If You Can't Take The Heat...Well, You Know.

This last few weeks have been very interesting. We have sensed the Holy Spirit trying to tell us something, or do something, or...something. RedDaddy and I have felt unsettled in our spirits. Which of course, caused us to be unsettled elsewhere.

I won't bore you with the details, but many areas of our lives came under question. Not the least of which, was our ministry. I'm sure you have never heard that from us before. Anyway...

Sunday mornings he and I are part of a leadership team that prays with our pastor before service. This week I couldn't go, so RedDaddy went alone. Pastor had a guest there who shared some things pertaining to leadership, ministry leadership in particular.

He talked about gold being refined. Before you think you've heard this before, stay with me. He shared about the heat, the dross being skimmed off, yes. But then, it got very close to home.

He said that after the impurities are removed, there is a further refinement that must take place if the gold is to be BEST quality. You see, there are other precious metals in gold ore; metals like zinc, copper, lead, and silver. These other metals are good, useful, precious even, but they are not Pure Gold. Each of them have a use, many uses, but not the same use as gold.

What this man of God shared was that most Christian leaders give up on the refining process before the other "precious" materials are removed. They make it through the super heating, and through the removal of impurities, but when the Goldsmith begins to remove the good additives to make them truly pure, they throw in the towel.

It affected RedDaddy and I profoundly! We decided right then and there to allow God to remove anything and everything from our lives...from our home, from our family, from our marriage, from our ministry, from our jobs, from our heats, from where ever...that was not the BEST.   

We have been making life changing decisions left and right! This is a thrilling time for us. A time of stripping away the fluff and getting down to what's REAL! Oh, Hallelujah!!

I was reminded of the way in which the goldsmith determines when the gold is truly pure...it reflects HIS FACE!