On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to look at Psalm 23, Pastor Ford will talk about how God uses valleys in our lives. He’ll explain that sometimes, if you want to get to a greener pasture, you have to go through a valley to get there. There’s no escaping the path through the valley. It’s the best way, and often it’s the only way you can go. Understand more from Pastor Ford about how to handle your valleys on today's Treasured Truth.
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If you want the greener pasture, you got to go through the valley to get there. That there's no escaping it. It's the best way. Wherever you're taking them. Sometimes through there is the only way.
Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford Jr. Senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hillard. Glad that you're with us today as we continue our look at Psalm 23. We've been breaking this down for a number of days now, and so if you've missed any broadcasts in the series, I hope you'll go back and listen at the website. It's Treasure Truth radio.org. But pastor, I've often heard the Christian life described as a series of hills and valleys. There are times where we feel like we're close to God and things are going well, and there are times where we feel like we are far from him and he's distant, and we're going through those valleys of those tough times, and we're going to spend a little time looking at that today. day.
Well, valleys, they're real and they're going to happen. Remember what Jesus said? He said, in the world you shall not might. In the world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Now let me ask you a question. Okay. Do you like valleys?
No.
And neither do I. Yeah. But let me ask you another question. Have you been through some valleys?
Absolutely. Yeah.
Now, do you realize that there are some things that God has added to your character and your conduct and your conversation that you never would have gotten had you not gone through those valleys?
Oh, definitely. I think all of us can probably look back at seasons of life and say, I never want to go through that again. That's right. But I'm grateful for what I learned in that valley.
Right. That's right. Well, think about it. One of my favorite characters is Joseph, and I talk about him all the time. But think about this. Was the pit a good thing? No. Was Potiphar is a good thing? No. Was the prison a good thing? No. Was the palace a good thing? Yes. Yeah. Wait a minute. No, no, no. Yes. I mean, how did these three no's become a yes? Because they were stepping stones, not stumbling blocks. Right. They were valleys that were leading him to victory. Yeah. And you know, that's something that you need to factor in your Christian walk, that you're going to have it. That's why first Thessalonians 518 tells us in everything now, not for everything, but in everything. Locative a spear literally means in the midst of everything. So, I mean, the psalmist said it best in Psalm 30 41I will bless the Lord at all times, and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Habakkuk said it. He said, Though the fig tree doesn't blossom and bloom yet, I will praise the Lord. So it is a yet praise. It is in spite of praise, not because of. And that's what we need to have. Realizing that God is sovereign. Job one. Job two. Nothing can enter our life unless God allows it. And here's something I'm going to say real quick. And that is this it says when Satan asked God about job, there is a Christian that is, you know, top of the line. Then he said, you have a hedge of protection around him. My question would be this how did he know that? Because he had been looking for access and couldn't gain it.
Yeah.
And so God had to give him permission. Yeah. Anything that happens in your life, I don't care what it is. Satan has to get permission. God has a leash on that bad boy.
What a great place to pause the conversation and get back into God's Word. We are in Psalm 23, so join us there as we begin. How to handle your valleys. Here is Pastor Ford.
Young woman went to her mother and she started complaining about the things that were going on in her life. She started telling her mother things like, you know what, I am just sick and tired of being sick and tired. And she said, you know, I got problems over here and problems over there. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of struggling every time I turn around something. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Yeah. There's always something else. And it seems like things just. Just get worse. You go from bad to worse. So her mother didn't say anything, pastor green. She took her in the kitchen, and she put three pots on the stove, filled each pot with water and begin to boil them. Then she took three items. She took an egg, and then she took a carrot. And then she took some coffee beans, and she put each one of them in one of the pots. Uh, after they had boiled for a while, the mother said to the daughter, did you see what happened here? And she said, well, well, not actually. I mean, you just boil some stuff. And the mother said, let me explain something to you. All three of them were in the same degree of hot water, but yet all three of them responded differently. You see, when I put the egg in the hot water, the egg had a thin shell that was protecting its inner liquid inside. So it was fluid and was able to move. But once the water got hot and it started getting hotter, then the egg began to get hard. And the heart of the water, the harder the egg, so that now it still looks the same on the outside, but where it used to be nice and sensitive and fluid is.
