The Fires of Change
When we fully commit to walking with our Lord, we are committing to a spiritual process of growth. We believers should be seeing change in our hearts, our walk, our worship, and our service to God. The more we know Him, the more we love Him and want to be like Him. He is the changer of our hearts, bringing the evidence of Him, alive within, into visibility. If you are still doing the same things in the same way or reserving God for certain times or gatherings, you are not growing up into Him.
When we read the New Testament, it is full of what and how we are to progress into Him. Much of God’s refining is as the Old Testament says, “here a little, there a little.” We need God to make us new, so we are able to shed old habits and behaviors, including religious ways that lack the power of the holy spirit to bring about change. Jesus Christ did it all on the cross, where we lay our burdens down. Now we are learning to walk in all that He accomplished, to have the Christ within develop us unto maturity.
The hardest period in major change is moving from the old to the new. Times of transition are unsettling as they take us from the familiar to something different from what we’ve known. God is more than able to do all that we cannot do to create us anew, to become whole. But we need to be willing to leave our comfortable, familiar places, even those dwelling places in God we’ve enjoyed and prospered within while there.
Sooner or later, He tells us to go further, keep growing, rise up into those higher places in the spirit. God’s truth is that He always makes a way for us to go through:
“...No trial has taken you except what is human. Now, faithful is God, Who will not be leaving you to be tried above what you are able, but, together with the trial, will make the sequel [escape] also, to enable you to undergo it. “ 1 Corinthians 10:13 Concordant Literal
This translation uses “trial” rather than “temptation,” as most other translations do, giving a more accurate understand of the meaning of this passage. Temptation connotes something we want that we should not have or do. Trials, however, are tests, and the core temptation centers in our attitudes during the test. Are we tempted to give up, get upset, resist, complain, lose hope, question our faith? Trials that bring significant change to our lives, particularly those that are not of our choosing, test us in all these ways.
We are all tried in our faith, just as Jesus was in His while on this earth. Our way of escape requires us to “come up hither,” in the spirit, to see as He sees. He always knows the end from the beginning, providing His strength and comfort through our difficult times. There is much remaining to learn and explore with our eternal Father. He spoke to John the Revelator about just such things for our time in God now:
“After this, I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,
‘Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.’” Revelation 4:1 KJV
We have to leave what we have known to continue to build upon that sure foundation He has established. How can God build a holy habitation for us if we only know about the foundation? There must be walls of salvation, pillars holding up this house not made with hands that Abraham longed for. As we trust and praise Him in each difficult situation, He refines the attitudes of our hearts, freeing us through the application of His Holy Spirit. He faithfully writes present truth on the fleshly tables of our hearts.
God also tears down our refuge of lies so we live in true freedom in Him. We are His temple and as He tabernacles in us, we are enabled to forget the past—to “Manasseh” it, both good and bad. Each of Jacob’s sons became the 12 tribes of Israel, and their names bear significance in our path to maturity. Manasseh means “to forget,” foreshadowing Paul’s directive in the New Testament to forget the past:
“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 Berean
We Christians can’t seem to agree on much but we probably can agree that we have yet to arrive at the full prize God has promised. Meanwhile, the testimony of those who survive fiery trials meant for evil reveal our Lord, the God of the universe, in most holy ways. When others witness Christians going through fiery trials, eventually emerging victorious in Him, they realize only God could accomplish such things in human beings! We emerge from the fires of our afflictions with our fleshly nature purified into the gold of God’s nature.
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.‘
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.” Malachi 3:1-3 Berean
Consider what is said here. He is coming to His temple, suddenly, after we have waited and waited for Him. We are His temple and the Kingdom of God is within, just as Jesus says in the gospels. The kingdom is not external to us. It is within us, where He sits as a refining fire. It is God with whom we have to deal. It is our loving Father Who allows events and experiences that try our flesh in this world. Mature Christians embrace the refining process of God, those fiery trials He uses as His tools to bring about the change we so desire.
“Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29 Berean
He is that fire that consumes our dross. God is about the business of creating within us more of His character. None of us, in our flesh, can endure the day of His coming. None of us are able to stand when He appears within us. He is coming to judge us and we, His people, are the first to be judged. Malachi states that God will sit, not just visit, for this refining process. He may take us away, hide us in the wilderness as He did Jesus, so others cannot see what He is doing—or we may be exposed if necessary.
Is this not the judgment of God beginning in His house? We are His house, He said so. His return to sit in our house brings judgment, often from the fires of change through suffering, just as Jesus Christ was perfected. What is He doing sitting within us, His temple? Why, He is cleaning us up just like the refiner of gold and silver used fire to burn out the impurities of these precious metals in Biblical days.
