[Kelli]

Week 1 Day 2
Refiner’s Fire

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Why does God put us through the fire of testing? ______________________________

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I hate going through testing. While I am going through one, I always seem to whine and question God. I feel like He is mad at me. Tests make me work. I don’t understand why I have to go through them anyway! While I am going through it, I feel weak. I don’t feel like God is making me stronger. I really hate tests! Then God reminds me that He knows my future and what is best for me. Remember one of the first memory verses from Flowers Over the Wall?


Isaiah 55:8, 9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”


The more that I read the Bible, the better I understand God’s perspective on tests and temptation. The MacArthur Bible Commentary defines God’s testing of people as: The proving of persons in such a way that their faith becomes more established.


READ: Psalms 66:8-12
Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
10 For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.


12 You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.


According to glossary.com/dictionary , the definition of fulfillment is: a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.

Jesus knows you and what you desire. He created you to desire the things that you like. He is giving you what you truly want, but it is process, and the process takes time. It is like having a baby. Waiting for nine months is hard, but the baby needs time to grow. You wouldn’t want the baby to be born too early, because it might mean complications or even death. The baby needs to go through the growing process. Then both the mother and baby go through the trial of birth. There is no easy way to get a baby born; they must go through the process.


Proverbs 17:3
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests the hearts.


Blind faith isn’t strong faith, and naive obedience isn’t strong obedience. The Garden of Eden illustrates that lesson. Eve and Adam fell the first time that they were tested.

Moses lived for forty years in the wilderness before he was able to lead Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. When we are in the depths of our trials, it’s hard for us to believe that a loving God would allow us to go through such difficult experiences; but He is refining us.

Before precious metal is refined, there is nothing special about it. When it is unearthed, it’s still in the rough; it looks like any other stone that you might find. To bring out the real beauty of the metal, you need to refine it.

Refining metal is an ancient skill that goes back even before the time of Abraham. At that time, the smiths used a bellows to increase the heat of the fire to melt the iron ore for extraction from the metal. Later, they learned that if they increased the heat even more, it would make the metal even stronger.

We can look at the iron ore as a metaphor for our lives. When we first come to the Lord, we are ingrained in the world, and it is stuck to us. The Refiner places us in the fire, and we feel so weak because we are melting. God is extracting the good parts of us from the world. He keeps us in there, not only to remove us from the world, but also to make us strong and ready for battle.

If I could have known God’s plan before going through my trials, I would have cheered Him on. Now that I am on the other side of those trials, I can tell you with everything in me that I needed every single difficulty that I bore; they’ve made me who I am. I can also tell you that it has been so, so worth every second. I can really see how God has taken me through to the other side, and it’s beautiful!

What do you think temptation is? Why does God allow us to be tempted? __________

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There have been times when I have questioned God. So many times, I have been downright mad at Him because I thought I knew what was best for me or my loved ones. Often, I think I know what I need, and when it doesn’t go the way that I think is best for me, I get upset. Nevertheless, God knows what Kelli really needs. This last weekend, I went through some serious warfare; today is Tuesday, and I can tell you that, even though it doesn’t look like the problem has been resolved, God has brought me to a place where I can actually thank Him for the test. I know that God is taking care of the problem in the best way, and I have gained strength by going through it.

When I am being tempted to worry about my weight and how I look, it is a refining test. It strengthens my spiritual muscles, especially when I can turn it over to God and resist the temptation. God allows me to be tempted to make me strong. Jesus was strengthened by temptation in preparation for His ministry.



Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.


Don’t think that, just because Jesus is God, the temptations were easier for Him to resist. He was strengthened by using God’s mighty Word. The temptations strengthened Him for His ministry. Being tempted taught Him how to fight! Remember, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He had to go through the same things that we do.


Hebrews 2:17, 18 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.


Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


Just as you are able to help others who are going through what you have been through, Jesus can help you. He understands what you are going through. He won’t cheat for you and give you the answers, but He will tutor and guide you through them. You will have to keep doing the test until you get it right. When you finally do get it right, though, you will be blessed and richly fulfilled.


James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.


We can use the children of Israel as an example. They can help us with our test. They grew impatient, and they didn’t think that God was moving fast enough, or in the right direction, so they went back to their old ways; with tragic consequences.

Isaiah 54:16, 17
“Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You (God) shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the LORD.


1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (NIV) For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did --- and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did --- and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did --- and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.


Write-out verse six of the preceding passage. _________________________________

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We can always go to God’s Word because it is the standard of righteousness. If you can’t trust God to tell you, here and now, what is right and what is wrong, then who can you trust? His Word will always point you in the right direction.


Psalms 119:159, 160
Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.


