Refined – Process
“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
Job made it. He made it through it. He didn’t go around it. He made it!
He had that “But if not” mentality, like the three Hebrew boys.
The three Hebrew boys told the king that their God was more than able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, BUT IF NOT…!
Even if God chose to not deliver them from it, they still would not bow down. When the king said that whoever wouldn’t bow to the statue would be thrown into the fire, they stood strong. They came out of the fire with not even smell of smoke!
The end game is always about our worship! We MUST never compromise our worship.
The king wanted them to bow down to a golden image… But they knew there was ONLY one King that they would bow down to!
What about Daniel? It was about his worship. Even when a decree was signed saying that if anyone prays to any other God or makes any petition to anyone else besides the king, that person would be thrown in the lion’s den.
Daniel had to go through it. He couldn’t go around it. But Daniel made it.
Even though he knew praying would draw unwanted attention, he opened his windows and prayed. He could have decided to pray with the windows closed or to hide what he was doing. But he stuck with his worship habits. And when he spent the night in the lion’s den, he came out without a scratch!
Back to Job, the enemy was never focused on taking his things. He was more concerned with trying to destroy his relationship with God.
Job 1:11“But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
One translation says, “You have prospered everything he does—look how rich he is! No wonder he ‘worships’ you!”
The devil’s end game is not about your stuff, and neither is it about your health – it is about getting you to spend all of eternity with him instead of God!
My question today is simply this…. Are we willing to go through it and not around it??? If this is what God wants for our lives?
With Job, Daniel, and with the Hebrew boys, God never left them, nor were they weaker after their trials.
As a matter of fact, it was just the opposite; they were ALL stronger because of their valley and trial.
That is the purpose of being refined.
The pressure and the heat does not feel good to your flesh. But the pressure and heat are creating something greater in you than you have ever had in your life!
You see God has a destination for all of us. He has an expected end.
Yes, the ultimate destination is heaven. And you better believe it from now until you make it there, there will be a fight for your soul.
Sometimes, it will be so dark that you will want to go back to your old life before you knew God. The enemy will make you think it was better without God then it is with Him.
The devil is always about the short game. Living for God is always about the long game.
The devil is always about immediate pleasure. God is always about patience and being willing to wait.
Look at the children of Israel after they were freed from slavery…
Exodus 14:12 NLT “Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!”
If all you want is instant satisfaction, the devil has you right where he wants you.
BUT if you are willing to wait on the Lord, He will RENEW YOUR STRENGTH.
If you want the promise land – you must deal with the wilderness.
If you want the more than enough (the promise land) than you will have to deal with the “just enough.”
A PSALM OF DAVID
Psalm 27:14 TLB “Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you.”
I love how the beginning of this chapter starts….
Psalm 27:1-3 TLB, The Lord is my light and my salvation; he protects me from danger—whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall! Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me.”