A refiner’s fire must be extremely hot in order to eliminate all the impurities in gold and silver. The process of fire causes all that is not pure gold to rise to the surface to be eliminated. By God describing His process as like the refiner’s fire, we are to understand His very coming as judgment in us for good. His purpose is to continually cleanse us from the fleshly impurities that mar the beautiful gold of His nature within, meant to shine out to others.
Fleshly things within us must be exposed, rising to the surface of awareness, in order for true change to occur. Anything that is not Him, anything that is anti-Christ, known or unknown within us, is yielded to His fiery presence, burned up by Him. There is nothing like adversity to show forth our true nature, which the Lord burn away when revealed, yielded to Him.
Just in case we don’t get the message Malachi delivers, the prophet adds “like a launderer’s soap.” He is sitting within us to clean our hearts up, inside, where all the trouble and sin begins. Soap is a more gentle process of cleansing—of course, depending on the scrubber! We often do not really know what is in our hearts until the Lord reveals it to us through our challenging life experiences.
He has been and continues to refine those who serve Him until we shine like lights in the darkness. Peter said:
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray. Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins…
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory…
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? ” 1 Peter 4:7;12-13;17 Berean
First, Peter says the end of all things is near. For centuries Christians have thought, hoped, prayed for, and even predicted that the end of all things is near. We long for the end of all things to be close to the completion, the fullness of Christ! While we realize it was not near in years for Peter, the end of all things was as near to Peter then as He is near to us now. Peter well knew that Jesus Christ had come to change everything! He is in our hearts as soon as we accept the truth of His death and resurrection.
Jesus Christ our Lord came to save us to the uttermost. Peter also knew, more than most, the power of all his Lord and Master had accomplished. After bragging that he would never do such a thing, Peter was forgiven for his crushing betrayal of Jesus on the night of His arrest. Peter was a changed man after that trial, revealed in his powerful sermon on that first Pentecost, the day in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended on all who were gathered. Peter was the first recorded to minister to others following this holy experience that empowered them all.
Did not the baptism of the holy spirit change hearts, making new people of the frightened disciples who all left the Lord when He was betrayed and arrested? Jesus knew they needed the holy spirit, typified as flames of fire, in order to have His presence eternally within to change them from fear to faith.
Our Lord made His followers bold and wise, able to fulfill their commission to spread the gospel without fear or favor. After this fiery trial came upon Peter, the holy spirit filled Him with boldness. Then Peter was able to strengthen his brethren. He was given keys to the kingdom and Peter’s faith is foundational for Christians in a way Peter could not have known.
God’s own are destined to have such a nature, pure and malleable in His hands, always doing His will. Pure gold is soft and malleable. Love softens hearts; anger and hatred hardens hearts. It is no accident that Peter admonishes us, above all, to have love because it covers a multitude of sins. Peter prioritizes love above everything, just as Paul did in 1 Corinthians 13. God is love. It is the love of God that Peter is urging us to pursue, covering our and others’ sins in love while God cleans us all up.
We are not admonished to chastise and condemn, to threaten doom and death, to cause fear or dread of eternal punishment in hell, as so many do.
“Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandments, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:8-10 KJV
Romans says it so beautifully. When we have the love of God fully growing within our hearts, we will not carry out any of the “thou shalt not” commandments. These commandments of Moses have been established and known forever, but none of us humans have been able to fulfill them perfectly. We cause harm to others when we lack a heart of love for others, and it is not the best thing for ourselves, either. It surely is not the way of joy and peace we are promised.
God did not change the law when Jesus came. Jesus fulfilled it. Only Jesus has completely fulfilled these lawful requirements. He showed us that the way to the Father is through Him and in Him we are to be perfected, to be just like Him! He became the Christ, the Anointed, sharing this anointing with others. We have the privilege in this Day of the Lord to speak the good news to all people. He has always been speaking the good news, bringing good tidings of great joy to us.
God is continually refining the sons and daughters who belong to Him.The priesthood of this day is to be prepared to show forth the glory of God as His purified saints of gold and silver. If we are to grow, we need to go through these fiery trials that may require intense times of adversity and unearned suffering. Though often unpleasant and painful, God takes us through rather than out of these adverse experiences to change us into His likeness and image. Satan means them for evil, but God turns them for our good.
We really should not be surprised or think it is strange, that He is somehow mistreating His own or that satan is having his way with us. No, this is good news! It means He is coming to sit—stay, dwell—not just visit us, His temple. He said the kingdom of God is within us:
“Now being inquired of by the Pharisees as to when the Kingdom of God is coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with scrutiny.
