Painful circumstances are often a means to expose where you are entangled in darkness and not living in the light of truth. They are a furnace purposed to remove from you the dross of the flesh and be purified to be empowered solely by the Spirit. If we will engage our difficult circumstances from the perspective of God, we will quickly see that he wants to expose a deeper issue of unhealthiness that resides in our hearts. Though vulnerable, if we respond accordingly, he will heal us and begin to transform our whole life.
"The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts." -Proverbs 17:3
God is too good to allow our hearts to remain impure and unperfected. In his kindness, he orchestrates circumstances in our life that may feel like we are being placed in a refining pot of fire or a furnace of fury. If you’re anything like me, imagining these seasons coming to fruition produces worry, and living in these seasons produces despair. While both of these emotions are natural responses to the fires of life, they often cause us to escape rather than embrace our greatest seasons. If we do not live from a higher perspective rooted in biblical truth, the seasons that are positioned for our prosperity become the seasons we seek to skirt.
Fortunately, God has given us the great advocate that reveals and teaches us the truth, empowering us to persevere with hope in seasons of pain (1 Jn. 2:20-21,27). This advocate’s name is the Holy Spirit and is a gift given to those who give their life to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is on a mission to transform our thinking and shift our perspective to see from the lens of God, rather than that of man.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Prov. 4:23
What is in our hearts is what empowers all of our thinking, saying, and doing. Therefore, if not vigilant with what enters our hearts, our lives will naturally be tainted with impure thinking, sinful speaking, and rebellious doing. All of us, no matter where we are on the spectrum of spiritual transformation and sanctification, at some level, have not been fully purified. None of us will reach the pinnacle of full perfection until we meet Christ face to face (1 Jn. 3:2). Therefore, we are all in the process of being purified, and God is passionate about putting us in the necessary places to bring about that outcome. While we all would love the quick fix to the problem at hand, usually, the problem is merely an invitation to enter into the necessary furnace of fire that will bring about the product you were intended to be.
Painful circumstances are often a means to expose where you are entangled in darkness and not living in the light of truth. They are a furnace purposed to remove from you the dross of the flesh and be purified to be empowered solely by the Spirit. If we will engage our difficult circumstances from the perspective of God, we will quickly see that he wants to expose a deeper issue of unhealthiness that resides in our hearts. Though vulnerable, if we respond accordingly, he will heal us and begin to transform our whole life.
No matter what difficult circumstance you find yourself in during this season of life, know that it did not occur by coincidence and is purposed for your good. Examining the truth of God in moments of pain gives us the perspective to persevere and participate in our weakness with heavenly hope. I want to share two things that the furnace of trials, tribulations, and sufferings is intended to do in your life.
1. The furnace is the fire of God’s love and the refining process toward our destiny. “Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel. - Prov. 25:4
Our difficult circumstances are not intended for our destruction by evil but for our deliverance from evil. Our circumstances are a furnace that, if stepped in, will remove our dross. Like gold, when we go through the furnace, we become much smaller but far richer. Each time we pass through, more impurity is removed, positioning us to be molded by our maker. We are the silver, and God is the silversmith. He desires to produce a vessel of beauty and purpose that has immense value. I promise you, if intentional in your season of difficulty, you will more fully experience the transformation that the circumstances were intended for.
While the furnace is for our deliverance, it is also our training ground. The only mountain we have authority over is the one we have climbed ourselves. While we would all love to have authority and influence for the sake of the Kingdom, the pathway to attaining that desire requires trials, troubles, and tribulations. There is a climb that is required; otherwise, you will stay gazing at the mountain from below, rather than hovering over the acreage of the land from above. Either it will stand on you, or you will stand on it. It is at the height of the mountain that you can see into the depths of the valley. It is at the end of the treacherous climb that you can dance with joy on that which once produced despair in you!
All of your circumstances are a pathway to you fulfilling your destiny! God is sovereign in all that occurs in our lives. Therefore, every season of pain paves the path needed for you to walk out the good works that God has prepared for your life.
