Beyond the Valley of the Shadow

By Ron McGatlin

The valley of the shadow is only our passing through a deep and dark passage way into the brightness of His life high upon the mountain of God.

The value of the cross is the resurrection. The cross never was and is not now the goal of God.  Death is not the sought after end. Rather it is the predecessor of the goal of resurrection life.

The valley of the shadow of death is the removal of all hindrances and weights unto the fullness of life. The cross is endured for the glory of the life beyond it. We can never know the true life that we were created for until after the cross is embraced and endured in our lives.

The cross of Christ involves a great shame and offense.  The shame is that we (mankind) dishonored our magnificent Father who totally loved us. It is hard to imagine how we could disobey and walk in derision lifting our stubborn rebellious disrespect toward the most loving glorious Father God – the greatest beyond all description Spirit God who created us and dearly loves us with holy passion beyond measure and understanding. What a horrible shame it is that we would dishonor and disrespect such a marvelous love from such a glorious God.

The cross of Christ must be borne in all of us. The cross is a horrendous offense to mankind because it openly exposes the extreme shame of our sin of rejecting the perfect provision of love from our magnificent Father God and going our own way.

Every time an individual or a nation faces a cross experience of the valley of the shadow, the shame of the individual or the nation is exposed before the world. The offense to all mankind is again increased to all who see the cross of death at work. It is to all who see it an unavoidable presentation of the shame and failure of mankind. It is the afflictions of Christ again being perpetrated upon the shameful lack of love and honor for God in mankind. This is the afflictions (cross experiences) of Christ in His people who shamefully are yet lacking in pure love and worshipful adoration of God.

Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” ( Col 1: 24)

It is not all about the suffering death of the cross. It is not about dying to self and laying down everything or being stripped of life. It is not even about sacrifice. God prefers obedience beyond sacrifice.

It is all about the life of obedience that is only possible as the pure love of Christ in us has full unhindered reign to express unrestrained love for God and His people.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE RESURRECTION LIFE that is beyond the enduring of the valley of the shadow of death.

Jesus endured the cross for the GLORY that was after the cross.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:20).

This is not all about physical death and after life in heaven.

This is not now and never has been all about going to heaven after we die. It is about living in heaven’s eternal life now on this earth. Beyond our cross is the resurrection of life abundant and everlasting. A life in which there is no reason to have dark seasons of depression and lack, for we are filled every moment with His life and love. Sadness is for a moment as we see brothers and sisters entering into unnecessary continuous striving to put to death lust of the eyes and pride of this life to achieve what God has fully done for them. It is also always sad to see others that do not know God walking in death through their derision toward God.

Yet, our joy remains full as our lives are filled with God through Christ by His Holy Spirit. Our entire lives become focused on Him and consumed in Him. We carry His love and are quick to obey all that He sends us to be or do. Joy is full as we see His power and love demonstrated by the change in people that He sends to us or sends us to. We rejoice in the powerful miracles of souls set free from shame and offense.

We experience lives of pure joy in the Holy Spirit and are fruitful in all works of this life. We are always bringing forth the light of the person of Christ in us, the fulfilled hope of glory from heaven on earth now. The light of God shines through us even now in the midst of a darkened world that is cavorting with demons and is shrouded in darkness of unfulfilled expectations of real life.

Truly the joy of the Lord is our strength, and all things are possible to those who believe. In Christ demonstrating the power and love from heaven, we become the best workers in all aspects of God-ordained natural life. We become the best teachers, builders, counselors, bakers, truckers, business executives, doctors, or whatever natural or spiritual needs we are given to fulfill. Heaven has come to earth to live in and through us. New Jerusalem is becoming reality as God can now fully abide in and with us.

Great Harvest

Great harvest of all who will come to God is now upon us. Jesus is again saying lift up your eyes for the fields are ripe for harvest. In their hearts, multitudes are searching for something real. They have seen the false and the foolish and experienced the end of their follies. They hunger for solid reality of Spirit God cleansing and turning their lives to love in the Almighty God that created them for His purposes in this life and in the life to come.