Neither shall they be declaring, ‘Lo ! here’ or ‘Lo! there,’ for Lo! the Kingdom of God is inside of you.’” Luke 17:20-21 Concordant Literal
This is another passage more correctly understood from the Concordant Literal that draws from the original Greek. Scrutiny means “critical observation or examination,”something we can see or perceive by closely and critically looking. Strong’s Concordance translates scrutiny as “inspecting, ocular evidence, observation, note scrupulously” from the original Greek.
The kingdom cannot be seen by just looking with our human eyes, just like we cannot hear God without spiritual ears to hear. Thus, the kingdom is not coming to a certain city or region or outer atmosphere in the clouds that we can see with our natural eyes. This issue is so very clear: if it does not come with scrutiny, it’s not coming where we visibly see with our eyes a certain place nor is it in a specific location in the earth.
With His kingdom coming inside of us, we are able to see God revealed more and more in His saints who show forth their Christ-like character. In this passage, “inside of us” is alternately translated as “in you” (KJV) or “in your midst” (Berean). It has always been so for His people. The kingdom of God was already in their midst when Jesus spoke those words. He was there, in their midst, bringing that kingdom to the earth, though those with only natural eyes and ears did not see it at all.
Jesus is saying He is already here, already in the process of coming inside of us when we invite Him in. In this Day of the Lord dawning upon us, fiery trials are heating up all over in this world. Such are signs of His coming. When He comes, He sits as a fiery, purifying presence to burn up our dross, making us like Him, complete in Him, brought to the reality of the maturity of His perfection. Already, judgment has come to His house and is it not a great and terrible day?
“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 NIV
Judgment has begun at the House of God. And if it is this difficult for us, the people of faith, how is it for those who do not obey? This does not have to be read as a threat, but a concern, a compassion. Going through times of trial with the Lord definitely increases our compassion for the many others in the world who do not know or obey Him through these same times.
God is putting us earth dwellers through times of suffering and loss, purifying those of us determined to follow Him, creating sons of God led by His spirit. He will have a people with no guile. Jesus said Nathaniel was such a man:
"Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!'” John 1:47 NKJV
No deceit, no hypocrisy, no manipulation, no dishonesty, no self! The Lord has been forming His spiritual government, the chosen government in spiritual Zion where each is perfected, becoming a people wherein there is no guile. Here’s how John the Revelator wrote it down:
“These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” Revelation 14:5
The spiritual language used here about virgins means that they only have the God-seed, to follow the Lamb. No “female” or soulish defilement or impurities dominating them, planting fleshly seeds from human leadership within, just the pure word of the Lord. Thus we are being prepared to rule and reign with the King of kings and Lord of Lords. As we suffer with Him, we are fulfilling our ultimate destiny to reign with Him:
“Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:110-13 KJV
We endure all things through Christ to be a part of His Kingdom, to conquer all, to overcome all as He has done. What does it mean to reign with Him? It’s more than our mental image of a huge throne where we sit down with Father and Son. It is absolutely not an invitation to rule over others like earthly kings have done. Jesus reigned over His own flesh while being a servant to all. He completely defeated the power sin and death over Him when He rose again, making a way for all others. Will He not have a ruling government who also reigns over the flesh man such that only the Christ remains?
Because we have yet to see it in its completion does not make it untrue. That’s what faith is, believing for things we cannot see. We learn to go through it as our destiny to live only in Him. He remains faithful to His word regardless of any unbelief, shortcomings, or span of time it takes. Heart impurities float to the top to be skimmed off as with the refining of gold and silver, burned up by Him who dwells within.
Only God knows how far we can grow on this side of heaven, then on into eternity with Him. Under God’s hand, we believers go through trials for His purpose, to win the prize, as it is not a free gift like salvation:
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life. I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.'
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.” Revelation 2:8-11 Berean
The church of Smyrna had martyrs who already had suffered great tribulation. He does not ask more of these precious saints, promising them the crown of life as they remain faithful. They have already gone through their “second death,”that death to self that is required of all who love and serve Him. These are the called according to His purpose, running after the prize, the reward of His highest calling. This is an incredible promise: to not be harmed by any of the fires of change that come upon God’s own.
Lest you think it is possible to avoid all of this by being swept to heaven by a rapture, search the scriptures again. It’s hard to find just one Bible story that reveals any of God’s people who are taken out of their battles rather than facing them through to the victory God promised. Fires of change come to overcome every challenge, every adversity through the victory He has already won. Even in Noah’s day, the chosen people experienced the flood and lived through it.
