Christians Under Fire

Full Video at: https://youtu.be/CFJldUpUins

Daniel 3 tells the story of three young men walking into a fire.

Hello, I'm Clarence, I'm the preacher. There are many wonderful aspects to this story, and if you desire to apply them to your life that can change your life, so let's unpack a few of the more valuable aspects starting right now.

1. They had long ago determined to be faithful unto death. They fully believed that when their earthly life ended, they would enter a better place. This faith began long, long before the stood before the king that day. You can have that kind of faith too. You can have a faith so strong that you look at certain death and are willing to walk into it in order to stay true to God. Simply start today. Exercise your faith every day. The growth may not be obvious at first, but it is there, because God created you to be a creature of faith. Start training your faith today for the unknow tomorrows.

2. Everyone faces times of pressure. Being Godly does not mean no suffering. Being Godly means being in God's army, and we are at war. The enemy is out to get you (1 Peter 5:8). God created you to handle pressure. God created you for victory. It will not always be easy. Being Christian is tough, really tough (Matt. 7:13-14, Acts 14:22). Don't let Satan trick you into thinking that if God loved you, He would keep you from facing unpleasant things. Christianity doesn't work that way.

3. God grew them through the fire. Struggles are hard and beautiful at the same time, well, at least for people that have spiritual vision (and you are one of those people or you would not be watching this video, right). While you are in the middle of a difficult time, don't let Satan trick you into focusing on just the pain. Yes, there can be pain, but there is also a lesson and a blessing. I don't want you to totally ignore the pain, I want you to balance the pain with the lesson and the blessing. You can do this. It will not be easy, but you can grow through hard times if you keep an eye open for the lesson and the blessing.

4. These three men gained a promotion after the fire. You can gain a promotion, too. I do not think it will be identical to their promotion, but after the struggle is over and you are looking back at it, you will find that you are in a better position in life. You will find yourself living at the next spiritual level. You may even find yourself looking forward to the next struggle because you know that on the other side of that struggle a promotion awaits you.