THE LORD IS NEAR IN THE VALLEY OF DESCISION

THE LORD IS NEAR IN THE VALLEY OF DESCISION
Robert Bushman 8-8-08

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joel 3:14

The Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Whenever the Lord draws near and we find ourselves in a valley of decision.
There is always a call to repentance. And there is always deliverance for God's people.

There are seven great valleys in the Bible:
I want you to look at each of these valleys.
I want you to notice today that in each of these valleys God is with us.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley...I will fear no evil: for Thou are with me."
Psalm 23:4
1. The Valley of Siddim
This is the valley of the slime pits. Why?
The valley of Siddim is on the very spot where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were.
Said to mean the valley of the Dead Sea.
You recall the awful story in the Bible of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God looked down and saw the wickedness of those wicked and vile cities and said, "I am going to rain fire and brimstone on them.
" This is a valley where sin abounded.
This represents a valley in our lives, the valley of sin.
God still loves you and God is still there?
Do you know that when you go down to the very bottom of sin and taste the last drop in the cup of the dregs of sin, God is there?
Do you know that when you have gone to the bottom and no one else cares and you have spent all and have begun to be in want, God is there?
When you come to yourself and have nobody to go to and you arise and say, "I will arise and go to my Father," God is always there.
God is here right now.
If you are not saved, He knocks on the door of your heart.
He wants to be your Saviour.
He wants to forgive every sin.
He wants to come into your life.
He wants to write your name in Heaven.
He wants to make you His child.
He wants to take you to Heaven when you die.
God wants to make you a new person on the inside.
God wants to send His Holy Spirit to live you.
God wants to say to you, "Your sins are forgiven." and come into your life.
It does not matter where you are at, or how deep in sin you have gone into;
He is there.
Are you in the valley of sin?
Are you in the city of Sodom this morning?
Are you in the city of Gomorrah in deep awful sin?
Have you gone to the bottom? Is your life empty and friendless?

Are you without anybody who seems to care?
He says, "I am there."

Right now He knocks on your door and says,
"If you will just trust Me as your Saviour, I will forgive you your every sin.
I will make you My child. I will write your name in Heaven.
If you are in the valley of sin, come to Christ this today!

2. The Valley of Eschol
Eschol is located just inside the Promised Land.
Do you recall the grapes of Eschol?
The Israelites came to the door of the Promised Land at Kadesh-Barnea and they appointed twelve spies.
Those twelve spies went over into the Promised Land. They said it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. They brought back some grapes that were so big that it took two men to carry one bunch. Those were the grapes of Eschol.

What is the valley of Eschol?
Eschol is where the Isrealites made the decision of their life.
It was at Eschol where they had to decide,
"Shall we go forward or shall we go backward?"
It was in the valley of decision where they decided,
"Shall we obey God, or shall we go back into the wilderness?"

"Shall we be at our fullest or shall we be less than we ought to be?"

Yea, though you walk through the valley of decision,
He is there in that valley of decision!
Whenever you come to the valley of decision, always do what God wants you to do.
Ask God to help you. Ask God to lead you. Do His will!
Jeri. 6:16 says The Lord said that his people were at a crossroad and that they needed to make a decision, you need to ask for the good path, the right path and then walk in it. But they would not.
In the Valley of decision they would not go forward because they believed the bad report of the spies and all died in the wilderness.
All except Caleb and Joshua who had a revelation that if God was with them they could take the land no matter what obstacles they would have to overcome.
This is what obedience is all about,
faith in the fact that He is with you,
even when you are coming up against obstacles.

3. The Valley of Kidron
The valley of Kidron is called now the valley of Jehoshophat.
It is the valley just outside the east wall of the city of Jerusalem.
It is the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
The valley of Kidron is a big, deep valley.
Do you know what is mainly in the valley of Kidron between the Mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem?

There is a cemetery there. Ever since the time of King Josiah, it has been a cemetery. Many old and new testament saints are buried there
This is the valley of suffering.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou are with me.

There are many here today that are in the valley of suffering
I want to tell you that Lord is also there in the valley of suffering.