We go through great earthly events, purgings and shakings, with Jesus Christ our Lord, victorious in Him. God’s plan is purposeful and effective. After all, how are we to learn that He is faithful in all things and always provides a way of escape? These saints in Smyrna represent those wounded with deep affliction and suffering, experiencing persecution even unto death from those opposed to our Lord and His reign. The devil has been and continues to be allowed by God to throw some in prison and on into martyrdom because of the name of Jesus.
Who but our Creator knows just what refining fires we each individually need to shine pure with His presence? Fiery trials came then and continue to come now. And there’s no way by observation that we can understand another’s trial in number and severity. On occasion, another’s trials seem easier, lighter than what God is allowing in our lives. Others may be having much more suffering than what God has allowed in our own lives.
We do suffer with other Christians as they experience trials that are much, much worse, severely oppressive compared to what we have to endure. God is no respecter of persons. He is bringing the same on the just and the unjust in this world until it is time for His harvest.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:44-45 Berean
Everyone goes through trials and suffering, but some of us have a different outcome. Because Jesus is in us, His seed is producing the growth of His kingdom, planted within us, in our hearts. It can be a hard truth to face when we learn that He really will allow us to go through difficulties, just like Jesus did, rather than deliver us out of them immediately!
This does not seem like good news, does it? No trial is pleasant, but we endure with His strength, looking for the outcome of more of Him within us. It may feel overwhelming, like we won’t be able to get through all of the many trials that come our way, but He promises and He never lies.
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” Psalms 34:17-19 Berean
Psalms 34 repeats over and over how God delivers His own. The Lord delivers us from all afflictions. It may seem we will never recover or heal from some things that happen to us in this world, but that is not true. Yes indeed, we are forever changed by some things, but God is always, always faithful. He is the healer of hearts and the restorer of what was lost internally, that precious fruit of the spirit that seems hard to come by during these times.
The Lord restores our souls, as David’s most beautiful Psalm states:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalms 23:1-6 Berean
David was a shepherd who know how to keep the sheep from evil and danger that he tended for his father. He knew where the green pastures and still waters needed for restoration were to be found. Our souls become weary during times of suffering and affliction, but He restores, renews, refreshes with His very presence, His leading even with rod and staff. He is very near to us when we are broken-hearted, regardless of whether we feel that or not.
While we cannot have loved ones lost through death be restored to us, we can be comforted by God that they are delivered from further suffering. We will endure by walking with Him. God rarely excludes Christians from things that come upon this earth, but He always hears the cry of the righteous, delivering us from all our troubles, comforting us and strengthening us. H sees the condition of our hearts when we are brokenhearted and overwhelmed. That is a heart He will not turn away.
The wounds of our hearts are healed by Him over time, in His way, so that we may go on. His restoration is not into that former life, the one we had before that fiery trial came upon us. Who can say their life is the same as it was before some trials? Some things change us forever, as we suffer with others all that is allowed to come upon mankind in this world. We learn to accept that the healing we have been praying for is brought through the death of the physical body of those we love. Though some are free now, in the spirit on the other side, they are not restored to us.
It’s hard for those of us trapped in time to understand and accept that death as an eternal deliverance. Yes, our lives are forever changed by tragedy and loss, trauma and pain, but the wounds or scars do not have to remain. He is able to cleanse the deepest wounds of the heart, compassionately healing and restoring the most severely wounded of His own beloved people. Many of us have seen Jesus Christ do just this with the deepest of wounds humans are known to suffer.
And then we are able, as Jesus said to Simon Peter;
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail.
And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 NASB
Jesus the Healer is present, near even those who do not acknowledge belief in His name. God raises up Healers to be used by Him, often strengthening others who are going through similar experiences they have overcome. Many are called to serve the saints of the most high God in this great work of His refinement, healing and restoration. God’s healers are often those who have experienced such fiery and undeserved wounding, to eventually emerge anew, stronger, more steadfast, with more intimacy with our God.
We recall what happened or go on to forget, not speaking of it unless it is edifying to others, but we no longer dwell on these times. We are enabled to forget the past in internal and external ways through His spirit. We are no longer surprised by a sudden bad memory popping up in our daily lives. God has taken away the pain and cleaned out the wounds of hurt, anger, and loss.
