The Beautiful and Bountiful Discipline of God

Although painful, the discipline of God brings comfort and reassurance. Often His discipline comes through hardship or suffering. Biblical discipline includes the concepts of training, teaching, instruction, and correction. In the strongest form, it comes with chastening and warning.

Let’s make one thing clear, no one likes discipline in the moment. We all find it difficult, but we need God’s discipline to become all He created us to be.

A key life verse for me comes from Isaiah.

“Indeed, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested and chosen you in the furnace of affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10

The refining of silver occurs at a relatively low temperature. However, God says that our refining requires more extreme measures. He purifies us through the blazing “furnace of affliction”. Silver never resists the process. We, on the other hand, often do! As we recognize the beauty of discipline, we find peace in the process. We may even begin to anticipate the bountiful results of discipline.

God’s Love

True discipline flows from the depth of loving relationship. The discipline of God demonstrates the Father’s deep love for His own.

My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”
Proverbs 3:11-12

Because God loves perfectly, He brings correction into our lives perfectly — with perfect timing and in perfect ways. Many people perceive God as harsh, judgmental, and uncaring. Nothing could be further from the truth! “My son,” He whispers, “I delight in you! I want you to be all you can be!”

” . . . My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Hebrews 12:5-6

The discipline of God proves our value and position as His sons or daughters. How wonderfully reassuring!

God’s Word

As a parent, I wanted my children to listen to my instruction and obey. Discipline only became necessary when my words were ignored. God responds in a similar fashion. He desires for us to hear and heed His Word, willingly responding to His direction.

“For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”
Proverbs 6:23

Those who never experience corrective influence become a hazard to themselves and those around them. We thrive within healthy boundaries, productive routines, and predictable parameters. God’s Word, the Bible, offers all these things to us and more.

Through His commandments and instruction, we discovery to path to a fulfilling life. When we stray from His sure ways, He graciously draws us back. He loves us too much to leave us to our own destruction.

“To learn the truth you must long to be teachable, or you can despise correction and remain ignorant.”
Proverbs 12:1 TPT

The psalmist wrote under divine inspiration,

Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD, the one you teach from your law.”
Psalms 94:12

God’s Purpose

I find a repetitive pattern both in God’s Word and in my own life. During affluent times, it becomes easy to take our eyes off God, to become complacent about our relationship with Him, or even drift away. The greatest spiritual dangers come with wealth, power, and privilege, giving room for pride and presumption.

God uses hardships to refine us, setting us back on course.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
Revelation 3:19

In other words, we must take the discipline of God seriously, learn from the struggles we go through, and quickly align ourselves with His heart and His ways.

What if we welcomed difficult seasons as God’s purest blessing toward us and validation of His love? What if we approached hardships with tender responsive hearts, desiring to learn, grow, and mature?

“Now all discipline seems to be painful at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it.”
Hebrews 12:11

As we yield to God’s instruction, correction, and training, He transforms us to bring righteousness and peace.

Discipline of God

Only God can transform trials into triumphs. Only God then uses them to refine us.

“And now, isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you’ve come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place . . . ”
2 Corinthians 7:11 MSG

Oh, that we would come through discipline, “more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, and more responsible.” With God, we can!

May we determine to not waste a moment of God’s instruction, correction, and discipline. Let’s become better, stronger, and more fruitful.

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The Beauty of God’s Fire – A Prophetic Word

The Beauty of God's Fire

Flames, rising and falling, swirling and twirling, perform a mesmerizing dance, but the beauty of God’s fire surpasses all others. Spiritual fire performs divine purpose. Holy fire consumes, leaving no trace of the former content, while in other ways increases, fortifies, strengthens, revives, and restores.

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On a cool evening, one family circled a campfire on a sandy beach overlooking a small lake. They cooked hot dogs and roasted marshmallows over the open flames. With laughter, they sang songs, shared stories, and fortified generational bonds. There they lingered long after the moon rose, and stars cloistered against the darkened skies. Before retreating to their warm cabin beds, they carefully covering the fire’s last golden embers with sand.

The next morning, another family arrived on the beach. All four doors simultaneously swung open as a rush of shoeless children raced excitedly toward the water. Their towels flapped cheerfully behind them in the warm summer breeze. Time halted with the ear-piercing screams of the youngest, as we all watched, horrified. She froze mid-stride. Then instinctively, she dropped her hands to the ground while trying to lift her feet. My father knew immediately what had happened. He grabbed her writhing body, dipping her burnt hands and feet in the cool lake before rushing her to the nearest hospital a half-hour away.

