Living in the Crucible

Many years ago blacksmith’s discovered that melting iron and other materials in a crucible produced steel that was superior to the other metals. The swords made from this refining process were stronger, more flexible and held an edge better than their counterparts.

As you begin to grow in Christ, God too will deal with you and that refining process can be painful but there is nothing that happens unless God allows it. The Lord is interested in developing your character quotient and there is a refining process that comes with growing in Christ.

God is in charge of all the details of your life and will use whatever method He deems necessary to form your character. Instead of something cute and fuzzy, more than likely the Lord will use negative circumstances to build your faith and form you into the person He wants you to be. Often you don’t have the luxury of knowing the outcome when you’re in the midst of a struggle, and without discernment, you’re just fumbling around, blindly trying to fix a bad situation.

Why God is allowing it to happen? What lesson is He trying to teach you? These are important questions. Are you inadvertently resisting the Lord?

There are numerous men in the Bible who realized it was futile to resist God; instead, allow the Lord to lead you. It won’t always be easy, but if you follow Jesus, you will grow in godly character and be successful in the Kingdom of God.