Then we may do what Job says:
“Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid and many will court your favor.” Job 11:13-19 NIV
Here again is a heart without guile. God first requires that we prepare our hearts, beseeching Him for change. We put lawlessness and iniquity far from us as we look to Him. We are then set in our place without fear. We forget the misery of it as something that came and went, like waters from a flood. We are enabled to trust because we have hope—an expectation in Him to provide a safe place we can trust Him, bringing rest and peace.
“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19-20 KJV
Consider this expanded passage translated from the original Hebrew:
“And they from the west shall fear the name of Yahweh, and those from the rising of the sun, His glorious name. For the foe shall come as a stream. The spirit of Yahweh makes him flee. And there comes to Zion the Redeemer, and He shall turn back transgression from Jacob,’averring is Yahweh.
And I--this is My covenant with them, says Yahweh. ‘My spirit, which is on you, and My word, which I place in your mouth, shall not remove from your mouth, or from the mouth of your seed, or from the mouth of your seed's seed,’says Yahw eh, ‘Henceforth and till the eon.’” Isaiah 59:19-21 Concordant Literal
What amazing promises these are! The standard of the Lord is faithful and true. God uses many methods for this healing process as healers from all walks of life do this work in His saints. He promises to wipe away all tears and shame now, on this earth, not later in heaven when we no longer need it. What a wonder He is! Who is like our God, doing the impossible in the fleshly heart of humans? Multitudes of His saints, the called, chosen, and faithful, are testimony to this truth.
Change does take time, taking longer—sometimes many years—before the fruit of what God allowed becomes evident in our lives. It does seem like forever we have been following hard after Him, longing for Him. This process of inner heart change seems only to happen bit by bit, inch by inch! But, like Paul, we pursue the prize of the high calling available to overcomers. We go on in Him, knowing we have impurities, “spots on our garments” that He has yet to clean up and destroy, using that soap in His hands to cleanse, as well as the fires of change.
We are an unfinished work, each one of us! But oh, how we shine with His light and glory as we emerge from the fiery furnace of affliction and suffering! How those saints, past and present, shine with God’s glory as they emerge from the crucible of fire that God allowed to happen. How remarkable are the faces, the countenance of the many saints who have come through excruciating trials and tests, coming forth as gold!
There’s a most powerful account in the book of Daniel of three young saints who emerged victorious from a literal fiery furnace of affliction. King Nebechednesser reached a point in his reign when he forgot Who had exalted him as ruler and thought he was God. He sent out a decree that all should bow before him. The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to do it. They would bow down only to their God, whom they had worshipped openly all during their captivity.
Because of their obedience to God rather than the King, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not escape the King’s decree. They had to experience the literal fiery furnace that the King ordered his servants to throw them in. They were even directed to make the furnace seven times hotter! Yet these three servants of the Most High God steadfastly held to God.
They remained determined to do what was right in God’s eyes without any assurance that their Lord would deliver them from this severe trial. They sought no escape by denying God. As a result, they were thrown into the fiery furnace that the earthly King’s servants had prepared for their punishment. Here’s how these three faithful young Hebrews responded when told of the King’s decree:
“... Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’…
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [watched and] was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, ‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” …
and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.” Daniel 3:16-18; 24-25; 27 NIV
“Even if He does not…”! What steadfast faith! Wow, could we do that?? They emerged not only victorious but with no outward evidence that they had been in such a trial! King Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth person, “like the son of the gods,” our Lord Jesus Christ, in their midst in the furnace. Whether we know or can feel it or not, Jesus is most close to us in our suffering. He is most certainly in the fires of change with us, just as He appeared with these servants of the most High.
What does emerging from a fiery trial with “not even the smell of smoke” mean for us in our trials today? This is what others who are observing will see in us as we allow the fires to do their work. They will not see the evidence of being in the fire, but the Lord within Who got us through it. Often, the fires of affliction that come upon us are directed by the earthly kings of our day, inside of us as well as external evil, selfish rulers with power over people.
Though we may not be thrown into a literal fiery furnace, it can sure feel like it! Remember, our God is a consuming fire. He will shake anything that is not of Him, anything that can be shaken. What the enemy brings our way, He will use for our good. The kingdom He builds within us is unshakable. He allows others to bring adversity meant for evil as part of our process of change. If you do not believe it, read about it in the Bible as well as in numerous accounts of the lives of His saints through the centuries.
These three young men of God knew their God was able to deliver them, but their faith in God goes further. They left the final decision up to God, knowing it was His business. They made sure the King knew that even if God did not deliver them, they would not worship the King’s idols nor follow his decrees. In their hearts of faith, there was nothing this earthly King could do to force them to worship other gods. They glorified God, not the fiery furnace throughout, emerging with no harm.
