INTRODUCTION:

  A. WE ALL GET DISCOURAGED
    1. How many of you have ever been in the PIT of discouragement?
    2. Put up your hands.
    3. We try to live our lives according to God's Word.
    4. But that does not mean that we're not going to have trouble.

  B. THE BIRD THAT LOST ITS SONG
    1. I heard about a woman who owned a little bird.
    2. The bird lived in a cage and he would sing all day long.
    3. That little bird was always happy.
    4. He brought joy to the whole household with his singing.
    5. One day the mother was cleaning house with a vacuum cleaner.
    6. She wanted to do the bird a favor and vacuum the bottom of the cage.
    7. While cleaning out the cage she dropped a vacuum attachment.
    8. So, she bent over to pick it up.
    9. When she did, the hose went up to the top of the cage.
    10. She heard something go Phoof! and the vacuum began to race.
    11. The bird disappeared like magic as he was sucked inside.
    12. The woman was frantic.
    13. She turned off the vacuum cleaner and opened the bag.
    14. She dug around in all of that dirt and dust until she found that little bird.
    15. She gently cleaned out his mouth and wiped off his eyes.
    16. She brushed him off and put him back on his perch.
    17. But that little bird never sang again.
    18. He lost his song!

  C. HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SONG?
    1. Have you lost your song today?
    2. Has the devil sucked you up in some dark vacuum?
    3. Has the devil caused you to lose your song?
    4. I'll tell you most of us have been down in the devil's dark vacuum.
    5. The devil's done his best to get you discouraged.
    6. The devil's done his best to get you to give up and quit!
    7. He's done his best, but His best isn't good enough! (Can I have an Amen)
    8. You see, we serve a God who's greater than any devil.
    9. He sucks us up, but we just keep coming out!
    10. When you come out of the devil's dark vacuum...
    11. When you come out of the devil's pit...
    12. You've got to clean out your mouth...
    13. You've got to wipe your eyes...
    14. You've got to shake yourself...
    15. And then you've got to trust God to give you a song again!

TEXT:

Psalm 40:2-3 (KJV)
2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

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.
    5. We get discouraged and we want to just 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 into a dark vacuum.
    9. So what!
    10. Trouble has come.
    11. So what!

  B. GOD IS ALIVE
    1. So what if trouble has come?
    2. Our God is the Living God!
    3. Our God is alive!
    4. Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, brush yourself off...
    5. And get ready to sing.

  C. GOD HEARS YOUR 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!
    6. But, I've been knocked into the pit.
    7. I've had the daylights knocked out of me!
    8. God still hears you in the pit.
    9. God sees you even though you don't see Him!

II. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

  A. ISRAEL GOT DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THE WAY

    Numbers 21:4-5
        4  And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to
        compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged
        because of the way.
        5  And the people spake against God, and against Moses...

    1. They got discouraged and they spoke!
    2. Sometimes people get discouraged because they have the wrong kind of
        words coming out of their mouths.
    3. They may live "Home, home on the range..." but they have plenty of
        discouraging words they have to put up with.
    4. Joshua was told, "Let not these words depart out of thy mouth..."
    5. What kind of words?
    6. Joshua was told, "Be strong and of good courage."
    7. Courage is the opposite of discouragement.
    8. What kind of words brought this courage?
    9. What kind of words kept Joshua strong?
    10. It was the commands, counsels, and promises of God!
    11. It was God's words that were supposed to be on his lips.

  B. JOHN THE BAPTIST GOT DISCOURAGED (Matt.11:2-11)
    1. If anyone shouldn't get discouraged, it would be John the Baptist.
    2. John the Baptist was there when he baptized Jesus.
    3. John the Baptist was there when the dove came from heaven.
    4. John the Baptist was there when the voice of God spoke from heaven.
    5. He saw Jesus cast out devils, perform miracles, and heal the sick.
    6. But, when John the Baptist wound up in jail, he got discouraged.
    7. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was really the Messiah!
    8. He was so discouraged that he questioned everything he knew.
    9. Are you in some kind of a prison today?
    10. Has the devil captured you and put bars around you?
    11. Has he sucked you up into a dark place?
    12. Don't get mad at yourself just because you got discouraged.
    13. John the Baptist is a good example.
    14. He got discouraged too!  Just, don't stay discouraged!
    15. Jesus knows where you are.
    16. Jesus knew where John the baptist was and he began to brag on him.
    17. While John's disciples went back to tell him what Jesus had said, Jesus
        began to talk about how great John was and how there was none born of
        a woman who was equal to John the Baptist.
    18. If you're discouraged today, remember God is probably bragging on you!
    19. God is probably saying, have you seen my servant so-and-so?
    20. There's none like him.
    21. God knows you're going to come through it.
    22. You may be in the furnace, but you'll come out without the smell of smoke.
    23. You may be in the lion's den, but God has sent an angel to lock their jaws.

