Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend? We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you and thanks so much for letting us come into your homes. We are praying for you and your family.
I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our podcast, social media, our YouTube channel. There are lots of ways you can receive these messages and stay inspired and encouraged. Plus, you can share them with a friend. But thanks for tuning in. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this man that 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 all 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 along 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. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you.
I want to talk to you today about from valley to victory. We all go through difficulties in life and things we don't understand. We have a setback in our finances, a challenge in our health, a relationship didn't make it. When we're in the valley, it's easy to get discouraged and think it's never going to 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 debt. 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. You're in a valley of sickness. God is about to transform it into a gateway of healing, a gateway of wholeness. 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 valley in your finances. Business has slowed.
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, the anxiety is not going to hinder you your whole life.
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Chapter 2: What is the main message of Joel Osteen in this episode?
He was saying, this man is not in covenant with our God. He doesn't have the blessing of Jehovah. 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 and When you're in the valley, like David, you will hear the enemy's threats.
He'll try to intimidate you. You'll never get out of this problem. It's too big. You'll never get well. You saw the report. Your child will never get back on course. Don't do like the Israelites and believe those lies. Live in fear, worried. Do like David and talk back to the enemy. 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. We'll never defeat him. When you talk defeat, you're inviting defeat. When you talk 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 back into me. You'll never get out of debt. This valley of lack, valley of struggle, not having enough, it's permanent. I will lend and not borrow. God is opening the windows of heaven, pouring out blessings that I cannot contain. Well, that child is never going to do right.
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Chapter 3: How can valleys lead to personal breakthroughs?
He's never going to break the addiction. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My children are mighty in the land. What God has purposed for their life, no bed breaks, no addictions, no person can stop. It's so important what you're saying in the valley. If it's going to be transformed into a gateway of hope, you have to speak words of life, words of faith, words of victory.
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 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 Recognize what's happening?
Don't be one of the israelites and run and hide 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. I am well able.
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. He's too big. He's their most skilled warrior Sometimes people will try to keep you in the valley People will tell you what you can't do what you don't have how you should just learn to live with the addiction
Don't try to start that business. There are giants out there. You can't teach that class. There's too much competition. You better stay where you are Don't expect everyone to cheer you on. All your friends are not going to celebrate you, challenge you to stretch to the next level. But 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. Now don't let someone talk you out of what God put in you. Don't let their lack of support cause you to stay 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. He is much bigger than I am.
Maybe I should just accept this valley. If David would have let Saul discourage him, we wouldn't be talking about him. If he would have 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. We didn't get the scholarship. The relationship didn't work out. We lost a loved one.
The fear, depression, anxiety, it feels 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 of something amazing.
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Chapter 4: What does the Bible say about transforming valleys into blessings?
When he slung it, it hit Goliath right between the eyes, knocked him unconscious. David went over, took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off. Overnight, David became a national hero. He went from a shepherd boy that nobody had ever heard of to be in the talk of the town everyone admired and loved. God knows how to transform a valley of trouble into a gateway of blessing.
You may be in trouble now in your health, your finances, a relationship. It's a setup. It was meant to stop you, but God has another plan. He allowed it because it's about to launch you to a new level. You're going to come out promoted, stronger, healthier, better than you were before. not a coincidence that David wrote in Psalm 23, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
He didn't say though I stay in the valley, though I live in the valley. No, the valley is not your home. The valley is temporary. You're just passing through the valley. It's just a matter of time before it's turned into a gateway, a gateway of favor, a gateway of healing. Now don't let the valley become permanent in your thinking.
Don't go around talking about my sickness, my depression, my arthritis is acting up. Don't take ownership of it. It's not yours. God made you healthy, whole, free, blessed, prosperous. Anything otherwise is on foreign territory. David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Then the next verse he said, God anoints my head with oil and my cup runs over.
God was showing us you have to go through some valleys before you come to the anointing where your cup runs over. David could have started the chapter talking about my cup runs over God anoints my head then at the end talked about the valleys He did just the opposite.
It's because valleys precede overflow You may be dealing with the sickness now, but on the other side of that valley is your cup running over with good health and
Things may be slow at the office, but when you make it through the valley, there's an abundance good breaks promotion That family member is causing trouble But on the other side of the valley is great joy great peace your cup is going to run over with great relationships Now none of us like to go through the valleys, but if you'll keep the right perspective Knowing that that valley is leading you to overflow.
