August 9, 2022
A little over a year ago, I became conscious in that still and silent place between sleep and wakefulness, and heard the voice of the Lord pierce through me and say, “Refining you through bloody fire.” Because my mom had recently died, quickly and unexpectedly, and because I was not deeply rooted enough in Him, hearing this scared me. During three hours of pressing into Him in the secret place that morning, he brought me through Scripture and taught me about the refining process. He revealed to me that while the blood was His, the trials are mine.
He showed me the following Scriptures:
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 1:6-7
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
- James 1:2-4
During the refining process, precious metals are placed into ceramic containers called "crucibles" (from the Latin word, “crux,” meaning “cross”) and repeatedly heated. Dross is scraped off the top each time the crucible is removed from the heat. The refining process is complete when the Refiner sees His face in the reflection of the precious metal.
This morning, the Lord revealed that this is what he means by “treasure in jars of clay.”
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Therefore, I always carry in my body - this crucible, this jar of clay - the death of Jesus, so that the crushing and perplexing refines and purifies the treasure within until the life of Jesus is manifested in my mortal flesh.