“You were created to dance in the fire” that’s what the Lord spoke to me in my alone time this past week. He showed me a beautiful picture of me in a furnace on fire dancing around not burned, moving freely, swirling, and twirling around unmoved by the heat, the flames that consumed me because he was right there with me. Wow, I was blown away by impression form the Lord and sidenote: I love the image for this post because embodies almost what I saw thank you Holy Spirit lol (I always ask him to help me pick out the photos he is the best!)
So in the last blog I let you all in on the fact of the fiery trials that were going on with cars breaking down back to back, financial strains and jobs being lost left and right. Jesus was teaching me how to have a heart of thankfulness amidst my trials and suffering. Furthermore, he wanted to teach me how to dance through them by holding his hands and keeping my gaze on him only as he takes the lead in this wonderful dance. Not only to endure through them but to count it all joy knowing that our faith will be rewarded. As a believer you can experience fire from two different places the fire of the Lord and Fiery arrows of the enemy. The word of God states the Lord is a consuming fire (Hebrew 12:29) wow, that’s the God that we serve. For unbeliever that should leave them shaken for his consuming fire comes upon the unrighteous as a consuming wrath. However, for a believer He consumes us with his love, his glory, his anointing, his power and how is it possible were able to contain it all in our weak vessels of clay called bodies its only by abiding in him. By walking with so when fiery trials come so he can teach us how to dance when the fire of God falls on us and when the enemy releases his fiery arrows at us as well! lol
There are three scriptures that came to my mind. The first was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego this was a perfect example of what it looked like to dance in the fire with Jesus because these guys were literally in a fire. I can imagine what that day was like they all were facing what looked like death because they were uncompromising serving the one and only true God. If they wouldn’t bow to the statue of the King they would be thrown in the fire. How many times have you been in a situation where you had to make the right decision that would cost you, maybe even cost you your life? Did you have faith to trust God in that moment were you full of fear, anxiety, worry and doubt? I love their response to the king as they faced death with fire they said:
Daniel 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Wow, that response took a great level of faith. They knew that God would defend them and deliver them. I love the fact that they said even if he doesn’t we will not lose our faith, lose our hope, we will not cower. Amazing! May we ask for that grace to have that response when the Lord will doesn’t look like our will (They danced, I would say boogied in the fire! lol)
The second scripture the Lord brought to my mind was:
1 Peter 4:12-13
Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
This scripture talks about the sufferings, trials we go through as believers sometimes our trials aren’t based on a decision that we made or any open doors but these are our crosses to bare, our sufferings that we can offer to the Lord. They allow us to grow in virtue. Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seems overwhelming, burdensome or even painful and you immediately go into thinking its the enemy. There he goes that sly little devil and you start praying, binding, rebuking and the Lord says “stop its me. I am allowing this for my glory, for you to grow in your faith, and for you to trust me”. Lol Those are the times you have to cling to him and his promises all that the more. Will you trust him when your rent cant be paid, when people speaking against you, when you have no way around, when you have nothing to eat, when they say you cant have a child, when the Dr. gives you a bad health report, when you have no money for the holidays, will you dance in the fire with him?
James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The third scripture was:
Ephesians 6:16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
As a believer sometimes we forget we are in an on going spiritual battle that is very real. Ether you are a soldier in the army or your being help captive there is no middle ground in this fight. When you come to know Jesus Christ you are now a captive that has been set free and the enemy knows that very well. He will try to do whatever he can to make you feel defeated, discouraged, and ultimately held captive by him again. We know our adversary Satan and his demons are very real. They will stop and don’t stop at nothing to attempt to make our lives miserable on this earth. The Lord tells us not to be ignorant of the schemes and wiles of the devil for he is very cunning (2 Corinthians 2:11). With fiery arrows they shoot with anger, division, lies, joyously, condemnation, doubt, fear, death just to name a few. So you can find your self in a fiery situation that was caused by the enemy of our soul to lose hope, to lose trust and ultimately lose faith in the Lord. Job was a perfect example of a righteous man who went through a fiery trial immediately all of his friends and everyone around starting believing he had to have done something bad for all these things to happen to him. He had to have sinned however, the Lord came to his defense even before the trial began as he spoke to Satan of how righteousness his servant was and offered him to Satan to be tested (Job 1:8) Say whaaaaa, yes God offered Jobs name to be tested. Makes you wonder when you go through fiery trials has God offered your name to be tested. Can He say “look at my son/daughter they are righteous and love me so much that no arrow of yours will stop them from trusting, believing or having faith in me”? You see even in the enemies fire that’s when we dance all that the more, we move with grace, compassion, understanding, longsuffering and patience. As we cling too, hold on too the one we love the most Jesus! Going completely unscathed, no burns, or singes because he is right in the fire with us. Fighting our battle, as he leads my feet in this dance of fire to trample on the enemy!
Job 42:10
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.
God restored Job completely and multiplied even all that he had before. Truly our God waste no trials, no suffering, no inconvenience, no hardship or heartache and when we trust him he restores all that was lost. So will you grab the hand of Jesus and allow him to lead you through the difficult times in your life. Will you stay in a heart of thanksgiving and praise so you become so overcome with his joy that your mourning turns into dancing. That all though your situation hasn’t changed because your gaze is fixed on him you began to dance in the fire with him! Will you trust him?……Now DANCE!
