{"id":25324,"date":"2019-03-17T03:30:57","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T10:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=25324"},"modified":"2019-03-14T14:09:44","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T21:09:44","slug":"march-17-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2019\/03\/17\/march-17-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"March 17, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“We went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.”\u00a0<\/em>Psalm 66:12<\/p>\n

Fires For Good<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I read a news report recently that caught my attention.\u00a0There was a fire at a church in West Virginia.\u00a0The fire was so hot that fire fighters had to back off at one point from fighting it.\u00a0The church burned to the ground.<\/p>\n

But when they went through the charred wreckage, they found something quite unbelievable.\u00a0Not one Bible (nearly 2 dozen of them) or cross (3 of them) was burned!\u00a0They posted pictures of the Bibles and crosses.\u00a0There is no explanation for how this could have happened.\u00a0There should have been nothing left but ashes.\u00a0The firefighters said “the odds were against us\u2014God was not.”<\/p>\n

As I read the report, I couldn’t help but think of how God protects us, His children, in the “fires” we face.\u00a0We can feel the heat! We know the flames are all around us.\u00a0But God brings us through the fire.\u00a0We may have some singed edges…but we make it.<\/p>\n

I feel a bit like that at the moment.\u00a0I’ve been through quite a few “fires” the last few years.\u00a0But with God’s help, I’ve made it.\u00a0He has faithfully protected me!<\/p>\n

I confess that I’m certainly not a fan of the fire. I don’t like the flames of trial and testing. I don’t like the burning times of suffering.\u00a0But I’ve seen that there is “gold” that comes from them. We can’t have victories without battles.\u00a0Everyone on this earth goes through hard times!\u00a0The big difference we have is going through them with God beside us.\u00a0He’ll bring us through the flames in His own unique way.\u00a0He uses the fires for good in our lives.<\/p>\n

“I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction”\u00a0<\/em>(Isaiah 48:10).<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, You are with us through every trial of fire. You protect us from the flames. With our hand in Yours, You help us come through as gold. Help us to confidently persevere on hard days, according to Your faithfulness. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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