  C. ELIJAH GOT DISCOURAGED (1Kings 18 & 19)
    1. Elijah saw all those wonderful miracles of God.
    2. But, Jezebel got after him and he got discouraged.
    3. He saw the fire fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice.
    4. If I saw fire from heaven I don't think I'd ever be discouraged again
    5. But he saw the fire fall there on Mt. Carmel.
    6. He saw the defeat of the prophets of Baal.
    7. He outran the chariots of Ahab twenty miles across the plains.
    8. He was full of God's power, the hand of God was upon him.
    9. But when he heard that Jezebel was after him, he got discouraged.
    10. Elijah began to run.
    11. At first he was running with the hand of the Lord upon him.
    12. Next, he was running from the hand of Jezebel with fear upon him.
    13. He hid under a Juniper tree and said, "Oh God, let me die."
    14. He got discouraged.
    15. Don't condemn yourself if you've been discouraged.
    16. Maybe you've seen great things like the fire falling...
    17. Perhaps you've had some mighty victories in your life...
    18. Then, you got discouraged.
    19. Quit beating yourself up over it.
    20. Quit crying over it.
    21. Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, dust yourself off, and sing!

  D. DAVID GOT DISCOURAGED (1Sam.30:1-6)
    1. David had an army.
    2. They went out to fight a war.
    3. While they were gone, the enemy burned their town and took their wives.
    4. When David's army came back, they were ready to stone him.
    5. The bible says, "And David was greatly distressed because the people
        thought to stone him."
    6. When somebody steals your wife, it'll get you discouraged.
    7. When somebody else wants to stone you over it, it's even worse.
    8. Nobody was there to encourage David.
    9. Nobody was there to say, "It's gonna be alright, David. We'll get 'em."
    10. On the contrary, everybody was against him.
    11. But, the bible says, "David encouraged himself in the Lord..."
    12. If you don't have anyone else to encourage you, just encourage yourself.
    13. David encouraged himself.
    14. David was almost ready to give up.
    15. He had been anointed to be the next king over Israel.
    16. But, now he was discouraged.
    17. He encouraged himself in the Lord, and in 72 hours he was King.
    18. He was at his darkest hour.
    19. He was "GREATLY DISTRESSED"
    20. He could have given up.
    21. He could have just quit!
    22. He could have said, "That prophet Samuel didn't know what he was
        talking about.  I'm not fit to be a king!"
    23. It was the most discouraging moment of his life up to that point, but 72
        hours later he was sitting on the throne.
    24. Can you praise the Lord this morning?
    25. If you're discouraged, can you praise Him in the midst of discouragement?

III. DON'T SPEAK DISCOURAGEMENT

  A. ISRAEL WAS DISCOURAGED AND SPOKE IT
    1. If you are down and discouraged and dark things are about you, be careful.
    2. When you are discouraged, watch what you say.
    3. Be sure you speak the Word of God and not the word of discouragement.
    4. Notice, "they spake against."
    5. Negative words are easy to come by when you're discouraged.

  B. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU'RE MAD
    1. Notice they spake against.
    2. When you get mad, when you get down, when you get discouraged, be
        careful.
    3. It's easy to speak against others when you're down.
    4. "They spake against Moses."
    5. The preacher was the first one they talked about. Listen.
    6. If you're discouraged, don't talk about the preacher.
    7. Don't blame me, I'm on your side.
    8. Don't write me any bad letters, I'm on your side.
    9. Don't go complaining to your neighbor about me, I'm on your side!

  C. THEY SPOKE AGAINST GOD
    1. How smart is that?
    2. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...
    3. You get discouraged, and somehow it's God's fault.
    4. Even if it was, why would you want to make Him any madder?
    5. Of course it's not God's fault, but how smart is it to speak against God?
    6. It's not a wise move!
    7. Listen, the Bible says God is FOR you!
    8. He's on your side!
    9. Don't blame God!
    10. You have not because you ask not (James 4:2)
    11. Don't talk ABOUT Him, talk TO Him!
    12. Ask and you shall receive  (Matt 7:7)

CONCLUSION:
If you're discouraged...
If you're upset...
If you've just found yourself in the pit of dispair...
Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, dust yourself off, and sing!