Heat to Holiness

HEAT TO HOLINESS
Isaiah 43:1-13
V. 2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Who’s in Charge Here? devotion showed Moses’ three mistakes that led to his sin of murder. The devotion mentions that God took control of his life from then on, and refined the guy into a future leader. Moses’ vast experience walking where God led (forty years through the desert) brought him victory—but his trials required perseverance (per-se-VERE-anc means determination). Does anyone think this refining process is easy? Will you have to go through your own refining process, one day?

Why does heat dry one’s hair quicker than room temperature? The heat evaporates (e-VAP-or-ates means to change liquid to steam that rises into the air) the hair’s water. Gold is refined with extreme heat that burns impurities away, leaving only pure metal behind. The same is true for silver. Every refining process includes heat, burning away whatever contaminates (con-TAM-in-ates means pollution or corruption) are present. People are no exception.

Just as we cannot control the physics of refining, we have no control over our own process. Certainly no one would choose heat to separate impurities from their lives. But holiness means be set apart—and isn’t that what our life-long process of sanctification does? (Sank-tif-i-KA-shon means to be made holy…See House and Sanctification devotions—about 12 devotions ago—to learn more). Heat is necessary to drive the process to completion, or holiness.

Heat is just trials. Everyone is challenged with trials, almost daily. So, it’s not scary to understand that God uses them to shape His kids. Notice Isaiah never says if in Scripture when God’s talking about trials. God’s giving us fair warning that we will go through trials when He uses the word, when. The trials mentioned are water and fire. The bright spot is that no one drowns in the water, and no one burns up in the fire. Water and fire are metaphors (met-a-FORS means symbols) for trials.

No one knows when we’ll be called to walk through the fire, or how hot the furnace will be. But we know for sure that God’s flames are to purify, not to destroy. Our victory is holiness.

Take Home Nugget

Returning from Mt. Sinai, Moses’ face glowed so brilliantly that he had to hide behind a veil (Exodus 34:33). Moses’ victory was close encounter with God. If you were to ask him if his trials were worth his victories, aren’t you sure he’d say, “Yes!”

The only way God hurries holiness is by turning up the heat.

J.D. Griffith

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