Apostle Paul – Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions

The Refining Fiery Process of Spiritual Growth and Maturity

“You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.” (Psalm 66:10, NLT).

“The Refining Process of Silver: Heating in a Crucible: Impure silver is placed in a heat-resistant container called a crucible along with a flux, such as borax.”

“The Refiner’s Watch: The artisan must closely monitor the fire and keep watch over the molten silver the entire time, removing it right when the surface becomes completely clear and reflective.”

“Characters that have not endured fiery trials are not spiritually reliable.”

Jesus accepts us just like we are, but we cannot stay that way. Sanctification is a lifetime process that requires us to renounce sin; live a sacrificial life of self-denial, and make the daily commitment to use our faith to obey and follow Jesus on the Narrow Path of Righteousness.

Today, I reflected deeply on how easy it is for us, even as Christians, to say that we love God, but every day, we disobey our Heavenly Father.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

In John 14:1-3, Jesus tells us that He has future plans for us; and how many of us wake up everyday with an agenda already in our minds, without ever inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us?

God is extremely Loving; He gave His Only Son, Jesus to save us from the penalty of sin. Too many of us are guilty of pursuing our desires instead of pursuing Jesus.

Because God loves us, He will allow trials to come into our lives; God’s desire is that we will respond with surrender and obedience.

Romans 8:18 states: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

“Current Pain: The Apostle Paul acknowledges that life involves real hardship, pain, and trials.

Future Hope: He teaches that the future joy and glory given by God are much greater than any current struggle.

Perspective: This verse helps people look past today’s hard times and trust in a better future.”

God has done all that is possible to empower us in our spiritual journey. “You shall have no other gods before me” is His command.

We cannot serve God with a divided heart; there is no middle ground, either we are all in through surrender and obedience, or we are completely out as demonstrated by following our thoughts, plans, and strategies.

God’s Attempt To Redirect Us Back To Jesus Christ

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12, NIV).

Being in the spiritual fire doesn’t feel good, but the Apostle Peter tells us that every believer who has accepted Christ as their Savior will suffer.

“I will never leave you or forsake you.” Jesus promised to empower us with His strength to keep moving forward. Our responsibility is to live a life of worship; praying, studying the Bible, meditating on God’s Promises, and obeying His directives and plans for our lives.

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29).

Desire Heaven? The character traits that we must possess and develop are steadfast faith, love, loyalty, and the willingness to surrender and obey God.

Reflection: Evaluate your heart, if the grievous weed of pride is present, it is demonstrated by a spirit and lifestyle of self-reliance.

A prideful heart resulted in the highest archangel Lucifer losing all of his senses; in Isaiah Chapter 14, Lucifer challenged God’s Sovereign Authority:

“For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Pride sits on the throne of the human heart, making us unresponsive to Jesus’ Love. The invasive root of pride controls the human mind, and like unbelievers, we will never bow to God’s Sovereign Authority.

Every day, pray for the Holy Spirit to give you stronger faith. It is humility that invites the Holy Spirit to redirect our focus, giving us the insight to perceive life through spiritual eyes, which strengthens our faith.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, ESV).

And praying for God to reveal His perfect will, is the only way we can be sanctified by the Holy Spirit and covered with the Righteousness of Christ.

We must be tried by temptations in order to learn to depend totally on Christ. Develop the habits of praying for spiritual wisdom and walking through life on bended knees.

From day to day, we have no idea the vicissitudes of life that will come rushing in like an earthquake.

If we stay connected to Christ in the peaceful times, our faith will push us to pray, and we will anchor ourselves to Jesus, our Rock and Stronghold in times of trouble.

Even spiritually mature believers, who use their faith to always trust and obey Christ must endure the tests, trials, hardships, and adversities designed to remove the impurities in our hearts and minds.

We can only be successful in resisting our hearts desires and Satan’s temptations from continuously seeking and praying for God’s Divine Help and the Oil of Grace [The Holy Spirit] to be poured on us.

