extend that greeting today. Thank you so much
for being in the house of the Lord this morning.
In case I forget a little bit later, I've been
prone to get wound up and forget things. If you
go out those doors to my left, your right, we'll
have a smiling face there to bless you and just
to let you know how much we do appreciate you
being here today. And trust and pray that The
Spirit of the Lord has already met your heart
through your praise, through your worship. Amen.
And you've already encountered the grace of God.
Amen. For He is truly here. He's truly faithful,
is He not? Amen. God is truly good. There's an
old song. Come to my mind, I don't know. A former
pastor of mine, when I was just a boy, this was
his favorite song. It's on page 285 in that old
red back end. If you look at 1 Kings 20, around
23 is where we're going to take our text from.
I want to preach to you this morning from the
thought, he's the God of the low places. He's
the God of the low places. And then a large portion
of this message is about valleys. And then I
got to thinking about this old song on page 285
in that old redback. It says, The Lily of the
Valley. How many has ever heard that old song?
Anybody not heard it? Anybody not heard that
old song? It's one of those little bit quirky,
rhythmed. type songs, and sometimes it's hard
for me to get. I get all jumbled up, but we'll
catch up on it. Let's see if I can get this.
Well, I have a friend in Jesus. He's everything
to me. He's the fairest of 10 ,000 to my soul.
The lily of the valley, in him alone I see all
I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In
sorrow, he's my comfort. In trouble, he's my
stay. He tells me every care on him to roll.
Well, he's the lily of the valley, the bright
and morning star. He's the fairest of 10 ,000
to my soul. Let's try that third verse. He will
never, never leave me and yet forsake me here.
By faith and do his will. I told you. A wall
of fire about me, I've nothing now to fear. With
his manna he my hungry soul shall feel. Then
sweeping up to glory to see his blessed face
where rivers of delight shall ever roll. Well,
he's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning
star. He's the fairest. Let's do that first one
again. That's my favorite anyway. Well, I found
a friend in Jesus. He's everything to me. He's
the fairest of 10 ,000 to my soul. The lily of
the valley, in him alone I see all I need to
cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow, he's
my comfort. In trouble, he's my stay. He tells
me every care on him to roll. For he's the lily
of the valley, the bright and morning star. He's
the fairest. of 10 ,000 to my soul. Aren't you
glad for the lily of the valley? Aren't you glad
that he still blooms? Huh? Aren't you glad he's
still faithful? Aren't you glad he still tells
us to own him all our care roll? I am. Hallelujah.
He's the fairest of 10 ,000 to my soul. Amen?
Amen. I've broken a rule where We're live this
morning, at least at my house. I can do that.
I'm the pastor, you know. Miss you, baby. 1 Kings
chapter 20. We're going to read a couple of verses.
I want to read verse 23 and verse 28. Several
years ago, I preached a version of this message,
and we're going to see what the Lord does with
it again today. He stirred my heart on this message.
Amen. Half of the crowd is going to be happy
today, and the other half are going to be not
so happy. That being, how many of you are normally
freezing to death in here on Sunday? Raise your
hand. Come on, don't be shamed. Okay, you should
feel a little better because we've got one side
of the compressors down through one of the lightning
storms this week. And so that means the rest
of you have to suffer while they feel a little
bit more comfort. You know, you get half one
week and half the next week. If you can break
half, you're doing good. Amen. Verse 23. Chapter
20 of the book of 1 Kings. And the servants of
the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are
gods of the hills. Therefore, they were stronger
than we. But let us fight against them in the
plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
Verse 28. And there came a man of God. Aren't
you glad that when you need something, God will
send you a word? Amen. He'll send a word. When
you're in need, he will send a word. And there
came a man of God and spake unto the king of
Israel and said, Thus saith the Lord. When you
get to there now, it's on, right? It's done settled.
It's done done. Thus saith the Lord, because
the Syrians have said, the Lord is God of the
hills, but he is not God of the valleys. Therefore
will I deliver all this great multitude into
thine hand, and you shall know that I am the
Lord, the God of the low places. I'll pray for
you if you pray for me. Father, we love you.