Real hard.
And cold on the inside. That's how some people respond to tribulation and to their valley experiences. Pastor green. Uh, they they they're nice people. And they got Jesus in them, and they're fluid and they're liquid. But whenever they put in hot water, when they're going through the valley, they get hard. They still look the same on the outside, but they got bitterness and anger and hatred on the inside, because the valley has made them hard on the. And you can't see it. Oh yeah. But you can experience the toxic personality of individuals, that dog people and down people because hurt people hurt people. And you got individuals all. You know what I'm talking about. One person hurt you, and we all gotta bear the blame for what one person did to you. Yeah, you ain't no better than the news that label all of us black folk by some folk that don't live right, don't act right, don't talk right, don't dress right. Amen. Come oh man, oh, man. So what do you do? Come on. But then remember, the carrot was strong and stable, but the hot water made it soft. And guess what? The more hot water you leave it in the mushier it gets until you end up with baby food. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. And so there are people like that. They start off. They're on fire for God. They here on Thursday. We ain't got a church service on Thursday. They come to me. Something about pastor, why don't we have a Bible study on Friday? Well, let's see if we can get you here on Wednesday first. Okay. If we can get here on Wednesday, get you here on Sunday, maybe we'll start a Bible study on Friday. And they all fired up. Then you turn around, somebody doesn't hurt them. They're going through the valley, they're going through something and they drop out. Come on. That's right. They used to sit in the front, then they're in the middle, then they're in the back, then in the balcony. They gone after that. That's it. Yeah. They drop out. They say I gotta take a sabbatical. Yes, sir. But then there are those who go now. Same hot water, different responses. Look at your neighbor. Help me preach this. Say, are you a carrot or are you a egg? Go ahead, tell em. Say I'm neither. Tell em I'm a coffee bean. Because, see, when you put a coffee bean in the hot water, the coffee bean lets the hot water act on it. But it acts on it so that the hot water was white or clear. Now the coffee colors it. Yeah. And the coffee dictates to the hot water. The hot water don't dictate to the coffee, the coffee, the heart of the water. The more flavor. Or y'all ain't going to pray with me up in here. The hotter the water, the more flavor. Why? Because what's in the bean has to come out. If Christ is in you in the hot water, he going to come out. If he not coming out, maybe that's because he ain't in you. Say, why so much hell coming out of so many Christians? Because there's hell up in them. And when you put them in hot water, the hell come out of them. See, whatever comes out of you when you put in the hot water, that's what's in you. If you mean and nasty and ignorant, it's coming out when you get in the hot water. If somebody would like to withdraw and shrink away from stuff I want no problem.
I want no issues. Yes, sir. Amen.
Yes, sir. Make it plain. Whatever in you you are Cusser. Yeah. Look. Look how quiet it got. That hot water will bring it out of you because it takes the hot water. And what does the coffee bean do? Coffee bean says, okay, I'm going through. Yeah, but that's alright, because this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and I will be glad. I will bless the Lord at all times, and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be. Somebody ought to be giving God some praise up here for all these coffee bean Christians.
Are up here.
Yeah. And so you and I, we understand it. And David said, listen, listen, listen, let me tell you something. I am not a carrot and I am not an egg, because when you put me in hot water, I'm a coffee bean. I'm going to change the flavor of everything. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. You going to talk about the trouble you going through? I'm going to tell you about the future. I'm going to. That's it. That's what I'm going to do. Yeah. You talking about I woe is me. I'm under the circumstances. I'm going to ask you. What you doing under there? Amen. Amen.
We're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford, and we're going to get back to this. Look at Psalm 23 and a message called How to Handle Your Valleys in just one moment. You know, maybe as you're listening, you've got a question about what you're hearing on the program. You can always ask your question by coming to our website, Treasure Truth Radio. Org click on the contact link and go ahead and ask your question that way. We'll make sure that Pastor Ford hears from you, and we just might answer that question on a future broadcast. Again, come to treasure Truth radio.org. Back to the message. Here is Pastor Ford.
