God is working behind the scenes in your life to walk you from valley to victory. That valley of trouble is about to be transformed into a gateway of hope.
Funny story to cheer you up
“I heard about this man who died and went to heaven. Saint Peter escorted him down this long hallway filled with thousands of clocks on the wall. The hands on the clocks were moving at different speeds. Peter explained that every person has a clock. When they sin, the clock ticks. One clock was barely moving. That was Billy Graham’s clock. Another clock was creeping, that was Mother Teresa’s clock. The man said, curiously, ” Can I see my clock?” Peter said, “Yeah, we keep yours in the office and use it as a fan.”
We all go through difficulties in life and things we don’t understand, like financial setbacks, health challenges, and relationships that didn’t work out. When we’re in the valley, it’s easy to get discouraged and think it’ll never improve. But the scripture says in Hosea, God will transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope.
You may be in a valley of trouble, a valley of loneliness, a valley of death. You don’t see any way out. It looks permanent. God is saying, I’m about to transform that valley into a gateway of hope, a gateway of increase, a gateway of favor. The valley is leading you to new levels, to better relationships, to greater influence.
The medical report may not look good. God is about to transform it into a gateway of healing, a gateway of wholeness.
1) God has the Final Say.
Don’t let the valley fool you. God has the final say. Nothing can snatch you out of his hands.
Maybe you’re in a financial valley, business is slowing, and you lost a contract. That valley is not the end. It’s about to be transformed into a gateway of blessing, a gateway of favor, a gateway of overflow. God is going to open new doors. He’s going to cause opportunities to find you.
Perhaps you’ve struggled with an addiction for a long time. You’ve accepted that you’ll always be in that valley. Your relatives lived in the valley. They all struggled. No, this is a new day. God is doing a new thing. That valley is about to be transformed into a gateway of freedom. God has a breakthrough coming your way. He’s going to make things happen that you couldn’t make happen.
The valley is not your destiny. The addiction, the loneliness, and the anxiety are not going to hinder you for your whole life. You were created to be free, to be happy, to live an abundant, fulfilled life. Instead of complaining about the valley and being discouraged by what you’re going through all day, say, “Father, thank you that this valley is only temporary.” I believe what you promised, that you’re about to transform it into a gateway of hope, a gateway of blessing, a gateway of victory.”
2) The valley is preparing you for breakthroughs.
That valley is leading you to the awesome future God has in store. And the truth is, you can’t reach your destiny without going through valleys. The valleys are strategic. When you’re on top of a mountain, the only way to go higher is to come down that mountain, go through the valley, and then you can go up a bigger mountain. God allows valleys not to hold us back, but to take us higher. Without the valleys, we would get stuck.
Are you discouraged over what God is going to use to take you to a new level? Frustrated, thinking the valley is permanent? Have a new perspective. The valley is not there to stop you. It’s there to promote you.
3) God is always with you in your Valleys.
Maybe what you’re up against may be bigger. You feel outnumbered. You don’t have the resources on your own. You can’t get out. The good news is you’re not on your own. The Most High God is right there with you. He knows how to turn that battlefield into a blessing field, that valley of trouble into a gateway of victory.
Consider the story of David. When he was a teenager, he faced Goliath in the valley of Elah. It’s not a coincidence that this battle took place in a valley. And every morning and every evening for 40 days, Goliath came out, stood on the side of the mountain, and shouted insults at the Israelites, taunting them, making fun, trying to stir up trouble.
Goliath was huge. He stood over nine feet tall. His coat of armor weighed 125 pounds. He was the champion of the Philistine army. When King Saul and the Israelites heard him, they were terrified. They turned and ran out of sight. This went on time and time again.
One day, David showed up, 17 years old. When he heard these threats, something rose in him, a fire, a passion, a courage. He said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God. He was saying, ” This man is not in covenant with our God. He doesn’t have Jehovah’s blessing. We may be in a valley, but Goliath can’t keep us here. He doesn’t control our destiny.
David looked at Goliath. He said, ” You come against me with a sword and a shield. But I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel. This day, I will defeat you and feed your head to the birds of the air. All the Israelites were in the same valley. They heard the same threats, but David had a different attitude. He talked back to the enemy.
When you’re in the valley, as David was, you will hear the enemy’s threats. They will try to intimidate you by saying, “You’ll never get out of this problem. It’s too big. You’ll never get well.”
Don’t do like the Israelites and believe those lies, or live in fear, or worry. Do like David and talk back to the enemy.
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4) Talk yourself into Victory.
What you’re saying in the valley is going to have a great impact on whether or not you come out. The Israelites were saying, “he’s too big. We don’t have a chance.”
When you talk about defeat, you’re inviting defeat. When you talk about sickness, you’re going to have sickness. When you say, “I’ll never get out of this problem,” it’s going to keep you there.
Instead of agreeing with the enemy, start declaring what God says about you. When the enemy shouts, “You’ll never get well,” do like David, “I will live and not die. God is restoring health into me”.
When the enemy says, “You’ll never get out of death, this valley of lack, valley of struggle, not heaven enough, and it’s permanent.” Respond with certainty, “I will lend and not borrow. God is opening the windows of heaven, pouring out blessings that I cannot contain.”
