Live a Love Story: Live a Love Story

By Samantha Chen Estrada

Kidron Valley is associated with death and subsequent restoration for the righteous. The Lord Jesus crossed the Kidron on the way to Gethsemane. It was there in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus allowed Himself to be captured and later sacrificed Himself for our sakes. Eventually, He rose from the dead and was restored to His rightful place at the right hand of God. King David crossed Kidron when his son Absalom stole the throne. Later, David was restored to his rightful position as king. Judas crossed the Kidron with an army in search of Jesus. In this case, crossing the Kidron led him to death. At some time or another, we will experience suffering and tribulation in the valley. However, the righteous are always restored. The glory that awaits you after the valley will always surpass what you left behind. Read this book to arm yourself with the Word so that when you cross the valley, you’ll be equipped to overcome every battle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781716678738

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LIVE

A LOVE STORY

KIDRON VALLEY

Samantha Chen Estrada

Copyright © 2020 Samantha Chen Estrada.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any

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Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-7166-7874-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7166-7873-8 (e)

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/17/2020

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,

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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry

of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright

© 2015 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the New American Standard

Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,

1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Live a Love Story was founded in 2015. Our desire is for everyone to experience the ultimate love story by encountering God, and having a relationship with Him!

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The goal of #TheLoveMovement is to raise up leaders and direct people toward Christ.

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Mountains and Valleys

Everyone regardless of where they stand with God, will go through the valley. God takes everyone through the valley, but we are not called to live there. Psalm 23:4 NASB states, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… We may walk through difficult seasons, but we were never meant to stay there.

The view from the valley can be intimidating. In the valley, we feel a little smaller, and the mountains appear a whole lot bigger. The mountains always look higher from the valley when compared to the very top of the peak. Do you think that maybe God called Moses to the top of the mountain so that he could get a different perspective on his situation? Our Lord could have chosen to manifest Himself to the Israelites in any way. He could have set aside any place, and it would be Holy. However, on several occasions the Lord chose to manifest Himself at the top of a mountain, knowing that Moses would need to climb it numerous times to speak with Him. Each time Moses climbed the mountain, he was able to get a glimmer of God’s perspective. We need the Lord’s viewpoint in all things.

Exodus 19:18 NASB "Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently."

Exodus 19:20 NASB The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up

The purpose of the valley is to exercise your faith. When you see a mountain, don’t shrink back in fear. First, determine if the mountain is intended for you to climb and get closer to God. Sometimes the Lord places us in situations where we are encouraged to pursue the physical manifestation of His Presence. There on the mountain, we commune with God and hear His plans and desires for our lives. Climbing mountains represents the active pursuit of the Lord. We must continuously pursue God in our walk to experience more of Him. Moses climbed the mountain and went after the Lord. He was hungry for more of God. As a result, he continually sought the Lord’s manifested Presence. After a time, that was not even enough for him. Moses eventually asked to see the Glory of God! Now, to determine if the mountain is meant to be climbed, follow the Presence of God. Do you feel His Presence more vibrantly as you consider climbing in pursuit of Him? Or does the mountain feel like it is somehow holding you back from the fullness of what God has for you? Remember, every mountain has a different purpose. For example, some must be moved in the name of Jesus.

Mark 11:23-24 ESV "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Exodus 33:18 NASB Then Moses said, I pray You, show me Your glory!"

Now we are not meant to climb every mountain. In Mark, Jesus didn’t say to climb the mountain. He wants us to cast it into the sea. Many are trying to reach the top of a summit that the Lord wants brought down. When we pray, we must only believe that every obstacle will be moved, and it will obey! We need to stop trying to conquer the mountain in our strength and let God be God.

Do you think that the act of taking up mountains and hurling them in the sea, is more than just ordering your obstacles to be moved in the name of Jesus? What if it also means we were lowering mountains in preparation for the Lord, as stated below in Luke 3? Maybe the conquering of mountains and valleys by the children of God, simultaneously make way for the Lord Jesus in the spirit. It is entirely possible that our spiritual life blazes a path for the return of Christ.

