THE REFINER'S FIRE

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

Ten thousand enemies cannot stop a Christian, cannot even slow him down, if he meets them in a attitude of complete trust in God. They will become to him like the atmosphere that resists the airplane, but which because the plane's designer knew how to take advantage of that resistance, actually lifts the plane aloft and holds it there for a journey of 2,000 miles. What would have been an enemy to the plane becomes a helpful servant to aid it on its way.

The main thing is this: we should never blame anyone or anything for our defeats. No matter how evil their intentions may be, they are altogether unable to harm us until we begin to blame them and use them as excuses for our own unbelief. Then they become potent to do us injury; nevertheless, we are to blame and not they.

If this should seem like a bit of theorizing, remember that always the greatest Christians have come out of hard times and tough situations. Tribulations actually worked for their spiritual perfection in that they taught them to trust not in themselves but in the Lord who raised the dead. They learned that the enemy could not block their progress unless they surrendered to the urgings of the flesh and began to complain. And slowly, they learned to stop complaining and start praising. It is that simple--and it works!

Prayer
It is true, Lord, as the old hymn expresses it: "The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine." I have so much dross that needs refining!

Thought
Our culture is not inclined to accept the truth that tribulations, difficulties, trials are for our good. Yet as believers we know that those experiences need not cause defeat and failure, rather God uses them to refine us.

A.W. Tozer