Don't Curse Your Valley: A 30-Day Christian Devotional

By Renee Shipp

When I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “Don’t Curse Your Valley!” I knew it was Him; I knew His Voice, but it startled me. It seems to me that as I was going through one of the toughest times of my life, my Comforter, the Holy Spirit would have held me close, tenderly letting me know that He was with me; that He would have said, “I’ve got you, Renee; I will help you through this tough time in your life.” Instead, that oh-so-familiar Voice said, “Don’t Curse Your Valley!”
There was no condemnation in His Voice; It was full of love and understanding. But it was also full of a tremendous amount of expectation; as if God were saying, “I know what I’ve invested in you over the past several years; I’ve given you everything you need to get through previous valleys and if something is still needful to enable you to get through this one, I will supply that as well. Stop cursing this valley!”
This devotional grew from those encounters with God as He began dealing with me about this special place I had found myself in. He began to show me how restless and uncomfortable I was and the peace He desired to give me if I would only settle down and trust Him with the process of healing. If you have also found yourself in that uncomfortable valley, this 30-day devotional can help you to face the circumstances you find yourself in, but in a way that pleases God. If you will let Him, God will begin to help you also to find peace and even contentment in your valley experiences in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Renee Shipp
• Release date: Oct 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370799893

Renee Shipp

I was born to a couple in the Atlanta, Georgia area; one of four children. Our mother was a very sweet lady, but was an alcoholic; our dad is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. But around the age of four, I and my siblings were all adopted by a couple who had everything; the big, brick home, the farm, money - the ideal setting, supposedly, to raise four children. But this couple began to abuse us physically, emotionally and we girls experienced sexual abuse as well. As time went on, we grew up and started our own lives. Personally, I just wanted to be happy; to find purpose in life. I found Jesus as my Savior at a Billy Graham crusade in Atlanta when I was a teenager and that turned my life around. Around the age of 19, I met my husband 36 years ago and we have two awesome sons as well as a grandson. I've had a few serious health issues, but the grace of God is sufficient. In dealing with my feelings about the abuse, the Lord began to show me the hatred in my heart towards my abusive adoptive parents. Over the years since then, Jesus has enabled me to completely forgive them and, rather than this horrific childhood ruining my life, God has turned my attention to the hurting people in the world. I have been a Sunday School teacher at my church for over 30 years; and for more than ten years, have enjoyed sharing devotionals with the ladies at our local jail. My newest ministry is working at our local rehab center, teaching the guys and girls there about the love of Jesus and His ability to change a life. I am also a high school and college math teacher and have edited a few books; that is what turned my heart toward writing. At the present time, I am 56 years old, working part-time at our local community college and doing ministry at our local rehab. In my relationship with Jesus, I have found what I was searching for as a child.