This is so much more than a short story of three Hebrews in bondage. Their trust in their God is absolute and they came out with no physical, outward evidence that they had even been in this fiery trial. When we face severe circumstances, when we are allowed by God to experience life-threatening adversity and hardship, we might be tempted by doubts and fears. We might murmur and complain during and after such difficulties. It is human but it is not God’s highest. We may reveal the evidence of the fiery trial we have been in.
Our Lord experienced this in the wilderness when He was tempted by the devil. He had to pass these tests to be what His Father had sent Him to be for all of us. We want to be like Him but are any of us glad and rejoicing when such experiences come up in our lives? We all much prefer the pleasant, peaceful times of our walk in God. But when circumstances come that shake our very foundation in God, when the unthinkable happens to us or those we care about, our faith truly gets tested as God ordains.
We may cry out in pain and confusion: “Why did you let this happen? Don’t you care, Lord? Why did you not show forth your deliverance? I know you are able.” We think if we were in charge, we would have done things differently in this old world! We may begin to doubt God’s love, if not His purpose, in all of it. Some even take it a step further and conclude that our God is not, after all, all-powerful and loving.
It certainly does not appear, to our way of thinking, to be loving when God allows suffering and affliction for His own as well as the innocent in the world around us. Some even have such a separation of good and evil in their understanding that it is as if the battle against evil was not already victoriously completed in Christ. This is “eating of the tree of good and evil,” rather than from the Tree of Life. Such believers see satan as solely responsible for bad and God for good despite the battle having already been won on the cross by our Savior.
There are many good people who do not know the Lord, showing forth mercy and compassion in this world. Evil is all around us, dwelling in the hearts of fallible men and women walking on this earth. The same event meant for evil God uses for good. Did not the religious leaders of Jesus’ day persecute Jesus, instigating His crucifixion, driven by evil satanic forces? And did God not work this to the good of all mankind?
Evil is in this world, working through people driven by forces of darkness, even in high religious places. We learn obedience through suffering just as Jesus Christ was taught obedience. He had much undeserved suffering, and so will we as we follow Him. There’s no glory in suffering we bring on ourselves, but the unfair, undeserved, most difficult fiery trials, are not what we deserve but what God allows for our good. We pass our tests as He passed His, standing on the word of God as well as knowing His Father’s heart of love and mercy.
There’s no escape from it, but we can learn to rejoice during it, as the Word directs us to do, though it’s no easy task! We all go through adversity, it is part of this life on earth. When we serve the living God, however, it brings struggles with a purpose to the pain. Such fiery trials bring about change within us as we submit our will to Him. It works the fruit of righteousness in us. We can draw upon His strength to turn our will to His, to determine, like these Hebrews in bondage, to do what God wants regardless of what He allows the outcome to be.
This is the highest and most difficult surrender we can offer. As we bow in submission to Him, we are surrendering any right to live affliction-free in this world. Yes, what satan means for evil, God means for and uses for good. It has always been so, revealed throughout the Old and the New Testament. This plan of God is often far beyond our understanding as believers. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Many times, our human minds cannot comprehend God’s eternal plan and purpose.
Our troubled souls cry out with Jeremiah, the prophet:
“Righteous are You, O Lord when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Jeremiah 12:1 Berean
Jeremiah struggled with how God allowed evil to continue, the wicked to prosper, despite the words of God this faithful prophet was bringing, over and over. To our earthly way of thinking, the righteous should be prosperous and have success, living at ease, not the wicked! Where is the reward for living a godly life if that is not so? Jeremiah was speaking from a place of discouragement, looking at what was happening in the earth around him. God’s people were in bondage, suffering because God had abandoned them to their own ways.
So why do the righteous suffer? Consider King David, the forefather of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given exceedingly great and precious promises, including the promise to rule and reign as King over God’s people. God proved faithful to David in all He had said to Him. Yet David faced much opposition, experiencing many fiery trials and afflictions. He even had enemies in his own household. When David served King Saul, he did nothing but good to him. Later, David had to be “on the run” as Saul tried to kill him. During one of these many times, David cried out to God:
“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?” Psalms 13:1-2 NIV
We are in saintly company when we struggle with what God allows in our lives. We often cry out with David, “How long, Lord?” Our souls struggle to endure these times of seeming defeat, when the enemies within and without dominate. We surely cannot think about these things as the world does, as if a peaceful, externally trouble-free, prosperous life is a sign of godliness. We can see that these were the very experiences that prepared David for rulership, building his faith and trust in God. And is this not often God’s way?
