Through The Fire by Justin 'Juz' Cooper

This was written by a good friend a fellow writer and I thought I would share it will all of you

I pray its a blessing to someone who reads it, holla back and let me know what you think in the comments section. Enjoy....

Through The Fire
by Justin "Juz" Cooper

I love Chaka Khan's powerhouse vocals which maneuver through her classic hit "Through The Fire." Though the song ultimately is about love and the limit to which one would go to obtain the object of their desire, "Through The Fire" can be interpreted many ways. In most cases fire is a consuming element which destroys most things that simply can't take the heat.

The Bible tells us that we may go through the fire with the hope that we will be able to come out of the furnace as pure as gold. Now that furnace is important because your furnace maybe bills/finances problems, a dead end job, deadlines, or anything that gets you hot under your collar when you give way to thought about them.

Well readers let me let you know about my furnace...it's nearing the middle of summer and no one advised me that a cold front was looming on the horizon in my finances. As you read this just know that I find myself in the furnace like the three Hebrew boys in the Bible (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)...and it seems as if Satan himself is adding chopped wood to fuel the flames that rise up against me.

Now hear this...even when things go awry in your life, remind yourself that God is still and will always be in control. Nothing can happen to you unless God gives it the ok/green light. Think back to the story of Job who lost it all and it was because God allowed Satan to do what he does best...cause all hell to break loose. Despite losing it all Job remained steadfast in his faith that God knew best despite of what it looked like, the discomfort, or what others thought or said.

When I look at my situation currently...I could cry, "Woe is me, why did this have to happen to me?!" Yeah, yeah, yeah let me save those tears and thank God instead for his mercy and beyond merited favor. Analytically speaking and using my perfect hindsight I could have done a few things differently. Yes it is factual that I pay my tithes and offering "religiously"...WAIT...That's it!!! As I stand in this furnace with flames flickering all around me...God is showing me, teaching me, and most importantly correcting me.

Though I am meticulous by nature, I plan out everything down to the "T", I use my intellectual prowess, and critical thinking skills to accomplish many things...yet with all of that, God is reminding me, "Have you trusted me wholeheartedly?" Isn't my face cracked and on the floor?! Throughout all of my "religious" doing and using intellectual prowess...not of that can get me through what I face...what an epiphany!

When we are revealed the very things that have brought about the complacency in our lives (on a spiritual, emotional, and physical level) it is up to us to take action to get them right. I have learned that to go to the next level in your spiritual life, career, relationship, or wherever you want to go...it will involve a little pain and sacrifice to get us to that next plateau of success.

So as I stand in this furnace...at times it gets hot as hell, but Jesus is with me...like the three Hebrew boys and I will not be consumed. I know that I am victorious and the Lord knows how much we can bare...and like a weight lifter God has to increase the weights to allow us to grow muscle in Him. Be encouraged to know that you can make it through any furnace that may come your way and come out better than you did before you went in.

© JUSTIN (JUZ) COOPER
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(Justin "Juz" Cooper, is a junior at Benedict College completing his undergraduate studies in Mass Communication, Promotions Assistant/Intern at UPN47-TV WZRB-Columbia,SC, Award winning ASCAP songwriter, and renowned journalist)