Post by Jerod W. Rickert on Mar 30, 2008 17:11:14 GMT -5
OK, the Lord was reminding me the last few days of this lesson, and just today brought someone into my life that needed to hear it... And since I do NOT believe in coincidence ( 
), I decided that perhaps it would be of value to more of you, so bear with me as i haven't spoke in this in quite some time, and I hope this will come acrossed correctly, LOL
Psa 12:6 The Words of Jehovah are pure Words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
Psa 66:10 For You, O God, have proved us; You have tested us as silver is refined.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined. And I will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, It is My people, and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
While not untended to be a full or comprehensive collection of verses here, I wanted to lay a groundwork of the use of refining in the scriptures...
Now, here is where we as the Children of God have missed out on a fact that could save us much heartache and travail, and I believe even much backsliding and weakened faith!!!
How many of can honestly relate to this: "I asked Jesus in my heart and everything changed 100% over night, I had no sinful thoughts or tendancies left. I was simply relieved of every anti-Godly propensity in a flash!!! Haven't sinned since I got saved!!!"
(If You got saved in the last 10 minutes, your vote doesn't count, LOL)
No?? well, yeah, me either...
How about this one: "Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. "
Yeah?? A little more like it for most of us, isn't it??
OK, so what does this mean to us??
Let us look into this refining process...
Precious Metals are heated to the point of boiling and liquifying. as this occurs, something amazing happens. The IMPURITIES, also called Dross, float to the surface. Where?? To the surface!!! As the heat is turned up and applied, the imperfectioins and teh garbage come right to the very surface. Now, it is then that the refiner, with great scoops, removes the dross and throws it away...
Several things of interest come to light in this beautiful illustration...
1: The natural place for dross to go when heated is TO THE SURFACE!!! It is neccessary for the secret things to be made manifest to the glorious light of the Son. While we hide them and struggle alone, we are greatly defeated, but when it bubbles to the surface like a blight and a cancer, there is no hiding it or lying to our selves any longer. But NOW, when they are on the surface of that beautiful, bubbling, boiling pool of Gold, the Refiner can work his miracle and scoop it away!!!
However, one thing we must understand,is that this Refiner is a gentleman and loves His gold, passionately. He will never take or steal from us, it is the golds job to allow Him to do His sweet. magnificent work. But how many times, from simple lack of knowledge, have we felt defeated and demorallized because we felt that our prayers were unanswered?? We cried out to get closer to our Lord, we sought His countenance and will. And then, the garbage seemed to appear from no where...
How precious to understand this is not only normal, but natural. The question is no longer "Why God, am I so defeated?? I have sought You but only seem to get worse!!" It now becomes "Precious Mater Refiner, will you please reach down with your scoop and remove this unsightly Dross, that I may be even more pure for You??" Oh how precious of a paradigm shift this is!!!
If only the church would have taught this more passionately, how many years of defeat and tears might we have avoided??
2: Of equal importance here is to understand that Dross is not removed in one simple heating. At least not for the purest of Precious Metals. And we are THE most precious metals He has ever created. This process is repeated several times. Heating, scooping, cooling... over and over, until, at last the heating process reveals no more dross!!! To be refined as Gold refined 7 times is, I believe, not a literal 7 times (God only remembers how long ago I passed that mark...). Seven in the scriptures is used as a representation of Perfection and completeness. To be refined that way is to represent the ongoing process towards completeness.
We may have to go through it twice, or 200 hundred times, but He is faithful to see a good work through to completion. So much of it is our responsibility. But, if we will simply submit to the Refiner, He will continue to work in us til we are perfected!!!
3: My precious friends and family, know that the Refiner is miraculous and perfect in His work, but we are not (yet). For too many years, we have become rebellious and angry, believing God to have failed us, when in fact, it was our own ignorance that prevented our healing. Please, do not any longer get out of the heat when teh Dross begins to surface. We need to realize that the heat (the furnace of affliction) is neccessary for our ultimate healing and perfection. Relish in the Fire. Does it hurt?? Of course it does, we're getting melted!!!! and the impurities are a part of us!!! we are having things removed that we have know and relished in for years!! It hurts, it burns and it is humbling because our "secret dross" is no longer secret. But when we come through it, we are much lighter, and pliable and so much more beautiful!!!!!!!!
I hope this will be of use to you all, I know it has been invaluable to me (when I allow Him to do His job and don't jump out of the heat)
I pray thte magnificent fire of refining will heat your lives and let the dross flow freely for the Master Refiner to remove...
