I have always said I believe one of the reasons God brings us through different experiences and trials is so we can then use that in sharing the gospel with or encouraging believers who are going through the same thing. As people will relate to that, see someone who can understand what they are going through but more importantly see for themselves how God has taken them and they have gone through it to the other side!
Ginger,
This is an amazing paragraph and so true! I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything in the world. I would love to share it in Flowers Over the Wall if it is okay with you. I happen to be editing Week 8 Day 2, It is called Refiners Fire, and what you said is exactly what I wanted to say. If it is alright with you, may I use it. The following is a copy of that day, (I made your quotes font in pink if you want to skip right to it. Of course I won't put it online unless you give me the permission to quote you.
Week 8 Day 2
Refiners Fire
Day ___________________________ Date ___________________________
I hate going through testing. While I am going through the test, I always seem to whine and question God. I feel like God is mad at me, so I really hate tests. They make me work. I don’t understand why I have to go through the test any way! While I am going through it I feel weak, I don’t feel like God is making me stronger. Then God reminds me He knows my future and He knows what is best for me.
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 you read the Bible the better you understand God’s perspective on test and temptation. It is the proving of persons in such a way that their faith becomes more established.
Read
Psalm 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.
The definition of fulfillment is 1: a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.
He knows you, He knows what you desire. He created you to desire the things you like. He is giving us what we truly want, but it is a process, and the process takes time. It is like having a baby. You are waiting for nine-months, it’s hard but the baby needs time to grow. It needs to go through the growing process. Then you go through the birthing trial, there is no easy way to get a baby born. You must go through the process.
Read
Proverbs. 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Why does God have to put us through the fire of testing? _____________________________
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It’s hard for us to believe that a loving God would allow us to go through such a difficult experience when we are in the depths of our trial, but He is refining us.
Before precious metal has been refined there is nothing special about it, when it is unearthed, It is still in the rough. It basically looks like any other stone you might find. To bring out the real beauty of the metal you need to refine it. Refining metal is an ancient skill, which goes back even before Abraham. At that time, smiths were using bellows to increase the heat of their furnace, to melt iron ore for extraction from metal. Later they learned that by increasing the heat even more, would make the metal stronger.
We can look at the iron ore as a metaphor of our lives. When we first come to the Lord we are ingrained in the world. It is stuck to us. Then the Refiner places us in the fire, we feel so weak because we are melting. God is extracting us from the world. He keeps us in there to not only remove us from the world but to become strong and ready for battle.
I love to fellowship on Christian forums. I have a friend I talk to on one of the forums. Her name is Ginger. She has the gift for encouragement, and has used it many times to encourage me. When I was writing this day’s study, she happened to write something that really hit home with me.
She wrote.
“I have always said I believe one of the reasons God brings us through different experiences and trials is so we can then use that in sharing the gospel with or encouraging believers who are going through the same thing. As people will relate to that, see someone who can understand what they are going through but more importantly see for themselves how God has taken them and they have gone through it to the other side!â€Â
I wish so much that I could show you the future. If I could have seen my future and what God was going to do with the trials I was so upset and worried about when I was going through them, I would have been right there with Him cheering it all on. Now that I am on the other side, I can tell you with everything in me, every single trial and problem was required to make 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 is beautiful!
What do you think temptation is? Why does God allow us to be tempted? _______________
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Temptation is a one of these refining tests, it strengthens your spiritual muscles. God allows you to be tempted to make you strong. Even Jesus was strengthened this way before He began 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.â€Â
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." 8Again, 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.
Jesus was tested by temptation to strengthen Him for His ministry. Remember Jesus is one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man. He had to go through the same things we do.
Hebrews 2:18 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 like we are able to help others who are going through what we have been through, Jesus can help us. He understands what the test is all about. He won’t cheat for us and give us 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 do finally get it right you are blessed an richly fulfilled.
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.
We can take the children of Israel as an example they can help us with our test. They grew impatient; they didn’t think God was moving fast enough or in the right direction so they went back to there 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 that rises against you in judgment You (God) will condemn, This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,â€Â
I Corinthians 10:1-13 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do 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 pagan revelry.†8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did–and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test the Lord, as some of them did–and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel. 11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.
Write verse six of the proceeding passages __________________________________
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We can always go to God’s Word; it is the standard of righteousness. His Word will always point you in the right direction.
Psalm 119:159,160 Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your loving-kindness. 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 with the implied promise of greater good to be derived from following the way of disobedience, which is always a lie. We need to get this through our head, God wants the best for you, and Satan hates you. He hates you because God loves you. He wants to hurt you because that’s the only way he can hurt God.
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."
I 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.
II Peter 2:9 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 evil desires. Being tempted is not a sin, it’s not a sin until you give in to it, but God will make a way out so you don’t have to surrender.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Before it’s fired a pot is a brittle and very fragile. A pot has to be fired before you can handle it. Otherwise it will just break and turn back to dirt. Before a pot is fired it looks just like the pots that have been fired.
I remember when I was a teenager, my neighbor 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 held it, it broke in a million pieces. I was so surprised because I had been picking up the other pieces and they were fine. My neighbor explained this one had not been fired 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 aren’t tested and allowed to be tempted we could never be refined, we would stay dull and brittle, and useless.
God will never take it further than He has to, and He will always be there to help you through it. The furthest you can get away from God is an arms length because that is as far as you can push God away.
One day a girl was watching a butterfly struggle to break free of it’s cocoon. she had been watching it for several hours and she felt bad for it because the struggle was so difficult and the poor butterfly was exhausted from the struggle. The cocoon seemed to be too small, and tight for the butterfly to even move. She thought if she snipped a tiny slit in the cocoon, it would make it much easier for the butterfly to get out. So out of kindness the girl cut the slit with tiny scissors. She was happy to see the butterfly emerge easily, but it’s body was swollen and the wings were small and shriveled. The girl kept watching, thinking the wings would dry out and a beautiful butterfly would fly gracefully away, but it didn’t happen. In fact the butterfly soon died, crawling awkwardly on the ground, with a swollen body and shriveled wings. What the girl failed to understand was the tight cocoon and the struggle for freedom forces the fluid from the body of the butterfly into the wings.
You may feel God is moving to slow 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 you heart. Don’t try to take the quick way out.
Read
Exodus 32, study it. Think about in what way would turning back to the world’s methods be like worshiping 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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I Corinthians 9:26, 27 Therefore I run thus: not _________. Thus I fight: not as one who _________ the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into _________, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified
I know God is going to use your weight loss to teach you neat things and I know He will and has used your wisdom to help others. 
:bounce
But yes that sounds good. But I am glad you never saw that area before, as I never go on to it, and I would have never discovered your story and your website!