Would you like a little cheese with your WHINE?

Malachi 3:2
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,

Being refined is not pleasant. It is not easy, but it is necessary. We are created in the image of God, but we are not perfect. Our will sets us apart from God. No matter what you say or do you are imperfect. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, but imperfect. God knew your imperfections before you were born, and it is his will that they be refined! Like Daniel you must enter the refiner's fire and through faith you will emerge victorious for your Savior!

Cry out to him: "MY GOD, MY GOD, oh what a sinner am I take my life, take my heart, take me Lord, and shape me in your image." Be prepared for what comes next though. For God will shape you in his image!
Isaiah 64: 8
Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

To be shaped and to be molded is painful. Not everyone can walk in the refiner's fire and not get burned. As I sat in church today the message spoke directly to my heart! It filled me with shame for my sinfulness! As I listened to I Quit part II, I realized that I am a horrible complainer! I could see this sin in my life and I could see how it keeps me from God. I felt so ashamed that I had never before realized how my complaints looked to God. You see each day as I pray, I ask the Lord to be Lord over all parts of my life. To open the doors of my heart and explore my secrets. I have cried out, "Jesus my refiner make me in your image."
There is an old adage that says be careful what you wish for. Well I tell you, be careful what you pray for. God heard my prayers and he answered. God said look at your life, look at who you are and what you are doing. Are you really ready? If I form you in my image, I must teach you to recognize your sinfulness. I must teach you to feel as I feel. Immediately I felt it pain, unexplainable sadness, remorse, and a desire to change.
There I stood at the crossroads of two paths. The path I am currently on as a complainer, a sinner, and a flawed person. Another path branches off from the path I am on. It is tangled with brambles, it is dark and unknown, and to get there I had to step into the refiner's fire.

This week take some time to read the book of Exodus look at how the Israelites cry out in complaint and look at what it gets them. What do you complain about? Are you ready to stop complaining?

In the words of Mercy Me:
TAKE MY LIFE……AND FORM IT

TAKE MY MIND……TRANSFORM IT

TAKE MY WILL……CONFORM IT

TO YOURS, TO YOURS, OH LORD