These days nearly every television and radio channel is running some sort of commercial about how you can either sell the gold you have to make money, or buy gold to put up and save for a financial crisis. Neither of these is what this post is about. Today is our next "installment" from the book I'm reading Secrets of the Secret Place.
Today's post is from the chapter, The Secret of Buying Gold.
"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich." Revelation 3:18
"What is this gold that enriches us? It's the gold of authentically-produced godly character, it's Christlikeness. ...
To de-mistify this thing, let me describe very clearly the process whereby we buy 'gold refined by fire.' First comes the fire. By fire, I am talking about tribulation or affliction or distress or calamity or persecution. ... You don't have to wonder or imagine whether you're in the fire. When the fire hits your life, you will know it! You will lose control, your pain levels will skyrocket, and your desperation for God will intensify. Your flesh will want to collapse and give up, but since your spirit is alive to the beauties of Christ, the fire will be used of God to drive you into the face of Christ like never before. Instead of giving up, you'll run even harder! Your primary source of sanity in the midst of the fire will be your secret place, where the Spirit will soothe your tortured soul and the word will sustain your hope and faith.
... you will begin to see areas of your heart and soul that have been out of alignment with God's ways and will. As you see those things, you are so desperate for God you gladly and diligently do business with Him, repenting and considering deeply how to change and adopt new patterns of thought, behavior, and motive. As you embrace the changes that God's Spirit inspires within you, you are actually becoming more like Jesus. Or to put it another way, you're buying gold in the fire.
It says we "buy" this gold because the pricetag is steep. ...
The fire has a way of making you a doer of the word and not just a hearer only. You become desperate for a word from God, and then when it comes, you cling to it like it's your very life source. ... then something amazing happens. When you share with others how the word mirrored your own shortcomings and how you became a doer of the word in the midst of the fire, your witness will have a profound effect upon your hearers. They will be fed by your witness of what has fed you.
The secret place is the only way you'll survive the fire. And the secret of the thing is, God's word flowing into you will not only enable you to survive, it will empower you to overcome and buy eternal treasure. ... God has great understanding into this powerful little secret, which is why He is merciful enough to send the fire in answer to your prayers. If you will cry to Him from the depths of your being, He will send exactly the right kind of fire you need at this moment in your journey. This fire will press you into the mirror of His word that you might begin to buy the gold of "refined character."
There are days when I feel as if surely I must have a stockpile of gold simply because of the troubles I've seen in my own life. Then I think of those who live in persecuted nations of the world, those who were burned alive or otherwise martyred for their allegiance and faith in Christ. I think of those who this very moment are starving to death while I just finished eating plenty for dinner and will later on enjoy some cake I made today. I think of those who've lost multiple children, not just one - though even the one is a horrifying event in one's life.
Most of all I pray that, as I go through the fire, I will throw myself into the arms of my God, cling to His word, press myself into Him, that I may be changed. I desire to be transformed into something that brings glory to my God. I pray that I will not become embittered because of the trials, but that as I share with others how the word mirrored my own shortcomings and how I became a doer of the word in the midst of the fire, that my witness will have a profound effect upon my hearers. That they will be fed by my witness of what has fed me.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
I hope that you all are enjoying these segments from this book. I'm surely enjoying reading it. Please leave your thoughts and comments. Next up, The Secret of Inviting His Gaze, and Anna has another song to go along with that one.
Abiding in His grace,
Lori
Hola, everybody! Here's a song to go along with THIS post (sorry I couldn't find a video, you'll just have to read the lyrics)...
"Consume Me" by Tenth Avenue North:
Walking down the dusty road
Though weak I thought I was so strong
Trying to make it one my own
I keep tripping on my clumsy feet
Look here at the mess I made of me
When you pulled me from the mud and clay
Yeah so you fill me anyway
But you hold me anyways
And I said...
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Bring and purify me let me glorify your name
Until only your love remains
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Yeah wash away my empty past
Until only your love remains
Love remains ... 'til only your love remains
22 years passed me by
22 years I sat and cried
Living by sight and not by faith
Oh Lord you wont despise
Forgiving me so many times
When I turned and I walked away
Yeah but you turned me around when I humbled myself to pray
And I say...
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Bring and purify me let me glorify your name
Until only your love remains
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Yeah wash away my empty past
Until only your love remains
Love remains... Only your love remains
Amazing grace just rain on me today
Yeah forgive me as I'm giving my heart
To you to you to you
Yeah
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Bring and purify me let me glorify your name
Until only your love remains
Consume me with your fire
Cleanse me with your rain
Yeah wash away my empty past
Until only your love remains
Love remains... Only your love remains
I hope y'all like it!
Anna McGuire/marryanna
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5 comments:
Lori, I have friend that has been going to these prayer meetings where the finger of God appears, and gold dust falls and people get gold fillings. Whatcha thank???????
My first inclination is to say, "You're kidding, right?"
However, knowing the circles you've run in, you might be serious. If so, all I can say is... W*E*I*R*D!!!
It's a shame they aren't getting gold rings instead of fillings. They can sell that stuff now! :o)
Lori
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ask your daughter what that means before you delete me as usual!!!!!! haha :D
Yes, she knows what it means. When I asked her if she knew what it meant she said, yes. When I asked her to tell me she said, "I'd rather not say." Then she wanted to know why I asked and she said, "It's that dumb Mr. John comment right?"
So there, you got posted...
L
I had a valid comment in regards to the post...then I read Sir Johns' comments and your replies and it completely escaped me...SO...I suppose now I need to go back and re-read and post again..
::snort::
I feel like all God is getting back from me in this refining process is fools gold somedays....which...somehow...just inspired me on something I want to post about.
:-)
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