Temptation is an enticement, or invitation, to sin. The promise is always a lie that implies that there is a greater-good to be had from the sin. We need to get this through our heads; God wants the best for you, and Satan hates you for it. He hates you, because God loves you. He wants to hurt you because that’s the only way that he can hurt God. But Satan is a tempter and a liar.

Satan is the tempter:


Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”


1 Thessalonians 3:3-5 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.


2 Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,


James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.


The Lord will not allow us to be tempted beyond our spirit-given ability to resist. We just get carried away by our evil desires.

Being tempted is not a sin. It’s not a sin until you give-in to it. God will make a way out so you don’t have to surrender. If you are being tempted to overeat, just stop for a moment. Tell yourself that you can continue to eat, if God doesn’t provide a way out. This breaks the emotional attachment that you have to the food. If you are being tempted to worry about what you have eaten that day, or what you look like, use a POWER Scripture, and use it with authority!
I believe that the temptation to worry about what you look like is more destructive than the actual overeating. For years, I was consumed with worry about food. I obsessed about what I looked like and what diet I should be doing. I made lists of what I ate, and I counted how many calories I had burned. It took so much of my time, and it truly was a god to me. In the first place, worrying about what I looked like was what made me obsess about food. Whenever Satan tries to talk you into thinking about what you look like, ask God to rescue you. I would even caution you about looking at yourself in the mirror for too long. Don’t let your mind think about it. In the scheme of God’s plan, what you look like is the least important thing about you. I STRONGLY suggest that you get rid of your scale. In fact, I doubt that you will be able to lose weight until you make the commitment to stay off of the scale and trust God; fall back on Him.

The last time I went to the doctor, I didn’t look at my weight when the nurse weighed me, but my doctor happened to mention that I had lost twenty pounds since my last visit. What do you think I did for the next two weeks? I ate and ate and ate, until I am sure that I gained the twenty pounds back. I hadn’t even tried to lose that weight, but once I learned that I had lost it, I couldn’t think of anything else. It took at least a month for me to get back to where food and my weight were not an issue. It was a lot of work, and I had to fight with the Sword of the Spirit. I used Scripture repeatedly. Every time that I worried about how I looked, or if I was gaining weight, I said something like, “Jesus, Your child is being attacked, please protect me”; then I would recite a Scripture with the authority of my faith.


Proverbs 17:3
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests the hearts.


Before it is fired, a pot is brittle and very fragile. It has to be fired before you can handle it. Otherwise, it will break and turn back to dust. Before a pot is fired, it’s called greenware; it looks just like the pots that have been fired, but it is very unstable and delicate.

I remember, when I was a teenager, we had a neighbor who made beautiful ceramic pieces. Once, while in her garage admiring her handiwork, I picked up a piece that looked like the others; but as soon as I touched it, it broke into a million pieces. I was so mortified and surprised because I had been picking up the other pieces and they were fine. My neighbor explained that it had shattered because it was still greenware, and it hadn’t been fired in the kiln yet.

The fire is hard to go through. It’s hot and it burns, but it is doing something marvelous to your soul. It is making it strong and beautiful. If we weren’t tested and allowed to be tempted, we could never be refined; we would stay dull and brittle. We would be fragile and useless.

God will never take it further than He has to, and He will always be there to help you through it. He comes into the fire with us (Daniel 3:25)! The farthest that you can get away from God is an arm’s length because that is as far as you can push God away.

We have all heard the story of the girl who was watching a butterfly struggle to break free of its cocoon. She felt bad for it, because the cocoon seemed to be too small and tight for the butterfly to move. She thought that if she snipped a tiny slit in the cocoon, it would make it easier for the butterfly to get out. She used tiny scissors to cut a small sliver and was happy to see the butterfly easily break free. However, as it emerged, she noticed that its body was swollen and the wings small and shriveled. The girl kept watching, believing that the wings would dry out and a beautiful butterfly would fly gracefully away; but it didn’t happen. In fact, after crawling awkwardly on the ground with its swollen body and shriveled wings, the butterfly soon died. What the young girl didn’t understand was that the tight cocoon, and the struggle for freedom, forces the fluid from the butterfly’s body into its wings.

You may feel that God is moving too slowly for you. You may be tempted to start a new fad diet, and it may give you good results. But the outcome is temporary and has no lasting value in changing your heart. Don’t try to take the quick way out.


Read Exodus 32. Study it. In what way would turning back to the world’s methods be like worshipping a golden calf?


In light of today’s study, what was the Scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________ ___

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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? _______________

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Rephrase the Scripture or statement into an expression of faith ____________________

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Memory Scripture:
2 Corinthians 10:3, 4 For __________ we walk in the flesh, we __________ not war according to the flesh. 4 For the __________ of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for __________ down strongholds,