We thank you for your goodness, your mercy, and
the abundance of your grace. I ask God that you'd
have your way in our hearts and our minds this
morning, for truly you are good and your mercy
endures forever. Lord, not to be absent -minded
of the happenings of our nation and all that's
going on in this world. Again, another second
hand on the time clock of eternity has already
clicked. Lord, we know the despair that's in
the world. We know the wars and rumors of wars
that are going on in this world. And I ask God
today that you would speak of peace. that only
you can. Lord, may you intervene on behalf of
nations of this world. Unless it be the time
of the sending of your son, and if it be so,
even so, Lord, come quickly. Maranatha, hallelujah.
Come quickly. Help us today, Father God, in Jesus'
mighty and holy name. And the church said, amen
and amen. Tell your neighbor, he's God in the
low places. I want you to keep in mind today,
because once I get wound up, I know I'll forget.
Remember Pastor Brian and Sister Erica and the
team, they're going over to minister this evening
at a district service in the Sequatchie Valley
over at the Dunlap District. So that's the reason
he's not singing. He's kind of got a little bit
of stuff going on. He's saving all he's got for
tonight. Amen. So just pray the Lord use them
in a mighty way. Souls be saved, touched, sanctified,
filled with the Holy Ghost, healed, delivered.
And the Lord just use them in a mighty way. Amen.
God of the low places. Something I think would
prove well for us to remember is that the devil
is a loud mouth. I just want you to know that.
The old term and the old phrase is he's a blowhard.
Anybody know what I'm talking about? He likes
to boast. He likes to brag, amen, and just blow
his smoke as the old saying goes. And especially
he will do that if he ever gets a little bit
of an inkling of victory over God's people. If
he thinks he's getting the upper hand on you,
he's going to try to brag about it. He's going
to try to boast about it to you mainly. You know,
he tries to boast. and those in whom he's trying
to gain victory over. But God, however, is very
jealous for his namesake, amen, his reputation,
and his people. Therefore, allowing the enemy
to win and to brag actually rubs God the wrong
way. He's not for that, amen. So God is invested
in the overthrowing of the schemes of the wicked
one, the enemy against God's people, and he's
all about vindicating God's children. You do
remember the word of the Lord says, vengeance
is mine. saith the Lord. Amen? You don't ever
have to worry about getting back at the devil
or anyone. If you'll just hold on. If you'll
just hold on, you'll see God do something for
you that you can sit back. Now, I know we don't
like to do this, but, you know, you do. You'll
sit back and kindly smile when you see the Lord
overtake your enemy. You know, we feel sorry
for them, but we kindly say, like, yeah, mess
with me again. Right? Come on. God's got me.
He's got you. Amen. We'll pray for them, but
we can pray for them with a smile on their face.
Amen. In our text this morning, we see to what
extent God will actually go to and how God intervenes.
And he will stop short at nothing will hinder
him from short -circuiting the plan and all that
the enemy has devised against his people. God
loves to mess up the devil's plan. He enjoys
putting the enemy off. Amen? He does. And so
what we need to see this morning from this text
is a very encouraging word. It encouraged me
all over again. It's really stirred in my heart
that God is on our side. Amen. No matter what
the enemy's trying to do, no matter how he's
trying to destroy, deceive, God is on our side,
and he'll not allow the enemy to try up over
you very long. Amen. He's not going to allow
him to have super superiority over your life,
especially if you come before him and you do
what his word says and you cast all your care
on him for he cares for you. When you do that,
God is on your side. He will take up your cause.
He will take up your plight. Your battle becomes
his battle. Amen. And God will be on your side.
And when we think about this God of the low places,
understand that it's... It's a reference to valleys
in our life. Amen. And we need to know that God
encourages us in our low moments, in our low
times. Amen. Here we have the Syrian army. The
Israelites defeated them in the hill country.
And you've got some king's servant who had a
bright idea. Hey, hey, their God is the God of
the hill country. That's why we lost. That's
why we got to feed. He's the God of the hills.
And I tell you what, if we can get them down
in the valleys, we can take them. We can take
them if we get them down in the valley. Amen.
The term valley actually means an elongated depression
in the earth's surface. But the term many years
ago has begun to relate to the body and the people
of God who have found low places in their life.
It's an elongated, long, depressive state sometimes.
that we find ourselves getting into. It's not
a pleasant moment. Sometimes valleys are pleasant.
