Navigating The Valley of Decision

David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies--the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord 's battle, and he will give you to us!" -- 1Samuel 17: 45-47 (NLT)

Oh that we would learn to talk to our enemies in such a way. The truth is that we lend too much power to our enemies. More than they deserve and more than they have earned. The cowering men of Israel were like that when they saw Goliath. David however, spoke his faith. We need to realize some truths today if we are to come through the Valley of Decision as God intends for us to. Remember, Israel did not. They believed the report of the ten and God would have them wander in the wilderness until the entire unbelieving generation died out, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. I know other people who have come out on the wrong end of the Valley of Decision and it has permanently affected their lives or decades passed until the decision would be righted. The first truth is that it is the decision is of great importance. We need to see beyond the little patch of ground in front of us. Play out the scenario to its logical end to see where we will end up. For the ten spies and the majority of the Israelites, going back into slavery or the wilderness were more acceptable a choice than walking into what God had already promised them! I know that may sound ridiculous on the surface but how many of us know people who have essentially done the same thing?   People who have chased their decisions through a medication bottle only to find themselves addicted with years of their life being paid as the cost. People who have stayed in an unequally yoked relationship chasing their decisions based on the worldly concept of love only to reap the heartache God warns us about in His Word. I am sure we can think of dozens of other examples. Where people could trace back their missteps to the Valley of Decision and the poor choices they have made.

Secondly, the decision is not usually as difficult to decipher as we make it out to be. We give too much life to the mystery surrounding the decisions we face. This should not have been a hard decision for the Israelites. Why? Because God had already promised it to them beloved! God is not going to lead you to the edge of a decision He wants you to make and then renege on His promises.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? -- Numbers 23: 19 (NLT)

The decision facing Israel was a lot easier than they made it. God promised it -- God will deliver it. Likewise, when we face our Valley of Decision the choice is probably a lot clearer than we give it credit for. We allow the enemy to muddy the picture like the Israelites did. Or maybe we just do not like the decision we know is the right one. Maybe it is unfair in our eyes. Maybe it seems to make us uncomfortable. Maybe it grates against some basic human desires that we have. Whatever the reason, we probably know what the right course is. We see the grape clusters are huge and the land is good but we prefer to listen to the negative reports. Change is always scary to us. Especially radical change that requires a step of faith into the unknown. God is not asking us to know -- He is asking us to believe Him.

I understand the difficulty involved in such a situation. I know the Valley of Decision intimately. I know the desire to want to hang onto things that God is saying to let go of. Good things. Comfortable things. Things you have worked very hard for. I understand that sometimes it may not even seem fair. It may seem too difficult. The giants will appear to be so big and too strong. And within our own strength they are! Even though the reality of the decision might be easier than we are willing to admit -- the valley itself is always very difficult on us.

Lastly, God will always see us through the valley if we allow Him to lead the way. Joshua and Caleb would see God deliver great and powerful cities such as Jericho into their hands. David would toss a stone and slay the giant named Goliath. The three Hebrew boys in the Book of Daniel faced the Valley of Decision one day. The pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar had decreed that everyone must bow down to the idol he had erected. The flesh must have been screaming at them to bow down! The world and the surrounding peer pressure must also have said to bow down. The enemy must have been whispering in their ears about self-preservation and that bowing down was not that big a deal. The valley could have been quite muddied that day for them if they listened to the pressures from the world, their flesh or the enemy. They of course did not. They focused on the God that they serve:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." -- Daniel 3: 16-18 (NLT)

The truth is that we spend too much time in the Valley of Decision defending what we know is indefensible. We justify the poor decisions and compromises with worldly excuses and fleshly logic. We use well crafted arguments filled with human wisdom and then wonder years later where everything went wrong. The three boys here state unequivocally -- we do not need to defend ourselves to you! The God we serve can save us but you know what? Even if He does not -- I am ok with that! Either way, I know what the right decision is and I am going to make it and trust God to be God.

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