And so David said, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. He said, let me tell you what I do. I color now whenever I went to Israel. I'm telling you now, don't hate, celebrate. God may let you participate. I had a ball people were trying to get me to go. Now am 1390. They asked me to go. I said no, no, I can't go. They said, why, you're a schedule. A couple other places asked me to go. I said, no, no, I can't go. Is it your. It's not my schedule. See, when I went the first time I was taken by somebody and what they did was they became my shepherd. Uh, because we flew over there, just four of us, three preachers and a deacon. Uh, just four of us. See, when you go with those things, they got two, three, four buses. You got to wait for everybody. I went with four, three other people, just four of us. And when we went, we flew over first class. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 17 hour trip. But it wasn't bad when you got a cubicle in a bed and a TV. We had a table and we had our own cubicle to ourselves, the four of us laying in bed 17 hours, 16 hours, whatever it was. See, I was spoiled. And I ain't pay for nothing. I ain't pay for the hotel. I ain't pay for my food.
Ten days and nine nights I ain't paid for nothing.
And on top of that, make a bad thing worse or a good thing better. He hired the number one guide in all Israel. His name is Hillel. He was a Jew who was a psychiatrist who was rich, got saved, became a messianic Jew, went back and got an earned degree in archaeology and an earned degree, a PhD in theology. That's who was our guide. The person who took me paid $10,000 extra for him to be our guide, and we knew he was the number one man in Israel because everywhere we went, they would ask us stuff like other guys would say, you guys got Hillel, you know, he's the number one guide in all of Israel. So here's what he did. We're on the Mount of Olives. You know, we're on the Mount of Olives. And he takes us right there. The dome of the rock is in the middle. It's gold. And that beautiful city and that wall. And he said, okay, now what I want you to do is I want you to look to your right and we look to it, he said, now slowly, take in the whole city. Yes. And we slowly slow down. Slow down. Slow. Slow down. And then he said, now come back. And then we came back. Then he said, now go back again. And while we were there he's behind us. He said, as we're looking. Oh, Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How I would have gathered thee as a mother. Chicken gathers her hens, but thou would not. He said, this is probably the spot where Jesus was standing when he said those words. And, man, three of the four of us just start crying. Say, man, what a beautiful sight. Well guess what? Here it is. Here's number one. How do I handle my valleys? Number one, you have to have the right acknowledgement in Israel. He said, now, gentlemen, uh, we're about to go into what's called the Valley of the Shadow of Death. I didn't even know there really was one. That's the valley of the shadow of death. Now, here's what it is. And sheep would go through there, and the shepherd would take his sheep through there. And why was it called the Valley of the Shadow of Death? Because the only time there would be light in the valley is when the sun was overhead at noon. Otherwise all you got was shadow, because the ravine was so deep. It's a place between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And we walk through that bad boy. And as we walk through, every time we went somewhere, Hillel would read something. We're walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and he says, yea, though I walk through the valley, I got goosebumps just thinking about I got goosebumps. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. And he said, listen, you gotta understand now what's going on. That the sheep were skittish and the shepherd would lead them. Now get this, get this, get this, this is powerful for me. See, the only way that you get the sheep from the low land to the high land, and from the high land to the low lowland is through the valley. Come on. Remember I told you that. Feed them in the winter in the lowland. Go to the grass in the spring and the highland. But you got to go through the valley. Oh, y'all right over your head. I said if you want the greener pasture, you got to go through the valley to get there. That there's no escaping it. It's the best way. Wherever you're taking them. Sometimes through there is the only way that you and I gotta realize that God is doing some stuff. And it may not be good to us immediately, but it's going to be good for us ultimately, because God is taking us somewhere. You don't go through the valley for nothing and the mountain, it's education, but in the valley it's maturation. You want to know how much Jesus you got in you. All you got to do is go through the valley. All you need is a financial crisis. All you need is a spousal crisis. All you need is a relationship crisis. All you need is a valley and the valley going to bring out, if you're an egg, the valley going to bring it out if you're a carrot and the valley going to bring it out if you're a coffee bean.
Yeah.