Amen. Sometimes they are. They're not always
to be despised and rejected. Sometimes there's
some beautiful moments in the valley. Can I tell
you, that's going to be one of the closest places
you'll ever walk with God is when you're walking
in the valley because that's when I need him
the most. Amen. That's when I need him to come
nearer. That's when I need that kindness and
the gentleness and the comfort of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Just walk with me. Sister Kathy and I was
riding the other day, and I began to sing that
old song. He comes in the garden. Amen. I walked
in the garden alone while the dew was still on
the roses. And the voice I hear calling on my
ear, the voice of God gently calling and walks.
with me and he and he tells me and the voice
I hear falling home my ear none other has ever
known see that's the valley you get that in the
valley he comes to you he'll walk with you and
the voice that you hear and the joy that you
hear and the comfort that he provides is in the
valley. Amen. When we're on the mountain, we're
flying high in our own strength. Amen. We're
going in the victories that we have just fought
and God has helped us win and we're doing pretty
good. But when we begin the descent, amen, when
we begin to go down and we all go down, don't
ever think for a moment that the characteristics
of the valley aren't applicable to every one
of us because these low places will appear in
our Our lives from time to time. Some characteristics
of the valleys are this. They are unavoidable.
Valleys in life are unavoidable. You can't get
around them. Amen. You can't get away from them.
At one point or another or maybe many times in
your life, the longer you live, the more valleys
that you will trod through. Amen. The more that
you will have to go through. Things are going
on and things are going to happen in our lives.
It's going to bring us to some elongated journey.
It's going to bring us to a depressed section
of life, and we're going to be low, and we're
going to be down. You can count on it. It's unavoidable.
You're going to find one. It's always been said,
either this, you're either coming out of a valley
right now, or you're in the middle of a valley,
or you're at the threshold about to go into a
valley. That's just the way life works. That's
just the way the enemy is out to steal, to kill,
and to destroy every single one of us. And you
don't think for a moment that he's going to give
us ample peace, do you? No. oh, he's coming tomorrow.
He's coming on Tuesday. He'll show up on Wednesday.
He'll show up on Thursday. But that's all right
because there is a blooming lily in every single
valley, and he's the fairest of 10 ,000 to my
soul. Okay, devil, I know there's a valley coming
my way. I may be in it. I may be coming out.
I may just be getting started, but that's okay
because my God is the God of the valley. Hallelujah.
I don't care what the enemy says, but he's only
fighting for you. you on the hillside. No, he's
fighting for me and walking with me and talking
with me as I'm going through the valley. Every
valley that I go through, the anointed one is
with me. And there is a rose of Sharon that blooms
with the lily. I'm here to tell you today, he
is the God of the low places. these characteristics.
They're unavoidable. You can't go around it.
You can't go over it. You can't tunnel under
it. You've got to go through it. You've got to
go through it. So they're unavoidable. Another
characteristic about valleys is they're unpredictable.
Isn't that the truth? It's like all three stations
of our weather people. All of our meteorologists
around our area. The Tennessee Valley weather
is unpredictable. They try. I know they do. Or
at least I think they do. They spend a lot of
money to get an education. And why we watch the
European model for our weather to begin with
just baffles me. I mean, what do they know? It
rains over there all the time anyway. Valleys
are unpredictable. You cannot plan valleys. You
can't time valleys out. Amen? They're unscheduled.
They're usually and most always come at the most
inconvenient moments of your life. Because if
it wasn't inconvenient for you and the worst
possible time for a valley to show up, then why
would the enemy carve it out in front of you?
It has to be unpredictable. It's like a... Have
you ever had a flat at a good time? Come on.
Have you ever had a flat tire at an opportune
moment when you've got all the time in the world
to fix it? No. That's not when your tire's flat.
It's when you hit snooze three times and you're
late for work already and you get up and run
out the door and there it is. Flat is the old
saying, a flitter. Flatter to flitter. Anybody
ever heard that? That's not opportune. That's
not scheduled. It's so unpredictable. You didn't
decide to run over a tack that the roofer let
out of the truck yesterday coming home. That
was not scheduled. That was not planned. Matter
of fact, it's the most unopportune moment for
a flat there is. Or if you're going down the
highway and you run over something going to some
place that you needed to have been 10 minutes
ago, pow, pow. pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,
and over on the side of the road. And you're
sitting there wanting to pull every hair of your
head out. Unless you're Randy. I don't know what
he does. How frustrated do you have to be? There's
no opportune time for valleys. Amen? They're
unpredictable, but they're coming. So just get
ready. That's why you carry a spare tire, hopefully.
I don't. Just call AAA or somebody. Something
else about valleys. Valleys are impartial. They're
equal opportunity offenders. Hello? No one is
immune, so thereby we are all subject to. Amen?
