Don't Fear the Fire
by Sandie Freed
freed.s@sbcglobal.net
www.zionministries.us
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap.
Malachi 3:2
This morning I awoke early and I heard the Lord say to tell His people to not fear the fire. I hear two major words; fear and fire. I believe that 2008 is a year of gates. We will go through many different gates this year and in the years to come. In fact, since the number eight represents new beginnings, I believe it is just the beginning of openings of many new and different gates. In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we read where the tribe of Issachar was known for its ability to understand the times and seasons and knew what Israel was to do. During the time when the house of king Saul was transitioning out and David was moving into kingship, the children of Issachar knew that they were to properly position themselves under King David so that God's purposes would be fulfilled.
It is the same for us today as the Church is transitioning into a new wineskin. We, as the children of Issachar must recognize the season we are in and become properly aligned with God's plans and purposes. Jesus spoke on the new wineskins:
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."( Mark 2:22, NKJV)
Connecting the Old and the New
As I sought the Lord for direction of this New Year, I have heard many different types of leading from Him. Many of you have already received my updated messages as God reveals more revelation to me. Yet, there is one major aspect of transition which I feel must be heeded. We must look again at the book of Malachi which is the chapter that transitions us out of the "old" and then look once more at the book of Matthew which connects us to the "new." By doing this, I believe we will be more ready to embrace the new wine in which God desires to release.
Malachi means "my messenger." He had a message to share concerning God's love for His children and His covenant promise. Malachi came on the scene when Israel had lost hope for their future. Although Israel had experienced breakthroughs, there were still many promises which they had not seen fulfilled. The children of Israel had lost hope, doubted God's covenant and His ability to perform His word to them. As a result, their worship degenerated into a lifeless form and no longer took the law seriously. Malachi's message was one of rebuke to Israel's unfaithfulness, their doubt of god's love and the sin of the priesthood. Israel had complained "Where is the God of justice?" and Malachi's answer was 'He will come, but it will be in the form of a "refiners fire." He was coming to judge-but He would judge His people first. (They didn't want to hear that did they? And, sometimes, neither do we!)
Join Me in the Fire Anyone?
However, Malachi reassures them that the day (the great and dreadful day of the Lord) is coming and it will "burn like a furnace." And, in that day they would be empowered to "trample down the wicked." Wow! Precious believers, this means that in order to take dominion, we must also endure His fire. Dominion and purity go hand in hand. Purity involves more than holiness, it also encompasses obedience to His directives. To prepare His people for that time, He would send "the prophet Elijah" to call them back to repentance and back to the godly ways of their forefathers (the generations). Malachi's message of repentance involved renouncing their sins and the sins of the generations. This type of repentance is foundational as it transitions us into the "new." The road to fullness is to renounce our own individual sin and then renounce the sins of our generations. When that is done, we are removed from the curses upon our generations. Because unconfessed sin entrenches itself down to three or four generations, repentance of those sins empowers us to possess our future and restore to us the generational blessings. Observe how God punishes idolatry to the fourth generation:
Deuteronomy 5:7-10
" Do not worship any other gods besides me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations." (New living Translation)
I like verse 10, don't you? He says He will lavish love on us who love Him and obey Him-even to a thousand generations! All it takes for our generations to be blessed is loving God and obeying Him. How simple could that be? Well, quite obviously, it's harder that it seems or else Israel (and some of us) wouldn't have to keep enduring the refiner's fire. I have to admit, I been a crispy critter quite often- maybe you can identify with me. I have come to the place in God that when He just mentions to me a sin, I don't argue- I move into "kneeology" and not my personal "theology." Theology causes me to "think" too much and my head knowledge interferes with quick repentance. Rather than justify my thoughts and actions, it's so much simpler to repent and move forward.
Our Season of Sacrifice
Another aspect of transitioning from the old to the new involves our sacrifice to God. The Lord was rebuking His children for robbing Him of tithes and offerings, and bringing blemished animals for their sacrifices. They were disobedient in following God's directives and fulfilling their vows to give unto God. (See Malachi Chapter 1) As a result, God cursed their giving and then in chapter 2, God cursed the priesthood because they had become stumbling blocks. Judah had degenerated in their praises to God and defiled the temples by marrying foreigners (Malachi 2:11-12) and God was now refusing to accept their offerings. Can you imagine bringing God an offering and Him not accepting it because we are in sin and making covenant with the enemy? When I eread the book of Malachi I spent much time in repentance because I really want to shift from the old to the new. I know you also want to do the same- so let's move forward and study this book further.
Look what God states we are to do if we have broken covenant with Him: "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith." Dear Ones, we must guard ourselves, protect our vows, remain faithful to our covenant with Him and remain in faith. We cannot allow ourselves to believe any lies concerning God's ability to perform His Word. If we remain properly aligned with the Word of God, we will transition into the new and be ready for the new wine.