Campfire

The same fire that brought delight to one family, meant weeks of torturous burn treatments for ours.

Fire! Both beautiful and painful! Simultaneously taking and giving!

And so it is in the beauty of God’s fire through painful trials — this union of removing what no longer belongs to secure what must eternally remain.

A Prophetic Word

I feel stirring in my heart a prophetic word — an unction of the Holy Spirit. I see with spiritual eyes both a flame burning and a newness rising. For those willing to endure the flame of God’s purging fire, there is coming victorious freedom and release.

The invitation to surrender completely to His flames extends to every one of us. However, I feel it will be men, both young and old, who will respond and rise with strength during this season. There is a generation of flaming ones, unstoppable in the Spirit, who are coming through the flames of adversity and trials. They believed they were being utterly destroyed, but God has been purging and purifying them for greatness and triumph.

These flaming ones will see and do awesome things through the power of God — divinely prepared, ignited with passion, and released into this generation.

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.”
Isaiah 48:10-11

Former generations have robbed God of the glory due His name. In pride, they set themselves on false pedestals and built crumbling edifices of their own doing.

No more!” God says. “I will not yield my glory to another.”

Torch

Through the beauty of God’s fire, He is shifting leadership from positions of authority. We see faint shadows of it already, but God is bringing forth a divine rearranging. Only those who willingly surrender to the flames of refining will rise, bringing God glory and reflecting His face.

“This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.'”
Zechariah 13:9

The Refining

Silver and gold are “tested” in the refiner’s fire.

‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1: 2-4

A refiner heats the metal until the impurities, or dross, rise to the surface. Then he skims it off. Over and over, he repeats the process — heating and removing. Each time, he “tests” the purity of the molten metal by looking into the surface. Only when he clearly sees his own reflection in the metal does he know it is pure.

Refine Metal

Throughout Scripture, God uses the illustration of a refiner’s fire to explain His process in removing the contaminates from our lives. He refuses to quit until He clearly sees His own reflection in us.

Everyone goes through trials and adversity. Will we not only allow but welcome them, yielding to the beauty of God’s fire, working out His greater good, bringing us to maturity, and purifying our faith? Or will we resist refusing to suffer pain, while pacifying ourselves with the soothing ointments of pleasure and self-gratification?

” . . . I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.”
Isaiah 1:25

The Invitation

The prophetic word invites us all to become His flaming ones — those who find a place of rest in the beauty of God’s fire. Not once! Not twice! But continually choosing to live within the flame of His Presence.

May God never speak a similar warning to us as He did to the Laodicean Church.

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16

Heart on Fire

Paul encouraged both Gentile and Jewish believers in Rome with these words:

“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11 AMP

Flaming ones, those aglow and burning with the Spirit, best reflect His image. When tested, those filled with zeal and eagerly serving the Lord prove faithful and pure.

As much as I cringe at the thought of being purged by fire, I long for the flame of His Holy Presence to remove everything that mars Christ from clearly being seen in and through my life.

The Worship

God commanded the priests of the Old Testament to never allow the fire on the altar to go out (Leviticus 6:13). God still commands us, His New Testament priests, to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, in true worship.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sister, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1

The embodiment of worship extends beyond singing congregational songs on Sunday mornings or any other day of the week. Worship means giving ourselves daily to Him, sacrificially for Him, and holy unto Him. In true worship, we step willingly and knowingly into the beauty of God’s fire, becoming living torches of His Presence.

Light Candle

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.'”
Hebrews 12:28-29

Isaiah referred to Jesus, saying,

“The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame . . .”
Isaiah 10:17

Within this image, God places us!

Us in Christ and He in us — together burning! As a perpetual act of worship, we combine our small flames with THE consuming fire and THE fiery flame. Little flames within His great flame and small fires amidst His glorious fire, creating ever-increasing, globally impacting intensity!

The Baptism

John the Baptist preceded Jesus, baptizing with water — a baptism of repentance. He spoke of another baptism and another Baptizer,

“John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Luke 3:16

This Holy Spirit baptism of fire is available to everyone, of all nationalities and creeds, who desires it. God is faithful! He offers great joy, freedom, and power to those who will abandon themselves to His purposes.

But will I surrender and submit to God’s plan and become a flaming one? Will you?

