Gitters, Butterflies and EXCITEMENT!!!

Today is the day!!! The Seven Life Principles For Every Woman bible study starts tonight!!!! I am SOOOO excited, but still a little nervous, but more just READY to get on with it!! I have been preparing, and preparing, and preparing and I think I've got myself together for this class!!! If you are in the Charlotte area and would like to attend here is the info: Hickory Grove Baptist Church Room 1332, 6:45 pm TODAY, no reservations or signing up or books, just come!!!

HopeAnn was feeling a lot better after her fever spiked to 105.5 yesterday!! I was super worried but I got down and prayed for her and the Lord made that fever come way down!! But, this morning she woke up again, and her fever is back up, but not that high. So, whatever this infection is, it's fighting to leave her little body! She was bouncin around last night and I was so happy! I hate it so much when my girly's are that sick. So hopefully this dose of antibiotic I just gave her is going to kick in soon!!

Ok, so let's get into it this morning. I am back in Malachi today. As I began in Chapter 3, digging deep into it, I'm going to skip down to verse 3, although I've had lot's of thoughts just on the first two verses, but time won't allow me to get into those right now.

Verse 3: "And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver."

Before I got into preparing for the 7 Life Principles study, I was preparing to write a study on this verse. I have recently had a lot of people in my life who have been going through a period of deep refinement and felt the Lord saying, STUDY THIS. So, I began. There were so many wonderful things that I took from looking at this verse closely. Here are just a few of my thoughts this morning.

First, What is a period of refinement to you? Is it just a lot of things happening at once? Is it one big tragedy happening? Or is it a series of events that lead you to brokenness?

For me......it was a series of events that led to pure and I mean PURE on my face brokenness. But the horrible thing is, at the time, I didn't realize that it was a time of refinement, I thought it was a punishment from God. (I know....bad, bad) But I truly allowed myself to believe that lie from the enemy. But after that period of almost two years of just one thing after another happening, I began to see the light...or my view just changed. I drew closer to God and realized that everything I was experiencing was God trying to make me fall head over heels in love with Him again. Sometimes I think we have to be broken THAT far to "get it".

Now, this is not scriptural, but I don't believe we ever leave the refiners fire. I believe we are always in the fire, God is always doing and working on something with us. There are times when the fire is hotter than others, but I truly think God is always purifying something in our lives. Sometimes it's an attitude, a lack of faith, an act of disobedience or something in our hearts that just isn't right.

But this is what I LOVE about this whole refining thing.....when you are in that hot hot fire, do you know that God's attention is RIGHT ON YOU. God is looking and watching and molding and shaping you the whole time you are in that hot hot fire. This verse says, "He will SIT as a refiner....." Not, he will run around crazy trying to solve the problem, jump up and down or call on everyone He knows.....God SITS, is still and watches so closely to how we react and turn to Him during times of refinement and He works with his mighty hands to help us during those times.

So, here is my challenge for me.....when tough times come....which they are going to come, we all have our problems. Where do I turn? Do I call on the name of Jesus, who is mighty to rescue, or do I call all of my friends? Do I get on my knees or do I get on the phone? Do I praise Him through it all or do I cry out in anger? Do I trust no matter what or do I try to fix it right then? Do I ask what God is teaching me or do I ask what this is punishment for?

Today, I call on the name of Jesus. Today, I turn to Him. Today, I trust Him because HE is bigger than anyone I know. Today, I allow Him to convict, him to work, him to mold and shape. As we sit before Him I will trust that He works and He blesses and I will trust Him. I pray that if you are hot in the fire today that you will turn to Him and rest upon His promises to you.