THE REFINER'S FIRE

Heyyy y’all and welcome back. I pray that all has been well with you. It is the end of the month and we are thankful that the Lord has kept us and we stand in great expectation of all that He will continue to do. Last month I dropped a blog post titled “ Contending for the Promise” and if you have not checked it out yet, I strongly recommend that you do. Today, I am back, by the grace of God, with a new blog post “The Refiner’s Fire” and I believe that it is a right now word and that many will be able to relate. Let’s dive in!!

The "refiner's fire" is a process where we are to be purified and cleansed of our sinful nature, a process that removes dross (the impurity or worthless scum removed from metal during the refining process) or impurities from our hearts to make us more Christlike and reflective of God's glory. The metaphor from the Bible, in Malachi 3:2-4, illustrates that God uses trials, suffering, and pressure as a loving disciplinary action to strengthen faith, foster spiritual growth, and prepare believers for a pure and righteous existence with Him. Are you in the refiner’s fire? Does this resonate with you? Are you being processed and purified in this season? Stay the course and stand firm, don’t abort the process because it’s uncomfortable. Be steadfast, in the name of Jesus. God has a deep and abiding love for us, and He is holy and divine, but He cannot stand to be in the presence of sin. Therefore, just as gold and other precious metals are refined through fire, so too does God cleanse us from our spiritual impurities with spiritual fire. This fire comes in the forms of tests, challenges, and adversity and by enduring the heightened temperatures we undergo a process of purification that reveals our true spiritual identity in Christ. As a result, we mature in faith, grow righteous in spirit, and develop a heart that is desirous to serve as a living sacrifice for the glory of God.

Refining is a process used to separate certain metals such as gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, and platinum from noble-metalliferous materials, which simply put, are impurities that tarnish the quality of the end metal product. This refining process is undertaken through a process of fire, as these metal components will only separate under HIGH temperatures. Once the desired temperature is reached, the mineral waste or dross (see definition above), rises to the surface, thus enabling retrieval of the PURE metal. So, this looks like when God turns up the temperature in our life at times by exposing us to situations that challenge our faith, teach us perseverance, and test our faith. These trials all have the purpose of separating us from qualities that do not serve us and by extension, the Kingdom of God. The process has a significant purpose!

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” Malachi 3:2-4. Malachi was God’s chosen prophet, who in this Bible verse calls a disobedient Israel to repent by warning them that the Lord is returning. When He does, He will cleanse the nation with a holy judgment that no individual will be spared from. Additionally, the following scriptures also describe the refiner’s fire:

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction”  Isaiah 48:10 

“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver” Psalm 66:10  

I want to make this very clear, for anyone who feels like they are under fire and that the affliction is sent to take them out, shift your perspective and know that God engaging in this refining process can be seen as an act of His deep love and a desire to see His children become more pure, rather than being abandoned. Shift your perspective.

Now, let’s talk about the purpose of the refiner's fire:

1.To purify. Though we were created in the image of God, our sinful nature as well as the impact of living in a broken world fills us with thought patterns, spiritual strongholds, and behaviors that keep us falling short of God’s glory. 

Matthew 5:8 states, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” God purifies our hearts from ungodly practices and desires through spiritual fire, thus enabling us to see Him clearly.

2. We are to be a righteous offering. God desires to use us as a living sacrifice to share the gospel with the nations:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship  Romans 12:1.

However, in order to do that, we need to be able to present ourselves as a righteous offering, which can only be achieved through spiritual refinement.

3. To reflect the character of Jesus Christ. The refining process is a repetitive process. After the initial dross is skimmed off the top of the refining pot, the refiner continues to INCREASE the heat and skim the surface.

In Psalm 12:6, the spiritual process of refinement is repeated up to seven times. “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” 

The refiner will only stop the process once the metal residue reflects his image, like a mirror.

In the same way, God wants to spiritually purify us with the result that our hearts and actions reflect the character of Jesus Christ to others.

4. To live a fulfilled Christian life. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10.

God wants us to live a victorious, abundant, faith-purposed life; however, we can only do that if we cling to Him and abide by His plans for our life. The refiner’s fire is also known as “launderer's soap,” which is an analogy for the cleansing and brightening effect that hand detergents such as lye soap have on white clothing.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap  Malachi 3:2. 

So, you may be asking, is there a set time that this occurs, when does it happen, when will I be refined? In Malachi 3:2-3, the prophet declares the imminent return of the Lord and with it, His holy judgment of REFINING FIRE. That being said, the process of refinement is one that God can carry through in any of us at any time. The truth is, that just because we are Christians, we are not spared from experiencing conflict and trouble. But I am learning in this faith walk that is is better to face trials, tribulation, affliction, conflict and trouble with God, as opposed to not being in Him. Somebody needed to hear that. However, the trials we face in this life have been given to us to test us and purify our faith and purify our hearts, which as Peter states, is of far greater worth to God than gold,

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed  1 Peter 1:7.

Don’t reject the refiner’s fire. Because the truth is, there are some forms of silver that cannot be purified through fire. When this happens, that piece of metal is REJECTED by the refiner. In the same way, we can also choose to reject the refiner’s fire through a conscious decision to turn away from God’s teachings, to ignore His convictions when we do wrong, and to live in rebellion of His ways. When this occurs, not only can God not use us for His good works, but we condemn ourselves to pursue a life that is inferior to the wonderful plans and blessings He has in store for us. The process of refinement can be an unpleasant and uncomfortable one, but ultimately, it is one that God allows us to endure for our own good. Therefore, ask God to refine you, so that you can be the best version of yourself that you can be, for His Kingdom and for His glory.

I pray that this month’s blog post has been a blessing to you. Let’s reflect and take inventory and understand the importance of the refiner’s fire. If you can resonate with this, please leave a comment and share this blog with those whom you know would benefit from this. God bless you. And let’s stay the course. See you next month.

***to stay connected to the ministry or to book a 1:1 coaching/counseling session (inner healing or empower hour), please visit https://www.sheenamm.com and subscribe to our email list.

-Sincerely, Sheena M. (The Destiny Pusher)