Celebrity and Spectacle Eclipsed by Move of God; Asbury Revival Ignites America’s Youth for Christ

We are warned in Scripture that in the last days, gross darkness will cover the earth. People will be haters of good and scoffers who follow their own lusts and evil desires. These prophecies certainly unfolded at the Grammys and Super Bowl this year.

By now you’ve certainly heard about Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s performance of their song “Unholy” at the Grammys on February 5, 2023. It was an over-the-top caricature of Satan—complete with devil horns, red latex, red lighting, and Smith flashing the 666 symbol.

Consistent with the theme, Jay-Z closed out the show with a reenactment of the Last Supper with himself as the Christ figure at the table performing “God Did.” Jay-Z, comparing himself to Jesus and referring to himself as “Hov” (short for J-Hov, a play on Jehovah), claimed in a verse ‘’the book of Hov” is like the Bible: “These ain’t songs. These are hymns because I am him. It’s the Psalm 151, this New Testament, the book of Hov.”

Exactly one week later, Rihanna, who has 144 million Instagram followers and a reported net worth of 1.4 billion, performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. She was also dressed in red, displayed the 666 hand gesture as she held her mic, appeared to levitate over a mirrored black rectangle, and ended her performance with the Illuminati “triangle of manifestation” symbol—all Luciferian signaling of allegiance.

Damar Hamlin also made a notable appearance at the Super Bowl. Weeks after the nation prayed for his miraculous recovery, he chose to wear a jacket titled “Travis Jesus,” which was reportedly a reference to Travis Scott’s “satanic ritual” at Astroworld in 2021, where 10 people were killed and scores injured in a stampede. The jacket’s design was generally perceived by the public as a mockery of the crucified Christ with its cartoon illustration of Jesus on the cross under the word “ETERNAL.”

Obviously, all of these blasphemies could easily be dismissed as contrivances to elicit shock from Christians. And they were. However, given that all of these performances were part of major events, broadcast on primetime network television, and the agenda pushing was blatant (homosexuality, transgenderism, mockery of Christianity), we know that these stunts were not aimed at offending my generation but were attempts to shape the ideology and values of our youth.

But is this what our youth are looking for? I don’t think so. I believe the media, celebrities, and even Satan himself have grossly underestimated the hearts, tastes, depth, and spiritual hunger of those whom we abbreviate as “Gen Z.” The frenzy of coverage of these spectacles was swiftly eclipsed by an event that many never saw coming—revival in a Methodist college in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Exactly three days after the Grammys, revival broke out at Asbury University after a normal chapel service ended with the prayer, “Holy Spirit … would You produce fruit in this room, in these souls, these minds, and these hearts … Just do a new thing in our midst and revive us by Your love.” Instead of leaving, students just continued in worship and prayer, which led to “altars full to the brim with people weeping before the Lord, the aisles jammed to the back of the auditorium with more people waiting to get to the altar. It has been a revival of repentance.” The revival has drawn visitors from across the country and around the world, as far away as Singapore.

The revival lasted at the small campus for 13 days straight, 24/7, drawing tens of thousands of people. As of the writing of this blog, the hashtag #asburyrevival received 104.4 million views and counting on TikTok. Revival has spread to numerous other campuses across the nation.

One member of my church, a college student whom I’ve known since she was 10 years old, attended the Asbury revival. She said that through this experience, “The Lord has made it known to my generation and the past generations that there is still community in the church, despite what the media may claim. There is a hunger and thirst in my generation to know the Lord and to taste His goodness. The devil thought my generation was his, but the Lord will ALWAYS win.”

So powerful!

What the Asbury revival reveals is that nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare with the presence of the true and living God. “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” is reduced to nil when compared to an encounter with the Most High. How can antics at the Grammys or Super Bowl even come close? Jesus always wins!

God’s hand is on this generation. It is no coincidence that He has chosen to pour Himself out on this group, at this time, and in this manner. While the last days may appear dark, God is fulfilling His promise, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.” My prayer is that His Spirit will continue to be poured out on our children and that the winds of revival will continue to sweep across this nation and around the world.

As the old hymn goes, “O Lord, send a revival, and let it begin with me!” Come Holy Spirit!

To take a deep dive into how celebrities, media, the occult, and the Illuminati have infiltrated our culture and targeted our youth, check out my book Fight Like Heaven! I also discuss how we, as parents and the church, can create an example and environment to draw our children into a relationship with God.

Need a quicker read? Check out A Call to Arms: Your Quick Start to Fight Like Heaven!  You will find a brief teaching on the seven mountains of influence, specific instructions for spiritual warfare and intercession over these areas, and recommendations for personal strategies to impact these spheres for the Kingdom of God. When you purchase a bundle, A Call to Arms is perfect to use as an evangelism tool and/or study with your small group.

Finally, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel, Drenda on Guard, where you will hear the uncensored truth and a Kingdom perspective on news and current events that affect you.