We have a multitude of blessings from God’s work in us, bringing the kingdom of peace, love, and joy within. What is more blessed than these intangible and incredible gifts we are given? Yet if our faith is not tested, refined by fiery trials, how strong is it within us? What if our peace, love, and joy disappear in an instant with opposition and adversity, large or small? He is surely preparing us for ruling and reigning this way, just as He did with David.
We can talk with our Lord just as David did, seeking answers to settle questions in our hearts as well as comfort in our sorrow and pain. We may not be able to fathom, with our own understanding, God’s purpose in allowing what is happening to us, to others, to all the suffering people of the world. At these times of wrestling in our own souls, we draw close to God to understand. He is eternally able and willing to reveal more of His thoughts and ways by His spirit.
Oh, how we need His spirit to understand His thoughts and ways, so different from ours! God is spirit, He is everywhere, and we connect and relate to Him in spirit. Notice that many of David’s psalms start out in anguish, but end up in the surrender of worship, praise and thanksgiving. So it is with us. We are comforted in our afflictions, reassured in our troubles that He is there, in that fiery furnace with us, and that we will come forth shining in the gold of His nature. Not even the smell of smoke shall be around us!
We need to take great care in not offering easily spoken words of religious advice to others who are going through their trials, particularly when they are going through things we have never faced. I’ve done it in my zeal, even during a trial, before I have even gone through the trial onto victory. Then I struggle and stumble, showing forth that I have not yet overcome. Jesus told Simon Peter to strengthen his brothers after he, himself, was strengthened.
Some things that happen in this life on earth may never be understood or explained to us by God. Sometimes there is no answer that comes to the question of why. We must reckon with the issue of who God really is. Is He a God of love and mercy or not? Is He true to His word or a liar? These three Hebrew saints, long ago, were convinced in their hearts that God was in charge and His intent towards them was good regardless of circumstances. They did not doubt or question what had come upon them, complaining about the situation and looking for a human way of escape as we often do.
With some circumstances, we can only conclude that He is God and we are not. Either He is who He says He is and we stand on it or we continually wrestle with doubt and fear, even walking away from this life of faith we do not understand. We may not know why, but we can know why not. The fires of change have not come upon us because God does not love us or we have displeased Him in some way. In fact, it is because He loves us that He is taking us through these times.
Such is the way of change, for our Lord Jesus Christ as well as for ourselves. He learned obedience through the things He suffered and so do we. These are trials that bring pain, loss, and confusion, yes, but they work His glory in us. We wish it were not so, but it is His truth:
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV
Light affliction? For a moment?? It surely does not seem that way in the midst of the fire! But our Lord makes Himself seen and known to unbelievers when He shows up in the midst of His saints going through such trials. Unbelievers notice our faith more when there is no earthly reason for it, not when we are in periods of wonderful blessing and peace. In the midst of fiery trials, God gives peace that goes beyond our understanding:
“And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].” Philippians 4:7 Amplified
When there is no visible reason to have peace, He gives it. It is above our understanding, transcending all human comprehension. His peace stands guard over our hearts and minds because we belong to Him, we are His eternally. God does it now just as He did it then when the King and all the unbelievers around him saw the Lord in the midst of the flames. He is here to show forth His great majesty and power —not just to us but to others who are observing what we are going through.
We have the gold of His nature worked in us through His refining fires as well as a pile of ashes from our fleshly ways and reactions that He has burned up in us. Let’s look further into the outcome of this literal fiery trial the three Hebrew children endured:
“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.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speaks anything 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. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” Daniel 3:29-30 KJV
No other god can deliver in this way! Not only was their situation much better than before all of this, but the King reversed His decree because he knew there was no other God like our God! He became a believer and they got a promotion! Who would have anticipated that?!
God is the perfect “sifter”of wheat and chaff, taking what is not needed to burn it up, leaving the wheat (gold) that He has refined through the fire of our experiences. Think of it! Hallelujah! He turns all for His purposes in those who are called, chosen, and faithful. Just like the three Hebrews, it is possible that no one eventually even sees evidence that we are in or have just come out of a fiery trial.
Many, many saints through the centuries have made the same determination that these three young Hebrews did. No matter what God allowed, they were determined, they had made up their minds to serve the Lord. We cannot know what was in the hearts of those saints, past or present, who are victorious through the fires of change. But we can see and hear about how they came out. These are ones who emerge not even smelling of smoke. There is no outward evidence remaining of their afflictions except the peaceable fruit of righteous character in them.
