I’ve been giving much thought to the refiners fire exemplified throughout scripture. God uses it quite often in the process of preparing us so He can do great things among us. The fact is that He won’t do any great thing among us unless we live lives of purity.
God told Joshua, “Purify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you“ (Joshua 3:5). The principle communicated is that in order to see God’s involvement in our matters, we must live lives of purity. I strongly believe that the fruition of our potential hinges on our purity. It all boils down to motives and the condition of our heart. And who knows our heart better than our Lord!
I’ve found myself, many times, spending much time and energy planning my future rather than purifying myself; all the while knowing that my plans absent from God, are a waste of time. Oh how hardheaded I am!
The significance of God’s covenant with us is to bring us to Him. Purification is simply an act of submission, a deep cleansing, a burning away and repentance from the impurities that pollute God’s covenant with us. That is why He appeared to Abraham as a “burning furnace” when they cut covenant (Genesis 15).
Purity is the process of God’s preparation in us so He can enact His covenant and show His power and favor. All it takes is our participation in submission. Is it painful? Absolutely! But the rewards of the process will far outweigh the pain of letting go of the things that prevented us from seeing His hand move in our lives.
In other words, our plans must be coupled with purity. The more the purity, the greater the focus, favor, and faith – He will enact His covenant and do wonders among us!
Anxious to read your thoughts,
Pastor Manny
