Feb

Firewalker

Glory and Honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It gives me great honor to bring to you the highlights for Sunday, February 14, 2010. Yesterday, our Associate Pastor Elder James Edwards brought forth an encouraging message entitled, “Firewalker.” It was an in-season topic for those of us who find ourselves going through a series of trials. His text came from Daniel 3:23-25 & Mark 4:35-40. Elder Edwards began by talking to us about trials and reminding us that there may be times when things do not seem fair in our lives. Mark 4 tells us a story of the 12 disciples and Jesus traveling to the other side of the Sea. Jesus had 12 good men with him. Twelve anointed men. Twelve men who were appointed and he almost killed them in order to get to one man who had an unclean spirit.

When I was a sinner, I use to think that all I had to do was get saved and then everything else would fall into place. Sometimes we look around at other Christians and we think they have it all together. It looks like they are perfect. We tend to think that God is suppose to pay all our bills when we need it, supply us with the right job when we need it and give us all the money we need to be happy, then I heard the word say, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” I did not want to hear that, because I believed if you had troubles it meant that it came through disobedience. It was later in life that it was revealed to me through Job 14:1, that I was not quite there yet. I had not made it to the point of maturity that I thought I needed to be. I was not yet there, but I was walking in the midst of the fire. We as Christians are not perfect but we are walking in the midst of his presence. What do you do when you are doing all you know how? You are fasting, praying, reading and studying your word and troubles hit your life. You are almost in shock because you can see this happening to someone who does not give God reverence, someone who does not trust God or who is not serving God. But what happens when it’s one of us? What happens when the troubles are not coming from Lucifer, but coming from the Lord? It doesn’t add up when we keep fasting and praying; we are filled with the Holy Ghost and still trials and tribulations come. What do you do when everything gets taken from you even when God is with you? Loss after loss, trial after trial. It seems like the sinner man is prospering and we are losing everything. What do we do?
Psalms 37:1 says to fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be envious because of the workers of iniquity. I came by to tell you to take your place.

Three Positions for the Believer:
1. Keep Walking-The Law of the Lord got the three Hebrew boys in trouble. They did everything right, they served God and they were put in the furnace. The enemy does not want anything you have except your worship. He wants to take your ability to praise God. What do you do when living right doesn’t seem to work? Just keep walking because God will use what you go through for ministry.

2. Use the right formula- All my life I loved math anything with numbers, calculations or money. With math, the most important thing to remember is, you must have the correct formula or either it’s right or it’s wrong. Without the right formula you would make an error. When I was young I did not use a calculator. I had to learn how to add by using the “long” formula which consisted of many steps, and if you missed a step, you would get the problem wrong.

3. Carry God with you- One part of long addition was to carry one over to the other and add. When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fire, it just didn’t seem to add up to Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel 3:24, he said wasn’t there three in the fire? I see four loosed and walking in the fire. I could imagine Nebuchadnezzar saying, “It Just don’t add up”. Nebuchadnezzar missed a step. When he added, he forgot to carry the one. He was not aware of the one who said “I will draw men unto me.” He was not aware of the one who said “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He was not aware of the one who will always be there. What ever you do, don’t forget to carry the one.

The one that Isaiah called Emmanuel which means “God with us.” Nebuchadnezzar forgot to carry the one. God was made invisible to him. When you find yourself in the midst of the fiery furnace, don’t forget to carry the one who can help you.

3 Pro’s to Victory in the fiery furnace:

1. Preparation- When God puts you in a situation he does not send you unprepared. Moses and Joseph went through things to prepare them for their title. While they were in the enemy’s camp, they learned the movements and the ways of their enemies. According to the Scofield bible there are 7 dispensations or periods of time in which man is tested in respect to some specific revelation of the will of God. We must remember that our trials have an expiration date. God knows when to stop it. God wants to reveal his Glory through you.

2. Proposition-God will make your enemy proposition you. After Jesus had fasted for 40 days, he was led by God through the wilderness. The enemy propositioned him and asked him to turn the stones into bread. He propositioned him on the mountain top, telling him that he could have all the kingdoms in the world if you worship me. Our proposition came to us while we were in Cape Henry, but we did not allow ourselves to become distracted by the fire. Don’t allow the enemy to keep distracting you from what God has for you. “I now pronounce you Firewalkers”.

3. Promotion-God will allow the enemy to promote you. In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. When you are tossed into the furnace of affliction, God will destroy everyone that put you in there. The Hebrew boys were more gifted and anointed than anyone that Nebuchadnezzar had ever known. He told them that if they would bow down and worship him, they would not be tossed into the fire. The Hebrew boys knew that God was able to deliver them. Nebuchadnezzar promoted them in his kingdom, but God promoted them by allowing them to reveal the glory of God to the people. Romans 8:18 the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the Glory that shall be revealed in us. God wants to reveal his Glory.

Think about where you are right now; think about the storms you have been through. You are still here. It may seem that you missed your ministry because of the furnace, but you do not have to be consumed. You have two choices; you can live in eternity with God or in hell without him. Whatever you are going through, God has a way of escape. He is able to deliver you while you are in the fire. God will give you the ability to be a Firewalker!

Written by: Elder Alvia Cabbler, of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries on February 15, 2010.