14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

16So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Posted: 07/15/2014 at 12:03pm | IP Logged

I believe this is a very timely and needed word of encouragement by
Shelley Mathis to the Body of Christ in this season of transitioning and
transformation.
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In a dream, I found myself standing on the bank of a river of fire. A
pathway of stepping stones floated across the surface of the fiery
waves. The stones were precious stones of various types and colors. I
knew that I was to journey across through the river by walking on those
stones.

Then, I heard the Lord’s voice behind me saying, “This river of fire
represents the various trials I have sent to test your faith. I find it
needful to purify your faith from doubt and fear and to strengthen it
through exercise. The precious stones represent the revelations that I
will bring to you as you purpose to shed the unbelief and false concepts
of Me. As the unbelief is consumed by the fire, the revelations of truth
will lead you through the trials in victory. Through the process, you will
come to know Me as never before; you will possess a purified and
genuine faith; and you will rejoice in the good brought about by the river
of fire.”

We do not have to go out looking for our river of fire; it comes to us
according to God’s perfect design and is exactly what we need. (Ouch!
that truth hurts.) We never want our faith challenged, but the Lord
knows that it is needful for its purification and strengthening. The only
way for it to be a strong, personal possession is for it to be tested and
trained through exercise.

1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you
have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your
faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is
tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation
of Jesus Christ…

Our flesh reaction to the various trials tends to be discouragement,
offense, anger, victimization, self-pity, fear, etc. If we allow our flesh to
rule, we will miss out on the Lord's perspective and purpose in the fiery
circumstances. The war between our flesh and our spirit is the critical
junction that determines our victory or defeat.

Is your confidence wavering in the face of threatening circumstances?
Dare to journey through your river of fire. Ascend into the spirit to see
that the Lord is neither against you, nor punishing you, but rather
forging in you a valuable faith in Him that is more precious than gold.
Purpose to trust wholeheartedly and adventure with Jesus through the
fire. Be bold and courageous!

Part 2: Stepping Stones

After the dream, I earnestly sought the Lord for further revelation about
the river of fire. He answered in a vision:

I found myself standing on the bank of the river of fire, and I heard Him
say, “The revelation you need for victory in the fire will be revealed
when you step out on the first precious stone.”

Apprehension gripped me as I studied the floating stones. The stone
before me looked barely large enough for my two feet and appeared
completely unstable. Right then the light of the fire exposed nasty black
ropes entangled about my body. These doubts, fears, and unbelief
were pinning me to the bank. Would I stay bound or venture forth? I
chose to take a leap of faith and stretched out my foot to step onto the
stone. The ropes tore away from the bank, although they continued to
drape heavily over my shoulders. As soon as my feet were side by side
and my full weight was on the stone, it transformed into a pillar that
reached to the bottom of the river and held me securely above the
burning flames.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

The river of fire exposes our unbelief, doubts, and fears – which are the
very things that dirty our faith and hinder it from working. Unbelief
elevates our carnal understanding above the Lord's Word. Doubt is a
distrust of His character and nature revealed in His Word. Fear is sin
that separates us from the Lord. If we stubbornly refuse to address
these sins, they will hold us in a vise of bondage that prevents the
glorious work of liberty wrought in the fires.

God is looking for a people of faith who will no longer just profess His
Word. He desires that we step out with our “full weight” and make the
required transaction to commit our hearts into the vise of absolute faith,
and thus allow the revelation of truth to become a sure foundation.

Isaiah 28:16
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for
a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
whoever believes will not act hastily.

In the dream, He had said, “The precious stones represent the
revelations that I will bring to you as you purpose to shed the unbelief
and false concepts of Me.”

The stone we step out on is the truth of what God's Word says about
Who He is, who we are in Him, and of our situation. The first step to
getting free and journeying through is to determine to take that leap of
faith to embrace His Word as absolutely true for us personally. Will we
be loyal to Him and step out on what defies our natural understanding?

When we take that leap of faith, we will find His Word no longer seems
like an unstable stepping stone, but a strong and stabilized pillar that is
solid and worthy of our trust. The bands of unbelief will be severed, but
there is more work to be done to attain complete liberty and victory.

Part 3: Ocean Breakers of Fire

In the next vision, I saw the waves of fire growing from gentle river
ripples to violent ocean breakers that absolutely engulfed me as I stood
on the pillar of stone. As I continued to stand fast to the stone, the
flames consumed the ropes of fear, doubt and unbelief – but, I was
completely unharmed!

When we make the commitment to rely on God, the fire tends to
become seven times hotter and the devil sees to it that our
circumstances contradict everything we are standing upon and
believing in. The conflict provides the opportunity for the revelation to
become a personal possession and an integral part of our being. It also
allows the Lord to prove the absolute validity of His revelation and forge
an unshakeable faithfulness in our hearts.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which
is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will
become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by
fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If
anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a
reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself
will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Jacob found himself in a river of fire; his parents sent him away from
his homeland to to escape the murderous wrath of his brother to find a
wife in a strange land. As he journeyed alone, the Lord revealed
Himself to Jacob in a dream. He imparted a personal revelation of who
He was, His purpose for Jacob, and His promise to be with him and
bring him through. (Genesis 28:10-22)

This so impacted Jacob that he commemorated the revelation with a
pillar of stone in the natural. He determined to step out on that floating
stepping stone and vowed to make the Lord his God if the Lord kept
His promise (which He did!). In the spirit, this revelation became a
strong and precious foundation that carried him through the trials that
lay ahead... and there were indeed trials ahead that tested his faith in
God and His promises.

