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REFINED BY AFFLICTION

"Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." (Isaiah 48:10).   "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Malachi 3:3).   Once a Christian has submitted his/her life to God, the heavenly Father begins a process of purging and purifying, of training and chastening, which is meant to remove from them all self-will, and transform them into the image of Jesus Christ.   There is one word which I think best describes this process and the effect that it has on the individual that is exercised by it, and that word is refined .   The Word of God is full of the history of men and women who, by faith, placed their lives in God's hands and, as a result, went through this process of becoming useful, spiritually mature, children of God.   They accomplished God...
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MANIFESTING THE LIFE OF CHRIST

“For we which live are alway [s] delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:11).   From the beginning of creation it has been in God’s heart to create a race of men who would bear His own image and likeness: “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26).   He accomplished this when He created Adam and Eve: “…in the likeness of God made He him…” (Genesis 5:1); “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Genesis 1:27).   It wasn’t that God wanted man to look like Him in appearance, for the LORD doesn’t see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).   It was man’s character that he was most interested in; it was purity of heart and spirit that He was after.   At first, Adam was that man, but then the serpent t...
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BE OF GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD

In this life, there are many obstacles that confront us on a regular basis.   Some are simply small irritants that we all must deal with, like the kids spilling chocolate milk on the new carpet or getting a flat tire on the way to work.   Others seem larger than life like losing a loved one or being fired from a job.   Still others test the limits of our faith like being wrongfully accused, being persecuted for our faith, or being sorely tempted to sin.   All of these things may seem like detours on the path of life, but in truth they are the very things that can help us to live a more abundant life - one that is lived through the grace of God and not by our own feeble attempts to overcome.   The Apostle Paul went so far as to say, "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV).   Delighting in our hardships may seem like a stretch for most folks, ...
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