The fiery trials are not their focus nor the key part of their ongoing narratives unless God makes a ministry of it, as He often does with specific sufferings. Unless it is to testify of the greatness and majesty of our God after times of testing and trials are concluded, we may never speak of it. Yet many have had great ministries founded upon God taking them through incredible, traumatic, even horrific events.
These ones, precious in God’s sight, are allowed suffering just as Jesus had, for the purpose and plan of God. As these saints are strengthened, they are able to strengthen the rest of us, their brothers and sisters in Christ.
“But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9 NIV
We will have adversity in this life. We may wish it weren’t so, but the fires of change are most important in our walk. We comfort ourselves and learn not to fear because the Lord of heaven and earth is with us. He is not only our Comforter but our Savior to the uttermost. The assurance that God is in the fire with us provides what we need to endure. We too can come out with no damage, not even the “smell of smoke” through all the trials and tests God allows for His saints to be perfected.
God is more than able to turn all for good for those who love Him, bringing healing and restoration to our wounded souls. If you are a Christian who thinks life as a believer should go smoothly and the devil is totally responsible for any obstacles in your path, consider this:
“The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes, you will see Him.
And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 Berean
God is our teacher, revealing His faithfulness and power in times of adversity and affliction, more so than in times of plenty and prosperity. We know saints whose godly natures have been so refined by life that the sweetness and purity of the Lord is visible in their daily interactions with others. They need not speak of what they believe or have gone through. The work God has been doing in them lights them from within. Many of our elders who have passed on had His shining light visible on their countenance, reflecting the maturity gained as the character of Christ.
Time after time, all through the centuries, God takes His people through, rather than out of, adversity. All of us experienced this in 2020 with the worldwide pandemic. There were very few who escaped consequences. Many more God brought through the stress and loss of this worldwide affliction that continues to impact the peoples of all nations. There was no way to escape it and only our God to strengthen us and our faith as we endured it. He proves Himself to be our High Tower:
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalms 18:2 KJV
Oh, what a God we serve! How His words reassure and inspire us during such times! How He holds us lovingly in the palm of His hands! With our spiritual eyes, we saw what He is accomplishing within people when this horrible virus came upon all. Many became much more clear about what is really important in this life, through this truly frightening time of global suffering and loss.
We encourage each other as we walk through the fires of this life, knowing that even when meant for evil by our enemy, God turns all for good for those who love Him. We can praise Him for His answers before we can see them, demonstrating our faith.
Allow these words of Psalms 91 to sink into your hearts:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’
Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings, you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you.
You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
‘Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalms 91 Berean
Such wonderful words of assurance of His love and protection! But wait. This horrible plague did come upon many of us. Many Christians became ill and many of us lost loved ones during this time. Thousands certainly did have this disease “approach our tents” where we dwell. Do these facts make the above scriptures untrue?
Surely not, as where we dwell, our homeland, is not on this earth. These are times that test men’s hearts and trouble our souls. Those who do no know the Lord and His ways can’t see it, but the more He returns within a people, the more disruptive He is in the earthy, carnal places of mans’ dwelling. God surely is the only safety now and in the day to come.Let His word be truth and all people liars!
We can believe what we do not yet see. He is coming to those who love Him, a second time appearing. It is possible to walk through such times in peace and rest as we yield our will and walk in His paths. It is the “not my will, but Thine be done” time of our lives. Many Christians were gifted with these qualities of His kingdom as we endured the pandemic. No, God did not take many of us out of it, but He surely was with us throughout.
God also does not look at death like we on earth do. Death is a deliverance for some, especially His saints. Their suffering is ended and there is no more suffering of adversity for them on this earth.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalms 116:15 Berean
God is surely mindful of the deaths of those we love, what we humans consider the ultimate loss. The death of those who believe and serve Him is “in His sight.” He is neither uncaring nor distant when this happens. If it is precious, of concern to Him, He clearly views death in a much different light than we dwellers of this earth. He does not consider physical death as the ultimate loss.
God is always after our hearts, cherishing our spiritual growth more than our earthly comfort. Meanwhile, more disease, famine, and dangers—fires, floods, storms, drought, and wars— continue to wrack the earth with their power to destroy. Regardless of this — and more— coming upon our earth, God is amazingly able to bring the “peace that passes (is beyond) human understanding” to those who serve Him.
Because our God is Who He says He is, a God of mercy and love, comfort and deliverance, He will deliver our hearts from ultimate destruction. The Spirit within us takes us through, lifting us above earthly events into the spirit of His kingdom. He is able and gracious to grant it. Surrender to His will with faith in His word and confidence in His nature. This is the path of life in God, an He makes us to rejoice in and through all things:
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 KJV