In the Valley of the Shadow of Death! :: by Don Twobears

How odd is it that we live in a world, where confusion is so high, we may never get anything straightened out. As with most, we get to a point where we think we have the answers and suddenly, a problem arises—a surprise if you will. We then realize we are back to step one all over again, and the most obvious fix, appears to us like a mountain. For lack of a better picture, we seem to always be, “In the valley, of the shadow of death!”

So now some begin the work in front of them, while some will simply give-up and walk away. We begin to see the enormity of our situation and some will raise their fists to God, asking  “Why Me?”

First let’s be very honest here, “Why NOT you?” Who made you any different than anyone else? Every single individual on the face of this planet must deal with difficulty and hardship, so why should you and your life be any different? Is it so difficult for you to see that you are just like everyone else, same problems, same difficulties, same suffering?

A lot of people like to reiterate an old saying, “They put their pants on the same as I do, one leg at a time!” In reality, the majority continue to be above all these problems, or so they think. No one likes dealing with stress, am I not correct? Yet the 1 percent crowd are the only ones that may be able to have a less stressful lifestyle. Mostly because someone else is taking care of all the problems … for them. Here is one thing to remember: No one is immune from the problems of life.

Back when I was young, many years ago, the average farmer worked day in and day out, in the fields. He was not a super educated man, but then there was no need for that level of education, to be a farmer. Today, however, there are many farmers that have a degrees in Agriculture, yet the same rules applied back then, as they do today. Most important, it is still work. The stress is still there, there is no end to the problems that arise, even with those who are more highly educated. Here’s the first clue of why this is so:

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, ‘Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

It matters little to me, whether you wish to believe the Word of God or not, because the one thing you can’t do, is to say this is not the truth. The Bible is without error, it IS the Holy Word of God. Something to think about here is that everyone is born, after that most will will work very hard until the day they die.

Everyone heaps to themselves the material things they THINK they NEED! And as the Word has stated, “By the sweat of your Brow, shall you eat your bread!” And so now, everyone knows, this IS Truth! No one is exempt, there are no exceptions to this rule by God, so why do the majority work so hard to discredit what they KNOW is the Truth?

What is strange, is that everyone dies; again there are no exceptions here! So where does all this “wealth” of whatever size, go to? Why of course the next generation and they squander it as fast as they get it. Yet still, they die one day, they go back to being the dust from whence they came, just like those before them. Still as yet, no one is able to see the dots being connected here, one action brings the next action into being and everyone continues to behave the same way.

If wealth is the reason for living, then why is there no difference for everyone in death? Does  this make any sense to you? If you are wealthy, you may get a really big headstone, yet as with everyone, YOU are still … dead! No change, right?

If the Word of God tells you, you will toil relentlessly for your food, why would you say that isn’t so—that it is a lie? The Word of God also says that if a man does not work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). We suddenly see how effective welfare is going to be … among other things. Are you beginning to see the light  here?

I remember being young and wishing to be older, to be an adult able to make my own decisions  my own way, rather than to being forced to listen to my parents. How ignorant! Today, I wish someone would take care of me and provide for me, as my parents did. Again the cycle of life continues on in each and every person born on this planet, and to make a point once again, there are NO exceptions to this rule.

With the way everyone in this world is going, you would think everyone would be able to see the Truth of God’s Word to us. The Bible has been around for thousands of years, everyone has the ability to read the Word of God  Thus everyone could make better sense of everything going on around them. That is the crux of the matter! Not many WANT to read the truth of the Bible.

If we are indeed the “fallen species” of this  planet, then why should we think, we know it all? And then on top of that, why should we listen to our own counsel? That is, as I have stated many times, ignorance. It is insanity, if we keep doing the exact same things, in the exact same manner, throughout time and expect a different outcome. Pure insanity to do so.

Here is where the rubber meets the road: Without Jesus Christ, you are not doing anything but spinning your wheels and getting nowhere really fast! It is then a waste of time and effort, so why do we keep at it? Why would we keep the Bible at a distance? Wouldn’t it make more sense to read the Bible and then apply what it says to our lives?

If you don’t like being in “The valley of the shadow of death” then don’t go there. It’s that simple. The problem is this: No one knows they are in the valley of the shadow of death … until it’s too late and they are more than knee-deep in trouble! Yet there is a reliable guide available to everyone … Jesus Christ! HE is the reason the Bible exists to begin with, why don’t you give it a shot and read it sometime!

The entire Bible, is simple and straight forward, but you have to know the author, to understand what HE is saying! The Lord God Almighty will guide your path, even in the valley of the shadow of death!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

You may reach the author at: twobears44@gmail.com