Disobedience Opens the door to Fear
In Leviticus chapter 26, the Lord outlines punishments for idolatry and disobedience and also outlines rewards when we are obedient. Though we are no longer under the "law" God never dismisses the attitude of our hearts. He still requires obedience as He directs our future and He will respond to faith-not fear.
A quick study of this chapter is outlines as follows
1. No idolatry in any form
2. Honor the Sabbath law of rest
3. He will chase away all danger we obey His commandments He will give us regular rain and yield large crops (fruitfulness)
4. We will have peace and sleep without fear
5. We are no longer slaves or held captive
6. If we disobey, He will punish us with terror and panic (He will use the devil if he has to in order to get our attention!)
7. Plagues, unfruitfulness and being given over to the enemy.
8. Live in constant fear. We will run even though no one is pursuing us.
Why did I mention this? Well, not necessarily because we are disobedient, however it is time to examine our hearts. Are we fearful? Then we need to examine our lives and be sure we have not opened the door to calamity through rebellion and disobedience. Many of us are running in fear and yet there is no devil chasing us but rather God is attempting to turn our hearts back to Him! This is getting my attention, how about yours? The safest thing is to remain steadfast, faithful and obedient. If the fireball has come your way- embrace it! If we do, we are always protected from evil.
Preparing the Way for the New
Malachi Chapter 3 begins with God's promise to prepare the way. Not only was Malachi preparing the way for transition, John the Baptist took over where Malachi left off. They both had messages which bridge to gap between the old and the new. We need to study both books to fully transition. John the Baptist was the new Elijah on the scene. Elijah was dead, but John had the same spirit as Elijah. Malachi prophesied fire, and so did John. Elijah called down fire to tear down the altars of Baal and actually referred to God as the "God of fire." Dear Ones, it will take fire to burn away all of our individual idols (any area that we have not fully submitted to God) and that fire will refine us and purify our relationship with God.
Verse 5 states how we must fear God. Our obedience is fueled by a holy fear of God. This is the only acceptable fear and I am obedient because I love Him yet also fear Him. If we have robbed God of our tithes and offerings, He says to simply "return to Him." How simple can that be? To return involves making a turn in the right direction. The Lord said that if we fear Him, there is a scroll of remembrance written in His presence! (v. 16) Wow! Imagine an angel writing your name and your deeds right now in His presence. How awesome is that?
The Transitional Chapter of Malachi
The last chapter of the book of Malachi had two themes: fire and fathers. Malachi prophesies our transition out of the old by announcing again that there will be a day of burning as a furnace. This fire will expose pride. Most of you reading this article are familiar with Leviathan who is called the "king over all of the children of pride." (See Job 41:34) In Scripture, Leviathan is symbolized as a dragon, crocodile, or a sea serpent. It is a territorial demonic spirit and only God Himself can destroy it. We can pray against the spirit, but God Himself destroys it. Pride comes in many different forms.
Haughtiness is one example and the way we can defeat that prideful attitude is to develop humility. Again, pray for God, Himself, to give you an new mind and a new heart and you will walk in humility. Pride is also active when we have a fear of failure or a fear of the future. If we do not trust God with our future, we most often take matters into our own hands and do everything "our way." We are prideful when we do this because we feel that we can do a better job than God can. When we go our own way, it is still being proud and haughty in an attitude that we can choose our ways better than God can. Malachi points out that it will take the fire of God to uproot a stronghold of pride. (See Malachi 4:1). However, if we repent, He will empower us with victory and healing.
The last two verses of the book of Malachi are so very significant. It is my personal opinion that unless we hear with prophetic ears, we will not be able to transition. God says that He will send the prophet Elijah (v. 5, which we previously discussed) which is a prophetic voice. John the Baptist picks up that voice during transition between the old and the new. (See Matthew 3:1) Verse 6, the last verse of the Old Testament speaks of the prophetic voice which will turn the hearts of parents (fathers in KJV) to the children and vise-versa:
by Sandie Freed
freed.s@sbcglobal.net
www.zionministries.us
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap.
Malachi 3:2
This morning I awoke early and I heard the Lord say to tell His people to not fear the fire. I hear two major words; fear and fire. I believe that 2008 is a year of gates. We will go through many different gates this year and in the years to come. In fact, since the number eight represents new beginnings, I believe it is just the beginning of openings of many new and different gates. In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we read where the tribe of Issachar was known for its ability to understand the times and seasons and knew what Israel was to do. During the time when the house of king Saul was transitioning out and David was moving into kingship, the children of Issachar knew that they were to properly position themselves under King David so that God's purposes would be fulfilled. It is the same for us today as the Church is transitioning into a new wineskin. We, as the children of Issachar must recognize the season we are in and become properly aligned with God's plans and purposes. Jesus spoke on the new wineskins:
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."( Mark 2:22, NKJV)
Connecting the Old and the New
As I sought the Lord for direction of this New Year, I have heard many different types of leading from Him. Many of you have already received my updated messages as God reveals more revelation to me. Yet, there is one major aspect of transition which I feel must be heeded. We must look again at the book of Malachi which is the chapter that transitions us out of the "old" and then look once more at the book of Matthew which connects us to the "new." By doing this, I believe we will be more ready to embrace the new wine in which God desires to release.
