Down In The Valley

Volume 10 Issue 7

Greeting in His Name,

John P. Kee's song Lily In The Valley says, "there is joy, love, peace in the valley. The vamp goes on to say, somebody found God, deliverance, peace, joy, love, and hope in the valley." Don't dismiss your valley. So with that being said, today's blog is entitled Down In The Valley. Hope you find some inspiration, conviction, and queries.

shalom and love,

heidi

---

A valley can be an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, esp. one following the course of a stream. An extensive, more or less flat, and relatively low region drained by a great river system. Any depression or hollow resembling a valley. A low point or interval in any process, representation, or situation. Any place, period, or situation that is filled with fear, gloom, foreboding, or the like: the valley of despair. In short, a valley is a place surrounded by mountains with a strong possibility of water being near.*

Does life present you with MOUNTAINS while in valleys? I encourage you to search out the water. There is a refreshing spring in the midst of that place. The enemy will discourage you and dim your vision into a mirage of nothing but I promise if you go back and look again there is some REAL water there. I am not telling you something I have not experienced myself. I have endured a time when I questioned whether God was speaking to me and if He was there with me. But as one of my close associates explained, “Heidi, God not answering your much needed questions is maturing you to trust Him at a greater level and yes Heidi, those spats of crying is Him strengthening you to become more sensitive and compassionate… sounds like PROMOTION to me.“ Psalm 75:6-7 NETBible For victory (promotion) does not come from the east or west, or from the wilderness. For God is the judge! He brings one down and exalts another. Look at this! Not from the east nor from the west really means not from the surrounding wilderness of the mountains. Not from what you see at your eye level. Your deliverance will come, just look up! Know that the surrounded plateau with it’s hard, dry, weed-infested harshness will not hinder it. God is the author of your answer. He is the One that will bring you up and out. God is God; of the mountains and the valleys. Your winning will come from the Almighty above.

Over 15 years ago I made a STUPID decision ... excuse me, a valley decision. I made a contractual engagement. I decided to help a family member. I know you’re already saying, uh UH! We made a three month agreement that has become an ongoing engagement. Now, I knew the scripture in Proverbs 11:15 KJV, He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; and he that hateth suretyship is sure. Or as the NLT says, There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt. I understand you might being thinking a family member is not a stranger. You are absolutely right. But look back over your life and see the times you have made yourself sure or available to help family and how the relationship changed afterwards. I tell you that my family member is a stranger to me. I thought I could trust this person but it is evident that the Word is true, “you shall smart for it”, CRY OUT for it! What’s ‘it’? The decision to take on someone else's debt. I don’t mine putting myself out here like this because I’m not the only one who has made a valley decision. But if you are in a valley of decision and you need some help, change your cry to a sound. Make a sound that God recognizes as your distress call. Whether you have done this for a family member, a friend, an associate, or now a enemy. Make a sound, let God know of your error in this decision, and let’s trust together that He will be that very present help. Matthew tells us that some things will only come out by prayer and fasting. You may have to turn the plate over a few times to crucify the flesh that it may know you mean business about obtaining the will and direction of God in this matter. It is my goal; with each issue of Live_Life is GOoD, to pour wisdom into you. Money issues can bring some despairing times, but just know some water is around. Let’s clean up our finances. Last scripture and I’m moving on, Romans 13:7a, 8a NLT Give to everyone what you owe them: Owe nothing to anyone.

Abram was told he was going to be the father of many nations, but he didn't know the valley experiences that lay ahead. He left his homeland knowing that his wife was barren, but had a promise from the God who creates, that he would have stars and sands of blessings. His lineage would be great. I was looking at a documentary this week entitled Afraid of the Dark. This documentary said that in our distant past that stars were so bright and in such abundance that it could light the sky well enough to get around outside. They believe that the night sky does not illuminate as it did then because of all the artificial lighting we have now. And I can almost believe this because when I was younger the sky was filled with stars. My point is, God made a promise to Abraham that the number of people that would be accounted to him could not be numbered. Try counting the stars of the heaven or the grains of sand on a beach. It can’t be done. Abraham had a valley experience because becoming the father of many nations was not something that came with ease. Of course you know the story of all of Abraham’s experiences and if not, check out Genesis 17-25. He had to persevere through some hard times, he made some bad decisions (one of them-the valley of Hagar) that we can still feel the affects of today. Being a leader is not easy. It has it’s perks but ask any true leader and they’ll tell you it has it’s nuisances too. All leaders are not true, or what I call natural born leaders, and they can pose problems. But I believe the scripture Proverbs 21:1 MSG Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses. There’s water again. Another note of wisdom, if you are having “issues” with management call on God. And as I said before, turn your cry into a sound - a sound that God can recognize. God has said in the scripture above he directs, meaning He has the last say so. One thing is certain, God keeps His promises. And management, if your people are acting out of line consult Moses and he’ll tell you God will open the earth to swallow them, or maybe He will make them walk around aimlessly, meaning whatever they try to do won’t prosper. In either case we see who is in charge - GOD!

I was going to talk a little it about the valley of dreams. If you have some dreams that are laying dormant and you have loss sight of them, I plead with you to dream them again. If God spoke some ‘out of the box stuff’ that you would do, continue to believe that He will do it. Ask Joseph. He dreamed that the sun, moon, and eleven stars would pay obeisance to him. God was showing him that one day he would save his people from famine. Joseph was thrown into a valley experience while in a valley of dreams when his own brothers sold him into slavery. What they didn’t know was they were setting the dream up to come to pass. In the end his brothers (the eleven stars), his father (the sun) and I believe his mother to be the moon –paid obeisance in the end. Just think about it. God said the greater light would rule the day, the lesser light the night. This could be what theologians call typology or types. We also know that Pharaoh worshiped the sun and moon which could also show how Joseph’s dream came to pass. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt which meant they paid obeisance to Joseph. Man may have said it wasn’t gonna happen, but if God said it, that settled it. I’ve had people to discourage me and vex my spirit because of what God has spoken to me. And at times I would let it shatter my faith. But I thank God for being God, for restoring my hopes and dreams and His continual confirmation that He said what He said. Stand on it! This is for the dream tossers → let them miss the blessing and take the curse. So be it.

Thank God for provision - refreshing water - in the valley. If you have made some decisions that escorted you right to the valley, hold on. If you have experienced some valleys that still seem to overwhelm you, hold on. If your dreams are being tossed into the valley of no return either by you or someone else, HOLD ON! Here’s the promise that will lead you up and out, Isaiah 40:5 KJV Every valley (every decision, every experience, every dream) shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

LIFE QUOTE

“Life is supposed to be a series of peaks and valleys. The secret is to keep the valleys from becoming grand Canyons."

-Bern Williams

Let Us Laugh!

A child asked his mom about her father who was deceased. “Mom what did your dad leave you?” Her sister, who was in the car interjected, “He didn’t leave her anything, he gave it all to Gin”. Moral: Leave an inheritance (Proverbs 13:22)

Hope to see you shortly with another catch up article...

PLEASE leave your comments and subscribe below… you’ll love yourself to LIFE for it!