Maybe you do not know about this valley yet, because you are young.
To you life may be one big ball game. To you life is one big laugh.
For many of you that day has come when you have had heartaches, burdens, problems and loss.
You may be in the valley of heartache this morning.
You may have lost a friend or relative to death, or you may have experienced a broken relationships, broken marriage, or you may be facing a financial set backs, loss of a job, a physical disability.
What ever valley you are in He is there.

4. The Valley of Elah
Elah is where David looked out and heard Goliath shout his challenges across the valley.
David with his slingshot met Goliath in the valley of Elah.
There he triumphed over the giant Goliath.
In the valley of the great battle, God is there.
Is there some battle or some sin about to conquer you?
Is there one temptation you feel you cannot resist?
God is there. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
I Corinthians 10:13

Maybe you are facing a giant in the valley
It could be persecution, slander, intimidation, or fear.
David knew he could overcome the giant not because he was so great, but because of the greatness of his God.


5. The Valley of Achor
Achor is the valley of punishment.
Achor is the valley where Achan was stoned to death. The Lord said, "Do not take anything that is in Jericho."
Achan saw a coat and said, "My wife sure would like to have that coat." The Lord said not to take anything. He knew he shouldn't.
Achan saw $185 and said, "I sure could use that." Achan took the money and the coat, and sin came into the camp.
Then the battle of Ai was lost. Joshua called all the people and cast lots. The lot fell on Achan. God said, "Take him out to the valley and stone him to death." They stoned Achan and his wife and his children. They named that place the valley of Achor (the valley of chastening).
Dr Jack Hyle's said;
You know, one of the sweetest things about being a Christian is getting spanked.
When I was a child my mother spanked me. She and I lived alone.
My dad had left home. Mother and I were left together. If Mother had turned her back on me, there wasn't anybody else! We were very poor.
I can recall when Mother would spank me. The spanking hurt, but it did not hurt the most. The thing that hurt the most was the broken fellowship.
She would spank me and put me in the back bedroom on my bed, and I would cry. Then she would pull the door shut like she was gone. I thought mother was gone! I began to tip-toe (She told me not to get up, but since I thought she was gone, she wouldn't know that I was up) to look for Mother. When I could see her, I would say to myself, "She's still here!"

Even in the valley of chastening, God is still there.
He has to spank us, doesn't He?
But even when God has had to put us in the valley of chastening, spank us, it is always blessed because even in the valley of chastening, God is there!

6. The Valley of Gehenna
Gehenna was the garbage dump of Jerusalem. There was a fire burning there all the time.
When our Lord spoke about hell, He said there shall be "eternal Gehenna."
In other words, there is going to be eternal fire there.
That is the way it will be forever.
For those of you who will die without God, I am calling this the valley of death. You have to die someday. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for God you are there."
You know, death is highly exaggerated. It is highly overrated.
Death is overrated as an enemy. It is no enemy at all!
Do you know why?
He is there. Look, it matters not where you go if He is there.
If you sin He is there.
If you suffer, He is there.
If you are tempted, He is there.
If you are in battle, He is there.
If you are facing a decision, He is there.
If you are facing death, He is there.

7. The Valley of Jezreel
The valley of Jezreel is important in the Bible because in that valley the great end-time battle shall be fought.
There the armies of the world will be gathered together in the great end-time battle.
It is in the valley of Jezreel where there is found Mount Megiddo, from which comes the word "Armageddon.
" It is in the valley of Jezreel where the battle shall be fought.
It is in the valley of Jezreel where the Antichrist shall rise up as the victor and conqueror of the entire world.
The man of sin shall be king of all the world.
The valley of Jezreel is where our Lord Jesus shall descend from Heaven and shall come back with His own people with Him.
He shall come back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and forever we shall be with Him.
Even in the valley of Jezreel He is there.
It seems like the enemies is winning, those around you have fallen under his dominion. Maybe it seems like He has the upper hand.
Then all of a sudden He is there