Then you'll go through it with a good attitude I wonder how often we get stuck in the valley complaining. I can't believe this happened. God is waiting to transform it into a gateway of blessing, but we have to pass the test. How we go through the valley makes a difference. I know a pastor that wanted to build a new auditorium. They had needed the space for a long time.
He saw friends building nice sanctuaries. They were doing great things. But every time he tried to move forward, he had some kind of setback. He was tempted to get discouraged, think it would never work out. When you're in the valley, it's a test. God is up to something that you can't see. It's easy to complain and live negative, but you have to trust him in the valley.
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Chapter 5: How did David's story illustrate overcoming obstacles?
You are coming through. And if you could see what was on the other side, you would be amazed. Your cup is going to run over. Maybe a relationship didn't work out. That person left you. Now you're in the valley. That is not the end of your story. God has a running over blessing. Somebody better than you've ever dreamed. Stay in faith in the valley. Don't listen to Goliath.
Don't believe the lies that it's never going to work out. It's too late. The obstacle's too big. Like this pastor, that valley of trouble is leading to a gateway of abundance, abundance of joy, abundance of good health, abundance of resources. Second Kings chapter three, the Israelites had been traveling for seven days on their way to attack the Moabites.
They went the long way around to surprise them, but they ran out of water. There was nothing for them or their animals to drink. The king of Israel said, has God brought us out here to die? Someone spoke up and said, let's ask the prophet Elisha. He said in verse 16, this is what the Lord says. This dry valley will be filled with water.
You will see neither wind nor rain, but you will have an abundance of water, plenty for yourselves and your animals, and the Lord will give you victory over the Moabites. That didn't make sense. The valley was going to be filled with water with no rain. I'm sure they thought, Elisha, you missed it this time. That's impossible. Where's the water going to come from?
The next morning they woke up and suddenly water started flowing into the valley with no source. They went out and defeated the Moabites. You don't have to figure out how God is going to bring you out. It may not seem possible. You've looked at all the options and don't see a way. That's okay. God has ways we've never thought of. We think natural, but God is supernatural.
He can cause the property to find you. He can have the right people knock on your door. He can heal you without the treatment. The valley doesn't stop our God. He's not limited by what you don't have. He's not intimidated by what you're up against. He spoke worlds into existence. He flung stars into space. He knows how to turn your situation around You may be in the valley that's dry.
It looks permanent get ready water is about to flow into your valley You're not going to see wind nor rain. It's not going to be ordinary. It's not going to happen a normal way It's going to be the hand of God. There's no explanation It doesn't make sense.
It's God bringing water without rain promotion without the qualification An auditorium without having to build it a baby when you were told it wasn't possible Don't get discouraged because the valley is dry. There's no water God controls the faucet his favor can open a door that couldn't open he can make things happen That can't be explained
When David was 37 years old, he was about to step into a new level of his destiny and become the king of all of Israel. He was at the valley of Rephiam. Rephiam means giants. 20 years earlier, he defeated Goliath. Now he's spaced not just one giant, but a valley full of giants. God helped him and his men and they won the victory. The scripture says David renamed the valley.
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Chapter 6: What role does faith play in navigating life's challenges?
Be sure to get to a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.
Life throws so much at us. Disappointments, failures, challenges. We can feel so out of touch that we no longer recognize ourselves.
Life has a way of changing us. At one time we were outgoing and excited about our dreams, but when we go through disappointments and people do us wrong, it's easy to lose that positive, passionate person that we used to be. In my new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You, I'll help you get back to who you really are, the joyful you, the confident you, the talented you. It's not too late.
You haven't been through too much. You may have lost part of yourself, but you can find yourself. God is in the business of restoring what was lost, healing what was broken. You haven't seen the best version of you yet. It's still in front of you.
As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You. Take back your passion, reignite your dreams, and embrace the life you were created to live.
This book shares uplifting scripture and personal stories that will help you release bitterness, silence self-defeating thoughts, and embrace by faith the vision of the life God designed for you.
Life's challenges might have distorted the true you, but now you can reclaim, revitalize, and restore the version of yourself that you once knew, or the version that you know God has made you to be, filled with hopes and dreams, optimism and confidence. Request your copy today and discover the best version of you yet.
God is about to breathe new life, new passion, new dreams into your heart. What he started, he's going to finish. Thanks so much for being with us today. Victoria and I are praying for you and your family for God's very best. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps people all over the world.
A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
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