Encouragement for When Your Faith is Being Refined by Fire

Last week, I talked about the unaesthetic (and honestly, un-talked about) part of Christian dating, and this week, I want to share more about what it looks like to go through the fire in your own walk with God. I've experienced the fire and refining from the Lord more this year than I have in my entire life, and before He helped me be able to identify what this season is, I felt so lost. I was confused as to why, all of a sudden, my life felt heavy and His voice was so hard to recognize. Emotionally, I didn't feel like myself, and didn't understand the root of this struggle when my life truly was going well. I was frustrated, but one day, as I wept and poured it all out at my Savior's feet, He so gently offered me perspective that genuinely changed everything for me.

All of a sudden, the scales fell from my eyes and the weight was lifted off my shoulders.

The season of heaviness for no apparent reason wasn't a mistake, wasn't punishment, wasn't random.

It's full of purpose. An eternal purpose, at that.

Just as I mentioned last week, the end goal of the fire is fruit.

The fire (or difficult season) isn't meant to destroy or cause me to suffer. I'm in the fire to be refined and to learn at the feet of Jesus. The fire isn't supposed to push me away from God; it's supposed to help me know Him with more depth, intimacy, and dependence. This season is meant to draw me closer than ever to my Father, prune away all the sinful, selfish parts of me, and create fertile soil to produce spiritual fruit that honors the Lord.

That in itself brought so much relief. But as I asked the Lord to reveal to me the fruit that He wanted to produce in me, I was incredibly encouraged to take heart and remember that His thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts. The fruit of the Spirit He's cultivating isn't for now - it's for the seasons of life that I've been praying for.

Thank You, God.

If this is a season where you feel a massive weight on your shoulders, like trial after trial continue to get thrown in your direction, I'd highly encourage you to ask the Lord what fruit He's trying to produce in you. Ask Him to open your eyes to what He's doing in your life and to give you the vision He has for this season. I prayed this for a few weeks, only to experience silence, but He responded on exactly the right day I needed Him to. To have that glimmer of insight into what the Lord is doing has changed everything for me, and completely refreshed my spirit.

As much as this encouraged me, I wanted to know what God wanted me to do in this season. My Bible studies have felt like a battle, knocking on the door but getting no response, and I was struggling immensely to pray. So, I asked Him what my responsibility was in the fire.

It's to put on my armor.

I honestly laughed out loud, because it makes so much sense. I've been walking around in the blazing heat with no protection, no armor to block the flaming arrows. Of course it hurt! I need to put on the armor that the Lord has provided for me, and then I will be much more equipped to walk through this season - trials and all - because I'll be using the resources God has given me. When life is hard, I can't do it on my own. I'm incapable of navigating the stormy seas in my own strength and my own wisdom, so I need to lean on the Father and implement some strategies so that I remain connected and secure in Him.

In 2024, I wrote an entire series on each part of the armor of God, which was so impactful for me. (You can find the first post here!) Through prayer and those old posts, I created a list of how I can practically put on each piece of armor every day, and reminding myself about how important each piece is has been huge for me. I don't want to leave any part of myself exposed, and so I have to be intentional about covering all of my bases and walking in step with the Spirit in each moment.

For me, in this season, putting on my armor looks like:

• Fastening on the belt of truth by memorizing Scripture and renewing my mind with it constantly

• Securing my breastplate of righteousness by repenting daily and surrendering to the Lord's correction in my life

• Putting on my shoes fitted in readiness by meditating on the Gospel daily

• Clinging to my shield of faith by reminding myself of the Lord's character and what He has done for me

• Putting on my helmet of salvation through intentional worship and remembering the cross

• Utilizing the sword of the Spirit by praying Scripture over myself and my relationship

• Praying vulnerably, surrendering weak spots, in community

This matters because the Lord doesn't want us to be walking around in the difficult, trying seasons weak and defeated. The refining work He's doing in our hearts is hard and heavy a lot of times, but it's not meant to destroy us - it's meant to push us closer to Him. When we put on our armor every day, we choose to commit to the Father and depend on Him, because our strength is not sufficent. Our armor is a tool to help us stand firm, but to stand firm on God's Word and His presence. We get to experience a special intimacy with God because we're relying on Him in the valley, not just acknowledging Him on the mountaintops.

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These seasons aren't without pain and grief, but they also aren't without magnificent purpose and beauty. I am so grateful that we serve a God who wants to be with us and carry us when we can't take one more step, because in my weakness, His glory truly is magnified. I'm expectant of how my God will continue to move, refine me, and correct me, but through all of that, I will get to experience a new side of His love and faithfulness.

If you're in a heavy, dark season right now, I want you to know that God has not left you. You are not alone. I know His presence feels far, and He seems to be completely silent, but even in that, He's not done with you. He's working behind the scenes, coordinating, preparing, and protecting. The Lord's heart breaks when your heart breaks, and He catches every tear. I am believing with confidence that in due time, you will be able to see with clarity His faithfulness and purpose in it all. Return to your rest, my friend, for the Lord has been good to you (Psalm 116:7) - even if it doesn't always feel that way in the moment.