I hope you know the story of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. Daniel 3, teaching us of this miraculous moment in time where God saved 3 Hebrew boys from the fire.
Let's give a quick breakdown of the story.
The king has built an idol of himself and commanded everyone to worship it. However the 3 Hebrew boys refused to. When asked why, they confessed that God would deliver them out of the hand of the king, and that even if He didn't they would not worship the king's idol. This angered the king and he threw them in a fiery furnace; however, to his surprise, they were found walking in the midst of the fire, unscathed and with another man - the Son of God. By this, the king learned that truly their God was the true and living God.
This is a type of our lives today. The devil has built an idol in the realm and it is called sin. He constantly wants us to bow to it. Often times there is a threat of suffering if we do not obey him. Sometimes it's to give up people we love, or dreams we love. It seems as if sin allows us to maintain something we really want. However, this my friend is an idol.
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were the only hebrews that decided to obey God. They were willing to accept fire than to disobey God. However, they were confident that God would deliver them out of the fire. Yes, all that live godly will suffer persecution and endure some sort of tribulation. However, I want you to note that the son of God was not in the field where the idol was - He was in the fire.
Do not reject your suffering to fulfil the unstable promises and false pleasures of sin. Instead, go into the fire and suffer for the sake of the Lord. When you choose to endure, you will notice that God is right there in the midst. He will keep your heart in perfect peace and you will go unscathed by the circumstances, situations, and/or relationships that come your way. The mighty hand of the Lord is in the fire and it's the only place you can see Him.
Finally, even as the king learned by the 3 Hebrew boys, tt is by your holy life in suffering that you are revealing to principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: - 2 Tim 2:12
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