They are impartial. Can I tell you, the devil's
out to kill, steal, and to destroy us all. Amen.
I know I'm God's favorite son. I know I am. I
know he loves me more than he loves any of you.
I know that. Favor, God's grace and favor leans
my way, even in my valleys. No matter how low
they are and no matter how low they become, God...
God loves me. And let me just share it with you.
I know I like to say that, but God loves you
every bit as much as he loves me. Amen. His grace
is extended to you every day as much as he extends
his grace toward me every single day. As valleys
are impartial, so is God. All that call upon
the name of the Lord shall. Be saved. Call unto
me and I will answer you. Show you things that
are higher than you and more mightier than you.
I'll show you. I will baffle you. You just prove
me and see. That's for you. That's for me. As
the valleys are impartial, so is God's abundant
grace and love. Yes, you're going to make it.
Yes, you're going to hold on. Yes, you're going
to go down. Yes, you're going to go into the
valley. It's impartial. It's truly coming your
way. The Word of God says in Matthew 545, God
causes his son to rise on the evil and the good,
and he causes it to rain. He sends rain on the
righteous, and he sends rain on the unrighteous.
What does that mean, Pastor? Everybody's going
to get wet from time to time, but the sun is
also going to shine for everyone at one time
or another. So get your Eeyore off of you, amen.
Go ahead and pin your tail on right and start
walking now. God, Eeyore. Pick your head up.
Linus, wring out your blanket because the cloud
isn't going to follow you every single day. Hallelujah.
You might as well. I've come to tell myself.
I've come to tell everybody listening. I've come
to tell everyone sitting here today. We've got
to tell ourselves by his grace which is sufficient
for our life. Pick up our head. Pick up ourselves
and get ready, get ready, get ready, get ready,
get ready because the grace of God is all sufficient.
Come on, Eeyore. Pick up. We need to get a little
tigger in our life. I wish the kids was in here
that morning. They'd be laughing. We need a little
tigger in our life. We need a little spring to
our step. It's hard to spring in the valley,
trust me. But that's when we need the spring.
That's when we need to understand and realize
that God's grace is with us in the low places.
Here we have the Syrians saying that God is only
God on the mountain and he's not God in the valley.
Well, they never heard that Bestow Goodman song,
didn't they? He's a God on the mountain and he's
still God in the valley. When things go wrong,
he'll make them right. Amen? They didn't hear
that song. They'd have heard that song. They
would have never said that and cost them the
ultimate defeat that entered into their life.
He's only God on the mountain. They did not know
who Jehovah really was. Had they known for sure
that Jehovah was the God of the universe and
the God of the creations and the God who spoke,
he was Elohim. Had they only known, they would
have never let those foolish words out of their
mouth. Oh, we have to be careful what foolish
words we let out of our mouths. Another characteristic,
valleys are temporary. Say that with me. Say
it again. Valleys are temporary. Valleys are
temporary. Valleys are not caves. Valleys are
temporary. Elongated depressions in the earth's
surface. That's a valley. The longest valley
in the world is the Great Rift. I wrote it down
here somewhere. Here it is. It's the Great Rift
Valley. It stretches 4 ,300 miles from Asia,
Jordan in Asia, all the way through Mozambique
into Africa. 300 miles. But can I tell you, it
doesn't go all the way around and come back and
meet itself. No, valleys are like tunnels, not
caves. You may have to get around a little bit
of geography change, but you'll eventually see
the light at the other end. It's just not a cave
that you're in. The devil's trying to tell you
that it's over. It's all finished. You're done.
You're washed up. There's no more good for you,
but I'm here to tell you right now, you're not
in a cave, and they're not going to put dirt
over you and bury you. It's like a rut. A rut
is like a grave with both ends knocked out, and
if there's a way out, I'm going to find it. Hallelujah.
I'm not stupid. staying. You've got to determine
I'm not staying in this temporary condition.
I'm not remaining in this valley forever because
Osama said, yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, his declaration is I
will fear no evil while I am here on my temporary
journey. Temporary. Keep a cool head. Keep calm,
collective. Preaching to myself. On my first
missionary trip to Ecuador with Brother Ronald
Reagan, we're sitting on a bus for a couple hours
waiting on the local folk to get around, get
up, and let's get going. And he told us something.
