Lessons Learned in the Fire

There are lessons to be learned as you walk through the fire!

Lesson #1.....When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fire; they found that they were not alone. The God they had professed faith in earlier met them in the fire. The thing here is they had to be in the fire before they saw Jesus. When the fiery flames rise around you, open your eyes, for Jesus is right there with you! You may not see Him before the fire but if you looks closely you'll see Him in the fire.

Lesson #2.....All the fire did was burn away the things that had them bound. The Lord used the fire to loosen these men from the ropes that held them. When the fires of persecution and affliction come into your life, you need to remember this truth....the Lord is merely freeing you from some of the things that have had you bound in your life. As the flames burn away the ropes of things that have you bound such as bad attitudes, bad habits, etc, you will find that you are freer in the fire than you were outside the fire! Often, persecution seems like the worse possible thing that can happen in our lives. But, it can prove to be the best thing we have ever experienced. The fire has the power to set you and me free from the things that bind us and hinder or walk with the Lord.

Lesson #3.....We are told that the fire didn't hurt them. The fire did not kill them, it didn’t even burn them! God allowed them to go through the fire, but He did not allow the fire to go through them. Again, there is a powerful truth here for those who might be walking through a fiery furnace. The furnace may be frightening, but you were not brought to it for destruction, but for growth. God did not allow it for your hurt, but for your good, (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Oh by the way, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire, only three men went into the furnace. When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he saw four men in there walking around. When Nebuchadnezzar called for the men to come out of the fire in verse 26, only three came out. What happened to that fourth man? Well, He's still in the fire! Hallelujah! So, when you go there, you will find Him waiting for you. He will look at your flames and say “Cool it!” Just as He calmed the waves and the storm for the frightened disciples, He'll cool whatever fire you may be going through. The three Hebrew boys were preserved by the presence of God and you will be too!

Even thought the flames may come, they will only free you from what binds you. You will be fine in the fire, because there will be One with you every inch of the way. He will not leave you, but He will preserve you through the fire and He will keep you for His glory!

Lesson #4....When those boys came out of the furnace, they were inspected by Nebuchadnezzar and his men. We are told that not a hair was singed, there was no soot on them and they didn’t even smell like smoke! Can't you just see them sniffing all over these boys like a dog? What a miracle! You can’t even walk into a convenience store where people smoke without getting the smell of cigarette smoke on your clothes. But, the power of God operated in this situation and overcame the furnace totally!

That’s just God! He’s not a half way God! When He does something, He does it all the way. When He heals, He heals completely! When He saves, He saves completely! When He forgives, He forgives completely. Whatever He does, He does it all the way! How? He is all powerful, and He is able to use that power in your life and mine! (Ephesians 3:20) So, when you find yourself looking at a fiery furnace, remember that you serve an all powerful God, Who is able to keep you in the times of affliction and Who is able to bring you through for His glory!

Lesson #5.....An old, pagan king praises the name of the one true God. Because of what he saw God do for His people in the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar sees things differently. God used this horrible moment in the lives of those three Hebrew believers to touch the hard heart of a lost, heathen king. You never know what God will do with the afflictions in your life. As we pass through the furnaces of life, leaning on the grace of God to sustain us, it may be that God is using those moments in your life and mine, those moments that hurt so much, to show a lost world that He is God and He can help them. That is why we need to submit to the furnaces of life, trusting God’s grace to be sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9.) In order for Nebuchadnezzar to see God..someone had to go through the fire! Are you willing to go through a fire in order for someone to see God as He really is?

Conclusion...If you are passing through a furnace time today. Let me encourage you to cling to the Lord. He is with you in what you face and He has a plan to bring you through and to use you for His glory. Trust Him! Cling to Him! The Bible says He will never leave you nor forsake you and that means even in the fires of your life.

In His love,

Elizabeth