Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow — For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:13-14

Background

This remarkable portion of scripture captures life during a period called “The Last Days”. It describes a time where Israel is at war. Prophetically it points to the great battle of Armageddon where the nations of the earth will be judged by the Lord. (Joel also calls this valley of decision the valley of Jehoshaphat. (Jehoshaphat means: “The Lord will judge”)

Let’s look at these powerful verses and apply their marvelous truths in our lives.

It is harvest time!

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. It is harvest time in the Kingdom of God. It is time for God’s people to be reapers. I believe this harvest will affect all areas of the Believer’s life. If you do not miss a sowing season you will not miss a harvest. It is obvious that the greatest harvest of all is a soul harvest. We cannot get away from the fact that God sees lost souls as a ripe harvest ready to be plucked from the fields of life and that every Believer is “employed” as a laborer in God’s field. God wants us all to be harvesters. Sharpen you sickle, open your mouth, share your faith, share the love of Christ. Do your part to bring in that great harvest.

Yes, the harvest is plentiful and the task at hand is great, but with God’s grace we will prevail.

It’s time to get down

I love this part! We thank God for the high places He takes us to in worship, through revelation and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We visit the mountain peaks of glory and marvel at these tremendous experiences, but the harvest is not growing on the mountain slopes of glory. The fertile soil where the abundant harvest grows is in the valley! It is time to get down to business. As Believers we cannot look down on the harvest, Jesus never did. He was moved with compassion for the lost. An attitude of spiritual superiority will not bring in the harvest! Pride will keep the sickle out of the hand of the harvester. Jesus was accused of spending time “with sinners and tax collectors” (Mark 2:16) He was always stepping into the harvest with a sickle in hand. He never missed an opportunity to save a soul, heal a body, or set a captive free. Yes, He also had His marvelous mountain moments, but never at the expense of proclaiming the Gospel to lost souls.

 

The harvest is great but the winepress and vats are full!

Our assigned task is tremendous; a ripe, abundant harvest of souls. We need help. Without it we’ll never be able to accomplish such a great task. We would be overwhelmed long before we ever began. That is just like God. He always seems to call you to a task higher than your natural abilities could ever reach. To accomplish God’s call you must look beyond yourself. To reap God’s harvest in your life you’ll need to step into the winepress and open some of the vats of the Holy Spirit.

Symbolic of God’s power, the overflowing vats speak of an abundant supply of supernatural provision during this harvest season. Along with the great harvest God also provides you with great power to get the job done! Remember Acts 1:8: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

Power of Decision

According to our scripture the Lord is gathering the peoples of the earth in the valley of decision. Obviously at the end of days this place will be a place where God will decide the fate of the nations of the earth. But can it also be that even now, by the Holy Spirit the Lord gathers people in a valley of decision? Can it be that He leads them to a place of decision? The Lord loves to bring people to a place of decision. “See I set before you today life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. . .” (Deut. 30:19 NIV)

 

Decision determines Direction

Too many of God’s people are sitting on the fence of indecision. They procrastinate when it comes to life-choices. Some people’s fear of wrong choices cause them to make no choice at all. Some feel the great weight of responsibility on them, after all they will have to be responsible for the decisions they made. Some wait until someone else makes decisions for them. Some are so focused on past mistakes that future decisions are impossible to make. An indecisive person is like a vehicle that is in neutral. No matter what the slope they stand on they will always go downhill. When you are decisive in life, you thrust yourself in the direction of your decision. It is obviously important to make good, quality and Godly decisions to point your life in the right direction. Those led by the Holy Spirit is called children of God! (Rom. 8:14)

Get your life out of neutral. Engage life by positioning yourself towards God’s will and plans for you. Decide to obey His word; to follow His lead; to make a decisive dedication of your body, presenting it to God. (Rom. 12:1)

Decision Ensures Action

Quality decisions in your life will add a walk to your talk. Your dreams will start to be realized because you are doing something about them. Words are put into action. This is a powerful component of life. There are those who say what the want to do and then there are those who do what they say. Without decisiveness your words will continually paint a picture of what can be; of what you’d like your life to be like. Godly and timely decisions will set your life in motion and propel you to action. Jesus said: “Be doers of the word and not just mere hearers thereof.”

 

Decisions will expose the motives of your heart

Your choices will show people who you are and what you are all about. Your decisions leave a distinct “fingerprint” for people to examine. These will show them what is important in your life and what are the convictions of your heart, especially when it comes to difficult decisions that are connected to your value-system or world-view. Your choices define who you are.

Today, you are in the valley of decision. Yes, there may be an amazing variety of choices you can make in life; decisions that will make or break you. A wrong decision can wreak havoc in your life but so can indecision. Here is a quick decision checklist that will help you make good, quality and godly decisions in life:

1. Make sure your decisions harmonize with the word of God (Bible).

2. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you towards the right decisions.

3. Never make important decisions when you are tired, emotional or angry.

4. Seek for the settling of God’s peace over a decision. No peace – wrong choice!

5. In the council of many is wisdom. Seek council from godly, wise people who have your best interests at heart. Do not let them decide for you, but value their input in your life.

6. Once you made a good, godly decision do not second guess yourself. Stick to your choice.