The Lord has an amazing revelation of Himself for you that will prove to
be a foundation that secures and supports you through the fiery trials.
When the waves of fire threaten to engulf you and your faith begins to
waver, stand your ground and determine to believe no matter what
false evidence the enemy magnifies. You will not be harmed, and the
only loss you will suffer is the removal of the bonds of unbelief, fear,
and doubt. Persevere until liberty is realized.

Part 4: Behold Jesus in the Fire

In the next vision, I was standing on the pillar of stone looking for Jesus
in the raging breakers of fire. I finally gazed down at the pillar of stone
and realized with relief and delight that it was Him! His right hand held
my feet high and His left hand pointed the way to the next floating
stepping stone that I was to step out on in the river of fire.

I obeyed and continued on. This process of understanding His
revelation, stepping out on it in faith, realizing its validity, and knowing
Him in a greater way repeated over and over again as I journeyed
through the river of fire – from stone to stone, from revelation to
revelation, from liberty to liberty, from glory to glory.

In the dream, He had said, “As the unbelief is consumed by the fire, the
revelations of truth will lead you through the trials in victory. Through
the process, you will come to know Me as never before...”

Every true and pure revelation is simply Jesus Himself, the precious
stone, the sure foundation. The revelation of Jesus – of His character
and His work of redemption – becomes the pillar of stone which
upholds us in the fire. He Himself is our firm foundation. He upholds us
by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) and brings the direction we
need to journey through the fire in a sure and safe way.

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you
shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

I cannot help but think of the three Hebrew young men in the fiery
furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. They chose to run to the flame rather than
abandon their faith; they chose to have their faith tested and purified
and proven genuine rather than save their flesh out of fear of loss of
life.

And Whom did they meet in the fire? Jesus! They would not have
received that revelation of Him if they had yielded to fear and
cowardice. And Jesus not only revealed Himself, but proved their faith
genuine and gave them the end of their faith - salvation, deliverance,
life, victory. Their faith was not put to shame, but rather their faith
praised God, honored God, and glorified Him in the fire.

What a great God we serve! It may seem like the enemy is in control of
our fiery trial, but he is not. God is! The Lord knows exactly what we
need to go through that will reveal Himself to us that is not possible in
any other way. “If need be...” We need to know Him! We need to know
what is lacking in our faith. We need to see where our faith is strong.
Weneed these fiery trials!

Courageously endure the testing and proving of your faith. You will
discover with joy that He is not only with you, but He is fashioning in
you a precious faith that brings Him glory. Above all, He is with you, and
you are seeing Him and knowing Him in a way that cannot be attained
in any other way. Trust absolutely that He will bring you through, that
this too shall pass, and He will attain the victory in you.

2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and
through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Part 5: The Glorious Temple

The final vision was a bit overwhelming and is difficult to describe, but I
will do my best to paint a picture with my words.

I saw Lord's people rising above the ocean breakers of flame
simultaneously as a mighty host. They were ascending in victory over
the river of fire. As I beheld them, a golden hue emanated from each
one. I knew it was the glory of a tried and purified faith.

The ascension continued and I saw the pillars of stone (the revelations
of Jesus) that held each person aloft; His revelation had proven to be
true and enabled them to overcome.

The ascension finished with a massive stone rising above the flames.
The feet of the stone pillars of Jesus were one with this stone. It served
as the strong foundation connecting all of the stone pillars (and the
people standing upon them) together as one body. The giant rock was
the Stone Foundation, Jesus Christ. I realized that this was the Stone
Kingdom, as revealed to Daniel.

This glorious host was perfectly one with Jesus; He was united to each
one personally while also uniting them together as one body in Him.
The river of fire had transformed the people to look just like Jesus; they
were the precious, living stones of His temple (2 Corinthians 3:18).

From heaven descended a capstone of glory, and it came to rest on the
pillars. From this new spiritual height, each person began to operate in
what I knew to be their Kingdom position, their gifting, their anointing,
and their calling - in a purity and oneness with Jesus as never before
seen on this earth in a corporate people. The seven colors of pure, holy
light radiated from them like the stars.

When the hordes of Satan’s army rose up to assault them, the light and
glory of God manifested through His people as fiery swords in their
mouths and lightning rods from their right hands. They overcame… and
GOD’S GLORY FILLED HIS TEMPLE!

Revelation 3:12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,
and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God
and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes
down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new
name.

This is not only a vision of who we will be at the end of the age, but of
who we are to be in the spirit NOW.

The river of fire is the catalyst that elevates us in the spirit realm by
pressing us to examine the Object of our faith, the quality of our faith,
and the operation of our faith. Our faith can then be cleansed from
unbelief, strengthened through exercise, and counted as righteousness
(Romans 4:19-22). Our righteousness empowers boldness, authority,
and victory.

Yielding to this process positions us to be equipped by His Spirit to fulfill
our callings and defeat Satan's onslaughts against us. The Lord is
indeed building His house and establishing His government through His
people.

It is not by our might, nor by our power, but by the Spirit of the Lord,
when we yield wholeheartedly.

Zechariah 6:12b-13
...and He shall build the temple of the LORD; 13 Yes, He shall build the
temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on
His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of
peace shall be between them both.”’

CONCLUSION
1 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 we do not look at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal.

The weight of God’s glory that is beyond the river of fire will cause us to
treasure what He is now forging in our hearts as we journey through.
Trouble? What trouble? Let us dare to believe, dare to venture out in
faith that He is there to work in us that which is pleasing to Him – a
pure, tested, and tried faith that glorifies Him and delights His heart.

River of Fire
by Shelly Mathis
This article expounds a dream and a series of visions the Lord gave me
that reveal our journey through the rivers of fires we face in life.
Although we are born to trouble as the sparks fly upward, we can
choose to journey as victors and allow the fiery trials to purify and prove
our faith, so we may boldly say, “But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

http://ft111.com/riveroffire.html

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