The Refiner’s Fire Must Not Fail to Remove the Dross
As in Jeremiah’s day, the Lord has been grieved that many are dressing the wounds of our nation and His people as if they’re not serious, and that many are prophesying “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jer 6:14; 8:11). But the Lord says that the wounds of our Nation and many of His people are incurable apart from wholeheartedly returning to follow Him.
He has turned up The Refiner’s fire, but the dross has not been purged (Jer 6:28-30). This has resulted, in part, due to doctrines of lawlessness (counterfeit grace or “hyper-grace,” as the Lord has referred to it) that have infiltrated His church. Some teach that God no longer sees present, ongoing sin, but only sees us perfect through Christ, no matter how we’re choosing to live. Others are saying that even if He does see our present, ongoing sin, He has no problem with it, since “the sin problem has already been dealt with” – that since Jesus already paid for all sin, repentance is not necessary. Many presume upon His grace, using it as an excuse (license) to sin while relying on His forgiveness (Jude 1:3-4). God’s mercy, grace, and longsuffering in giving people time to repent has been misinterpreted by many to mean that we can continue living willful lifestyles of sin and still be saved as long as we “believe” in Jesus. But this is not God’s definition of having faith in or believing in Jesus (more about this later).
In addition, the dross has not been purged in The Refiner’s fire due to doctrines that have spread which teach that God no longer disciplines His children in any way except through His Word. Some even deny this form of discipline, saying the Holy Spirit doesn’t even convict believers of sin (that He only convicts unbelievers of sin, and only convicts us of our righteousness). Many believe God no longer brings any form of discipline, punishment, or judgment – until the Final Judgment for those who reject Jesus. And some now deny even the Final Judgment (saying all will be saved). God has called out in warning, attempting first (as any good parent) to correct through His Word, saying,
…Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it! Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hear and obey the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen or obey.
So the Lord says,
To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. (Jer 6:16-17 AMP, v.10 NIV).
When God’s attempts to correct through His Word alone have gone unheeded, and He has resorted to discipline in other ways, many of His children still don’t repent because they’ve been taught God is not the One doing these things (due to the misunderstanding that, under the New Covenant, He only disciplines through His Word, if at all).
Therefore, in spite of The Refiner’s fire blazing, the dross has remained. The Lord says that when the dross refuses to be purged, what more can He do but reject the silver? Children who consistently reject His attempts to discipline eventually become illegitimate children, no longer having a legitimate relationship with Him (Is 1; 5:3-5,10-13; 30:9-14; Jer 6:29-30, Heb 12).
We are now at the critical stage where our nation has been set on course for devastation. Our nation has “the Solomon syndrome.” We had such a great beginning ~ covenanted with and dedicated to Him. We were blessed and prospered above all others, and the world sought us. But we “married” many foreign “wives” and allowed their foreign gods to turn us away from Him (I Kings 11). He has also compared us with Israel, saying we have forgotten Him, our miraculous beginning (of being brought out of another nation to follow Him), our covenant with Him, and all He’s done for us, and have turned to serve “idols” (Ps 78). He has given us some very sobering and frightening words about what’s coming as we’ve sought Him wholeheartedly in the past months. As the Lord showed Jesse in a dream last year, the “building” is on fire, yet the people inside are continuing to go on with life and business as usual. Yet, when I ask Him if there’s still time, still hope, He has said, “It’s not too late.”
By His grace and mercy He is still giving us the opportunity to repent and return to Him with our WHOLE HEARTS AND LIVES and see that course altered. He says if He decrees destruction for a nation, and that nation repents, that He reconsiders the things He planned to do (Jer 18). But there is no more time for continuing to go about life and business as usual. The course being altered requires His people being “altar”ed ~ putting our whole lives on the altar to Him. Lukewarm Christianity and compromise with the world must be purged from the church. The church must hear the ALARM He is sounding (Joel 2:1), awaken from its sleep, break free from all that distracts us from His purposes, and come out of all darkness fully into the Light to become the mighty army for the Lord He has called us to be.