Coming Out Of The Pit

Title: Coming Out Of The Pit

Text: Psalms 40:2-3

Intro: We all get discouraged. How many of you have ever been in a pit of discouragement? We try to live our lives according to God’s word, but many times we find ourselves in trouble. We fall into a pit and find that not only are we deep in a pit but the pit if miry clay. What do we do?

Ill. Of man walking through graveyard and falls into a grave. Not able to get out, just about to give up when he hears a voice say, “I couldn’t get out either.” The man found new motivation to get out.

Many of us fall into Satan’s miry pit of discouragement and while we are there we lose our joy of salvation, our excitement of service, and our determination for holiness.

ILL. I heard about a woman who owned a little bird. The bird lived in a cage and he would sing all day long. That little bird was always happy. He brought joy to the whole household with his singing. One day the mother was cleaning house with a vacuum cleaner. She wanted to do the bird a favor and vacuum the bottom of the cage. While cleaning out the cage she dropped a vacuum attachment. So, she bent over to pick it up. When she did, the hose went up to the top of the cage. She heard something go Phoof! And the vacuum began to race. The bird disappeared like magic as he was sucked inside. The woman was frantic. She turned off the vacuum cleaner and opened the bag. She dug around in all of that dirt and dust until she found that little bird. She gently cleaned out his mouth and wiped off his eyes. She brushed him off and put him back on his perch. But that little bird never sang again. He lost his song!

Have you lost your song today? Has the devil sucked you up in his vacuum cleaner? Has the devil caused you to lose your song? I’ll tell you most of us have been down in the devil’s vacuum sweeper. The devil’s done his best to get you discouraged. The devil’s done his best to get you to give up and quit! He’s done his best, but His best isn’t good enough! You see, we serve a God who’s greater than any devil. He sucks us up, but we just keep coming out! When you come out of the devil’s vacuum cleaner... When you come out of the devil’s pit...

You’ve got to clean out our mouth.

- You’ve got to wipe your eyes.

- You’ve got to shake yourself.

- And then you’ve got to trust God to give you a song again!

I. DON’T STAY DISCOURAGED

A. Don’t let the Devil steal your song

1. That little bird never sang again

2. He just got up on his little perch and stared.

3. He was in shock.

4. Some of us get shocked when bad things happen to us.

- I’m a child of God.

- This is not supposed to happen to me.

- I serve God.

- Go to church

- Pay my tithes

- Love my neighbor

5. We get discouraged and we want to just give up.

- If this is the way God takes care of me, I give up

6. But God wants you to sing again.

7. God puts a new song in your heart and it’s up to you to sing it.

8. The devil has sucked you up in his vacuum sweeper.

9. Trouble has come. So what!

B. God is Alive

1. So what if trouble has come?

2. Our God is the Living God!

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

3. Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, brush yourself off, and get

ready to sing.

C. God Hears Our Cry

1. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord... and He heard me.

2. God heard me and brought me up out of the pit!

3. God heard me and brought me up out of the miry clay!

4. And he set my feet on the solid rock.

5. God heard David, and God will hear you also!

Psalms 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psalms 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalms 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

6. But, I’ve been knocked into the pit.

7. I’ve had the daylights knocked out of me!