There is a prophecy in the Old Testament that speaks of the coming of Messiah and the righteousness He would effect in God’s people. “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3).
The ancient refiner or assayer would place precious metal into an iron pot that was directly situated over a fire. He would then stoke the fire until it burned with a ferocious heat resulting in the gold or silver turning to liquid. After the metal was fully melted, he would examine it periodically to determine if the purification process had run its’ course. The dross and alloy would eventually separate from the precious metal and would float to the surface. The refiner would then skim the dross off of the surface. This process would be repeated several times until he was certain that it had been duly purged.
How did he know when the refining work was complete? There was a test: He would look into the pot and when he saw his own reflection he knew the gold was pure!
Romans 8:29 teaches us that Father saved us in order that we would be “…conformed to the image of His Son….” Understand that the Holy Spirit is with you no matter what you may go through! He is at work, creating you in the image of Christ. To be like Jesus is of greater significance than all else as He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). All the boundless riches of glory are found in Christ (See Eph. 3:8; Phil. 4:19). He is our sufficiency! Everything we need is in Him.
There are some of you that feel that you cannot endure the fire any longer! “The heat is too much” you reason. Here is a powerful truth that will help you in the times of testing: the assayer is closest to the gold when he is refining it! Your God has not left you alone. He is with you as the fourth man in the fire (See Daniel 3:25) The fire will not destroy you; it purify. “When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2b, NIV). What looked like your destruction is in fact your deliverance.
Stay in the fire and allow the work of the Spirit in conforming you to Christ’s likeness to be completed! You will come forth shining as pure gold if you submit to the refining process! “…trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:7) New Living Translation.
You are coming out of the fire of your testing with a testimony!
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).
Living Supernaturally,
Glenn Bleakney
www.AwakeNations.org
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