Luke 3:4-6 NIV A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’

As we walk with God, we are moving mountains and filling in valleys. When we are aligned and submitted to the will of God, our way of being, belief system, prayers, decisions, and way of life all bring Heaven to Earth. We are preparing the way for the Lord and making straight paths for Him. All of this however is done in the spirit. But what is done in the spirit eventually manifests in the physical. For example, God made the Heavens and the Earth by speaking them into existence. He spoke, and the physical manifestation of light appeared, but the idea of light first existed in the spirit.

Genesis 1:1-3 NASB In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

Hebrews 11:3 NASB By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Matthew 16:19 AMP I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.

The Bible says that whatever you loose on Earth, will have already been loosed in Heaven. Therefore, when God spoke light into existence, it already existed in Heaven. Things happen in Heaven before they manifest on Earth. Recall that the sons of God rejoiced as the Lord created Earth. Or consider Jesus. Did not the Son of God only do what He saw His Father doing? Therefore, when the Father did something in Heaven, Jesus saw and did the same thing on Earth.

Job 38:4-7 NASB "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

John 5:19 NASB "Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."

Now, light could not be visibly seen on Earth until the Lord created it by speaking it into being. It never existed in the natural before God declared it. Before the Lord spoke light into existence, there was only darkness on the Earth. Just as our Father spoke light into existence, He has given us the power to create things by speaking them into the natural. We are a lot like our Father that way. God gives us creative ideas, dreams, and visions, and we have the power to pray them into being, just like our Father did when He said: let there be light. Our Father has the power to make the unseen things suddenly become seen, and that power lives in us! What ideas do you have that need to be spoken into the physical? Or what mountains do you need to be moved?

If you are in the valley or casting mountains into the sea, remember that everything you need is waiting for you in the spirit. The things you have been praying for in the valley exist, you just can’t see them. Pray them into being. You only need to speak your needs into existence. Declare that the mountain be moved in the name of Jesus! Order your blessing to manifest! For more on prayer, read the teaching titled Authority discussed later in this book.

Teachable

Matthew 17:1-5 AMP Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John the brother of James, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious that we are here; if You wish, I will put up three [sacred] tents here—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!"

The scripture above is an excellent example of why we need to be teachable. Moses and Elijah were on a mountain talking with Jesus. Two people that did not live in that time appeared to Jesus in front of Peter, James, and John. However, the disciples of Christ missed an opportunity to speak with them. Peter, James, and John missed a chance to learn because Peter decided to talk rather than listen. Every day we come face to face with different situations where we must choose to teach or be taught. Should we sit and listen, or should we act? Children of God, we must be people that desire to learn from others. We need to surrender every day to the Lord and be whatever He wants us to be in any situation. If we do not submit to God’s will, we could miss out on what He wants to teach us. Peter, James, and John had an opportunity to ask Moses and Elijah questions, or at the very least listen to the conversation. Nevertheless, a nervous Peter decided to add to the conversation rather than wait to see what he could learn. What if Peter chose to listen rather than speak, do you think that there would be more detail in the Bible on the conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus?

There are different variations of the scripture above. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each give a slightly different account of what happened on the mountain. Luke describes the conversation in greater detail. In Luke 9:33-34 (NASB) it says, And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud." Peter may or may not have interrupted their conversation but he got a glimpse of glory, and rather than ask questions, he decided to make statements. He spoke and did not even really know what he was saying. Peter spoke from a place of nervousness and fear, rather than knowledge and wisdom. Many of us have done and continue to do what Peter did. We talk when we should listen. We speak about things we do not know so that others may think highly of us.

There are so many figures throughout the Bible that were not teachable or decided they were the teacher when they needed to be the student. Abraham is one example of a biblical character that chose to act rather than listen and wait on the Lord. He decided to have a child with Sarah’s handmaiden. He thought he knew how God would make him into a great nation, and so he went ahead and made it happen.

Genesis 16:3-4 NASB "After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that