The enemy might say, “Well, that child is never going to do right. He’s never going to break the addiction.” Rebuke him, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My children are mighty in the land. What God has a purpose for their life, no bad breaks, no addictions, no person can stop.” What you’re saying in the valley will become a gateway of hope. You have to speak words of life, Words of faith, words of victory.
5) Stop talking about your problems and talk about how great God is
This is where the Israelites missed it. They were talking about how big Goliath was. David was talking about how big our God is. They were magnifying the problem. David came along and started magnifying our God. The enemy has no new tricks. He’s not creative. You can go back and look at what he’s done in the past. That’s how he’s going to try to deceive you.
In this valley, thousands of years ago, he was threatening with loud insults, trying to intimidate with lies. It’s no different today. Goliath may not stand on the mountainside and shout down to your valley, but in your thoughts, loud threats will come, Things that can keep you awake at night, cause you to live worried, stressed out,
Don’t be one of the Israelites who ran and hid for 40 days, and let 40 days turn into 40 months, then 40 years. Be a David. There’s nothing more powerful against these negative threats than God’s Word coming out of your mouth.
I may be in a valley, but can I tell you, I am coming out? I will fulfill my destiny. I will accomplish my dreams. I am strong. I am healthy.
6) Do not let anyone keep you in the valley.
David told King Saul that he wanted to fight Goliath. Saul told him all the reasons why he couldn’t do it, “You’re too young. You don’t have the training, the experience.”
Sometimes people will try to keep you in the valley. People will tell you what you can’t do, what you don’t have, and how you should just learn to live with the addiction. They would say, “Don’t try to start that business. There are giants out there. There’s too much competition. You’d better stay where you are.”
Don’t expect everyone to cheer you on. Not all your friends are going to celebrate you. Challenge is a stretch to the next level. Just because they don’t see it in you, doesn’t mean you don’t have it. God has put greatness in you. Things that other people have never imagined. Potential that’s going to catapult you to a new level.
Don’t let someone talk you out of what God put in you. Don’t let their lack of support keep you in the valley.
David could have thought, “I guess King Saul is right. I don’t have the training. I don’t come from an influential family. Maybe I should just accept this valley.” If David had let Saul discourage him, we wouldn’t be talking about him. If he had believed the threats of Goliath, he would have never fulfilled his destiny.
And at some point, we will all be where David was in a valley with a big obstacle, like “We didn’t get the scholarship. The relationship didn’t work out. We lost a loved one. The fear, depression, and anxiety they feel are permanent. Nobody’s there to support us.”
That’s when you have to dig down deep and say, “No, this valley is not my home. This defeat, this lack, this trouble, this addiction is not how my story ends.” You are on the verge of seeing that valley transformed into a gateway to something amazing.
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7) You and God are the Majority
God is about to do something unusual out of the ordinary, something that will thrust you to a new level. King Saul wasn’t for David, but that didn’t stop David. David’s family didn’t believe in him. His brothers made fun of him, but that didn’t keep him from his destiny.
Don’t be discouraged by who’s not for you, by who doesn’t cheer you on. You don’t need them. You and God are a majority. He is breathing in your direction right now. You’re about to come out of that valley. It’s going to happen sooner than you think. There’s a breakthrough, a promotion, a healing, a divine connection that’s headed your way. Get ready for that valley to be transformed. It looks permanent, but things are suddenly going to change; suddenly, your health turns around. Suddenly, your business takes off. Suddenly, your child gets back on course. That valley is leading you to victory.
8) There is always a provision in the valley.
David was in the valley of Elah, and Goliath was coming down the mountain to face him. David didn’t have any armor, a sword, or a shield. All he had was a slingshot. He reached down and picked up five smooth stones from the stream.
God was showing us there is provision in the valley. David didn’t bring the stones into the valley. He didn’t have someone helping him, giving him the stones. What he needed was within reach. What you need to get out of that valley is within your reach. You don’t have to wait on someone, a good break, a company to call you, or a neighbor to help you out.
Look around you and look in you. Sometimes all you need is your praise. Praise is a weapon. Praise breaks chains. Praise confuses the enemy. Praise makes you powerful. When you have praise coming out of your mouth, you are unstoppable. The enemy cannot keep a praised person down. Just ask Paul and Silas as they sing praises at midnight. Prison doors flung open. Just ask Jonah, sitting in the belly of a fish as he offered the sacrifice of praise. The fish spat him out onto dry ground.
All David had was five small stones. That didn’t seem like much, but a stone with God’s favor is more powerful than an automatic weapon. Your praise may not seem like much, but when you praise, angels go to work. When you praise the creator of the universe, it begins to change things in your favor. Most of the battles we fight are not physical; they’re spiritual.
When you praise in the valley, it’s even more effective because the enemy expects you in the valley to be negative, bitter, and complaining. But when you go through the day saying, “Father, thank you that you are still on the throne, thank you that you are bigger than this problem, thank you that no weapon formed against me will ever prosper, you will defeat giants in your life.”
Inspired by Joel Osteen Sermon
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