He said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
In Greek excessive negatives underline importance.
I will not never, never, no never, leave you nor never forsake you.
It is bad English but it is good Greek.
It was in the valley of sin where I met him and He saved me.
When I have faced the darkest hours of my life, He was there.
He has been there with me in my suffering,
He has been there with me during times of temptation,
He has been with me as I had had to face some emotional,physical, and spiritual giants,
He has been with me when I have been at points of decision.
He has been with me as I have had face death of loved ones and even dealing with my continual health issues.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley, I will fear no evil:
for Thou art with me." Isn't that wonderful!
If you are in the valley of sin, come to Christ; trust Him as your Saviour.
If you are in the valley of decision, obey Him; do His will.
If you are in the valley of suffering, depend on Him.
If you are in the valley of chastening, just say, "Thank God. If He is spanking me, He must be there.
"If you are facing death, realize that He is there with you.

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Ramona P. Jacobsz has sent you a message on AllAboutGOD.Net.






WE ARE NEVER ALONE!!!

This is a true story that occurred in 1994 and is told by Lloyd Glen:

Throughout our lives we are blessed with spiritual experiences, some
of which are very sacred and confidential, and others, although
sacred, are meant to be shared.

Last summer my family had a spiritual experience that had a lasting
and profound impact on us, one we feel must be shared.
It's a message
of love. It's a message of regaining perspective, and restoring
proper balance and renewing priorities. In humility, I pray that I
might, in relating this story, give you a gift my little son, Brian,
gave our family one summer day last year.

On July 22nd I was en route to Washington DC for a business trip. It
was all so very ordinary, until we landed in Denver for a plane
change. As I collected my belongings from the overhead bin, an
announcement was made for Mr. Lloyd Glenn to see the United Customer
Service Representative immediately.

I thought nothing of it until I reached the door to leave the plane
and I heard a gentleman asking every male if they were Mr. Glenn. At
this point I knew something was wrong and my heart sunk. When I got
off the plane a solemn-faced young man came toward me and said, "Mr.
Glenn, there is an emergency at your home.
I do not know what the emergency is, or who is involved,
but I will take you to the phone so you can call the hospital."

My heart was now pounding, but the will to be calm took over.
Woodenly, I followed this stranger to the distant telephone where I
called the number he gave me for the Mission Hospital.
My call was put through to the trauma center where I learned that my
three-year-old son had been trapped underneath the automatic garage
door for several minutes, and that when my wife had found him he was
dead.
CPR had been performed by a neighbor, who is a doctor, and the
paramedics had continued the treatment as Brian was transported to the
hospital.


By the time of my call, Brian was revived and they believed he would
live, but they did not know how much damage had been done to his
brain, nor to his heart.
They explained that the door had completely
closed on his little sternum right over his heart. He had been
severely crushed. After speaking with the medical staff, my wife
sounded worried but not hysterical, and I took comfort in her
calmness.

The return flight seemed to last forever, but finally I arrived at the
hospital six hours after the garage door had come down.
When I walked into the intensive care unit, nothing could have prepared me to see
my little son laying so still on a great big bed with tubes and
monitors everywhere. He was on a respirator.

I glanced at my wife who stood and tried to give me a reassuring
smile. It all seemed like a terrible dream. I was filled-in with the
details and given a guarded prognosis.
Brian was going to live, and the preliminary tests indicated that his heart was ok, two miracles in and of themselves.
But only time would tell if his brain received any damage.

Throughout the seemingly endless hours, my wife was calm. She felt
that Brian would eventually be all right. I hung on to her words and
faith like a lifeline.

All that night and the next day Brian remained unconscious. It seemed
like forever since I had left for my business trip the day before.

Finally at two o'clock that afternoon, our son regained consciousness
and sat up uttering the most beautiful words I have ever heard spoken.

He said, "Daddy hold me" and he reached for me with his little arms.

By the next day he was pronounced as having no neurological or
physical deficits, and the story of his miraculous survival spread
throughout the hospital.
You cannot imagine our gratitude and joy.
As we took Brian home we felt a unique reverence for the life and love
of our Heavenly Father that comes to those who brush death so closely.

In the days that followed there was a special spirit about our home.
Our two older children were much closer to their little brother. My
wife and I were much closer to each other, and all of us were very
close as a whole family.