Flame Candles

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Gold and Silver – Refined Through Suffering

Gold & Silver - Refined through Suffering

Gold and silver are among the rarest and most precious metals; both need a refining process to remove impurities, thereby increasing their value. It is through suffering, in the heat and pressure of life, that we are refined for God’s glory.

Every trial, assault, persecution, or difficulty God uses to purify, refine and even promote us to excellence. God does not cause the suffering we face. He is not the evil one, our adversary! He does, however, use “the furnace of affliction” as an instrument to remove impurities from our lives.

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”
Isaiah 48:10

Refined into usefulness!

Strength Refined

The psalmist David, prophecies of the Lord “announcing the word”, giving a command to release a mighty and victorious army before whom great kings and fierce armies will flee. His description of this army is unlike any other:

“…the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold.”
Psalm 68:13

A dove? The symbol we typically relate to peace.

The Lord’s army, refined, purified, sheathed, and shining, going forth with gentle strength fulfilling His command; it is an army equipped and ready to do great exploits for his kingdom.

An army with wings sheathed with silver, and feathers shining with gold.

In this psalm, the army returns sharing the plunder with those who stayed safely home.

Refined ones don’t hoard the spoils of victory. With purity of heart, people are treasured above accolades and wealth. “Dove” people gently and sincerely place genuine value in everyone.

David speaks from his own experience. After defeating the Amalekites, David and his fighting men returned to camp, where those too weary to fight had watched over the supplies. The account tells us the “evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers” (vs 22) were not willing to share the plunder.

David modeled the true warrior as gentle protector:

“…the share of the man who stayed with the supplies
is to be the same as that of him
who went down to the battle.
All will share alike.”
David made this a statute and ordinance
for Israel from that day to this.”
I Samuel 30: 24-25

David had allowed the furnace of suffering to refine him into a golden dove of gentle protection to all.

Reflection Refined

Many people do not consider themselves “leaders”. Truthfully, we all lead. We are continually leading and teaching through our example.

“Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.”
Psalm 69:6

These words pierce my heart like a sharp well-aimed arrow. The truth that my choices may cause someone to stumble is humbling. The more God promotes and increases our sphere of influence, the greater our capacity to cause offense leading people away from, rather than toward, Christ.

Refined into the heart of the Father

The heat and tension of suffering transforms us,

pressing and shaping
turning and bending,
polishing and illuminating…

until we re-present the Father’s heart. It is in suffering that we are formed into His image of love, a love that causes us to lead others well, without disgrace or shame.

Honour Refined

Hidden impurities in our lives will tarnish the “positions of voice” God elevates us to.

The higher the place of honour we are given, the brighter the light shines on us. That exposure will automatically reveal scars, blemishes, blunders, and impure motivations. I am thankful for God’s loving care in allowing suffering to first eliminate what needs removing before elevating us.

“Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done such wonderful things.
Who can compare with you, O God?
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship
but you will restore me to life again
…You will restore me to even greater honour…”
Psalm 71:19-21

Beautiful marks of suffering and refining!

The intricate working of The Master Craftsman, every indent and swirl, does not blemish us. He is enhancing and bringing out greater beauty and increasing our worth. Though the process is painful, the result is impeccable perfection.

We may cry, “Enough, God! Stop the pain!” He alone knows the end from the beginning and is making a masterpiece of our lives.

With God suffering always has purpose! When suffering ends, honour comes! In fact, God’s word says greater honour!

With greater purity comes greater beauty that brings Him greater glory.

Glory Refined

There is more to Isaiah’s words:

“For my own sake,
for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.”
Isaiah 48:11

The ugliest dross in my life is the “self” portions, that tarnish His reflection, contaminate His goodness, pollute His love and hide His glory. God knows that only through the intense fires of suffering will His glory be fully revealed in and through me.

No one else deserves glory; God alone is worthy of glory, honour and praise!

My struggles and suffering have been minor in comparison to others. Nonetheless, it is here I have seen God’s

faithfulness in the fire,
recklessly love in the midst of storm,
strength in battle,
and light in darkness of night.

"I carried you on eagles' wings"

I have experienced God’s presence…

“I carried you on eagles’ wings
and brought you to myself.”
Exodus 19:4

So we say “Yes, Lord! Transform our lives to reflect your image and display your glory. Refine us as warrior doves, molded by your love, positioned for your honour. May we not waste this season of refining, but may we come forth as gold and silver.”

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Read more:

The Lord is my Helper! “I Will Help You!”

Great Trials Matched by Great Joy – James 1 Perspective