Isaiah 48:10
“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”

Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”

According to the testimony of John the Baptist, there are two baptisms we are to experience through Jesus Christ: the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire, which only He can administer.

After Jesus Himself was baptized with the Holy Spirit, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil as the Son of Man.

Every Christian must experience the baptism of fire before entering the fullness of God’s presence.

This baptism separates the chaff from the wheat, the goats from the sheep, and the wolves from the flock. No one escapes it. Even the children of Israel passed through it as they left Egypt after being baptized in the waters of the Red Sea.

It is an experience that purifies and sanctifies, removing impurities and ungodly attachments, cleansing the remnants of Egypt, and preparing one for the inheritance of God.

Many Christians experience hunger in the midst of abundance. They thirst beside the well of living water simply because their eyes are closed to the things that belong to their peace.

Everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. If your sacrifice is to be acceptable and presented on the holy altar, it must pass through the fire of purification.

The fire of God comes to reveal one’s true nature. Many hide behind religion to carry out evil, but the fire exposes where they truly belong.

No one emerges from it unchanged. Job came through his trials more refined and with a deeper understanding of the ways of God. A person either comes out purified or is ultimately destroyed. Whatever remains after the baptism of fire reveals who one truly is.

A man once shared with me an experience from more than thirty years ago. After he was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they began speaking in new tongues.

Soon after, his wife died, and his business collapsed to the point that he ate only once every three days. During that season of trial, he began seeking opportunities to make quick money and decided to join the Rosicrucian Order, but later withdrew after discovering it involved human sacrifice.

I now understand the struggle of that brother. That was his time of Jacob’s trouble. I pray that he came through it unharmed.

Many warriors have collapsed on this path of purification because they did not understand what had come upon them. If you do not recognize the time of His visitation, you may fail the test. That is why we must remain prepared at all times, for He may come at any moment to see whether we are still standing.

He will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, and by His grace He will bring us through the season.

If gold passes through fire, it emerges purified, with its impurities removed, and reflects the image of the goldsmith.

But if wood passes through the same fire, it is consumed and reduced to ashes. This is the difference between true children and false ones. The fire makes the distinction.

Between the called and the chosen, fire makes the difference. Judas Iscariot was called but not chosen. He could not endure the fire that was meant to consume his greed, and he ultimately lost his life through covetousness.

A man of God who fell into adultery had likely been compromised long before. It was the fire of purification that exposed where Satan had been hiding in his life.

Whoever can abide and flourish in this fire without being consumed becomes one of God’s chosen.

David passed through this fire for nearly thirteen years before he finally ruled over God’s heritage. Joseph also experienced his season of visitation in Pharaoh’s prison. God does not use anyone He has not first tested.

Every act of obedience, every rejection of darkness when no one is watching, is being recorded on your behalf. Refusing to turn stones into bread in the face of hunger, and rejecting the gain of unrighteousness in times of financial distress are all noted by God. By the time He opens the book of remembrance for those who fear Him, you will be among them.

God prepares a person to carry the mantle of leadership in His household after testing him. That is when He can boast to His enemy and say, “Have you seen My servant, who is faithful in My house?”

Examine yourself to determine whether God can also boast of you in the presence of His enemy, or whether He is ashamed to be identified with you because you would tarnish His image.

Those whom God will denounce on that day will be among those who bring shame to His kingdom and cause unbelievers to despise His name and speak against His holiness.

No one enters the refinery fire and comes out unchanged. A person is either ruined beyond repair or refined into something more beautiful, wiser, and more glorious.

Out of the six hundred thousand men who left Egypt with women and children, only two emerged unscathed and entered their inheritance. Most of them died in the wilderness. Caleb had a different spirit, unlike the spirit of rebellion, and he followed God fully.

It is faith in God that prepares His children to walk through the fire. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. His silence may bring anxiety, but if your faith is anchored in the Son of God, He will bring you safely to the other side.

Through fire, God tests every work done in His name. If your works are consumed by fire, they were built on the flesh and not on the spirit of obedience to divine ordinances.

He is the fourth man inside the fire; he will always be with you, even if you don’t feel his presence. Be assured that he will see you through and bring you over to the promised land, your place of rest in the end.

Prayer: Father Lord, be with me when I am passing through the fire; help me; don’t let me be carried away by the flood of life, in Jesus’ name