Forged in the Crucible of Character

During my watch last night I was praying for a member of our church and the Lord began to speak to me about her. I wrote to her in an email and said, " Because of God's plan for your life I see you being put into a forge called the crucible of character.  Why?  It is for your deliverance and for your destiny." Malachi 3:2-6 accompanied this word. It says:

"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers ' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.

 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years.  And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien — Because they do not fear Me," Says the Lord of hosts.  "For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob".

Then I realized, this word was for the body of Christ.  I looked up what forged and crucible meant. 

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Dictionary.com says that forge means "to form by heating or hammering; to beat into shape." It also means "to form or make especially by a concentrated effort."

A crucible is a container used to heat substances to high temperatures. It can also mean a "severe, searching test or trial."

Malachi 3 is so encouraging. The Lord comes as a refiner's fire to purify us so we can bring an offering of righteousness to God. THEN, God is positioned to deliver those who are oppressed. 

Last week I shared a word about how faith and hope were like fraternal twins (click for Faith & Hope - Twins from the Same Family). They were not exactly alike but, they are very closely related. In that word I also shared that trials and tribulations were related like faith and hope were related. 

Trials and tribulations are the crucibles that bring pressure and heat. God's word is the hammer used to forge and shape us (Jer. 23:29).  

​I love a teaching that I've heard Brenda give on several occasions about the leaven of heaven. Heat is required for leaven to rise. God uses heat to cause things to rise within us. Then we can determine if it's the leaven of heaven, the leaven of a political spirit or the leaven of a religious spirit. 

Heat and pressure reveal our character as you see what is brought to the surface. God is using trials and tribulations for our benefit so as to see Christ and His character formed within us. The trials and tribulations in this earth are only increasing. This increases our opportunities to be formed into His likeness. I pray that we'd embrace the process to see Christ formed within us. I pray we'd become an exact model and reflection of Him as He directs you towards your destiny and His divine purpose.

Do you find yourself being forged in the crucible of character? Good! That's His love at work. I pray our Lord find us easy to work with.