by Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
Sitting around a campfire is one of the great and relaxing things that take place on camping trips. It is also great in the many back yard fire pits that people have in their yards.
It is relaxing to just stare into flames while you talk to your family and friends. It is fun to poke the fire and watch the sparks fly up into the night sky. To see the coals glowing red as the fire is about to die down and then throwing another log or two on the fire and watching those same coals light the new log on fire and soon more flames are dancing and flickering in the night.
One challenge of fires however is the smoke.
Sometimes it seems that no matter where you sit around a fire that sooner or later the smoke is coming right into your face. You scurry around to sit in another place and then the smoke is coming into your face again.
When you finally go into your home your clothes, blankets and even your lawn chairs have the distinct smell of smoke on them. It is inescapable fact when you are around fire.
One of the great stories of the Bible is found in Daniel 3 where three Hebrews refused to bow down to an idol made by the king.
When called before the king to get a second chance to bow down they said simply we don’t need a second chance. We are going to follow God, they boldly said. He can rescue us from the flames and if He doesn’t, we will still serve Him.
The king of course didn’t like that answer so the fire was made seven times hotter before they threw them into the fire. To make sure they had plenty of fuel for the fire, the Bible said that they put on extra clothing on each one before they threw them into the fire.
So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
You know the story. They fell down in the fire and the next thing the Bible says is that they were walking around free from their bindings and having a conversation with God in the fire.
And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the kings’ counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected and the smell of the fie was not on them.
Did you catch that? They had put extra clothes on them to make sure they would burn up. Instead, neither the fire nor the smoke had affected them in any way. They were fireproof. They had just encountered an incredibly terrifying ordeal and it had no effect.
I submit to you that even if they had burned up with all their clothes on they would have still be fireproof. How so you ask?
Let’s look at Daniel 3: 17,18
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.
You see they were spiritually fireproof.
Just like most, they didn’t want to die. However, they certainly didn’t want to serve anyone other than the God of heaven and earth.
Yes, God delivered them from the physical flames. But it started because they had complete faith in God in every aspect of their lives and were going to serve Him even till death if needed.
That type of faith is what leads to being fireproof from whatever spiritual battle the devil may throw at you. Even when bad things do happen to Christians, we can still be fireproof spiritually knowing that in the end we will be with God and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and He will dwell with us (Revelation 21).
Keep putting your faith in God.
The fire and the smoke will not cling to you as you walk with God through the good times and the tough times.