The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
The sanctified life is one of continual refinement until all that remains is pure silver and gold.
The purpose of refining silver and gold is to remove impurities. Through the refining process all of the impurities in the ore are removed and pure gold and silver is extracted and molded.
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3.
Fire is a way to test gold, and when all the impurities are burned away, what is left is 24 karat gold. Pure gold is virtually indestructible. It will not corrode, rust, or tarnish, and fire cannot destroy it. Real gold doesn’t burn or get darker when heat is applied.
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord (Adonai), whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3.
There is so much here. In this passage from the prophet Malachi, I first speak of John the Baptist who cleared the way for My Son to appear, and then I tell you that it was Adonai (this is the Hebrew word that is being used when you see the word “Lord” in lower case letters and it can be used to address God or man as one in authority) that came to the temple as the messenger of the covenant, the New Covenant, and that I delight in Him. I am well pleased in My Son. And I tell you that He will purify and refine My priesthood like silver and gold so they may present offerings in righteousness. He has released you from your sins by His blood and made you into a kingdom, priests unto Me offering spiritual sacrifice. And He has cleansed you by washing you in the water of the Word. He told the disciples they were cleansed and purged by the Word He had spoken to them and He asked Me to sanctify all those who would believe in Me from their words in the truth, My Word is truth.
I test hearts. How do I test them? I liken it to refining and testing silver and gold. Let Jesus tell you, for now I speak through My Son.
He who rejects Me and does not receive My Words, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” John 12:48-50.
My Son only spoke My Words because He knew that in My Words is eternal life. So how do you remove the impurities in your life? Just as the gold has to be extracted from the ore in which it is mined by refining, so you must purify your heart so that the words that are extracted from your heart’s abundance are as pure gold. You want to pull out the eternal from the godless chatter and impurities of speech.
You will find that answer was there for you all the time in My Words to Jeremiah, who was called to be My prophet to the nations.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you—Before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them. Jeremiah 15:19.
Jesus told you that by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will condemned, that you will be accountable for every idle (worthless) word you speak. He is talking about judgment on the Last Day.
Never say words are not important and that words do not matter. Never say that words will never hurt you. They are what determines whether you will receive a reward, whether your life comes out pure gold or wood, hay, and stubble. It has to do with your eternal reward.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.
Read that passage carefully for it applies to the final test of your life. I tell you that the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work, i.e., whether it is gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw.
Of what fire am I speaking? The consuming fire of love.
For love is as strong as death, its ardor is as inflexible as Sheol; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Song of Songs 8:6.
I am a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29. And Jesus came to cast that fire on a cold and dark earth shrouded in sin and death. Just as when Elijah called down My fire from Heaven and it enkindled every cold and stony heart who had come to test Me so they cried out, “The LORD is God!” choosing Me as the one true God over their idol Baal.
The fire of My love consumes everything in your life that is not love if you will open your hearts to be cleansed. But what is that fire? I am love, I am light, and I am My Word.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1.
Just as Jesus told you, it is by My Word, whether your life lines up with My Word that is your judge on the Last Day. You are cleansed by My Word as by refining fire that removes the precious from the file.
But it is not just on the Last Day that My Word will test your heart. It is before promotion and kingdom assignments can be entrusted to you that My Word will test you as well to extract the precious from the vile and sanctify your life. That is how you become a vessel of honor for excellent works.
He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, he himself was laid in irons; until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. Psalm 105:17-19.
My Word tested Joseph and he proved to be pure gold in all his actions whether slave or prisoner or free man. And the result? He could be entrusted with promotion.
The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples, and set him free. He made him lord of his house and ruler over all his possessions. Psalm 105:20-21.
I made you to rule all the works of My hands and crowned you with glory and honor, but Adam rejected My Word and lost his glory and dominion authority to the devil but Jesus bought it back for you.
My Word looks for pure love in your heart and pure love results in humility.
Humility comes before honors.
The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.
And what is “fear of the LORD?” I define that for you:
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. Proverbs 8:13.
I also define the “fear of the LORD” as desiring to please Me rather than giving in to the world. A good example of this is My prophet, Daniel. His relationship with Me was the treasure of his heart and he would rather get thrown in a lion’s den than stop praying to Me. He had no fear of what man could do to him; his only fear was being separated from Me.
I send My Word to heal you and deliver you, as I did with the lions in that lion’s den, but I also send My Word to test you to help you to extract the precious from the vile so that I can promote you and partner with you in bringing the Kingdom to earth and souls to salvation.
But I have already given you all the answers to every test, for My Word tests you but it is also My Word also contains the answer that will deliver you and promote you. I do all in love for that is who I am and I want each of you to receive the full reward I have planned for you from before the world began. 2 John 1:8. I reward those who seek Me. Psalm 34:4, 10; Hebrews 11:6.
I love you. First seek My Kingdom (get under My jurisdiction) and My righteousness (not your own, but My gift of My own righteousness to you in Christ Jesus) and everything will be added to you. Everything.