2. Placing our hearts in the light positions us to be transformed with truth.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” - 2 Cor. 4:6
There is currently a massive war against people abiding in truth. We can look from every angle and see how Satan is deceiving the people of this age to believe that evil is good and good is evil and lies are truth and truth are lies (Is. 5:20). Whether in the world or the Church, if we are not intentionally placing our hearts in the light, we will be conformed by the patterns of this world rather than transformed by the Spirit of God. It takes both courage and vulnerability to place your heart in the light, as often we are given a diagnosis that healing needs to occur. However, like anyone with an ailment, a diagnosis is not bad; it is the first step toward healing.
While this seems like a simple exhortation that would provoke passionate participation in God’s people, often, we are blinded to the reality that what we believe to be true, is actually a lie. Consequently, circumstances arise in our lives to expose the places we have been conformed by the world so that we can repent and be transformed by Christ. It is in these seasons that we have to intentionally expose our hearts to what Christ is shining his light on. If so, we will find truth and be offered a way forward to freedom. Understanding why we hide from the light often is the best way to examine what is happening in our hearts.
I have found that there are three main reasons we hide our hearts from being exposed to the light:
1. We hide our hearts in blatant rebellion.
Confession brings to light what is hidden in darkness, and repentance chooses to remain in the light through obedience rather than return to the hidden place of darkness in rebellion.
Our rebellion is a direct result of abiding in the flesh rather than the Spirit. The flesh is in direct conflict with the Spirit and will always produce blatant rebellion toward God (Gal. 5:17). Until we have encountered the pleasure given in the Spirit, operating in and pleasing the flesh will be the habitual pattern of our life. Most of us spend years naturally abiding in the flesh and create deep strongholds of thinking that cultivate a lifestyle of rebellion.
This begs the question, “How do I bring my rebellion into light and get set free from what is entangling me in sin?” Though a constant choice has to be made in one’s life, the beginning of the process toward rebellion becoming obedience is found in Acts 3:19; “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
2. We hide our hearts in arrogance and pride.
The best thing about learning that I am wrong is that I get to learn what is right.
I can relate to this one specifically, as usually, it is my pride and arrogance in my own opinions and being “right” that keeps me from humbly posturing myself in a way that enables me to learn, rather than merely teach. Whether intentional or unintentional, when told that I am wrong, I will fight to defend that my wrong thinking is right, rather than rethink toward truth. We have to constantly posture ourselves with humility if we are going to be willing to place our opinions and preferences in the light of truth. If not, we will keep them hidden in darkness, resisting, rather than receiving, right thinking.
3. We hide our hearts in shame and condemnation.
Shame and condemnation are Satan's defense mechanisms to keep you from living worthy and free.
Shame and condemnation will make one believe they have to live at an arm's distance from the one that wants to pull them close to him. God desires our nearness, and his pursuit is our embrace.
Shame and condemnation do two things:
1. They keep me from drawing near because of my fear. Often shame and condemnation put a pretense in our mind that God will respond to our confession and repentance with punishment rather than forgiveness. Thus, to avoid punishment, we hide away rather than draw near. It takes a revelation of God’s love to realize that you are what he desires, and so your confession of sin doesn’t provoke him to anger, it arouses him with love. It is this truth that allows us to boldly come into the light rather than cower away in the dark.
2. They keep me far off because of my sense of unworthiness. Shame empowered the prodigal son of Luke 15 to work countless days in a pit of misery rather than return home and embrace his Father’s love. Even when he did return home, he timidly approached his Father because of his lack of understanding of his identity. Likewise, we, too, can continue in a pit of misery, spending unnecessary time in a prison cell of poverty when Jesus has opened the door to freedom.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” - 1 John 4:18
1 John 4:18 is the revelation the Father wants to release over sons and daughters who are bound in fear and unworthiness. In order to overcome, we need to experience the perfect love of the Father, then we will confidently approach the throne room of God’s grace to receive the empowering help of the Holy Spirit in our time of need.
The fire of God’s love is all-consuming. As he was yesterday, so he remains today. The God of love is positioning every single thing in your life to produce an outcome for your prosperity and success. Embrace your seasons of joy and trial with the same attitude, knowing that both are for your benefit!
