Pastor Lindell Ballenger

This is a small quote from the Sunday message at Jubilee International Pensacola.  Be encouraged.  He has heard your cry and He will bring you up out of the pit where you have been and give you a new song to sing.

HE BROUGHT ME OUT OF THE PIT

PSALM 40:1- 5

I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth —

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,

And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works

Which You have done;

And Your thoughts toward us

Cannot be recounted to You in order;

If I would declare and speak of them,

They are more than can be numbered.

A Personal pit is a very deep subject, The Pit. There is a pit because I went there.  So many don’t talk about stresses in life and just believed if you are full of the Holy Spirit it would all be all right.

Over 50 per cent of hospital patients don’t have physical problems just physical symptoms.  Stress and emotional problems will manifest in physical symptoms.  Panic attacks pain, suicide etc.

There are times when you can’t feel the presence of God anywhere. It is as though you have been deserted.  It is as if I was in the pit of despair.

But while I was in the pit I discovered many had come down there before me because there was writing on the pit wall. As I was in the pit I began to look at the graffiti writing on the pit wall and I began to read.

There is a balm in Gilead.  I was up to my neck in deep crap but God sent Ebid Melech to pull me out of the pit.

Signed: Jeremiah. 

The lion sleeps tonight p. s. The lions don’t bite.

Signed: Daniel

While in the pit I began to read these words.

Smoke does not get in your eyes they thought they threw three men into the fire but there are now four in here and one looks like the Son of God. p.s. We will not bow and we will not burn.

Signed: The Three Hebrew Children.

I read this on the pit wall.

Expect twice as much as you had before because I know my redeemer lives.

Signed: Job

I begin to get encouraged. There were other writings on the pit wall that caught my attention.

One said, the fish will spit you up and you will do the will of God. Signed: Jonah

Another on pit wall read:

Jail house rock:  There is a whole lot of shaking going on.  P. S shake it off.

Signed: Paul

I read these words on the pit wall:

I will run through a troop and I will leap over a wall the bigger they come the harder they fall.

Signed: David

I was starting to get encouraged by now. I saw some more writing and I wrote it down.

I am he that lives and was dead and I am alive forever more, and I have the keys.

Signed: Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I begin to discover I was not the first one to go down to the pit.  David said he brought me up out of a horrible pit.

David, Jesus, Jonah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, they all had been there.

I read these words on the pit wall:

I lost my coat twice my brothers got it and Potiphers wife got it.  They got my coat but they didn’t get my dream and I am coming up out of here.

Signed: Joseph

I begin to get encouraged, God has given me a dream and if the devil could get my dream he would have me. My dreams motivate me. This is something I have in me.          

The Devil wants to steal  your dreams and get someone in your face to say you don’t have it go home, you failed, quit.  He wants somebody to stare you down and take your dreams from you.

Some of you are in the pit and devil is trying to take your dreams from you. Don’t allow it.  Talk about your dreams. Read the graffiti on the wall of the pit from those who have gone before.

God will let you dream be as big as you can dream.

Understand if you dream big you may live a lonely life.  People despise big dreamers.

Go ahead and start dreaming they may take your coat and kick you out of their company. Oh yes, Big dreamers sometimes live lonely lives but the future is amazing.