Job 23:10-11; Job 23:14; Isaiah 1:25-26; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 1 Peter 1:6-7
The Bible often says after our wilderness trials, we become like pure gold. Pure gold after refining is:
- Soft and pliable i.e. responds positively and easily to the moulding of God and what God is saying.
- Transparent i.e. people don’t see you but they see the treasure in you, Jesus! Your character, desires, speech and thoughts are truly changed.
- Free of impurities i.e. we have defeated our impure character traits which were revealed to us during the trial.
- Resistance to rust or corrosion i.e. even though other metals tarnish from atmospheric conditions, this does not affect pure gold in the same way. Brass (a yellow alloy of copper and zinc), though it resembles gold, does not behave as gold. Brass tarnishes easily. It has gold’s appearance without possessing its character.
Using the example of 10-karat gold. Gold’s purest form is 24-karat. Therefore 10-k means 10 parts gold and 14 parts another metal e.g. alloy, copper etc. In the refining process, gold is ground into powder and then mixed with a substance called flux. The two are then placed in a furnace and melted by an intense fire. The alloys or impurities are drawn to the flux and rise to the surface. The gold (which is heavier) remains at the bottom. The impurities or dross (such as copper, iron, and zinc, combined with flux) are then removed. Basically, when gold is put in the fire, it melts and these other metals (impurities) that have always been there come to the surface.
In other words, to reveal these impurities, gold MUST go through the fire, then it’s cleansed of its impurities, becomes soft and then remoulded fit for its next purpose! 🙅🏾♂️🙌🏾😎
Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear. —Charles Stanley
Some excerpts from God where are you – John Bevere
The Langford Files 