He could tell we was all getting kind of... A
bunch of us were pastors, and once you set things
up, let's get it going. Eight o 'clock means
eight o 'clock, doesn't it? Well, along about
ten, they finally showed up. Brother Reagan told
us, he said, listen, be flexible, and you won't
get bent out of shape. I was kindly already getting
twisted sitting on that bus. Sort of getting
twisted out of shape. And then he said that.
I always remember. Be flexible and you won't
get bent out of shape. Look, in your valley,
don't become rigid. Rigid breaks. Rigid fractures.
Amen. Rigid will warp if you're not careful.
But flexible. Come on. I about threw one out
right there. I felt it click. Oh, Lord. Be flexible
and you won't get bent out of shape. When it
comes to things of the Spirit in your life, be
flexible. Amen? If you're flexible, you won't
get bent out of shape. 1 Peter 5 and 8 and 11
says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary,
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking
whom he may devour. Whom resists. steadfast in
the faith. Can I tell you the only way you're
going to resist him is in the faith? You can
try yourself. You can try your anger. You can
try your doubt. You can try everything, your
frustration. You can try to resist him and all
of that, and all you're going to get is more
frustrated. All you're going to get is madder
by the minute because that's not how we resist
the devil that's coming against us, that's roaring
against us in our low places, in our valleys
of life. The only way we stand steadfast against
him as if we resist him in the faith. And how
do we do that, Pastor? Oh, Lord, we resist him
in the faith because greater is he that's in
us than he that is in this world. That's how
I resist him by faith, knowing that if God be
for me, then who can be against me? That's how
I stand. That's how we're going day by day. That's
how I'm going to walk through and out the other
end of any valley that presents itself in the
duration of my faith. on this earth. You'd be
well to serve yourself notice as well. There
is a devil out there. Whom resists steadfast
in the faith? Knowing. Here's something else.
You got to know some stuff. Amen. Knowing that
the same afflictions are accomplished in your
brethren that are in the world. The next time
that you take a break in your valley at the juniper
tree of life and you start making yourself some
sour grape juniper drink and you're supping on
the bitter root of life and you're trying to
sit under the shade in the depression of your
valley and you start declaring, well, woe is
me. Oh, despair and agony. Why me, oh God, why?
I'll tell you why you. Why not you? Why not me?
Why not us? Why not the church? Why not the people?
We're the ones that are supposed to be walking
by faith, amen, trusting in God's unchanging
hand. Why not us? Because the afflictions of
the brethren, knowing that they've already endured,
they have already come through victorious, knowing.
That the same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren that are in the world. Next time
the devil jumps up on your shoulder or sends
one of his little imps to whisper in your ear,
well, God don't love you. If he loved you, you
wouldn't be going through this. I have you to
know he loves me because I'm going through it.
I'm going through it because he loves me. Huh?
He trusts me. I know some of you are saying,
I wish he didn't trust me so much. But I've not
endured in life anything such as old man Job.
I've not endured that stuff. Neither have you.
Hello? Neither have you. He made it. If he made
it, you and I are going to make it. Why? Because
we serve the same God he did, the God of the
low places. And I'll tell you what he'll do when
you're all piled up and scraping the sores off
your body and your friends have come up and said,
well, what did you do? Right? Your good friends,
one come up and sat across the fire and looked
at you for a week and never said a word. You
know what it'd make you want to do? Crawl around
the fire and slap somebody. Come on. That's one
of my slim winter jackets. It's hot out there.
I had on one of my loose -fitting summer jackets,
but it was way too loose. Yeah, it makes you
want to slide around the fire and slap somebody.
And then when they do start talking to you, they
say, well, what did you do? You had to have sinned
against God, Job. What did you do? And Job's
sitting over there, I know, thinking, I can't
think of a thing. I offer up sacrifices for my
children. I worship for myself. We give. We've
done everything that we're supposed to do. We
show up at time for worship. I don't know what
I could have done against God. It's not that
you've done anything against God. Hear me now.
Somebody needs to hear the pastor this morning.
You haven't offended God just because you're
going through a rough patch. You haven't made
him mad and you've searched. I always search
myself. I pray, seek God as the Holy Ghost. If
there be any sin in me, purge me and cleanse
me. Convict me, bring it to my knowledge that
I may utter my repentance. Amen. Because I don't
want anything between me and God. And I tell
God that God. Do not let me sin against you.
And if I have, oh, bring it to my mind that I
may repent unto you. And if I can't think of
it, purge me anyway. Cleanse me anyway. Let the
blood that flows from Emmanuel vein, let it cleanse
me, Lord, so that I have not ought against you.