Life took on a less stressful pace. Perspective seemed to be more
focused, and balance much easier to gain and maintain. We felt deeply
blessed. Our gratitude was truly profound.

Almost a month later to the day of the accident, Brian awoke from his
afternoon nap and said, "Sit down mommy. I have something to tell
you."

At this time in his life, Brian usually spoke in small phrases, so to
say a large sentence surprised my wife. She sat down with him on his
bed and he began his sacred and remarkable story.

"Do you remember when I got stuck under the garage door?
Well it was so heavy and it hurt really bad.
I called to you, but you couldn't hear me.
I started to cry, but then it hurt too bad. And then the birdies' came."

"The birdies?" my wife asked puzzled. "Yes," he replied. "The
birdies made a whooshing sound and flew into the garage.
They took care of me." "They did?" "Yes" he said. "One of the birdies came
and got you. She came to tell you I got stuck under the door."

A sweet reverent feeling filled the room. The spirit was so strong
and yet lighter than air.
My wife realized that a three-year-old had
no concept of death and spirits, so he was referring to the beings who
came to him from beyond as "birdies" because they were up in the air
like birds that fly.

"What did the birdies look like?" she asked. Brian answered, "They
were so beautiful. They were dressed in white, all white. Some of
them had green and white. But some of them had on just white."

"Did they say anything?" "Yes" he answered. "They told me the baby
would be alright."
"The baby?" my wife asked confused. Brian
answered.
"The baby laying on the garage floor." He went on, "You
came out and opened the garage door and ran to the baby. You told the
baby to stay and not leave."

My wife nearly collapsed upon hearing this, for she had indeed gone
and knelt beside Brian's body and seeing his crushed chest and
recognizable features, knowing he was already dead, she looked up
around her and whispered, "Don't leave us Brian, please stay if you
can."

As she listened to Brian telling her the words she had spoken, she
realized that the spirit had left his body and was looking down from
above on this little lifeless form. "Then what happened?" she asked.

"We went on a trip." He said, "far, far away." He grew agitated
trying to say the things he didn't seem to have the words for.
My wife tried to calm and comfort him, and let him know it would be okay.
He struggled with wanting to tell something that obviously was very
important to him, but finding the words was difficult. "We flew so fast up in the air.
They're so pretty Mommy." he added. "And there is lots and lots of
birdies."

My wife was stunned. Into her mind the sweet comforting spirit
enveloped her more soundly, but with an urgency she had never before
known.
Brian went on to tell her that the "birdies" had told him that
he had to come back and tell everyone about the "birdies". He said
they brought him back to the house and that a big fire truck, and an
ambulance were there.
A man was bringing the baby out on a white bed and he tried to tell the man that the baby would be okay, but the man couldn't hear him.
He said the birdies told him he had to go with the ambulance, but they would be near him.
He said, they were so pretty and so peaceful, and he didn't want to
come back.

Then the bright light came. He said that the light was so bright and
so warm, and he loved the bright light so much.
Someone was in the bright light and put their arms around him, and told him, "I love you but you have to go back. You have to play baseball, and tell everyone
about the birdies."
Then the person in the bright light kissed him
and waved bye-bye. Then woosh, the big sound came and they went into
the clouds.

The story went on for an hour. He taught us that "birdies" were
always with us, but we don't see them because we look with our eyes
and we don't hear them because we listen with our ears. But they are
always there, you can only see them in here (he put his hand over his
heart). They whisper the things to help us to do what is right
because they love us so much.

Brian continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy. You have a plan.
Daddy has a plan. Everyone has a plan. We must all live our plan and
keep our promises.
The birdies help us to do that cause they love us
so much." In the weeks that followed, he often came to us and told
all, or part of it again and again. Always the story remained the
same.
The details were never changed or out of order. A few times he added further bits of information and clarified the message he had already delivered.
It never ceased to amaze us how he could tell such detail and speak
beyond his ability when he spoke of his "birdies". Everywhere he
went, he told strangers about the "birdies".

Surprisingly, no one ever looked at him strangely when he did this.
Rather, they always got a softened look on their face and smiled.

Needless to say, we have not been the same ever since that day, and I
pray we never will be.
We are never alone.