Welcome back,
We’re going to jump right in with this one.
This being said, I’d like to turn your attention towards the phrase:
“Tried by fire”
It has been used many times to illustrate the refinement of God’s people. This refinement was, is, and will be done by God Himself. The trial and reformation done by our God is, I have come to believe, a basic fact of Christianity as a whole.
The phrase has always sent chills down my spine in a way that could only be caused by the Great I Am telling me to dig deeper, which is precisely what this blog post was born of. That, and a question: “What does it mean to be ‘refined by fire?’” Initially, I assumed “fire” referred to the trials and tribulations sent forward into this world by the devil, trying to trick us into doubting the Spirit. In reality, Jesus is already all over the situation, working through it for His own favor along with ours. It’s funny how those are correlated; His favor and ours. They are the same really. The parallelism of our favor and God’s is the very idea Jesus placed on my mind, eventually bringing me back to the aforementioned question: “What does it mean to be refined by fire?”
Let’s back up. Trials aren’t actually sent by God. Plot twist, I know, but God is not evil and He does not create evil things for you. He allows them. He allows the devil to send your darkest fears to the forefront of your mind. This is how temptation works. However, God always has the power to say: “Enough.” Believe it or not, He actually exercises this power more often than you might think. He knows your limits.
God is in control. Not the Devil.
Now, if being “tried by fire” is something God is continuously drawing us towards and pulling us through, would this have such a negative root such as the devil’s evil scheming? Ha. No. The Father is irrevocably every good thing this world will ever see, and as I said before, God does not create evil things. Therefore, we’ve ruled out the power of the devil being the catalyst for the refinement.
Which leads me to my conclusion. Scratch that. Not my conclusion, but the teaching Jesus placed on my heart to share with you today. Let’s break this down. The “fire” is passion, a zeal any and every heart on this earth is already equipped for– Love for God. Neither your opinion of yourself nor your belief system are the determining factors concerning the conditions of your heart. Not the physical condition, and certainly not the spiritual. Jesus lives in your heart whether you like it or not. He calls the shots. He decides what your heart is equipped for and what it is not.
This brings me to my second conclusion. Your heart is ready. Your heart was designed to be ready. Each of us was born physically alive and spiritually dead, meaning the only ingredient anyone may lack for refinement, is the fire. The spark even, just the slightest love for Jesus. It is the love and drive towards our Father that draws us towards improvement like we have never known. Not so much self improvement as it is divine improvement.
Alright. Now, if you are familiar with the texts Zechariah 13:9, 1 Peter 1:7, Isaiah 48:10, or of any such verses which address the same declaration by God, you may view the entire foundation of the last 586 words I have written to be false.
Allow me to explain, not that you think I am contradicting the Gospel here.
Zechariah 13:9 (NIV) says, “This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
What if fire equals faith? This would mean our faith is being tested by the epitome of faith itself; Jesus Christ. God in the flesh. Well, that lines up; God tests us. Therefore, if Jesus is the epitome of perfect faith (which He is), my theory says that He is heavenly fire. This Heavenly Fire increases refinement through pouring this fire into us. His strength and passion.
And so the point of this remains; your Father is refining you as we speak, making you hungry for the knowledge He is continuously feeding you. The more you seek, the more you shall find. Ask and you shall receive.
Matthew 7:7-8.
If you are feeling called to donate, please do so. If you aren’t sure yet whether you want to, pray over it and don’t be afraid to reach out with any questions you may have about me or the World Race. A humongous thank you goes to everyone who continues to donate and has donated. I am blown away by the amount God has already called for you all to invest in me. It helps me believe this is truly where His kingdom needs me.
Thank you to all of my readers for being such blessings and participating and letting me share glimpses of my God with you. All of my love goes to each person called towards being a part of this journey, whether by monetary or by prayer, all of you are such a vital piece to my puzzle.
My prayers go out to all. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or prayer requests about anything.
Eternally grateful am I to all of you.
Yours,
Landry
