Blog Post Nine// Fire is Fire

2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I love and don’t love this verse. I don’t know how Paul said this and meant it— unless he figured this out about the kingdom:

God will use earth to get me ready for heaven.
It’s the hard times that shape me.

God uses difficulties to mature you. To make you better. To draw you near to Jesus. To make you more like Jesus.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego landed in the furnace for making a bold stand— it sounded like this:

Sorry, King. We will not bow to you. We bow only to God.
God can save us. God will save us. Even if He doesn’t,
He is still our God. Not you. Boom.

Obviously the King was furious. He tossed them in a fire pit and heated it up 7 times hotter. Which is kind of silly. Fire is fire. It will burn you either way, but okay, heat it up.

Oh, I get it. That’s just like our enemy. Just like our culture.

They are constantly turning up the heat, hoping you the Christian will bow out.

I don’t want to be canceled.
I don't want to be made fun of.
I don’t want to be mistreated.

So, Rack, Shack and Benny are in the fire. And guess who shows up?

Jesus does. He’s chilling (only Jesus can be chilling in a fire), walking around with them. And nothing burns but the ropes that were tied to them.

They come out unharmed from the fire times 7. They don’t even smell like fire.

I smell like Subway after being there 5 minutes, if only Jesus were with me there.

But come on! They are unharmed and set free from what they were bound with.

The king then does a 180.

There is no god like your God.
I can’t deny that your God is real!

And then he promotes the boys. What a turn of events!

So back to Paul. He says:

I figured it out. I’m okay with weakness. Actually, I am kind of happy about it. Because something too good happens in that moment. I am okay with hardship, because somehow it opens the door of heaven. There’s a countercultural way to go from weak to strong. Difficulties to deliverance. Persecuted to Promoted.

You see, the thing about fire is that it can destroy or it can refine—it all depends on if Jesus is there.

I’d rather be weak if it means Jesus will show up.

They didn’t even smell like fire. They smelled like faith.

Listen, please. What happened to you or is happening to you in this moment, the enemy wants it to define you and stick to you. But keep coming after Jesus and watch what he can do. Like refining fire God is purifying you and cleaning you and making you brand new.

Your past doesn’t have to be passed down to your kids and their kids. What the enemy meant for bad God will turn it around for good.

I know it isn’t fun in the moment. Who wants to be weak? To feel like they are struggling?

Jesus says: Rejoice and be glad. The Kingdom AND its king are coming, and people won’t be able to deny it.