Who's the 4th man in the fire? Faith goals: Built, Improve, Perfect...

I learned this some time ago and it stuck with me since. I feel like faith has 3 components to it. 
Built - past & present particles to build
Improve - to make better
Perfected - to make something free of flaws or defect. 
Faith is built, improve, and perfected over time, providing comfort when needed most. So who's the 4th man in the fire?

Title: Who's the 4th man? Faith goals: Built, Improve, Perfect

Episode #13

Key Verse:

1 Peter 1:6-7

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Isaiah 43:2
2 When you pass through the waters,
 I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

Key Passage:
Daniel 3:19-30
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seventimes hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than

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Song: Whip

Chapters

• 7:38 Behind the Scene - The MASS

Transcript

Template Devotional - Whose the 4th man? Faith goals: Built, Improve, Perfect

Title: Faith: Built, Improve, Perfected

Episode #13

Key Verse:

1 Peter 1:6-7

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

Key Passage:

Daniel 3:19-30

Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Devotion write up:

Study of Daniel Day #15 Sept 20

I learned this some time ago and it stuck with me since. I feel like faith has 3 components to it. 

Built - past & present particles to build

Improve - to make better

Perfected - to make something free of flaws or defect. 

Faith is built, improve, and perfected over time, providing comfort when needed most.

Consider the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow to a 90-foot idol. Miraculously, they remained unharmed, and while in the furnace, the king saw that they were accompanied by a fourth figure in the flames. When they emerged unscathed, the king proclaimed their God the God of gods and elevated them to higher positions. But who was The fourth man? Christ. Yet, in times of tragedy, we often wonder why we don't always see such divine intervention or a massive miracle occur like that. Find that passage in Daniel 3:19-30

When faced with the loss of a loved one, like the passing of a family member, we question where God was. But if they are a child of God, the Trinity is always present. Even in suffering, God never abandons us. He endures the fire alongside us, even if it doesn't lead to immediate healing.

I had an aunt I adored growing up. In 2020, she went home to be with the Lord because of cancer. 

Reflecting on my Aunt Eula's passing, I initially questioned why she had to suffer and why she wasn't healed. However, her last week was peaceful as she laid in bed surrounded by much of her loved ones despite covid going on and I realized God was with her through the ordeal. It was painful, but His presence was undeniable. He stood there with her in the fire. 

Let’s go back to the three words I defined earlier. Built, refined and perfected. Aunt Eula’s faith was built over time, her faith continued to improve even through chemotherapy and when she was ready to leave us, her faith in God never wavered. It was perfected. 

I wrote this devotional back on Sept 20 when my daughter had been in the hospital for about 15 days. She was getting over the infection in her lungs, she had an unknown mass on her lungs and a hole in her heart. Doctors thought the mass could be cancer. But let me just say this, our faith was tested but our faith kept building. The prayers from others and my devotions equipped me to grow in my faith and build to a level I never expected. In the end the mass disappeared completely which led to my faith improving even more. And now that my daughter is home and well using my testimony through this podcast is how I will continue to perfect my faith in our Lord. 

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

God stood in the fire with me and my husband, and our faith continued to grow. What about you? In challenging times, does your faith grow or shrink? As a child of God, do you realize that He will be that fourth person in the fire with you? God will stand with you through your trials, always. It's up to you to accept Christ as your Savior, build that foundation, strengthen your testimony, and perfect your faith through the love of the Lord. Perfection.

Amen. Love you all.