Malachi means "my messenger." He had a message to share concerning God's love for His children and His covenant promise. Malachi came on the scene when Israel had lost hope for their future. Although Israel had experienced breakthroughs, there were still many promises which they had not seen fulfilled. The children of Israel had lost hope, doubted God's covenant and His ability to perform His word to them. As a result, their worship degenerated into a lifeless form and no longer took the law seriously. Malachi's message was one of rebuke to Israel's unfaithfulness, their doubt of god's love and the sin of the priesthood. Israel had complained "Where is the God of justice?" and Malachi's answer was 'He will come, but it will be in the form of a "refiners fire." He was coming to judge-but He would judge His people first. (They didn't want to hear that did they? And, sometimes, neither do we!)
Join Me in the Fire Anyone?
However, Malachi reassures them that the day (the great and dreadful day of the Lord) is coming and it will "burn like a furnace." And, in that day they would be empowered to "trample down the wicked." Wow! Precious believers, this means that in order to take dominion, we must also endure His fire. Dominion and purity go hand in hand. Purity involves more than holiness, it also encompasses obedience to His directives. To prepare His people for that time, He would send "the prophet Elijah" to call them back to repentance and back to the godly ways of their forefathers (the generations). Malachi's message of repentance involved renouncing their sins and the sins of the generations. This type of repentance is foundational as it transitions us into the "new." The road to fullness is to renounce our own individual sin and then renounce the sins of our generations. When that is done, we are removed from the curses upon our generations. Because unconfessed sin entrenches itself down to three or four generations, repentance of those sins empowers us to possess our future and restore to us the generational blessings. Observe how God punishes idolatry to the fourth generation:
Deuteronomy 5:7-10
" Do not worship any other gods besides me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations." (New living Translation)
I like verse 10, don't you? He says He will lavish love on us who love Him and obey Him-even to a thousand generations! All it takes for our generations to be blessed is loving God and obeying Him. How simple could that be? Well, quite obviously, it's harder that it seems or else Israel (and some of us) wouldn't have to keep enduring the refiner's fire. I have to admit, I been a crispy critter quite often- maybe you can identify with me. I have come to the place in God that when He just mentions to me a sin, I don't argue- I move into "kneeology" and not my personal "theology." Theology causes me to "think" too much and my head knowledge interferes with quick repentance. Rather than justify my thoughts and actions, it's so much simpler to repent and move forward.
Our Season of Sacrifice
Another aspect of transitioning from the old to the new involves our sacrifice to God. The Lord was rebuking His children for robbing Him of tithes and offerings, and bringing blemished animals for their sacrifices. They were disobedient in following God's directives and fulfilling their vows to give unto God. (See Malachi Chapter 1) As a result, God cursed their giving and then in chapter 2, God cursed the priesthood because they had become stumbling blocks. Judah had degenerated in their praises to God and defiled the temples by marrying foreigners (Malachi 2:11-12) and God was now refusing to accept their offerings. Can you imagine bringing God an offering and Him not accepting it because we are in sin and making covenant with the enemy? When I eread the book of Malachi I spent much time in repentance because I really want to shift from the old to the new. I know you also want to do the same- so let's move forward and study this book further.
Look what God states we are to do if we have broken covenant with Him: "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith." Dear Ones, we must guard ourselves, protect our vows, remain faithful to our covenant with Him and remain in faith. We cannot allow ourselves to believe any lies concerning God's ability to perform His Word. If we remain properly aligned with the Word of God, we will transition into the new and be ready for the new wine.
Disobedience Opens the door to Fear
In Leviticus chapter 26, the Lord outlines punishments for idolatry and disobedience and also outlines rewards when we are obedient. Though we are no longer under the "law" God never dismisses the attitude of our hearts. He still requires obedience as He directs our future and He will respond to faith-not fear.
A quick study of this chapter is outlines as follows
1. No idolatry in any form
2. Honor the Sabbath law of rest
3. He will chase away all danger we obey His commandments He will give us regular rain and yield large crops (fruitfulness)
4. We will have peace and sleep without fear
5. We are no longer slaves or held captive
6. If we disobey, He will punish us with terror and panic (He will use the devil if he has to in order to get our attention!)
