems lost. The Snow Queen (evil/Satan) appears to have won. But then something changes— Aslan the lion (good/God) begins to roar. That roar represents the power of God breaking through when His people need Him most.

This imagery captures what happened in ancient Israel during the time of Samuel. The nation had fallen into spiritual decay. They had lost 30,000 soldiers in battle. The Ark of the Covenant—the very symbol of God’s presence—had been captured by their enemies. The high priest Eli had died. His daughter-in-law named her newborn son Ichabod, meaning “the glory has departed,” before she too passed away.

Israel was in crisis. They needed God to roar on their behalf.

The same cry echoes in many hearts today. We long to see God move powerfully—in our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation. We want to witness His strength breaking through the darkness. But how can we position ourselves to see the Lion roar?

Step One: Recognize the Seriousness of Our Situation

Business author Jim Collins writes in Good to Great that successful companies must “face the brutal facts.” The same principle applies to spiritual life. We cannot experience a breakthrough until we honestly assess where we stand concerning our sin.

David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me.” This requires courage—the willingness to let God shine His light into the dark corners of our lives.

Israel’s situation was dire. They had been treating God like a good luck charm, bringing the Ark into battle while living in compromise. God would not bless that. He is holy—a truth emphasized throughout Scripture. The angels in heaven cry out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.”

God’s holiness means He cannot overlook sin. Even when His own Son bore the sin of the world on the cross, the Father had to turn away. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God will not fellowship with sin.

We must be willing to look in the mirror and acknowledge the truth about our spiritual condition. Only then can real change begin.

Step Two: Get Your Heart Right With God

Samuel spoke directly to the people: “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone, He will deliver you.”

The Israelites hadn’t completely abandoned God—they had added other gods alongside Him. They were trying to worship both Yahweh and the Canaanite deities. They were compromisers. But God demands our whole hearts, not divided loyalty.

The people responded by removing their idols and confessing, “We have sinned against the Lord.” They made a clean break with the things that had separated them from God.

We face the same challenge today. While we may not bow to carved images, we have plenty of modern idols: money, pleasure, success, comfort, entertainment, even our smartphones. An idol is anything that takes God’s rightful place on the throne of our hearts.

The key is complete surrender. No half-measures. No keeping one foot in the world while trying to follow God with the other. As one old hymn puts it: “The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from Thy throne and worship only Thee.”

Step Three: Cry Out to the Lord for Deliverance

When the Philistines heard that Israel had gathered for spiritual renewal, they attacked. This teaches an important lesson: don’t be surprised when you face opposition immediately after getting right with God. The enemy is persistent and will test your commitment.

But Israel had learned what to do. They cried out to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us.” Samuel offered a sacrifice and prayed, and Scripture records: “The Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them.”

Here’s the beautiful irony: The Philistines worshiped Baal, the supposed god of storms. Yet the true God of storms turned their own god’s power against them. When we get on “praying ground” by dealing with sin, God is free to answer powerfully.

After the victory, Samuel set up a stone memorial called an ebenezer, meaning “thus far the Lord has helped us.” It served as a reminder of God’s faithfulness—a crucial practice for maintaining spiritual vitality.

The Circle of Revival

Evangelist Gypsy Smith was once asked how to bring revival. He answered, “Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel in the middle of the floor, draw a circle around yourself with chalk, and pray fervently that God would start a revival within that circle.”

Revival begins with individuals who get serious about God. It starts when we stop making excuses for besetting sins and cry out for genuine transformation. The Lion is ready to roar—but He’s waiting for us to position ourselves rightly before Him.

Will you be that person in the circle?