Yes, sir. What are you see, some of y'all came in thinking you coffee beans. You going to walk out knowing you a carrot? Well, yeah. You say what's going on here? It's like, listen, listen to this. I talk about Joseph all the time, don't I? Okay? So I'm not going to talk about him today. Let me just read what the Scripture says about him. When you look at Psalm 105 17 through 19, here's how my Bible reads. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant, somebody say, valley, whose feet they hurt with feathers. Somebody say valley. He was laid in irons. Somebody say valley. Valley. Yeah, but wait a minute. Don't forget he sent. Who? God sent. He was in God's valley and it wasn't good for him immediately, but it became good for him ultimately. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't good in the pit. It was the valley. Wasn't good at Potiphar's in the Valley wasn't good in prison. But it did get good ultimately because he ended up in the palace. God sent him. Now put verse 18 up there. Listen to this. It says that he was there until the word of the Lord tried him. Come on. He sent a man before them because he has purpose. Yes. But then God said, do you believe the words that are coming out of my mouth? You're in the valley. But do you believe the words that are coming out of my mouth? Do you believe that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according. Do you believe that because the only place you find out what you believe in the valley. Thank you, Brother Watkins. Amen. Amen. I almost forgot I was in the Baptist church till you spoke up. Yeah. That's right. And so that's what happens. And so we need to realize that's why David starts out with a conjunction. Yes. Come on, somebody help me with schoolhouse Rock. And what is the function of a conjunction? To tie two phrases together. So that means then, even though, yea, though I walk through the valley of could be translated even when it's a conjunction. Now, what does the conjunction do? Tell you? If you want to understand fully what I'm about to say, you got to go back and read what I just said. What did he just say? Okay, get this. Get the connection he's saying. He leads me beside still water. Peace, serenity. We love that. A graze in the grass. Oh, we love that. That's provision. But he says, listen, it doesn't matter how blessed you are. It doesn't matter how much Bible you know, it doesn't matter how much money you give. It doesn't matter how you work like a Hebrew slave. It doesn't matter because valleys are a part of life. Just like the still waters. Come on. And just like the grazing. See, we want the grazing because grazing in the grass is a gas. Can you dig it? We want the still waters, but we don't want the yay, though. No, no, no, I don't want to go through anything. Lord, I don't want this to happen to me. And so now what's he saying? And look seven times. This phrase is used in the Hebrew Bible. Yea, though, here's what he's saying. He's saying you need to understand. You have to acknowledge that valleys are a part of the Christian walk. He says two things they are inevitable and they are impartial. That's what he's trying to tell us. They're inevitable. They're going to happen. It's going to come. And it's impartial. They don't care who you are. They don't consult your schedule. They don't say, hey, you're ready for this one. And some of us think that Christianity is supposed to be a Teflon existence, that nothing that's bad sticks to us. Hey, listen, you don't have to go looking for trouble. Trouble is going to come.
Looking for you. That's right. That's right.
That is so true, isn't it? Where you're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a message along those lines. It's called How to Handle Your Valleys. Because whether you're in one right now or you've got one coming, we do all face valleys in life. And that's where just continually being fed on a diet of God's Word can be so helpful. As we walk through some of those valleys, and there are a number of different ways that we want to make sure that you can listen to Pastor Ford's teaching. Obviously, there's the radio, but also online through our website at Treasure Truth radio.org. You could podcast the program, or you can listen to the Moody Radio app and listen to the program that way. In fact, we recently heard from a listener from Virginia named Allison who says, I listened to Pastor Ford on the Moody Radio app. I used to live in the Chicagoland area. Now I live in Virginia. Well, Pastor Ford is so encouraging to listen to, and I love how practical he is. And so I was wondering if you could send me some info on how to be a ministry partner. Thank you. Well, Allison, a couple of things. Yes, absolutely. We love to hear from listeners who say they want to be ministry partners. And I'll tell you, I can do that in just one moment. But if you want to get the app and listen to this Bible teaching program like Allison does, come to the website and look for the links on the Stay Connected bar. Our website address is Treasure Truth radio.org, and you can also become a ministry partner by giving, praying for and supporting this ministry with both your prayers and your finances. You can give a gift online, whether it's a one time gift or an ongoing monthly gift, by coming to Treasure Truth radio.org and then click on the link that says make a donation. We really do value your financial partnership as well. Well, thanks for doing that and for listening today. Thanks to our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey. For Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.