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Have any of you felt like you have been in the fiery furnace lately? I know that my husband and I have surely been experiencing a "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego" season. But I want you to know that you are not alone, because there is a fourth Man in your furnace!
"Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his facial expression was changed (to antagonism) against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was usually heated. And he commanded the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
"Then these (three) men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics or undergarments, their turbans, and their other clothing, and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame and sparks from the fire killed those men who handled Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the burning fiery furnace.
"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king (saw and) was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, 'Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?' They answered, 'True, O king.' He answered, 'Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods!'
"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here.' Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, the deputies, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered around together and saw these men—that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched or changed in color or condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them."—Daniel 3:13-27
Who's Watching You?
During this time (in the furnace) both my husband and I realized that we were being watched. Our five kids were watching us, our peers were watching us, our neighbors were watching us and even many of you have been watching us. Just as Nebuchadnezzar and all of those who had gathered to worship the king's golden image were watching Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, so are many people watching you as you go through your personal fiery furnace.
Though it seems as though our three heroes who dared to stand when everyone else bowed didn't fear, I must tell you that for me, getting my eyes off of the flames took some concerted effort. Just as Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual, we had the feeling that our furnace had been turned up seven times hotter than usual. What began with some financial difficulties, ended up in losing our house, losing our car, losing our jobs and just to top it off...losing our cat (you cat lovers will understand).
I don't share this to terrify you or to ask for sympathy but to remind all of you that are in the fiery furnace that "there is a fourth man in your furnace." Though my husband and I had no natural means of escape or deliverance, God was (and is) among us! When we lost our home, God gave us an even better one, when we lost our car some friends gave us a better one to use until we get a new one, when we lost our jobs God provided miraculously for our family each and every day...and when we lost our cat, God even brought it back three weeks later to our new home. We are still in the midst of many miracles.
Get Your Eyes off the Flames
Can you see the Fourth Man in your furnace or can you only see the flames? Our natural eyes will focus in on the flames (circumstances) surrounding us, but if you will look with the eyes of your spirit you will find that Jesus is right there with you. Though God did not spare us from facing the flames, the flames had no power over us. If you were to see us today, the smell of smoke is not upon us; only the smell of our Deliverer.
This is a time to have eyes to see your Deliverer. Though the enemy is being allowed to turn up the heat in many of your lives, God fully intends to deliver you and to show many that He will never forsake you. I am sure that there were some who were watching our family and saying, "Wow, they are losing everything! Where is God? What have they done wrong?" And if I am completely honest, there were days that I was asking the same question. If I allowed myself to gaze upon the flames surrounding us, it was then that I would feel the heat and pain. But as long as I kept my eyes upon the Lord, then I was at peace and there was no heat and no pain.
Testimonies from the Furnace
God is not only building a greater level of faith and confidence in His people, but He is also displaying His faithfulness and power to all who are watching. I could write a book about the miracles that our family has seen over the past year. Our furnace time is not quite over yet, but the miracles don't seem to run out. I often receive hundreds of letters each month from people all over the world telling me stories of the miracles that they are seeing in the midst of terrible circumstances. Truly God is in our midst!
The testimonies that come from this season that the Body of Christ is in will be life-changing for so many. They will bring prodigals home, they will bring the lost to Christ, and they will bring hope to the hopeless—and renewed faith to those who doubt. The faith that is being built up in God's people will usher in a time of miracles like our generation has never seen before. I know that the things that would usher me into fear in past seasons are now under my feet. I am not under fear, but fear is under me. This is the season of the overcomer! The testimonies of overcoming adversity will be heard around the world. We will hear how God was in the midst of the fiery trials that many are currently facing. Remember what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar after Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the furnace? Read on...
"Then Nebuchadnezzar said, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! And they set aside the king's command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
"'Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, and language that speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dunghill, for there is no other God who can deliver in this way!'"—Daniel 3:28-29
Ungodly men and even kings come to trust in the Lord! The fear of the Lord becomes bigger than the fear of the flames. There truly is no other God who can deliver in the way that our God does.
Angels Are Warring For You
The other day while I was soaking in the Lord's presence I had an amazing and intimate experience. I was taken to the most beautiful and peaceful place (in green pastures and by still waters). There the Lord began to minister to me so very tenderly. He washed me and comforted me in ways that only He could do. Then He began to hold me like a mother would hold her infant child. I don't ever remember being held like that before and it healed something so very deep.
But all the while that the Lord was ministering to me I was aware of angelic activity going on all around me. At one point while He was holding me, I saw angels with wings that looked as though they were made of sheet metal, but they were actually shields. They were blocking arrows that were coming my way. Other angels that looked the same where making loud crashing sounds that resembled thunder, and these sounds seem to cause the enemy to flee. Other angels were bringing water, oils and fragrances to pour over me as the Lord ministered to me. All of these angels were encircling me so that I could not see the enemy at all. All I could see was Jesus and the angels. It was truly an amazing experience.
As I came out of this time I realized that this was not only for me; but God has His angels warring for His people that are facing fierce warfare at this time. He also has angels that are ministering to us at this time. We are being both delivered and healed all at the same time. Just as the Lord was being very intimate with me in the midst of great warfare, I did not have to engage in the warfare, only in the intimacy.
"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest."—Exodus 14:14
This is our weapon of warfare...INTIMACY! The Lord will fight for us as we are kept in His peace and rest (in stillness and quietness). So, allow the Lord to take you to where the green meadows and still waters are and watch His deliverance win the war for you. Keep your eyes on Him and off of the flames.
Peace Be With You,
Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
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