It's not that you've messed up. It could be that
as the enemy against your soul has showed up,
To staff meeting in heaven. And God said to the
devil, have you considered my servant Job? Come
on now. I know we don't like this one, but remember,
things are temporary. Things are temporary. Have
you considered my servant Job? Well, I love the
devil's answer. Well, yeah, I thought about him,
but look, I can't even get to the old boy. You've
got a hedge built up around that boy. I've thought
about him many times. I've walked by Job's compound
and think, man, if I could get in there, I could
really do some work against that old boy. I could
really destroy him. And don't you know that God
knew that the devil wanted at Job so bad? He
knew, but he knew Job too. Have you considered
my servant Job? I have considered him, but if
you'll take that hedge down, I'll have him cursing
you before the month's out. Okay, here's the
line. You leave him alone. His life is mine.
You do whatever you want to, but you cannot take
his life. He is mine. So the devil set out to
do his best. He broke him. He took his family.
He took everything, but he couldn't take his
integrity. Are you hearing me this morning? Are
you listening to me? In his low place when he's
sitting with broken pot shards and scraping scabs
and pus running out of sores that's all over
his body. And his wife sitting across from him
so broken, so in despair because all of her children
are now deceased. And she's in agony. And she
said, Job, are we going to keep doing this? Let's
just curse God and die. But I love the answer
of the man of God. I'm telling you, there's a
word. when there's a man of God that shows up
on the scene. Job said, I'm not going to curse
him, honey. Shall we not receive good at the
hand of God? And shall we not receive the hardships
of life? Can we not take it both? He's still
God. And he said as he bowed his face to the
earth and he began declaring, he said, the Lord
giveth and the Lord taketh away, but blessed
be the name of the Lord. And all his dilemma,
the Bible says, that Job never sinned against
God with his mouth. Hey, he's the God of the
low place. Jump ahead just to prove that it's
temporary, but the time it's all over, said and
done with, God shows up at the lowest point,
and he shows up out of a whirlwind. I call it
a 38 special. Job chapter 38. My Lord. And out
of the whirlwind. Isn't life a whirlwind sometimes?
Don't you feel like you're just getting picked
up and tossed around like a rag doll? Amen. Because
of the hardships and the valleys and the depressions
that you have to go through in life. And out
of all of that, all of his despair, three friends,
amen, just never found anything good to encourage
him with. Bless her heart, Sister Jo was in such
despair, but Job maintained his faith. Amen.
Oh, it wasn't that he didn't complain. Oh, he
complained. He said it cursed be the day it was
announced that a man child was born and mama
named him Job. That day cursed be that day. He
said, oh, that I had a pen that I could carve
and put lead in a stone regretting my birthday.
Now that's pretty much complaining. Right? God's
okay with your complaint. Just don't turn it
into an accusation. Because he's still good.
Temporary they are. He said, after that you have
suffered a while. First Peter, back to there.
Long way around to get back to here. After that
you have suffered a while, he's going to make
you perfect. It's going to establish you. It's
going to strengthen you. These trials are going
to settle you. And then he says this, to him
be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Can I tell you, every victory that you and I
win out over the enemy in the valleys of life
simply magnifies and glorifies God to a greater
level and a greater degree. When we pick ourselves
up by the bootstraps, we get our lip rolled up
off the ground and declare it, the Lord giveth
and the Lord taketh away, but blessed be the
name of the Lord. Hallelujah. When we get the
resolve to know that we are not alone in our
suffering, the only one. The devil will tell
you you're the only one that's been where you
are and he is lying to you because the brethren
around this world have already accomplished the
afflictions that you and I are dealing with and
going. We're not the first nor will we be the
last as long as the Lord tarries. We're not the
first and we're not the last. It's proven good
things happen to bad people, and bad things happen
to good people. But know this, it changes not
the faithfulness of God. So many people want
to know why God permits and allows, and I mentioned
to you a little bit the other week, why all this
stuff's going on in the world. It's our fault.
It's sin. I said, well, God could do something
about that. He did. He sent Jesus. Oh, you mean
he should make everybody be good. Oh, he's going
to. He's going to. Just don't be in a hurry for
it. Oh, it's going to get better. Amen. Matter
of fact, let me tell you how sad it is. He's
going to remove. Everybody that don't. Now, instead
of that smile I mentioned earlier, our hearts
should have just shattered. Because that means
they're going to be moved from the love and the
joy and the light of God's grace. They're going
to be cast into outer darkness forever and ever.
