Glorifying God in the fire

    Mrs. Onyinye Anene was a devoted Anglican who passed through a lot in life. She had surgery that affected her health condition, which made her visit different hospitals and live most of her life on drugs. But in all, she remained thankful and faithful to God regardless of her circumstances. In pain, she was committed and never questioned God but kept on believing Him for His visitation, and in pain, she evangelized, showed love, and became a source of happiness to many. 

    At that stage in her life, she was passing through the fire of health crises but instead of questioning God, she glorified Him in her fire. She once said, "What am I living for again if I miss the opportunity of seeing Jesus on the last day?".  She had an undeniable hunger for God even in her fire.

    Many people pass through the fire of pain as a result of that circumstance, problem, affliction, and so on but in Isaiah 24:15, it is expected that Christians should glorify God regardless of what the person is passing through because even in those challenges God still demands our thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

     Most Christians are passing through hard times, no doubt to their faithfulness to God but they find themselves in a fire questioning the efficacy of their Christian faith, God specifically made it clear that the best way to handle such situation is to glorify Him. The fire is not the problem, but if there is confidence that no matter how hard the fire is burning whether God is willing to intervene or not He remains faithful.

    Accepting defeat from a particular fire you are passing through in life is not a good alternative to quench it, but it is expected of you to redefine that fire and use its flame for exploits. Because the fire is not meant to consume you neither is it going to kill you, but the fire is there in your life to refine you into a brand new person worthy of greatness. Daniel 3

    Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego passed through the fierce fire of trial during their own time and maintained their stand in God, and even in the fire they still glorified God which their act of faithfulness to defend their belief in God brought about their exaltation.

    What about Job in the Bible who right before his very eyes saw his world collapse and all he could do was just glorify God?  The Bible states that he was an honest man who feared and involved God in all he dids but he never escaped the fire of trial. He was so tempted by this fire that he lost everything including fame, family, friends, and well-wishers. It was enough reason to curse his maker but instead, he glorified his maker. Study the Book of Job in the Bible 

    I have come across Christians that backslide from the faith with tangible reasons why they left Christianity, but the person of Job has reasons to curse God but still, he remained thankful to God even in his hard times. 

    What is that thing you think you are passing through that warrants you giving up on God? Christianity is not an access to get all you want so easily, but it is a belief that shows you the way of life, takes you through the hard way of fulfilling life, and guarantees you the best of life at the end of the process which the experience of life up and down is the best teacher of life.

    Joseph too passed through fire to become governor of a foreign nation. It was so painful to him because what caused him pain was his own family. The family that he had so much confidence in, expected to protect him became the fire of his trial. Genesis 37 

    In this Christian journey, there are hard times, and not always a bed of roses. Because the challenges of life have to throw you off balance and bring you back to balance when you might have a lot of experience. 

    A well-known preacher started living a wayward lifestyle but before his sudden change, he sold all the church property and fully entered into the world to live life. When he was asked about his sudden change, his reason was that he gave God a few days to attend to him, and if He did not do all his requests he had no other option than to go back to the world.

    Who you are or think you are can not make God compromise His standard to suit you. It is either His way or no other way. If He allows you to pass through some fire of life, it is for a purpose and all you should do is just follow the process because He has seen what lies ahead of you even before you do. So, all you can do is never stop glorifying Him.

    It is not easy to be in pain and also expected to give thanks to someone who can stop the pain, it is also painful even when you know He did nothing to help. That you did not receive help at that moment of your crisis does not mean He did not help or does not care about you. Do not forget that everything happens for His name to be glorified. John 11:4 

    Glorify God when passing through a life fire, and at His due time of visitation your testimony will shake the world for Him.

God bless you!