HE IS THE GOD OF YOUR VALLEYS TOO

1 Kings 20:23

Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.

In 1 Kings 20, we find the Syrians being defeated by the Israelites. Then, some of the Syrian king’s advisers gave the king what they thought was the reason for their defeat. They said that they had fought on the hills and lost because Israel’s God is the God of the hills. So if they were to fight the Israelites on the plains or in the valleys, they would win.

What stupid advice! They thought that the God of Israel only helped His people up in the hills and mountains, and not down in the valleys.

Now, mountains refer to our good times, and valleys, our bad times. Some people have this idea that God is the God of our good times, but He is not there when we are going through bad times. They think that He leaves us helpless in the valleys, especially when the troubles are of our own making.

My friend, I want you to know that our God is the God of the mountains, but He is also the God of the valleys!

God the Son laid aside His crown of glory, His royal majesty and came down for us, stepping into a human body as a baby. He came down to where we were for the sole purpose of dying on the cross for our sins, so that He could bring us up to what God the Father has for us at His right hand. Jesus came down to crown us with glory and honor, to clothe us with robes of righteousness and make us His bride, sharing everything that He has with us. That is the grace of God. He came down to our valley.

So whatever you are going through right now, know that God is right there in your valley with you. He is holding you in His arms and carrying you through the valley. Victory is already yours. Just as the Israelites were also victorious in the valley (1 Kings 20:28–29), so will you be because the God of the valleys is right there with you!

READ: John 17:6-23

And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee...

Deuteronomy 26:18

If a country places more value on athletes and beauty queens than professionals and nation-builders, do you think that these professionals and nation-builders will be attracted to the nation?

People are attracted to places where they are valued. Many organizations undervalue the people they have. Every person who feels undervalued will move away.

Every developed nation values its citizens. What you respect will come towards you. What you attack will run away from you. People are the most valuable thing a leader has. A nation that attacks its leaders will be void of leaders. A nation that attacks its wealthy citizens will be poor. All the rich people will run away to countries where wealth is not a hazard.

You must value people because people are more valuable than money. Invest in people financially and educationally. Pay people well and spend time teaching and training them. People are more valuable than buildings. See them as gifts from God. People are more valuable than computers. Try not to lose the people that God gives you. Do everything to prevent the loss of even one person. People can sense it when you value them (John 17:12).

See people as being worth more to you than objects and projects. Jesus saw His followers as gifts from God: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word" (John 17:6).

For our citizenship is in heaven; from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

—Philippians 3:20 (NASB)

If you are moving to a new home, you want to know all about the community to which you are going. And since we will spend eternity some place, we ought to know something about it. The information concerning heaven is found in the Bible. When we talk about heaven, earth grows shabby by comparison. Our sorrows and problems here seem so much less, when we have keen anticipation of the future.

In a certain sense the Christian has heaven here on earth. He has peace of soul, peace of conscience, and peace with God. In the midst of troubles and difficulties he can smile. He has a spring in his step, a joy in his soul, a smile on his face. But the Bible also promises the Christian a heaven in the life hereafter.

Find out more on what Heaven will be like.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Matthew 11:12

The Amplified Bible translates Matthew 11:12, "...a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion."

I want you to get violent today. Yes, violent, determined, zealous. I want you to get so committed to the things of God that you'll withstand any attempt to take them away from you.

Too many believers these days are like the Israelites. They're wandering around in a wilderness of defeat because there's an enemy in the promised land. They're being robbed of their rightful inheritance because they're afraid to fight him. They keep hoping that somehow they'll find a way in without using force. But they won't! You have to make demands where Satan and his associates are concerned.

When God sent the Israelites into Canaan, He said, "Send the armed men to go before you." They were to go up armed—ready for the fight. He knew they'd have to fight to take the land. He never promised them that they wouldn't. What He promised them was they'd win every time.

The same is true for you. You can't just lie down and play dead when you're dealing with the devil. He's not going to let go of any area of your life—of your health or your finances or anything else—without a fight. He's not going to give it up unless you force him.

Quit sitting there in the wilderness. Quit sitting there while the devil steals the blessings of God out from under you. You have God's permission and His power and His ability to take the land. Get violent enough to do something about it...today!

Scripture Reading:

Deuteronomy 31:1-8

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw [Jesus],he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him.

Mark 5:22-24

I wonder when God is going to do something about this problem! Have you ever asked that question? If so, you may be surprised to find out that the answer depends 100 percent on you.

There's an incident in Mark 5 that will show you what I mean. Jesus had just gotten out of a boat and people were pressing all around Him, "thronging Him," it says. They had Him shoved up against the shoreline when suddenly there came a man moving through that crowd to get to Jesus.

Throwing himself at Jesus' feet, Mark records, he prays and beseeches Him greatly, saying, "My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her... and she shall live."

Think about this situation for a moment. Here's a man who's politically on the level of the mayor of the city. But he's so doggedly determined to get to Jesus that he fights his way through the crowd and clears out enough room to fall at Jesus' feet. He's made a decision—and when he gets to Jesus, he says exactly what it is: Lay your hands on her and she shall live.

Let me ask you something: Who do you think is directing the ministry of Jesus here? This one man! A man who's made a decision. When he speaks that decision out, Jesus doesn't say anything. He just stops what He's doing, turns around and follows him.

In a crowd of literally thousands, the faith decision of one man is directing the actions of Jesus.

What does that mean to you? It means that if you're sitting around waiting for Jesus to decide to heal you... for Jesus to decide to help you...for Jesus to decide to prosper you and give you victory...you're in for a long wait. Because that's not Jesus' decision.

It's yours.


Scripture Reading:

Mark 5:21-24,35-43

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6

If you were given the choice between life and death, which would you choose? The answer seems obvious. But, in reality, it's not.

You see, choosing death doesn't necessarily mean jumping from the nearest cliff. It's much more subtle than that.

The Bible says death is being carnally minded, being entangled in this present worldly realm. The Bible also tells us what life is. "My son, attend to my words," says Proverbs 4:20-22, "...for they are life!"

To be worldly minded is death. To be Word-minded is life.

In Luke 10, there's a story that illustrates this principle extremely well. It's the story of Mary and Martha. You probably remember it. Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to Him teach while Martha was bustling around in the kitchen cooking dinner for everyone.

Finally Martha couldn't stand it anymore. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do all the work myself? Tell her to help me!" Jesus answered, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42).

Mary had set everything else aside, so she could hear the Word. But Martha had let the seemingly important business of living take priority over the Word. She'd chosen death, not life.

You see how easy it is to slip into that?

"But Brother Copeland," you say, "if I didn't spend all my time taking care of the business of living, my life would fall apart!"

Oh, really? Martha probably thought that too. She probably thought if she didn't cook dinner for all those folks, they'd go hungry. But they wouldn't have. Jesus had miraculously fed multitudes before and He could have done it again in Martha's home. She could have plopped herself down at Jesus' feet, and they could have had a banquet at God's expense!

Don't make the mistake that Martha did. Don't get so entangled in the business of living that you choose death by default. Decide to put the Word first place. Choose Life!


Scripture Reading:

Romans 8:5-13