Where the Bible says there's weeping, wailing,
and gnashing. Where the worm, the flesh eating,
died not. Forever. And ever. And ever, and ever,
and ever, and ever. You get the point. So don't
let despair. Cripple you in your temporary condition.
Valleys have purpose. Now I come, I don't have
my clock today. So I'm just going to preach.
Valleys have purpose. God has a reason for allowing
and permitting and taking us through the valleys
of life. We may not understand them even when
we get through them. We may still have no clue
as to why we had to go through what we went through.
But whether you have a valley that's filled with
doubt, despair, discouragement, defeat, and any
other this or the that can enter into your life.
You have to know that God has a purpose for you
being there. Romans 8, 28 probably defines it
as well as anything. And we know that all things
work together for good. To them that are loving
God and to them who are called according to His
purpose. It may be that the purpose has nothing
to do with you or me. The purpose may be someone
who is watching us. It may be someone else who's
looking on to your faith that you've been testifying
of. And God needs to get a word to them. And
he's going to use you to get it to them. How
many is going to jump in line first for that?
Not many of us. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Use me, God. No,
here, you get in front of me. I'm going to prefer
my brother and nine sisters. That ain't the line
we jump in first for. We jump in that bless me
line. Woo. Put me there up front. Hello. We don't
get in this purpose line, but there is a purpose
for every ordeal of our life, and it may have
nothing to do with us at all. But one thing that
it has to do with you and I is that as we're
going through it, if it's for someone else's
benefit, His grace is to us, not necessarily
to them. You receive the grace to make it through,
that His purpose, He being glorified, you being
lifted. You being equipped, you and I being perfected,
you and I being strengthened, you and I being
established, settled, but it may be to their
deliverance. People are watching our lives. And
how we deal with the low places testifies to
them. More than what we say when we're on the
high places. They don't really watch you too
closely when things are going real good because
we kind of get obnoxious. You know, I like everybody
to know I'm blessed. You know? But they get real
attentive when the wheels fall off. Let's see
what they're going to do now. Let's see where
that joy they come in here every morning to work
is now. Let's see where that song, are they going
to sing that lily of the valley again today?
It's the low places that tell them about God's
grace. They all have purpose. Wherein you greatly
rejoice, though now for a season. Temporary,
somebody say it. Temporary. For a season, if
need be, you are in heaviness. Through manifold
temptation. Manifolds more than one. A manifold
flows many aqueducts into one single aqueduct.
Your car got a manifold unless you're Brother
Randy over here. Brother Randy over here. It
has to do something with the Randy that wants
to drive a battery around. Double A. But mine's
got a manifold on it. Mine just so happens to
be a V8. I got two manifolds on each side that
funnel four cylinders exhaust out to one. Sometimes
we got more than one thing going on at a time
in our life. Sometimes you got more than one
issue. Sometimes we got more than one problem.
Sometimes we got more than one dilemma. You go
over a hill and there's another valley. But if
need be, we're going to make it through there
that the trial of our faith being much more precious
than of gold. What time is it? Huh? Twelve? That
we might be found under praise and honor and
glory at the appearing. There's the purpose.
It shows up again. At the appearing of Jesus
Christ. You know what, this declares a couple
of things. Trials come to help shape us. Like
the fire of a forge. You got to get steel hot
and pliable before you can shape it. And some
of us. Pretty stiff. Takes a little more heat.
Takes a little more heat. I watched that forged
in fire probably too much. And you can see. Those
blacksmith's faces, on their anvil, they'll have
a cloth covering up a piece of steel. And I've
learned some of the ones that they do not want
to fool with. When they pull that cloth off,
and there's this two -inch W2 ball bearing, their
faces just melt. Because they know it's going
to take twice as much heat. It's going to have
to stay in that forge at least two times longer
than spring steel. A leaf spring out from under
your car. And they just melt. But their steel
doesn't. Because they know it has to get really,
really hot. before they can ever begin to shape
it. That's you and I, some of us. Sometimes it
takes some intense heat in order for God to get
the shape in us that he wants to get. But if
we'll not bail out, he'll shape us. Amen? I'm
trying to get there. I'm trying to get to this
page. Understand the enemy's endeavor is to intimidate
in the valleys. I'm not going to go over them,
but there's at least seven different valleys
mentioned throughout Scripture. And the valley
of Elah is one of them. It's the valley where
fierce battles take place. It's where you meet
the giant of your life. It's where Goliath, your
Goliath. David met him there in the valley of
Elah. But he didn't just begrudgingly go into
the valley. Did he? If you read the story of
David and Goliath, you'll see that he hastened.