7. Plagues, unfruitfulness and being given over to the enemy.
8. Live in constant fear. We will run even though no one is pursuing us.
Why did I mention this? Well, not necessarily because we are disobedient, however it is time to examine our hearts. Are we fearful? Then we need to examine our lives and be sure we have not opened the door to calamity through rebellion and disobedience. Many of us are running in fear and yet there is no devil chasing us but rather God is attempting to turn our hearts back to Him! This is getting my attention, how about yours? The safest thing is to remain steadfast, faithful and obedient. If the fireball has come your way- embrace it! If we do, we are always protected from evil.
Preparing the Way for the New
Malachi Chapter 3 begins with God's promise to prepare the way. Not only was Malachi preparing the way for transition, John the Baptist took over where Malachi left off. They both had messages which bridge to gap between the old and the new. We need to study both books to fully transition. John the Baptist was the new Elijah on the scene. Elijah was dead, but John had the same spirit as Elijah. Malachi prophesied fire, and so did John. Elijah called down fire to tear down the altars of Baal and actually referred to God as the "God of fire." Dear Ones, it will take fire to burn away all of our individual idols (any area that we have not fully submitted to God) and that fire will refine us and purify our relationship with God.
Verse 5 states how we must fear God. Our obedience is fueled by a holy fear of God. This is the only acceptable fear and I am obedient because I love Him yet also fear Him. If we have robbed God of our tithes and offerings, He says to simply "return to Him." How simple can that be? To return involves making a turn in the right direction. The Lord said that if we fear Him, there is a scroll of remembrance written in His presence! (v. 16) Wow! Imagine an angel writing your name and your deeds right now in His presence. How awesome is that?
The Transitional Chapter of Malachi
The last chapter of the book of Malachi had two themes: fire and fathers. Malachi prophesies our transition out of the old by announcing again that there will be a day of burning as a furnace. This fire will expose pride. Most of you reading this article are familiar with Leviathan who is called the "king over all of the children of pride." (See Job 41:34) In Scripture, Leviathan is symbolized as a dragon, crocodile, or a sea serpent. It is a territorial demonic spirit and only God Himself can destroy it. We can pray against the spirit, but God Himself destroys it. Pride comes in many different forms.
Haughtiness is one example and the way we can defeat that prideful attitude is to develop humility. Again, pray for God, Himself, to give you an new mind and a new heart and you will walk in humility. Pride is also active when we have a fear of failure or a fear of the future. If we do not trust God with our future, we most often take matters into our own hands and do everything "our way." We are prideful when we do this because we feel that we can do a better job than God can. When we go our own way, it is still being proud and haughty in an attitude that we can choose our ways better than God can. Malachi points out that it will take the fire of God to uproot a stronghold of pride. (See Malachi 4:1). However, if we repent, He will empower us with victory and healing.
The last two verses of the book of Malachi are so very significant. It is my personal opinion that unless we hear with prophetic ears, we will not be able to transition. God says that He will send the prophet Elijah (v. 5, which we previously discussed) which is a prophetic voice. John the Baptist picks up that voice during transition between the old and the new. (See Matthew 3:1) Verse 6, the last verse of the Old Testament speaks of the prophetic voice which will turn the hearts of parents (fathers in KJV) to the children and vise-versa:
Malachi 4:6
"His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse." (NKJV)
Loving One Another Through the Father's Love
There is such a need for fathers and mothers in the Lord. Father's and mothers LOVE their children. The example of the Father's love will be expressed during this season. And, His love for us will manifest in our love for each other. Jesus said that we are to love one another. Saints of God, this is a transitional action for victory in this New Year. During a season of New Beginnings, we need to begin to love one another. Love will empower us as we move forward and develop new wineskins.
Plus, in the natural, there needs to be godly parental guidance for the children. We have witnessed the fruits of a fatherless generation, both spiritual and natural. Jesus was part of the God-head. He was a father to His disciples, showed the heart of the Father, and received the children with a Father's heart. Unless we transition in to the new place with the lifestyle of Christ and His example upon the earth, we will not be ready as a new wineskin. My heart is to be a true mother, but a true mother needs true sons and daughters.
Are you ready to transition into the new? Let's pray.
Father God, I am aware that You are speaking to me today. I want, with all of my heart, to embrace a new beginning. I believe that 2008 will be my year of breakthrough and fulfillment. I ask forgiveness for being prideful and attempting to do things my way. I repent for a fear of failure and I set my heart to fully follow Your divine leading. I repent for all mine iniquities and for those of my generations. I rebuke the devil and every influence of a leviathan spirit and I renounce any covenants I have made with the enemy. I repent for not trusting You, for robbing You of tithes and offerings. You have stated if I repent and return to You that You will bless me. Thank You, Lord, for loving me and blessing me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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