JUNE THEME – SET Free To LIVE Free – Embracing Liberty Through Christ
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
“What You Carry in the Fire”
“When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” — Isaiah 43:2b,
Fire is inevitable in the life of a believer. It may come through affliction, betrayal, delay, disappointment, or suffering that defies explanation. But hear this—fire is not your enemy. It is God’s chosen tool for purifying what cannot enter the next season of your life. Fire refines what cannot be destroyed and consumes what never belonged.
You don’t get to choose whether you’ll walk through fire—but you do choose what you carry into it. Some carry pride, and it melts. Some carry resentment, and it ignites. But those who carry faith emerge forged, not finished—polished, not perished.
The fire doesn’t create your faith—it reveals it. What trials uncover is what was already there. The muscles of trust are not built in ease but in heat. In the fire, your performance fades and your posture is revealed. God is not cruel for allowing the flames. He’s kind enough not to let you carry spiritual impurities any further.
The three Hebrew boys—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—didn’t just pass through a fiery furnace; they passed through a furnace with a Person. They went in bound, but they came out loosed. What they carried in—unshakable faith—was the only thing not consumed. They didn’t go in with a plan B. Their hearts declared, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us… but if not, we will not bow” (Daniel 3:17–18). That’s not lukewarm belief. That’s covenant loyalty.
You see, the fire didn’t destroy them. It only burned off the ropes. That’s what trials do—they burn away the lies, the fears, the idols, and the things we trusted in more than God. The fire isn’t punishment; it’s freedom. It peels away the false so that only the faithful remain.
The question is not, “Will the fire come?” The question is, “What will you carry into it?” Carry bitterness, and you’ll come out broken. Carry entitlement, and you’ll come out empty. But carry trust, and you’ll come out transformed.
There is always another in the fire. Jesus never promised us a detour around the furnace, but He did promise His presence in the middle of it. He stands with us, not just beside us. If the flames are rising in your life, it may not be judgment—it may be preparation. Ask Him what He’s burning away. Ask Him what He’s purifying. And ask Him to help you hold on to what cannot be shaken.
God’s fire doesn’t consume His children—it refines them. It doesn’t steal identity—it restores it. It doesn’t erase—it engraves. What you carry in the fire determines what you carry out of it. And sometimes, the greatest gift the fire gives you is the loss of something you were never meant to carry again.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a blazing furnace for refusing to bow to the king’s idol. The fire burned so hot it killed the men who threw them in—but it did not consume them. Only the ropes that bound them were burned (Daniel 3:25–27). They didn’t even smell like smoke when they walked out. What they carried in was trust in God. What they carried out was freedom and testimony.
A goldsmith places metal into intense heat to draw out the impurities. He doesn’t walk away. He watches closely. The gold is ready only when he can see his reflection in it. Likewise, God watches over you in the heat—not to destroy, but to transform. He will not stop refining you until His image is clearly seen in you.
Prayer: Lord, I confess—I don’t enjoy the fire. But I trust Your purpose in it. Burn away everything that keeps me bound. Strip away every fear, every idol, and every lie I’ve believed. Teach me to carry faith and not flesh into every trial. Let the heat make me holy, not bitter. Let the flame refine me, not define me. You are the Fourth Man in my fire, and I will not fear as long as You are with me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Challenge: Take a journal and write down these two things:
- Three things you believe God is trying to burn away in your life right now.
(Examples: control, fear of man, anger, insecurity, addiction, approval addiction, pride, distraction.) - One trait you believe He is trying to produce in you through this fire.
(Examples: patience, humility, courage, purity, trust, endurance, joy.)
Spend 10 minutes in quiet prayer, asking:
“Lord, what have I been carrying into this trial that You are calling me to lay down?”
TUESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Sarah Parker
Ann Stanley
Doug Stephens
Mary Williams – Rehab
Paula Ferus
Sadie Almand & Unborn Baby
Scotty Nix
Lynn Garner’s Daughter
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shellnutts
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shellnutts
Jill Haines
Angela Bryan’s Sister
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
James Garner
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kathryn Raines
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Marynell Ford
Mike, Gwen, Michael Rice Family – Friends of Blount’s – Car Accident
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Pastor Driskell
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Roy Loyd
Scarlett – Marynell’s Granddaughter
Scott Lanier
Steve Michaels
Theresa Bain’s Granddaughter
Tom Witcher