Stirred to share...

After reading brother PJ's thread on Keep the fire burning I felt a stirring in my heart to share a recent revival in my own life in hopes to encourage others and the sermonindex webmasters, so much so that it brought me to tears and then to my knees asking the Lord to give me what to say.About 4 months ago and probably an entire year before that I had been neglecting some very important areas in my life including devotion to God thru His word and prayer because I sort of gave up on this struggle to "Keep the fire burning". I was still attending church and titheing regularly but had become so complacent in every area of my life. It affected my marriage with my wife (who is now 5 months pregnant with our second child, praise Jesus), the raising of my son, my performance at work, fellowship with some of my dearest brothers. It affected everything and I was in a state where it didn't even matter. I don't want to share much of my backslidings as far as sin because the bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatosever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are loveley, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." You get the idea anyways that every area of my life was being affected. I felt condemned and unusable by the Lord much to my own doing."But God who is rich in mercy" had something from sermonindex.net for me which I had no idea existed up until 4 months ago. My wife and I had been talking and praying about moving into a house up north about an hour away where prices were a bit more affordable than down in San Diego. Well it was up there that I had no idea what the Lord was about to do. I called one of my long time friends and closest brothers who is a Pastor/Teacher up at the bible college not more than 10 minutes from the houses we were looking at. He answered his phone and decided that him and his fiance could meet us for lunch at an inexpensive and yet fine dining place called "Taco Bell" :-) We talked and fellowshipped for about an hour there and were so encouraged, but I knew deep down inside that he had no idea where I was and I wasn't being as honest as I could be with him. Well... During the conversation he told me about this website called "Sermonindex.net" and this study from Judges 17 called "10 Shekels and a Shirt" and how it was being passed around the bible college to all the students there and he suggested that I download and listen to it, to which I told him "Thank you, I think I'll do that". As we were leaving and saying goodbye, he looked at me with an excitement and said "Oh wait, I have something for you", and he immediately ran over to his truck and I saw him pull out a cd. He brought it over and said "Put this in your cd player, you can have it". I looked at the cd which was titled "Revival Hymn", and put it in my cd player. We said our final goodbye and were on our way home with an hour long drive in front of us and a :35 minute Revival Hymn to listen to on the way.Continued in next thread..

Well as Paris Reidhead says on that compilation "It was there alone in my truck that my wife and I faced God honestly" with where we were in our lives. I was literally brought to tears by the time that cd ended and looked over at my wife who was in tears and I told her, "I can't explain it but I know that as of right now, I am a changed man, and I am going to get rid of about 10 things in my life that has been hindering my walk with the Lord, and me being a good husband to you." God had so moved me that I was brought to tears, and my wife has maybe seen me cry one other time which was at the movie "The Passion of The Christ". Well I went straight home, burned 11 copies of "Revival Hymn" and 11 copies of "10 Shekels and a Shirt" and my wife and I went out that same Sunday night and began passing these cd's out to those who we thought to bless with what we had. Since then I listened to "Revival Hymn" more than 20 times by myself and many times pulling people into my truck just to share with them this message from God. God had restored the years that the locusts had eaten in my life. My wife and I have the fire burning, I recently started teaching a bible study again after being invited to teach to a group about 45 minutes south of me and then again to a church up in Sacramento. All this within the last 4 months. I am guarding this fire like never before and it hasn't stopped and I don't believe it ever will because my heart was so pierced literally to the point of "Jesus, I'm going to love you, and serve you, and obey you, and do what you tell me to do for the rest of my life, even if I go to hell at the end simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed, and served and I'm not trying to make a deal with you." And in return I have experienced the love and presence of God like never before in my life.In closing God bless you guys here at sermonindex and be encouraged by what God is doing here. I am blessed to now be a part of such a group of believers here as this, and am thankful for the faithfulness here to get His word out. Glory to God.

Praise God brother!What a encouarging testimony to what the Lord is doing in your life and in ours! Thank you so much for sharing this with us all. Well I went straight home, burned 11 copies of "Revival Hymn" and 11 copies of "10 Shekels and a Shirt" and my wife and I went out that same Sunday night and began passing these cd's out to those who we thought to bless with what we had. Since then I listened to "Revival Hymn" more than 20 times by myself and many times pulling people into my truck just to share with them this message from God.O you just have to love it! :-P Practically have it memorized now, but have to pull it back out often (The Revival Hymn) it never fails to get to me...same with 10 Shekels.I recently started teaching a bible study again after being invited to teach to a group about 45 minutes south of me and then again to a church up in Sacramento.Not to far from you, in Santa Clara and make trips up through Sac towards Grass Valley. Where are you presently?I am guarding this fire like never before and it hasn't stopped and I don't believe it ever will because my heart was so pierced literally to the point of "Jesus, I'm going to love you, and serve you, and obey you, and do what you tell me to do for the rest of my life, even if I go to hell at the end simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed, and served and I'm not trying to make a deal with you." And in return I have experienced the love and presence of God like never before in my life.This is what it's all about.Your post has just caused me to praise Him even more! :-P Thank you so much!P.S. Here is a link to that excellent post that Alan 'Bub' mentioned, it's a classic!Keep the Fire Burning!

Praise God Brother,Yes, He is doing a wonderful work in your heart. God is stirring many hearts through that wonderful compilation of many departed men of God.I am guarding this fire like never before and it hasn't stopped and I don't believe it ever will because my heart was so pierced literally to the point of "Jesus, I'm going to love you, and serve you, and obey you, and do what you tell me to do for the rest of my life, even if I go to hell at the end simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed, and served and I'm not trying to make a deal with you." And in return I have experienced the love and presence of God like never before in my life.Amen, it's all about Jesus and once we get back to that and that alone as our aim, we're going to see the fire of God all over.Here's one part that sticks with me and I think of it very often. If you’ve ever seen yourself you’ll know that you’re never gonna be anything else than you were. For in me in my flesh, there is no good thing. Yes, in my flesh there is no good thing. Praise God, it's about our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.As Ian Paisley said from Isaiah 52:1 " Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion." Amen, thanks for sharing the work that Jesus is doing in your heart.