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ReFINE-ing Friday

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers, emails and kind words over the past couple of days....to know that we are surrounded by so many faith filled friends means more than any of my rambling words can convey.

With that said.....we are still amidst some trials. And you know, in the big scheme of things, we know we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams and these are just little roadblocks/hurdles that are arising during our journey.

Part of me wants to think the enemy saw the door slightly ajar last weekend and jammed his foot right in. And he took the opportunity to find each of our weaknesses and kick us when we were down. And that's how quickly it can happen.....when our guard is down and we are distracted with our own emotional hangups, we become vulnerable for more his attacks and adversity. The negativity stemming from his presence is like a powerful magnet now pulling in more junk to try to cloud our judgment/focus even more.

Going with another avenue and not wanting to give the enemy any credit for anything in life, I can look at these trials as part of God's refinement plan for our lives. I know that God can allow and/or bring situations into our lives so that we are forced to walk through the fires and burn off things that need to be removed.

So I guess what I am trying to say, is that I do not have the answers to why these things happen in our lives......our ways are not His ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts. But what I do know is that we are so thankful that we have God in our lives and we continue to keep our eyes focused on Him. He is the ultimate Navigator during these storms......He is The Lighthouse that shows us the Way. Thankfully, through the power of prayer and faith, we are pressing ahead and will come out of these refining fires more purified.....

This reminds me of a story that was emailed to me one time.....I saved it so that I can turn to it when I find myself in the middle of a trial. So now I want to share it with you:

Malachi 3:3: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

So, if today you are feeling the heat of your own fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.


I will leave you with this song that I have been playing over and over this week......it's off the new CD by Kutless who rocked our socks off at Soulfest '08.


Enjoy and have a blessed weekend~
*~Michelle~*

PS. don't want to get y'all a teeny bit jealous (that wouldn't be a very Christian thing to do, now would it? *teasing!! gotta keep my quirky sense of humor around).....but our family is blessed to be going to a Rock The Sound V concert this weekend with David Crowder, Third Day, Family Force Five and a few other bands. This event couldn't be happening at a better time......as a family, this week has been rough......and are so grateful that we have this opportunity to bring us closer to each other and worship together. We are all looking forward to a full night of praise and worship!!!


*don't forget to pause my playlist



22 comments:

christy rose said...

Michele,
I loved the story that you showed at the bottom of your post. It brought me to tears as I recognized God's great love and wisdom with which He deals with us and handles our lives. He desires above all that we remain in Him and share in revealing who He is to the world. In order for that to happen, He had to burn away the sin until we were as pure as He was and He could look at us and see Himself. Our spirits have been refined to perfection. But, the same process happens in our soul and in our flesh, until we are fully convinced that He has already made our nature to perfectly resemble His and the fire of that Truth in the midst of everyday struggles and hardships puts us in the same refining process until our outward expression of who we are reflects the God that lives inside of us.
I am continuing to lift you up in prayer.
Christy

RCUBEs said...

That is an awesome story especially the very last line...Yes, we may never know the answers at this time but it's a comfort to know that our Lord is there with us, going through the trials with us...Enjoy the concert, feeling like you all do deserve this break! And no! not jealous because that's not a Christian way of life :) God bless you and your family and may He continue to guide you and protect you.

Heidi said...

Hey there Michele,
I had to back up quite a bit on your blog and catch up on the dealio. But I understand what you're talkin' about- not the details, those don't matter- but the gist of the thing- the thing that every single person struggles with and that which those who love the Lord, Jesus Christ, get blasted with even harder, because, as you alluded to, the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in this dark world. (Satan doesn't have to go after those who do not love Jesus)

Thankfully, we know that in Christ we have a well of rich resources- we can let down the bucket of sorrows,then crank it back up and drink deep of the cool, refreshing love and forgiveness that will nourish us with strength and give us the ability to humble ourselves, put our eyes on the cross- listen and follow the leading of the Savior, who never fails us. Never fails us.

I know you know it. I simply encourage you toward it.

Love-
Heidi

Hurricane Rojo said...

We were praying.
We didn't know what you were fighting, but we prayed for good to triumph over evil, for love to lead the way.
And by the sounds of your post, faith triumphed over all.
Praise God!
Be Still and Know That I Am God - Pslam 46:10
A Friend in Christ:

Hurricane Rojo

Deborah Ann said...

