Feasting on Your Affliction

How do you view problems and negative circumstances? What is your response to the threatening calls of creditors? Do you cower under the thought that you might not make the rent or mortgage payment? Does fear overtake you because of accident or illness? What about broken relationships or loss of a job? I want to help you get a mind change about afflictions. First of all they are normal and a necessary part or your faith adventure.

1Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you

You need to realize that your faith is like owning gold. It is precious but it needs to be tested to see if it is real or not. Your faith also has to be tried in order to remove impurities that hinder it.

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Many unscrupulous merchants in the gold industry are marking their products at higher karats than they are in actuality. While there are several methods to determine the actual weight and thus worth of a gold product, the most accurate is "assaying" or testing gold by fire. Through a certain process of adding silver to the gold and extracting metals and impurities, it is melted in a laboratory oven at a temperature of 1100 degrees C. Then a certain mathematical formula is used to weigh the tested gold and it is determined if the gold is pure or not.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tested to see if they would hold to their faith. These bold young men refused to bow down and worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. They were threatened to be tossed into a fiery furnace of fire. They trusted God and were tossed into the furnace only it was turned up 7 times hotter than normal so that it consumed the soldiers that had bound them up. Lo and behold, Jesus was in the fire and they came out unscathed Not a hair singed nor smoke or the smell of it on their garments. The results of allowing their faith to be tested was that they had a face to face encounter with Jesus. What can beat that!

Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

They made the evening news and became famous as all the government officials witnessed the hand of God on them. The king also promoted them as nobles in the province of Babylon and best of all, Nebuchadnezzar decreed biblical laws to govern all the nations and declared God as the God of gods.

Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Dan 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

Look what happens when a person welcomes afflication. Have a positive attitude about trials, tribulations and problems. Trust that God will deliver you and that you must go through the process in order to get to your blessings which are right around the corner. You can't have a testimony without the "test". And there can't be no "mony" unless you pass your "test." There is no shortcut and it is the only road to your fulfilled destiny. Remember things get worse right before they get better. Hang in there and don't give up!

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

So instead of being negative and allowing your circumstance to dictate your life. Turn it around and kick your shoes off and instead of fleeing from your affliction, start feasting on your affliction.

Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

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