OUR STORY Part 4: THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE

Worry slanders every promise of God!

A brother on Facebook recently posted a quote that caught my attention:

"Worry slanders every promise of God." 

While that may seem like an overstatement to the pseudo (a.k.a. fraudulent or pretending) Christian; I believe the sentiment is scripturally right on target.  Especially when we look at this statement a little closer by examining the definition of three key words; worry, slander and promise:

Worry: condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety; a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.
Slander: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: "a slander against his good name"

Promise: an express assurance on which expectation is to be based: i.e. promises that an enemy will not win.

If we truly believe the Word of God; when we find ourselves cast into the fiery furnace of circumstances or trials we will find solace in the knowledge that there is another One who walks in the midst of the fire with us.  Our trust will not be in the condition of our circumstances or in worldly remedies; but in God alone.  And as such, our trust in God will allow us to rest in this confidence; knowing that no matter what comes our way we shall not be left to harm or destruction.

Having said that, I still find occasion when I want to cry out to Abba Father, "please, please turn down the heat!!!".   And on those occasions when my flesh becomes weak, it is then that I hear His still small voice whispering to me "Rest. Trust. We still have more refining to do here!" 

Often the very trial we want removed from us is that which God is using to perfect us for His use in ministry.  I am not speaking of organized religion, ordination or launching of a non-profit organization. I am referring to the daily ministry that each of us is called to, to impart into the lives of others for the building and edification of the Body of Christ.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work,

that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:2-4,12

Coming out of the charismatic movement many years ago I was left with the belief that there were two reasons that trials came into a believer's life.  1) Either they had some secret unrepentant sin or, 2) an army of demons were nipping at their heels and they needed deliverance.  And so most of the churches today try to pray away the will of God in their lives.

Since Michael and I began our journey of sanctification several years ago; we have removed worldly influences such as television and entertainment from our lives and immersed ourselves in the Word and prayer while embracing the writings of old saints such as; A.W. Tozer, C.H. Spurgeon, Leonard Ravenhill, Charles Finney, Francois Fenelon, D.L. Moody, E.M. Bounds, John Wesley, etc.  Hours upon hours that were spent watching television or patio hopping are now spent feasting on Truth.

It goes without saying that meditation on the Word of God and prayer are of the utmost importance.  However, the writings and meditations of some of these old saints can serve as a type of intimate fellowship.  So many of these beautiful men of God had very common insight that has blessed us during this time; a focus on the importance of prayer, and an insight into the matters of God's providence and prevenient grace. 

One major truth we have come to embrace is that trials are not necessarily attacks from the enemy; or consequences of sin in one's life.  On the contrary trials are quite often the very work of God allowing circumstances to come our way for the sole purpose of refining and strengthening us.  Trials serve to burn away the excess baggage or chaff from our lives; thereby preparing us for a greater work for Him.  Much like an athlete is disciplined through rigorous exercise to prepare for a competition; the children of God are rigorously prepared for His divine use in ministry.

When Mike and I were led by the Spirit to relocate to Texas we had NO idea what was ahead for us.  We thought we were going to just move on in to a greater walk with God in glorious victory and prosperity.  Ha!!!  Had we known what was ahead I suspect we would have hid under our bed waiting and hoping for it all to blow over like a bad storm, God forgetting about this workout for us and perhaps moving on to the next couple.

When we came to Texas we had grand illusions of growing crops and feeding the hungry and homeless as part of a ministry.  I often wonder if perhaps that is why we have been brought to the precipice of homelessness ourselves; so that we can truly have the heart required to understand and minister to them in love. 

So many Christians get a glimpse of what they believe they are called to do for God.  They get all excited and ready to shoot out of the starting gate without the preparation necessary to do things the right way, or for the right reasons.  As a result of this many fall into the snares of carnal Christian ministry:

1. The pride of life - Pride over a self made ministry (ego)
2. The lust of the flesh - The need for recognition by others (notoriety)
3. The lust of the eyes - The motivation of greedy gain (motivated by materialism)

I can honestly say that God has spent the last several years unveiling ungodly motives and methods in our lives that we were oblivious to the fact existed.  The churches in America produce a breed of Christians that I often refer to as "Do-Gooders."  They run about doing this and that in the name of religion feeling really good about themselves, proud, motivated by self-love.  Leonard Ravenhill shared about a conversation he had with A.W.Tozer where Tozer allegedly stated: "Ya know Len, I'm not concerned so much in answering about what I've done, as much as why I did it."

In a book by A. W. Tozer he states in part:

"Unsanctified desire will stop the growth of any Christian life. Wrong desire perverts the moral judgment so that we are unable to appraise the desired object at its real value. However we try, still a thing looks morally better because we want it. For that reason our heart is often our worst counselor, for if it is filled with desire it may give us bad advice, pleading the purity of something that is in itself anything but pure."  (Root of the Righteous - "The Sanctification of Our Desires")

The final mortgage payment has gone out and the creditors have closed down our credit card balances.  The hay has run out for the donkeys with a foal due in a month; and the judge has not issued a decision as of yet on the defense's recent motion to throw out our Default Judgement.  We don't have any idea what tomorrow brings.  However, the Word tells us what God is made of, and of His promises to His children. So I guess now is when we find out what we are really made of as the heat is turned up another notch in the fiery furnace of our trial.

Our prayer is that when we ascend from this fiery trial unscathed, that just as King Nebuchadnezzar, those who have watched us come through this victoriously will acknowledge Abba Father as GOD!

"Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3:19-25