The Refiner’s Fire

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” (Proverbs 17:3 NIV)

The fire of God is a powerful and discerning force.  It burns away the things of the flesh, everything that is unholy, impure or tainted by sin.  Lord, You remind us about Moses with His face to the ground before the burning bush (Ex 3:2) and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace with a fourth man who had the appearance like a son of god (Dan 3:25).  In both cases, that which was pure was not consumed.  In the intense heat of the refiner’s fire in the purification of silver, it is merely the impurities that are burned away, and not the silver itself.  The refiner takes great care to limit the intensity of the heat to prevent the silver from being vaporized.  

Father, we come before You.  We want You to work within our lives and to be used in a powerful way for your glory.  Yet, inviting Your fire to burn within us, we are reminded that while pure things remain unharmed, the fire of God consumes sacrifices offered on the altar for sin.  Lord, Jesus took every sin on Himself on the cross.  So, while we have no fear of eternal separation from You due to our sin, we fully recognize that sin leaves a residue of impurities in our lives that will be burned away when the flame of Your Spirit burns in our hearts.  

Holy Spirit, with a mixture of excitement and terror we invite Your work within us.  Spark again, any flame that has grown cold.  Breathe on our faintly glowing embers.  Show us how to fan into flames the gifts that have been given to us by the laying on of hands (2 Tim 1:6).  And burn away what is unholy - anything that offends You and prevents us from pleasing You or fulfilling Your plans.  Be with us in the heat and flames, that what is of You will remain unscorched and without the scent of smoke.   We don’t want to merely be a decorative knickknack on a shelf.  We want to be useful tools in Your hands for the building of your kingdom.  Reduce us to faith, hope and love, that when You look upon us, we may reflect Your beauty.  In Jesus Name ❤️

Dear friend, has the glow of your embers grown dim?  Is it time to ask the Father to turn up the heat?  None of us enjoys heat and pressure, but we sure do enjoy things of beauty and brilliance.  When we invite the fire of His Spirit, the things of our flesh will be burned away, but what remains will be pure silver and gold. 💡

If you have been encouraged or challenged, please repost and further His kingdom!

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