Fast Facts on False Teachings – Ron Carlson & Ed Decker

  Sometimes God is like the blacksmith who takes a rusty, bent-up, twisted piece of metal out of the junkyard. He lays it on the hot coals and begins to heat it up. Then he takes it off the fire, lays it on the anvil, and beats it into a truly useful implement. After that he thrusts it into cold water. When he takes it out of the water it is no longer a rusty, bent-up, twisted piece of metal but a strong, tempered horseshoe, usable for an important purpose.
    If you are seeking to grow as a Christian, life is not all health, wealth, and prosperity. Sometimes God wants to conform you to His image. And sometimes that means putting you in the fire, laying you on the anvil and putting you into the cold water. You may not understand why, but when you don't understand, trust in the Lord with all your heart.
    "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3: 5,6).
    "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4). (p. 208).