The Narrow Way

It hurts.
Let’s start there.
The fire isn’t gentle.
It burns away what you thought you needed.
It exposes what you tried to hide.
It strips you of every false identity you’ve ever worn.
And you’re left asking,
“God… am I going to make it through this?”

Yes.
Because fire in the hands of God doesn’t destroy.
It refines.

Malachi 3:3 says,
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”

Do you see it?
He sits.
He doesn’t walk away.
He doesn’t leave the furnace.
He stays—watching, tending, waiting for the reflection of His face to rise in the flame.

Because refining is not punishment—it’s preparation.
It’s not God being cruel—it’s God being jealous for the real you.
He knows what’s gold.
He knows what’s eternal.
And He’s burning off everything that keeps you from carrying glory.

So don’t despise the fire.
Don’t curse this season.
You’re not being ruined.
You’re being revealed.

Yes, it’s lonely.
Yes, it’s painful.
But when you walk through this,
you won’t come out bitter—
you’ll come out brilliant.

Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
you may feel the flames—
but not one hair on your head will be singed.
And the only thing that will burn off—
are the ropes that once bound you.

Because God is not trying to take you out.
He’s trying to take you deeper.

He’s pulling you from glory to glory,
from surface to sacred,
from borrowed fire to becoming the flame.

So if the heat is rising—don’t run.
If the pressure is building—don’t quit.
Let Him refine you.
Let Him finish what He started.
And know this:

The fire isn’t the end.
It’s the proving ground for the vessel He’s about to pour through.