Today’s Scripture
“When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Isaiah 43:2, NLT
Fire
Friend, California’s magnificent sequoia trees can stand over three hundred feet tall and live over two thousand years. What’s significant is that the sequoia cones are full of seeds that are locked up inside. Fire dries out the cones, enabling them to crack open and deposit their seeds on the forest floor. Then the seeds are able to germinate and become what they were created to be. The fire is necessary for new growth.
In a similar way, there are seeds that are locked up in you—seeds of favor, greatness, and purpose. The only way they’ll come out is through fire—the business slows, a friend walks away, the medical report isn’t good. It’s easy to get discouraged, but God won’t allow a difficulty unless He has a purpose for it. There is potential locked up in you, gifts and talents that you won’t discover without going through times of adversity when it’s uncomfortable and you don’t understand. The fire is a part of God’s plan so you can become everything you were created to be.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for Your promise to be with me through life’s fires. I know that You’re here with me now, and I invite You into every challenging situation in my life. I believe that You are using the fire to unlock gifts and talents in my life so I can become what You created me to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
[Joel Osteen ministries]
