Encouragement

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It is almost Spring and God is reviving His creation from the dead of Winter. If God can revive Nature, He can revive us. Springtime is a glorious time and how much greater is the glory of Spiritual Revival. We find the answers to this in the life of David in Psalm 51.

Sometime back, I preached a sermon on "Let's Have a Revival Without a Revival". We are so 'clock and calendar conscious', we depend on a set time for revival. When WE are ready, God is always ready for any-one, any-time and any-place. The key is that we must be ready and willing.
Really, revival is bringing needy people together to have an experience with God, where the people will never be the same again.

I was saved at 12 years of age during a revival meeting at my home church, Friendship Baptist near Altus, Oklahoma. I would not be spiritually strong without periodic times of revival with just God and me.
One of my favorite definitions of revival, is "getting your song back". Isaiah 12:2 "Behold God is my salvation. I will trust in and not be afraid, for the Lord is my salvation, my strength and my song."

1) THE SOURCE OF OUR SONG is the Three in One:
God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Kurt Kaiser speaks of this, in his song, 'Bring Back The Springtime':
"When in the Spring, the flowers are blooming bright and fair..after the grey of Winter's gone.
Once again the lark begins its tuning, back in the meadows of my home.
Lord, make me like that stream that flows so cool and clear, down from the mountain high above.
I will tell the world the wondrous story of the precious stream, filled with Your love.
Lord, to my heart bring back the Springtime, take away the cold and dark of sin:
Oh, refill me now, sweet Holy Spirit, may I warm and tender be again."

2) THE SUBJECT OF OUR SONG IS JESUS
Isaiah looked forward to the Messiah coming in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7.
This gave him songs of joy. We should have greater joy in the songs of our life, for Christ HAS come.
Make sure that your JOY is Jesus and you...with nothing (zero) in between!

3) THE SILENCE OF OUR SONG is caused by sin.
In Psalm 51, David gets his song back following a long time of silence. He is revived through repentance, confession and faith. He began singing his song again (See Psalm 51: 7-13) Remember Psalm 137:4. The Jews in captivity said, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" Singing our song must not depend on geography, circumstances or feelings, but on Faith that God will never leave us...nor forsake us. (Hebrew 13:5, 8)

4) THE SUCCESS OF OUR SONG, is we sing in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. Stuart Hamblin was saved in one of Billy Graham's Revivals in Los Angeles. The last song that Hamblin wrote before his salvation, was "I can't go huntin' with you Jake, but I'll go chasin' women".
The first song he wrote after being saved, was "It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you."

My favorite song written by him is, "Until then, my heart shall go on singing"

Thank God for the power to save, to strengthen, to sing, and depend on God for the success.

5) THE SITUATION OF OUR SONG is, we walk by faith...and not by fear....and sing God's song, no matter the situation.
I was pastoring in California when my Dad, who lived in Oklahoma, was having difficulties similar to Alzheimer's disease and it looked as though he might not live much longer. Our congregation at Foothill Baptist in Los Altos, paid for my flight home and I will always be grateful for the 10 days I was able to spend with my Dad and Mom.

During that time, Dad and I were listening to the radio broadcast one Sunday evening from First Baptist Church of Altus, Okla. Jim Landrum was singing a solo and Dad, as best he could, sang along in his deep bass voice "Just when I need Him most, Jesus is near, to comfort and cheer..Just when I need Him most"
When my Dad died a few months later at only 62 years of age, Jesus WAS near!
My Mom lived another 22 years and now, they are together, experiencing HER favorite song, "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be".

6) HE IS THE STRENGTH OF OUR SONG.
A little boy was struggling, trying to lift something when his father asked him, "Son, have you used all of your strength?" The little boy said, "Yes". His father replied, "No, you haven't, for you have not asked me to help you."
PLEASE feel free to ask your Heavenly Father to help you!
The apostle Paul needed that help so often, in a variety of ways and he found that God's grace was always sufficient. (II Cor. 3:4-5 and 9:8 and 12:9)

Several years ago, Gene Bartlett, Head of the Music Dept. for Oklahoma Baptists for many years, came to visit us here in our home. He had written two new songs to be used at Falls Creek Baptist Youth Assembly where he was affectionately known as 'Uncle Gene' as he led the thousands of teenagers in songs of worship each year. Not long before he came to visit us, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and knowing that my wife had Lupus, he wanted to share the songs with us, to give us encouragement. Those songs were, "God's Grace Is Enough For Me" and "Don't You Quit".

One of the theme songs at Falls Creek is "Victory In Jesus" which was written in 1939 by Gene's Dad, E.M. Bartlett.
"I heard about a mansion..He has built for me in glory. And I heard about the streets of gold, Beyond the crystal sea. ÊÊ
About the angels singing...And the old redemption story. And some sweet day, I'll sing up there, The song of Victory.
O victory in Jesus....My Savior forever....He sought me and bought me, with His redeeming Blood.
He loved me ere I knew Him...and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to Victory, beneath the cleansing flood".

A few years after that special visit from Gene, he went Home where he is SINGING his songs of Praise for His Lord!

God bless you as you sing YOUR song. If you don't have a song to sing, Jesus is waiting to give you the greatest song of your life.
The Road to Salvation is sometimes called "The Roman Road" because of these verses found in the book of Romans.
(Romans 3:23...Romans 6:23...Romans 5:8 and Romans 10:4-11)
Also Acts 20:21 says, "Repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ".

You can have this....if you will. This is my prayer for you.

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