Refining Fire
My Refiner
I was praying this morning, and I saw a ball of fire and heard the words “Refining Fire” I made a mental note of it and just carried on praying. I actually forgot about it after my prayers and went on catching up on my phone, until it crossed my mind again, after I saw an image of a fire, I posted on the Lifted Group about the Holy Spirit being our Enabler.
As soon as that nudged my memory, I did a quick google search about “God as the refining Fire “, scriptures and posts came up, but I decided to go into the Bible app and do a search of scripture.
This scripture from Zachariah was the first to show up on the search bar
“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.’””
Zechariah 13:9 NLT
Yup! That sounded more like it and I had more conviction about what He was trying to teach me. I made a declaration or confession around that scripture and a prayer note, said a prayer and thanked God about this insight and the privilege of going through the refiner’s Fire, HIS REFINING FIRE.
I should have just left it there and moved on, but I decided to search the web and see what others had to say about going through God’s refining Fire.
Most of the stories I have come across online about the refiner’s fire depicted people going through major trails and conflict under God’s watchful skillful hands, but that was not my case, at least not obvious.
I believe I am going through the refiner’s fire, but I am not in any life shattering crisis, or anything chaotic in that sense of it, but maybe the one I am fighting and struggling with, within me to be who God called me to be is shattering enough. Maybe the process of my mind renewal and transformation is me going through my refiner’s fire.
Oh yes! That is my battle, that is the crisis I am going through. Knowing that there is more in me that is buried and longing to burst out. There is more in me that is screaming “let me out” and I have no idea how because of limiting beliefs and second guessing myself, amongst other things.
So, I came to the realization that I can’t rely on my own human strength to overcome those limitations in other to let my potential out, I will need God, but not until He has unearthed and uncovered the beauty that lies within me so that I can be capable of delivering the message He has put inside of me. I knew first where I wanted the work to get started from first. My MIND and I dare say He knows and just wanted me to ask HIM to step in.
Maybe the most important thing He is refining in me is my mind. Haaa my mind! Filled with junk and limiting thoughts, and years ago I did not know any better, and had no idea how to fix that, but now I do.
He is working on me from the inside out. Refining my mind, soul, spirit and yes, my body. Although the process is painful, I must surrender. I wake up sometimes, uncomfortable about where I am right now and declaring what He has shown me of where He wants me to be and where He is taking me. He made me unsettled and restless so that I could invite HIM into that restlessness. There is a lot to do but I can’t do them haphazardly, until I have been purified as gold. That discomfort though, makes me run to Him and Him only, because it is only Him that can fix me.
So, I handed my mind over to Him. I need my mind to function according to His will, and He wants my mind to function right, and right now I am going through a treacherous detox of my mind. I have been declaring that He renews my mind and yes, He is renewing my mind. My Refiner knows what to do, so that I might emerge beautiful.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 NLT
There are so many layers to my process of refining and all I can do at this point is to succumb (like I can do anything else) to The Refiner.
So maybe, you just might be going through your own process, do not fight it, however it comes, life’s external trials or your personal internal conflicts, all you can do is succumb to His process, do not rush it, painful as it can be, but be rest assured that when He is done, when He is done purifying you through that fire, you will come out beautiful and pure.
His refining process is not designed to burn you up, but to make you a whole lot better. It changes us, we are never the same after He is done.
Be blessed, Be Lifted
