VALLEYS OF LIFE
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1. THERE IS A VALLEY FILLED WITH GIANTS.
THEY ATTEMPT TO BREAK YOU DOWN, INTIMIDATE YOU, MAKE YOU FEEL AS IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CHANCE. JUST LIKE GOLIATH TRIED TO DO.
Joshua 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
WHO ARE SOME OF THESE GIANTS ?
- THE WORLD’S VIEW OF THE NEWS
- DEPRESSION. CAN BE HORMONAL, HABIT, UNWILLINGNESS TO TURN THINGS OVER
TO GOD AND LEAVE THEM THERE IN HIS HANDS (LACK OF FAITH). - DEFEATS OF THE PAST. THEY COME AND HAUNT YOU, SAYING YOU CAN’T WIN.
- BLINDNESS. CAN’T SEE ANY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
- ANGER AND HATRED. THINGS NOT COMMITTED TO GOD WITH A WILLINGNESS
TO CHANGE.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
God didn’t leave us here for a lifetime of defeat ! That would be an embarrassment upon His Name, and would be miserable for us ! He gave us power over ALL the power of the enemy, and we need to use what He gave to us !
2. THERE IS A VALLEY FOR JUDGMENT.
GET OUT OF IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN. IT USUALLY HAS SEVERAL CITIES IN IT. GOD SAYS GET OUT OR BE JUDGED WITH THEM. (Modern Law: “Accessory to a crime” “To be convicted as an accessory to a crime, the person must possess an awareness of the crime, either before or after its commission.” ).
A. IT HAS A HISTORY OF JUDGMENT TAKING PLACE.
YET SOME PEOPLE WANT TO DWELL THERE. ABRAHAM KNEW ABOUT IT AND SO HE PRAYED FOR LOT.
2 Samuel 8:13 And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.
DON’T STAY IN A PLACE WHERE GOD SAYS
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
B. THE SAME VALLEY WILL SPELL THE DEATH OF NATIONS IN THE FUTURE.
Ezekiel 39:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
3. THE VALLEY OF UNNECESSARY BATTLES.
GOING INTO WAR AGAINST SOMETHING OR SOMEONE THAT GOD SAID NOT TO DO. JOSIAH WAS ONE OF THE MOST GODLY KINGS, YET HE MADE THE MISTAKE OF TAKING ON BATTLES THAT HE WAS NOT CALLED TO FIGHT.
2 Chronicles 35:22 20-23 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
WE HAVE ENOUGH BATTLES TO WAGE THAT GOD GAVE TO US AND THEY ARE IMPORTANT, SO WE SHOULD NOT GO OUT PICKING BATTLES THAT GOD DIDN’T CALL US TO. IT PLACES TOO MUCH ON YOU, AND YOU CAN GET HURT. *Josiah was seeing people turned back to God. He needed to lead a revival among the people, not go and fight physical armies.
4. THERE IS A VALLEY THAT HAS A SCARY SHADOW.
***Heard even younger people speaking about the possibility of death recently. The warning from China to keep away from their newly created islands, the possibility of some unidentified space object crashing down to earth, the diseases being raised out of ancient archeological dig sites, all bring people of all ages to wonder if they will live tomorrow. BUT, GOD WANTS YOU TO KEEP ON WALKING !
Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
DEATH FOR THE TRUE BELIEVER IS MERELY THAT–A SHADOW. THERE IS NO DEATH FOR US. WE SIMPLY GO FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
John 11:24-26 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
5. THE FINAL VALLEY FOR MEN WHO WANT TO RULE THEMSELVES. PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT JESUS TO BE LORD OVER THEM.
Joel 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
”Valleys Of Life”
A Bible Study with Dr. Ed J. MacWilliams
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