Faith Threw Me Into the Fire
Last week’s theme was surrender, and I learned that before I get to know what God’s plan is for my life, I have to give Him my life to use. My availability before the assignment. Sounds easy enough right?
I write these newsletters to share with you what the Lord is doing and invite you to be a part of that. Not only that, but my goal is to encourage you and inspire vision to explore what surrendering and following the LORD looks like in your own life.
This week we did another handful of outreaches and visited a few churches. I got the chance to follow after my mom’s footsteps (she’s the best), and lead the children’s ministry at the church on Sunday. I guess following her around every Sunday from ages 8 to 15 paid off. What I really want to hone in on, though, is the contrast of what ministry can look like.
Let me paint you a picture.
It’s a sunny and warm Tuesday afternoon. The neighborhood is bustling as the van pulls in. We pile out and excitedly set up our tents, prepare our skit, lay out nail painting supplies, balloon animal stations, and face painting. The park has a huge basketball court that was immediately put to its intended use, a bouncy house that would be filled with laughing children, and a playground where we could test our gymnastics skills. After setting up, we go out in two groups, one translator per person, and walk through the neighborhood inviting anyone we can see to come join the party and enjoy free food. “Bring the whole family!” (“toda la familia!” I would echo over and over again). The turnout was amazing. We shared a few testimonies, and a wonderful message from our pastor. The kids had a blast and four people raised their hands to accept Christ. We pray that the seeds planted would develop deep roots and that these precious souls would get plugged in to the local church that we connected them to and that they would fully pursue Him.
Or here’s another scene…
It’s a foggy, gloomy, cold Saturday evening. The park that we pull up to is in the center of a main street near the beach and a few surrounding neighborhoods. Perfect! We do the same thing, first unloading the vans and setting up our stations. We walked around the surrounding area for about two hours, sending out three groups with flyers to pass around. Some streets are loud and busy, others ghostly. Where is everyone? Watching the Norway vs. England World Cup game… Our message was the same, “Join us for free food and games! It is just down the street we would love to see you there!” When it came time for worship and testimonies, we had maybe five people who had joined us. A few kiddos were dancing to the worship, but the turnout wasn’t quite what we had expected. Within the youth area, 13-18 year olds, (where I was serving) there was not one. Determined to not let the enemy win, we continued to invite people, and decided to do our curriculum anyways. We sang, we shared testimonies, and we had a bible study amongst ourselves.
And that is the reality. It doesn’t always go as planned. It is not always fun…why do we do it? For the one…or however many else. Here’s what Revelation says:
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne…” Revelation 7:9
The Scripture does not say “most tribes,” “most nations,” “most languages.” It says EVERY. You can be confident that the harvest is plentiful because His Word says that in EVERY nation, and tribe, and tongue, there will be people that are ripe for harvest. We press on.
So this week was less about surrender (still working on that) and more about counting the cost.
Spiritual warfare is real. I personally feel as though the Lord has blessed me with the gift of discernment, and I will not lie, the environment at the second park was heavy and oppressive. Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether it’s me having a bad day, or the spiritual realm being darker in some areas. We combat that with prayer!
We read “Radical” by David Platt this week and it definitely got me fired up. I highly recommend reading it. But I will be honest, when he describes the nice houses and luxury life that some people have, and then calls us to be willing to give all that up, I thought to myself, “Well that does sound pretty nice.” Ask yourself this:
House or hut?
Toilet or hole in the ground?
Daily showers or weekly buckets?
Variety of food or rice and beans?
Physical death and spiritual life, or physical abundance and spiritual complacency?
I know which sounds more comfortable for sure. And we could keep getting more and more specific. I am counting the cost. Last week I was surrendering the going. Begging the LORD to choose ME to be His faithful servant who will go. This week I am surrendering the staying. Counting the cost and considering the reality of letting it all go. Who knows what will happen? But my goal is to be with Him.
Here is what He is teaching me. Ya’ll know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Long story short, King Nebuchadnezzar made a large statue of gold and then made a decree that every nation must fall down and worship this statue whenever they hear the music. Whoever doesn’t will be thrown into a fiery furnace. Three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship this statue. Therefore, they were thrown into this fiery furnace. And this is what it says next:
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Daniel 3:25
The thing that threw them into the fire was their faith. That must have been terrifying, but that is where God met them. They counted the cost. The Bible is clear in Matthew 3:11 as John the Baptist says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Our REAL faith will bring us there and it will test us, but the fire is what refines us. It says in Malachi:
“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”
Malachi 3:2-3
Although right now I feel as though my faith has thrown me into the fire, I should not be surprised, because this is what the Bible says will happen. He will be with us, and it is a season of refinement.
“while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.”
John 15:2b
I was stripped of my comforts. I surrendered it all. And I am counting the cost. He is guiding. Pruning. Refining.
Prayer Request: That I would have strength to endure the uncomfortabilities of being challenged within my own heart.
Prayer Request: Health; some problems are making it increasingly difficult to discern things clearly.
Prayer Request: Patience for things that don’t go the way I think they should go. Softening my heart and removing pride.
To those who have supported me, Thank you! I am praying daily that the LORD blesses you beyond measure. I am so incredibly encouraged just by knowing that there are people who have a heart for the lost and are obedient to the command Christ gave the church to go and tell the nations.
I have about $1,200 more to raise and the LORD has and will continue to be faithful.
I want to leave you with a quote from a book I read this week called, “Radical."
“But I want to know Him. I want to experience Him. I want to be part of a people who delight in Him like the brothers and sisters in underground Asia who have nothing but Him. And I want to be part of a people who are risking it all for Him.”
-David Platt
I love you, and God loves you infinitely more,
Jadyn Burnett
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