God has birthed a message that I believe will give you incredible strength to finish going through YOUR fire strong . . .

Please pray for me that I deliver the message God has placed on my heart right now . . .

Does someone in your life need this message today?

God has placed a strong message on me today, and I believe anyone who hears this and going through a fire will be radically strengthened today!

Are you going through the fire?

It’s hard, it’s tough, it’s unbearable.

You seek advice, you seek help, you seek comfort.

You get advice about how Job made it through

How Joseph was being prepared.

And how Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness.

And let’s face it . . that’s not actually encouraging is it?

Job had a horrible time, sores on his body, friends ridiculing him . . that’s supposed to be encouraging???

Do you REALLY want to go through prison like Joseph?

What about 40 years in a hot, dry, and snake ridden place like Midian?

Seriously?

I’ve been through a few fires in my life, and I’m going through the fight of my life right now.

I’m IN the fire.

And I feel so very very blessed that God is allowing me to speak THROUGH my fire, so many times you don’t get the result of the fire . . . until AFTER the fire experience.

God is doing something unique in that He is allowing me to share what happens INSIDE the fire.

So honestly, most of my life, Job has been a model for getting through the fire.

And it’s been a calming word to me, just get through it.

And Joseph has been motivating.

And of course Moses reminds us that God’s in charge, and He’ll release us when He’s ready.

But I believe God has given me a revelation that completely transforms - no completely upends and repositions the entire Wilderness and Fire experience.

And that’s what I’m going to share with you today.

He has given me very unique insight into getting through the fire.

Does this sound like you?

When you are going through the fire, no one understands.

Unless they’ve been in YOUR EXACT fire, and then it’s like they have all the answers.

But they forget the pain, they forget the pain and misery you are actively going through.

What if you could see God actively USING the fire to burn away all the hay, wood, and stubble in your life?

What if you can look inside and you can see that there are rough edges, there are pieces that aren’t right, secret sins you didn’t know you had, small pockets of pride, arrogance, lack of humility, judgment - that you didn’t even know existed before your current situation.

You see those, finally.

Or maybe you see them through a veneer of smoke.

You didn’t know they were there.

Or you figure they are “covered by the blood.”

But now you see them like Jesus does . . .

You see them as repugnant, like filthy rags before God.

And you don’t know how to get rid of them.

The world tells you to think them away.

Replace them with other thoughts.

The church tells you to pray them away.

You end up ignoring them away.

Except ignoring them doesn’t really remove them.

You just get really really good at not seeing them.

Kind of like if you have junk in your house, in your garage, after awhile you don’t even see it anymore.

It’s there.

But you ignore it.

So it’s not there.

That’s what we do with our most repugnant sins, our pride, our arrogance, our judgements, even so very slight annoyances with someone else’s personality.

God sees those things and he sees that you are better without them.

And you want Him to perfect you, right?

But you and I can’t even see what He can see.

Now imagine that as you go through the fire . . .

He is burning, burning, burning, anything away that isn’t pure, that isn’t gold, silver, bronze, or brass.

If it’s wood, hay, or stubble it goes.

What would it take to burn all of that away in your life?

How would it be to have all of it gone, all your baggage gone, 

All your wounds and pains and hurts from your entire life.

Maybe your father didn’t love you.

Maybe your mother told you you were worthless.

Maybe you don’t have a mother or a father.

Or worse yet, they beat you are yelled and screamed at you

Or you got through childhood unscathed, but you were unprepared for the world and you got abused by a college boyfriend or girlfriend 

Or you got cheated on my a professor.

Or your first job you gave it your all and your boss stole it from you.

Or your first wife or husband ruined you.

Or a business partner stole your business.

Or you made some stupid mistakes and then the market turned and you lost everything.

And sometimes it’s harder if YOU are the one who ruins your life, steals from yourself, you lose your retirement, it’s harder on you if YOU are the one who ruined your life.

Whatever you’ve gone through.

God is bigger than that.

But if He is going to truly use you in the next decade - He can’t just sweep your pain under the rug.

You keep sweeping stuff under the rug and the rug gets lumpier and lumpier and after awhile you have to climb over the rug because it’s got so much junk under it.

Do you really believe God wants you to live with a lumpy rug, or does He want to heal your childhood or college age or adultage wounds?

He is the Healer.

Now, there are a few ways God can heal you.

He can send you to Sunday School and each week you get a 10 minute dose of healing.

Or He can send you a mentor and each week you get 1 hour of healing.

Or He can send you a faith based message like this and each week you get 1 hour of healing.

But if He chooses to ACCELERATE your healing . . .

How better than to let you go through a fire that gives you 168 hours of healing every single week.

It’s hard.

But it’s purifying.

And He can get decades of healing into you in weeks or months.

Which do YOU choose?

The hard choice is the fire.

But what if God, in His love, chooses the fire for you?

I want to share with you a real life example of going through the fire, one you can visualize and you can remember, and you can refer back to.

You’ve heard about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego?

It was 605 B.C. about 2630 years ago.

The Babylonians had besieged Jerusalem, and had taken some of the smartest children from the siege to grow up and condition in the ways of Bablylon

Daniel 1: 3-4:

4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

No ordinary children, and these children grew up and they were set over the affairs of the province of Babylon

So they were administrators, rulers, maybe they were mayors or they were in positions of command and control.

And think about it, these were the conquered people, and they were in positions of authority.

And so now they are in this role, and think about it, they were probably envied and people were jealous of them.

They probably felt these foreigners have my job.

I should have that job.

The same thing happens today.

The best person for the job is a foreigner, or maybe they are a downcast race.

And the people are jealous and they want to make laws and rules that say that only native born people can have certain jobs.

It was the same way then.

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are minding their business, doing what they’ve been asked to do.

Worshipping God.

And then circumstances change.

Have you ever been doing your thing, things are going well, at your job, in your business, things are going well, and then circumstances change?

In this case, the King made an image and he wanted everyone to bow down to it.

What has happened in your life that’s like the enemy setting up and image and asking you to bow down to it?

Maybe it’s a family thing.

Maybe it’s a business thing.

Maybe it’s your downfall.

Or maybe it’s your own mistake, your own sin, your own error, that has led you astray.

Daniel Chapter 3

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

Imagine that God burns away the wood, hay and stubble.

I Cor 3:

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Christ is Sufficient - whether it works out or not

The only thing that matters in life is what’s left when everything else is burned away.

The #1 relationship is with God.

The #2 relationship is with your spouse.

The #3 relationships are everyone God has placed in your world.

They are incredibly important.

And you don’t get to decide that.

They already are.

They are more important than your position.

They are more important than your money.

How you go through the fire matters. 

God is making you into a new person.

You are being transformed into a new man - you are a new person in Christ - but what is a new person, but transformationally new  and if you are transformationally new, you are qualitatively different - and that requires a complete burning away of the old man, and that requires fire.

We might as well embrace the fire because it’s the fastest way to the Victory God wants for you.

The process of fire burns away the hay, wood, and stubble.

And it reveals the purified gold - for His Glory and Purpose.

You are going through the fire for His glory.

Are you willing to go through it with cheer?

Do you think Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wore a frown  - or a smile?

What is your current fire?

How can you see it as producing Glory for God?

Imagine there is a 4th man with you.

Imagine all the wood, hay, and stubble is being burned away.

What does your refined, purified life look like?

How can God use you after the fire?

When you have passed through the fire?

How can you embrace that journey - that fire - the God has you going through?