What Needs to Burn Away?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were bound with ropes before they were thrown into the fiery furnace. Yet they were not alone in the fire—Jesus was with them.

When King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he no longer saw three men. He saw four. And when they came out, they weren’t burned. The only thing the fire had consumed were the ropes that had bound them.

Sometimes God doesn’t remove us from the fire. Instead, He meets us in it.

The trials we try so desperately to avoid are often the very place where God breaks the chains that have held us captive. Fear, pride, anger, addiction, unforgiveness, anxiety, shame, bitterness—whatever has us bound cannot always be removed from a distance. Sometimes it must be surrendered in the presence of Christ as we walk through the fire with Him.

The fire wasn’t meant to destroy them; it was meant to set them free.

So ask yourself today:

What binds you that you need to carry into the fire with Jesus, so He can unbind you?

Trust Him. The fire may be hot, but His presence is greater. And when you come out on the other side, you may discover that the only thing you lost were the chains you were never meant to carry.

Scripture: Daniel 3:23–27

— Rev. Carlos Figueroa
TheFreeBible.org