Refined By Fire

 Job 23:10
But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

The separation of gold from ore requires many layers of processing and refining to get to 99% pure gold. Refining by fire is the initial step that is taken to remove the impurity from the ore that is mined. This is the analogy that Job uses to demonstrate that God is in the process of refining him. Job, a man of means, was totally wiped out of his material wealth and his possessions. His family was also the victim of natural disasters as a tornado came through their town, destroying the home that his sons and daughters lived in. Even his wife, who should have been the one standing next to him, told him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die!” Satan was doing all he could to get Job to give up on trusting God. The human reaction is to say, “If God loved me, all this would not be happening to me.” Where is God when life starts falling apart? Lost everything he owned, family gone, his wife forsaking him, the painful suffering of boils over his whole body, what else could go wrong? Job, a man of integrity, a man with an unshakable faith in God, looked beyond the temporal world into the eternal world of the kingdom of God, and said,” I was born into this world with nothing, and I will leave this world with nothing. The Lord blessed me with wealth, and he has chosen now to take it away.” Job knew in his heart that he was living right before God and that God knew his heart. Life is not fair. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. We put our trust in the sovereignty of God, who knows what is best. For some, it may mean the refining of the fire, for others it may be going through deep waters. God wants to remove anything that will keep us from fully trusting Him. Sometimes it will require things we love, to bring us to a place where we can be gold in the hands of God. Wholly sanctified, ready to be used by Him, and by Him for whatever He wants to do.

Through the Fire

 Psalm 66:12
…We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

The verse brings to my mind the great hymn of the church, God Leads Us Along, “Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” The fire purges, and the water cleanses. Everything in life happens for a purpose. God’s intention is to bring us through. Things in life happen and we may be tempted to give up and quit trying. Even when we stand for what is right, the devil has a way to twist things and have us question if we have done the right thing. The fire is sometimes intense and we are tried and proven.  We don’t necessarily praise God for the trials and tough times, but we can praise Him in spite of the difficulties of the circumstance. Going through the fire looks different for everyone. Whatever the fire is, God is not tempting us so that He may see us fail, but He desires that we put our trust in Him, and be willing to give thanks in everything.(1 Thess 5:18) Through the fire, you will prove your character by praising Him.

He Will Deliver

 Daniel 6: 16, 20, 23
Thy God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you...My God sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths...and no manner of hurt was found upon him (Daniel), because he believed in his God.
Daniel believes in God regardless of the outcome. The 3 Hebrew children who were thrown into the fiery pit did likewise. God does not always shut the mouths of lions. We believe that He can, but He may choose not too. God did not keep John the Baptist from being beheaded. Many heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 were not delivered from physical harm, yet they believed. They all looked for a better world, a world not made by the hands of man, but one that is built by God Himself. Like Job, we don’t know the mind of God and His eternal plan, but we know who God is, and we stand still and see God work through His creation. Let the lions roar, the fires burn, and the trials and tribulations come, we serve a God who is able to deliver us however He chooses.

Carry Us Through

 Isaiah 43: 2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.

As we enter into a new year, we can only hope that things will be better. 2020 brought us unprecedented life changing events. We passed through the waters and the fire, and God was with us all the way. The promise is still true for 2021, we don’t know what we will face, but this one thing we can be certain, that Jesus will not let the rivers overflow us, and though the fires burn all around us, He will protect us from harm. Nothing can happen this year that He does not already know about. Yes, tragedy may happen, life is uncertain, but we can be confident that all things will work together for good to those who have committed their lives to Him. Lean stronger on His everlasting arms, He will carry us through.

Plucked Out of the Fire

Zach 3:2  And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

From the flames of sin and destruction, God reaches into the fire and pulls us out. He calls us to walk in His ways and to take up the banner of righteousness. Plucked out of the fire of selfish living, and the life of sin, He has a purpose for each one of us. The charge is given to us to let our light shine in a world that is dark with sin. We stand against the evils of our day and show others the path that leads to eternal life. We offer hope to the world that there is a better life. In Christ we have hope and through Christ we can make a difference.

Coven Tongues of Fire

Act 2:3,4 “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”-

Cloven tongues of fire is a symbolic sign of the Holy Spirit falling upon those believers that have prayed for the fullness of His power. The fire of God to purge the heart from sin, power to live above sin, and power to communicate the message that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and life. Power to speak God’s word without fear and to do it with love and compassion. On the day of Pentecost, many travels from different parts of the world, all speaking a language unique to their location. God, gave those in the upper room the power to speak in a tongue that could be understood by many languages. The language was split (cloven) and was spoken with power, so that others could understand the message that Jesus Christ came, died for our sins, rose again to give up life eternal. The message of hope that God has provided a way for sinners to come to Him. We now, through the blood of Christ and power of the Holy Spirit can come boldly to the throne of God and have an audience with Him. “It is for us all today, if we trust and truly pray” Come Holy Spirit!