Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
In our passage, God had gathered all the pagan nations who denied Him into the Valley of Decision, or as it was also known, "the valley of Jehoshaphat (vs 2)", to judge these people for their great sins. Once they were gathered in the Valley of Decision, they were judged by God severely.
But what I want you to pay attention to today is that these people who were in this valley of decision were not in this valley to make decisions, but rather, because of the decisions they had made.
The interesting thing about this passage is that the book of Joel is a prophetic book; that takes us to the future, where people are going to be judged by the decisions they made in the past.
The world we live in is a valley of decisions, where there are millions of decisions that still need to be made, and where each decision will be played back to us, good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
What is the Word of God telling us? One day we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. This judgment seat is for the children of God, not for salvation, but for reward—the judgment of the unsaved, to be thrown into Hell is called the Great White Throne judgment. The judgment seat of Christ is where each believer will receive according to what was done (or the decisions made) while he was in the body...whether they were good or bad decisions.
Now let me give you a few things to consider:
1. Let’s live our lives for Christ.
One day, we will give an account to the Lord—let’s live our lives in the Spirit!
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2. Let’s surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
3. Let integrity be our guide.
Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
Sometimes in our Christian life, we are going to have a bad day. May integrity guide our lives, not emotions or circumstances.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
