"IF you believe God is sovereign, you have to take a stance of TRUST. "
That one hit me right between the eyes!

So this week's lecture was on my favorite story in the entire Old Testament: Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. The lecture started out talking about how King Neb built this huge gold image and wanted everyone to bow down to it/him. Beth Moore said, "If Babylon is about anything, it's about building an image. If you and I, in truth, are different from what we seem, we are image builders." As I am typing this, I realize this goes right with our video Sunday night at small group talking about going through the motions of "church". Does God really have our hearts? Or are we just going through the motions?

I was on the verge of tears through most of this lecture. God was speaking straight to my heart. I am an image builder. That is part of why I struggle so much with B. It just hit me!

Beth also talked about three different scenarios when people of God face a fiery trial:
1) we can be delivered FROM the fire
2) we can be delivered THROUGH the fire
3) we can be delivered BY the fire

"Full deliverance means no longer smelling like smoke." I never noticed this before, but Daniel 3:27 says that not only did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego come OUT of the fire, they came out unharmed, not a hair on their heads was singed, their robes were not scorched and THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FIRE ON THEM. So often we make it through our fiery trials, but people can still smell the smoke on us. I don't want to be stinky. I want to come through whatever trials God will allow me to experience, bringing HIM glory and honor.

Back to that first comment about if God is sovereign we have to take a stance of trust: pray that I will do that in every aspect of my life, but especially regarding B. God is certainly not finished with me yet; why would I think He was finished with this boy?!