You were on my prayer list this week, Michelle. I guess God's doing a work in your family, and I suspect you will all come out refined by time He's finished. Have a blast at the concert - those are some of my favorite bands!

Tracy said...

Thank you for posting that wonderful story - to become like Jesus, this IS our desire (even though it's so difficult to deal with what it takes to get there).

I am sorry to hear that you're in the rough times, I will be praying for you. The praise time with those awesome bands sounds wonderful; may you truly experience a time of refreshment.

Kim said...

I love, love, loved the story of the refiner.

That story along with this sentence:


"we are forced to walk through the fires and burn off things that need to be removed."

reminded me of a song.

Now, I realize it isn't a Christian rock song. In fact I know that not everyone is as moved by it as I am....but although this song isn't the "norm" for me, when I stumbled upon it...it touched me.

Since the song is called "through the fire" and the lyrics mirror what you are and have been saying, I thought I would send you a link.

It may not move you like it did me, but I feel compelled to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4OvUU-ZHU

Denise said...

My prayers continue for your family.

Andrea said...

Enjoy the concert. Rest and recharge while knowing we are all continuing to pray for you.
Blessings, hugs, and prayers, andrea

Loren said...

Michelle,

I can remember when we as a family went through a difficult time and during that time we were able to attend a Casting Crowns concert. We were able to Worship, cry, sing, dance and just be before Our Father together....It was so Powerful for all of us. Our kids still to this day talk about what a gift the timing of that concert was. I am praying that you all will experience the same and more!
Please know you are covered in Prayer!!

Joyeful said...

What a word to hold onto!!! That story about the verse in Malachi just ministered to my heart so much!! That He purifies us until He sees HIS image in us--How amazing! It's all about Jesus!

I pray that your family will be strengthened and that you will come through your trial unscathed by the enemy, but made more into the image of Christ!

Crown of Beauty said...

Hi Michelle,
Thank you for visiting my blog again! I loved the song you shared, What Faith Can Do. I've never heard it before, and I just loved it. Your visit is so timely cause it allowed me to visit your post for today and hear this song. Faith is one of the great themes of my life journey... and your story about the Refiner's Fire just brings it all home. Hits the nail right on the head, so to speak.

I read back a few posts... praying you'll have a healing time at the concert. David Crowder Band... wow!

Your honesty is refreshing. Thanks for inviting us to be a part of your journey, as you are welcome to be a part of mine!

Praying for your family in the season you are in. God is keeping you safe in His hands.

Love
Lidj

Just Be Real said...

No, unfortunately, we do not have the answers to everything. God wants us to trust HIM completely. Thank you for sharing Michelle. Great, great story!!

Blessings and continued hugs...

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

Oh Michelle, I am so sorry. I've been behind this week and just went down your last posts to catch up. I am going to finish catching up on the posts and then pray for peace and clarity!

Mich said...

I am so sorry, I have not been in blogland very much this week and I am just now "catching up."

You are in my prayers, ALWAYS, friend!

Beth E. said...

Praying for you and your family, sweet Michelle!

Our family has been through an extremely difficult situation over the past three years. Praising God for bringing us through it! He did it for us...he'll do it for YOU. :-)

Hugs,
Beth

Anonymous said...

Hi, I stumbled across your blog and just wanted to say, "thank you" for that story you posted. I needed to hear it. God Bless!

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

The Refiner's fire ... mmmm. It burns, doesn't it?

In the fire,
may you find yourself coming out as gold,
as precious silver,
set apart....

You radiate, dear one.

Alicia The Snowflake said...

Amen my friend! I know all about being in the Refiner's Fire. It is painful. But I'm so thankful He never makes us go through it alone. He is always there comforting us and helping us to become refined. Thank you for that great reminder. I hope you guys had a wonderful time at the concert!

christy rose said...

I have an award for you! Please stop by and pick it up when you get a chance.
Christy

Anonymous said...

Michelle, I'm sorry I missed the prayer request post, I've been behind on my reading.

I'll be praying for you and your family. Seems like there are too many 'storms' in this world... thankfully we have so much more than this world has to offer!

Anonymous said...

I received this same e mail a while back... and at the time it took me back to a word from the spirit....
long story short, to picture ourselves as a medium of exchange with God's face on our hearts.... and to spend ourselves, our time, our money all that we are frivolously in the world!

 

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