1) Strife
"Now I plead with you, brethern, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no fictions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. for it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethern, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you." 1 Corinthians 1:10-11
Division, contentions, strife; these are three attributes that hinders our prayer lives and the growth of the church.
"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:25
If we have anything whatsoever against "our brother", how can we keep the "new commandment" that Jesus gave to us? Wouldn't this hinder our walk with Him?
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13: 34-35
Let the "fires of our tribulations" burn out all the strife in ourselves and between our brothers and sisters.
2) Rejection
In Genesis 25 we read about Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. In Hebrews we also read about Esau.
"...as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. "
Hebrews 12:16b-17
Let's not forget, that even our Lord knew about being rejected.
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by god and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are who are disobedient; "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." 1 Peter 2:4-7 (NKJV)
Rejection hurts; bringing bitterness and creating an unforgiving heart. Sometimes when we hoard un-forgiveness in our hearts, we give Satan a "place" to attack us with sickness.
3) Vanity of Life (Pride)
"not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil"1 Timothy 3:6
"Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."Galatians 5:26 (NKJV)
We all know that vanity and pride has no place in the work and kingdom of our great Lord and Savior.
4) Lust of the Flesh
"For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world."
1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
"I say then: Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
The Lord then asked me, "what do you gain through the fire?" You see, we lost those "ugly" qualities in the fire but what we gain by going through the fire is worth it all.
He does not allow us to be in the fire without providing a way for us to go through the fire. In the book of Daniel we read how Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego was thrown into the fire because they refused to serve the gods of Nebuchadnezzar, nor worship the golden image which he had set up. Read Daniel 3:17-25
The Lord allow are faith to be tried, but He never leaves or forsakes us. He is there all the time. He is with us in the "fire" purifying us, bringing us through for His glory.
Next we will talk about the five strengths that we gain through the fire.