God Bless you all
), I decided that perhaps it would be of value to more of you, so bear with me as i haven't spoke in this in quite some time, and I hope this will come acrossed correctly, LOLPsa 12:6 The Words of Jehovah are pure Words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
Psa 66:10 For You, O God, have proved us; You have tested us as silver is refined.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined. And I will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, It is My people, and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
While not untended to be a full or comprehensive collection of verses here, I wanted to lay a groundwork of the use of refining in the scriptures...
Now, here is where we as the Children of God have missed out on a fact that could save us much heartache and travail, and I believe even much backsliding and weakened faith!!!
How many of can honestly relate to this: "I asked Jesus in my heart and everything changed 100% over night, I had no sinful thoughts or tendancies left. I was simply relieved of every anti-Godly propensity in a flash!!! Haven't sinned since I got saved!!!"
(If You got saved in the last 10 minutes, your vote doesn't count, LOL)
No?? well, yeah, me either...
How about this one: "Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. "
Yeah?? A little more like it for most of us, isn't it??
OK, so what does this mean to us??
Let us look into this refining process...
Precious Metals are heated to the point of boiling and liquifying. as this occurs, something amazing happens. The IMPURITIES, also called Dross, float to the surface. Where?? To the surface!!! As the heat is turned up and applied, the imperfectioins and teh garbage come right to the very surface. Now, it is then that the refiner, with great scoops, removes the dross and throws it away...
Several things of interest come to light in this beautiful illustration...
1: The natural place for dross to go when heated is TO THE SURFACE!!! It is neccessary for the secret things to be made manifest to the glorious light of the Son. While we hide them and struggle alone, we are greatly defeated, but when it bubbles to the surface like a blight and a cancer, there is no hiding it or lying to our selves any longer. But NOW, when they are on the surface of that beautiful, bubbling, boiling pool of Gold, the Refiner can work his miracle and scoop it away!!!
However, one thing we must understand,is that this Refiner is a gentleman and loves His gold, passionately. He will never take or steal from us, it is the golds job to allow Him to do His sweet. magnificent work. But how many times, from simple lack of knowledge, have we felt defeated and demorallized because we felt that our prayers were unanswered?? We cried out to get closer to our Lord, we sought His countenance and will. And then, the garbage seemed to appear from no where...
How precious to understand this is not only normal, but natural. The question is no longer "Why God, am I so defeated?? I have sought You but only seem to get worse!!" It now becomes "Precious Mater Refiner, will you please reach down with your scoop and remove this unsightly Dross, that I may be even more pure for You??" Oh how precious of a paradigm shift this is!!!
If only the church would have taught this more passionately, how many years of defeat and tears might we have avoided??
2: Of equal importance here is to understand that Dross is not removed in one simple heating. At least not for the purest of Precious Metals. And we are THE most precious metals He has ever created. This process is repeated several times. Heating, scooping, cooling... over and over, until, at last the heating process reveals no more dross!!! To be refined as Gold refined 7 times is, I believe, not a literal 7 times (God only remembers how long ago I passed that mark...). Seven in the scriptures is used as a representation of Perfection and completeness. To be refined that way is to represent the ongoing process towards completeness.
We may have to go through it twice, or 200 hundred times, but He is faithful to see a good work through to completion. So much of it is our responsibility. But, if we will simply submit to the Refiner, He will continue to work in us til we are perfected!!!
3: My precious friends and family, know that the Refiner is miraculous and perfect in His work, but we are not (yet). For too many years, we have become rebellious and angry, believing God to have failed us, when in fact, it was our own ignorance that prevented our healing. Please, do not any longer get out of the heat when teh Dross begins to surface. We need to realize that the heat (the furnace of affliction) is neccessary for our ultimate healing and perfection. Relish in the Fire. Does it hurt?? Of course it does, we're getting melted!!!! and the impurities are a part of us!!! we are having things removed that we have know and relished in for years!! It hurts, it burns and it is humbling because our "secret dross" is no longer secret. But when we come through it, we are much lighter, and pliable and so much more beautiful!!!!!!!!
I hope this will be of use to you all, I know it has been invaluable to me (when I allow Him to do His job and don't jump out of the heat
)I pray thte magnificent fire of refining will heat your lives and let the dross flow freely for the Master Refiner to remove...
God Bless you all