What's that mean? He ran. He ran to meet his
enemy, his Goliath, the giant of his life. He
ran to meet him head on. And as the enemy was
intimidating all the way down, you're just a
dog. They've sent me a dog. You've sent me a
boy. Who do you think I am? I'm the champion
of Philistia. And you send this. Boy, I'm going
to feed you. Before this day is over, the dogs
and the buzzards are going to pick your bones.
Come on, if you want some of this. David getting
madder by the minute. Because it was that giant
that was defying his God. Amen. He knew who Jehovah
was. He knows what the anointing is on his life.
And it just causes something to stir up in him.
And he started running. He said, no, it's going
to be you today. I'm taking your head today.
You don't even have a sword. I'm going to use
yours. I got all I need. I've got the anointing
that rests upon my life. I've got what I've proven
up to this day. I've taken the bear. I've taken
the lion and any and every other thing that threatened,
and you're going to be no different today because
the battle is not mine. The battle is the Lord's,
and he's going to give me the victory because
it belongs to him. I'm just coming to collect.
I'm just coming to collect. Somebody needs to
get enough audacity and get ready to go collect.
The intimidation works in a couple different
factors. One, he'll tell you, you can't. Secondly,
he'll tell you, God won't. And thirdly, he'll
say, God don't. You can't do it. God won't do
it. And he can't do it. Now, that's all he's
got. He can't do anything about whether God will
or whether God won't. He just says God won't,
don't, and you can't. And what does he know?
Stand to your feet. I'm going to quit. The devil
will try to tell you you can't get out of your
valley. He'll try to tell you you're never getting
out. He's going to try to tell you that God doesn't
care because you're there. But I'm here to tell
you he's the God of the low places. If I would
have kept preaching, I would have got to the
point where I would have finally got around to
telling you the rest of the story. About the
Syrians. When a man of God showed up. And began
to prophesy. Hey look. They made God mad. Thus.
When the man showed up and said, thus saith the
Lord, it's done. Because they said he was only
the God of the hills. And that was the only reason
that we won. He's going to give you a great victory.
And he's going to show them that he's God in
the low places too. It's a beautiful story. Go
read the rest of it. They encamped. They went
down to the valley where they wanted to fight.
Scripture says that they were in two camps, the
children of Israel in two camps, and they looked
like a herd of kids, which are baby goats. And
the Syrians. We're a multitude. But God showed
up and in one day they took out a hundred and
something thousand. Then the bunch that left
and ran off into the city ran up against the
wall and the wall fell on 27 ,000 of them. When
the word of the Lord shows up. It doesn't matter
about your valley. Because he's going to come
in the valley where you're at to let you know,
I'm God down here too. When the enemy says you're
not going to be blessed, when the enemy says
you're not going to grow old, when the enemy
says you're not going to make it, when he looks
and tries to speak against the church and says,
you'll never have revival. The word of the Lord
says, I'll give unto you the keys to the kingdom
of heaven. That's what the word says. And whatsoever
you bind on earth. Man, I was using this one
last night. Be bound in heaven. Whatsoever you
loose, it's going to be loosed. Amen? It's going
to be set free. God's on your side. It declares
it over our lives. His word proclaims to us,
upon this rock, I'll build my church. And the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I
don't know if you get the full grasp of it or
not, but you and I are lively stones which build
up a spiritual house. That's us. You and I, we're
the church. Not this building, not any other
building in this city, town. No other building.
You and I. And the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. I will build my church. He's building
on you and I. He's building on us. He's the God
of your low place. Father, I love you this morning.
I thank you so much for your goodness and grace.
I thank you so much for your anointing and helping
me preach this morning for I sure have felt you
and your anointing. So God, I ask now over the
household of faith. That you empower your people.
And remind us that you're God in the low place.
Quickly this morning, if you're in a low place
and you've been reminded this morning, I want
to pray over you. I want you to just come down
to the front real quick. You're in a low place
in life. You're in a valley. He's God of the
low places. Come on. Doubt, despair, discouraged.
He's still God. He wants you to know this morning
that in your low place, he's going to show up.