Our church, Clearwater Baptist Church in Athens, TN, is having revival this week.  It started yesterday and goes through Wednesday.  It’s been a while since I’ve been to a revival, and I have to say that, for me, it’s long over due.  We’ve had the privilege to have Evangelist Dwight Singleton speak and both services yesterday.  I’m not sure that I can convey all that I’m getting all out of this already, but I can tell you that I feel a refreshing breeze in my soul.  I’ve been reminded of several things, and I would like to share some thoughts and sermon notes with you.

Yesterday morning, Dwight Singleton preached on Hebrews 12:1-2:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I also want to add verse 3:

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

I added verse 3 because it tells me that when I grow weary of the daily battles/valleys/sorrows,  if I fix my eyes on Him and keep my faith, He will give me the strength to carry on and make it through each and every hardship. 

Here are the points that I wrote down:

• If we want God to be victorious in our lives, we must be willing to get ALL the junk (sin) out of our lives so that He can work through us.
• God is not in a partnership with us.  God is God ALL BY HIMSELF.
• The word of God will always rule and reign.  He will always be right.
• The worst thing about sin is that we lose our ability to influence.
• God wants us to be holy.  When we become holy, we’ll be happy.
• Let us throw off the junk that hinders before it so easily entangles, & let us cast our eyes on Jesus and keep our focus on Him.

His evening sermon was on Matthew 15:29-31:

“Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee.  Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.  Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.   The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.  And they praised the God of Israel.”

Here, Jesus went up on the mountain to spend some alone time with God, and the crowds followed him up the mountain. 

Here are the important points that I wrote down:

• Our power comes from spending time in prayer.  When we spend time in God’s word and in prayer, we have the strength to carry on and make it through anything this world can throw at us. 
• God is an extraordinary God who wants to do extraordinary things.  We just need to ask and simply believe that He can do anything. 
• God is good ALL the time.
• We don’t need to worry about God’s business. No matter what we’re going through, we need to leave it in God’s hands and have the faith that He will take care of things as He sees fit.  As Dwight so simply put it, “We need to stay out of God’s business!”.
• Quit whining when things get tough.  God is still God and is always faithful.  There’s nothing that He can’t do.  We need to have the same faith in God through the bad times as we do through the good times.  He’s still God no matter what we’re going through, and nothing happens to us that he does not allow to happen. 

My soul feels so fresh this morning.  I really hate when I allow life to get in the way of my faith in God.  I still have the faith, but when I try to do things on my own, I’m telling God that I don’t think he can take care of things when I really know that He can.  How about you?  Have you been allowing your lack of faith control your life instead of keeping your eyes focused on God and allowing Him to take care of His business?