“Awaken! My children”, says the Lord. “Be no longer in slumber put on the glory of the life I have prepared for you. Do not think it is lacking or not for you to know the life of heaven on earth. Give up your way and find the higher way of continuous peace and everlasting joy in My Spirit now and forever. I have not designed torment for you and I have not made you for terror. I have made you for my joy and my purpose to fill you forever and ever. There is an end to foolishness in seeking after that which is not and being led by that which has not. There is the worthy wind of the Spirit to follow and empower you. Can you stop a hurricane or can you start a cyclone. Can you defeat the power of a storm in your mighty strength of your right arm? In me and I in you all things are possible. You are my son if My Spirit dwells in you. Abide in my life now and forever. Your end is My beginning and your transition from earthly to heavenly, from death unto the fullness of life. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden.”

Thank you, Lord, and so be it unto us! Amen!

All this and more is beyond the endurance of the corrective world-changing events imminently coming upon the deceived and diluted masses that have chosen to deny God and live their lives as their own gods.

We have spent all we had for that which does not satisfy and does not bring real life. Nations have given all they had and gone deeply into debt in valueless pursuit of that which cannot satisfy the spiritual thirst and hunger for real life. World events are shouting to us to STOP! (“Ho!”) And hear the voice of God calling to come to Him for real life without spending our lives in vain striving for what God has already provided for us, IF we will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. The world has come to the time of the valley of the shadow. Only those who turn to God will come through into the glorious light of the glory of His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come; buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isa 55:1-2)

Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (Isa 55:6-7)

It is possible to read this and feel the impact of the timeliness of these words and yet not really grasp the historical and eternal significance of this moment in time. The worldwide magnitude of what you and I are witnessing is beyond normal human understanding. Only by the Spirit is it possible to see the massive end that is upon us and the potential glory that is before us.

As Jesus had His attention called to the glory of the great temple in Jerusalem and replied, “not one stone shall be left upon another,” so it is as we look upon the great buildings and massive cities of the world. Speaking of the life of the past era, not one stone of belief and understanding shall be left upon another. The great dissolve is before us. The elements of this past godless world systems will be dissolved by the fire of God making place for the kingdom of God manifestation of the glory of Christ in His people rebuilding the beautiful design of God in a natural presentation of spiritual heaven on earth.

You are the chosen of God to endure to the end and become the glory of heaven on earth. That which is coming has come and is growing as a powerful seed in a multitude of precious people of God with only a small grasp of what God is doing in them.

The fruitful time is beyond the clearing and the plowing of the land. The plowing and the planting now come forth together as the seed is planted in the incubator of the hearts that will be transplanted into the fresh soil of the cleansed and prepared Planet Earth.

Keep on pursuing love. It never fails
and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com/ -
mailto:basileia@earthlink.net -

Gayle Getz wrote: Yes & Amen! I hear, "let them be, you be stayed focused on releasing MY LOVE, sowing and planting continually." HO! I wont look back but expect Holy Spirit's 'divine appointments & divine connections' to be my result of living in His holy presence day by day, moment by moment.  I WORSHIP HIS MAJESTY.  Love you ALL

Amen Gayle!

Every time an individual or a nation faces a cross experience of the valley of the shadow, the shame of the individual or the nation is exposed before the world. The offense to all mankind is again increased to all who see the cross of death at work. It is to all who see it an unavoidable presentation of the shame and failure of mankind. It is the afflictions of Christ again being perpetrated upon the shameful lack of love and honor for God in mankind. This is the afflictions (cross experiences) of Christ in His people who shamefully are yet lacking in pure love and worshipful adoration of God.

Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” ( Col 1: 24)

It is not all about the suffering death of the cross. It is not about dying to self and laying down everything or being stripped of life. It is not even about sacrifice. God prefers obedience beyond sacrifice.

It is all about the life of obedience that is only possible as the pure love of Christ in us has full unhindered reign to express unrestrained love for God and His people.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE RESURRECTION LIFE that is beyond the enduring of the valley of the shadow of death.

Jesus endured the cross for the GLORY that was after the cross.

YES RON IT IS ALL ABOUT RESURRECTION LIFE!!!

It is entering the spiritual place behind the veil, the place where Jesus entered to sit at Fathers right hand In Him so do we with death beneath our feet!!

We have spent all we had for that which does not satisfy and does not bring real life. Nations have given all they had and gone deeply into debt in valueless pursuit of that which cannot satisfy the spiritual thirst and hunger for real life. World events are shouting to us to STOP! (“Ho!”) And hear the voice of God calling to come to Him for real life without spending our lives in vain striving for what God has already provided for us, IF we will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. The world has come to the time of the valley of the shadow. Only those who turn to God will come through into the glorious light of the glory of His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come; buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isa 55:1-2)

Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (Isa 55:6-7)