Don't Fear the Fire

Our oldest daughter’s elementary school teacher had a kiln at her house. She was a potter and she also kept lots of green ware. Melody went to her house to make items several times with the teacher’s granddaughter and I still have several of them. They would paint and decorate them but before the pieces went into the hot fire of the kiln they’d just look bland and dull. Once they had been fired they took on a shine and the colors popped! Any decorations became very noticeable and enhanced the little items. Before the fire the colors and tints didn’t even look like they were the right colors but afterwards they were brilliant. Unlike wood, hay or stubble which burns up in the fire, the pottery was perfected in the kiln.

Some of you are going through the fire right now. You aren’t sure if you are going to make it. You’d rather not be where you are. You didn’t deserve it and you didn’t ask for it. But the adversity, the pain, the heartaches, the present situation is heating up and you are feeling it greatly. Will you break under the heat of affliction?

God speaks to my heart: I AM the Potter. You belong to Me. And everyone that belongs to Me will be taken very special care of. I will see you through every fiery ordeal that comes your way. It’s not for your destruction, but I will use it for your perfection. When you pass through, and you will pass through, you will be more beautiful with the shine of My glory. You will have a story to share with others that will help them in the fire of their own lives. Don’t worry that some of your acquaintances have left you in the heat of the moment. Not all acquaintances are true friends. Not all who walk with you in the easy times have the fortitude to stay with you in the hard times. I AM the one who is seeing you through it all. You won’t be the same person you were before the fire. Your inner life will be strengthened and your outer life will be a reflection of Me. I don’t waste anything, not adversity, heartache or pain. I never leave you alone to make your way through. I go through the fire with you. I stand between you and the flames so that you are not consumed. No man can destroy you, no adversity can break you, no heartache can reduce you to ashes because I AM with you always.

Oh beloved, I know the heat is mounting. I know that you cannot believe what you are going through. It is harder than anyone can imagine. You’ve prayed, you’ve asked God for answers and you’ve wondered why you find yourself in the trouble of life. Keep praying, keep asking, keep seeking. But know, beloved, that you will come through this. Better. Stronger. More beautiful. It’s time to believe the God you believe in. It’s time to call on the Lord and bind your heart to His Word. It’s not time to quit, to give up or to wish you could go back. Things will be different from here on out. But you can be sure that no matter what is happening to you on the outside, your inner person is being made into the jewels of victory, joy and peace. The things you learn in the furnace of life are the things you will be able to share with others. You were meant to show forth God’s glory and you will beloved.

Let God teach you no matter where you find yourself. Each and every situation is His opportunity to let His light shine in you. God loves you and He’s for you and on that you can rely to get you through the heat of affliction and on to days of blessings with Him. Trust is your best friend. Peace is your top guardian. The Word is your staunchest ally. Hang on with your whole heart and keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and the One who perfects your life as you become a vessel of honor in His hands.

Romans 9:21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

Isaiah 43:1-3 But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, nd He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Psalm 55:18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, For they are many who strive with me.

Zechariah 13:9 I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are My people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the Lord Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

Look Away From Your Troubles!

As we rode into town the other night there were 4 large deer crossing up ahead. It was hard to make out the animals except that their eyes were brightly shining in our headlights. They had stopped in the middle of the road staring straight our way. You could say they had that “deer caught in the headlights” look. As we got closer they picked up their pace and trotted into a friend’s yard. If they’d not gotten their eyes off of us, we’d have run over them. If they had panicked in confusion and run back into the highway it would have been a disaster. But they looked away from us and found refuge in the trees off the road.

I’ve had that look before. I’ve been stopped dead in my tracks and been caught so off guard by circumstances I was not expecting. Sad to say we can be totally mesmerized by problems, illness, heartbreak, anger, resentment, fear and more. We become frozen in time and blinded by it all. If we’re not careful we’ll be run over by the incident that was merely a passing situation. But because we were caught in the blinding light it can cause us to become victims.

Maybe you’ve got that look right now. There are so many things that can cause us to slip into depression, despair and pain. You’ve gotten a bad report and that’s all you can focus on. You’ve heard sorrowful news about someone you love and you’re done in. You think God has left you, people have left you and love has left, so you just want to lower your head and let life run you in the ground. I know it’s hard, I know it’s almost unbearable. I also know the Lord. And His promises are higher than your lowest moment, brighter than the darkest hour and safer than the oncoming troubles.

Oh beloved, Look away! Look away from the troubles that have you caught square in their path. Look instead to the Lord! That’s His hand motioning you to come to Him. That’s His Spirit that is wooing you to listen. That is His safety that is calling you to forget what you’ve been staring at and look into His Wonderful Face! He will either take you out of the situation altogether or stand in the gap for you through it all.  He can be trusted! He can be believed! He is more than a Savior, He’s your friend! Because He loves you like no other, He can be trusted more than circumstances, people, places or things! Hallelujah! What a Lord!

Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, to You I sing praises, for You, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 123:2 We keep looking to the LORD our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.

Psalm 18:30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

Psalm 34:19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Micah 7:7 As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me