Our Daily Prayer: Lord, I surrender to You and I want You to be the King on the throne of my heart, and I ask You to, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10). In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.

“Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25).

Only the blood of Jesus can completely cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and through the Holy Spirit, He gives us the supernatural strength to persevere in this tough spiritual journey of life.

“Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” (Romans 8:34, NLT).

We have King Jesus functioning as our Heavenly High Priest and Intercessor receiving every prayer. All of Heaven including the messenger angels are dedicated to preparing us for living a Forever Righteous Life with the Holy Triune God.

When having personal worship, ask Jesus to pray for you, and He will empower you with the peace, wisdom, and strength to endure and persevere through hardships that words are inadequate to describe.

Jesus told Peter that He was praying for him because Satan was trying to sift him like wheat, hoping that Peter would walk away from Jesus like Judas did.

We know that Peter denied Christ three times, yet he repented, and Jesus fully restored him. During the day of Pentecost, it was the apostle Peter, who the Holy Spirit anointed to preach to the multitude, and over 3,000 people accepted Jesus as their Savior and were baptized.

Following Jesus requires a life filled with challenges, yet Jesus never crushes us. It would be pointless for our trials to produce a State of Mind overflowing with hopelessness and despair; still, we must remain steadfast and follow Jesus with faithful obedience, conviction, and courage.

Like silver that is purified in the fire, we will receive the strength to endure the sufferings that are designed to get rid of the impure thoughts, habits, and carnal behaviors that we inherited.

Jesus tells us it is impossible for us to change ourselves. Through self-denial, we invite the Holy Spirit to empower us to let go of the world’s declining morals, values, and the relationships with sinful people, and their “filthy” practices.

Instead of feeling sad, helpless, or that God is punishing you, “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you a partner with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).

Lord God, for Your abundant Love, Grace, and countless Mercies, we bow to Your Sovereign Authority. We thank You for the Cross. We owe You our lives for fulfilling the Plan of Redemption. Jesus, we thank You for paying the price of Your life to save our souls. Thank You for allowing us to suffer the fiery trials and hardships designed to change us. Lord, we know that we will appreciate Your correction on the day when You come again to receive the faithful and obedient righteous to take us to our Forever Home in the New Heaven and New Earth. Thank You Jesus, we love You, and ask this prayer in faith, and in Your Loving and Righteous Name, Amen.

Praying For Others Also Blesses Us

“Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].” (Galatians 6:2, Amplified Bible).

This morning I watched a video short of a sermon regarding believers who are discouraged and overwhelmed from life’s neverending challenges.

The pastor asked several questions and I responded, Yes, to all of the questions. But as I meditated on my current life, I could not identify the reason for my fluctuating emotions.

“He reveals deep and hidden things…” (Daniel 2:22). I prayed for an answer and within a couple of minutes, I had my answer.

From having daily worship, I recognize how the Holy Spirit usually speaks to me, through my thoughts. Jesus always meets us where we are in our spiritual walk with Him by giving us answers that we can understand.

I was reminded of a young man on Instagram who has been blessed with a powerful spiritual gift of Prayer. Yes, if you hear his genuine prayers of love, praise, and appreciation for God, it makes you question your love and loyalty to God.

But after praising God for His goodness, the Prayer Warrior changes his focus from God to himself; the rest of his prayers are always self-directed; Not once in his countless reels does he pray for his family and friends, or other believers.

The Holy Spirit revealed to me that my prayers are also Me-Focused. As I reflected on the content of my prayers, I realized 95% of my prayers are about me.

Although I pray for my family and other believers, my words are too generic. For example, “Lord, I ask you to bless my family and the global family of believers with Your peace, and keep them safe.”

Reflection: Is it possible that you are also praying “Me-focused” prayers?

We face a daily battle against the desires of our innately selfish hearts. And we live in an atmosphere that is overwhelmed by worldviews always promoting self-gratification.

Our prayers reflect the true condition of our hearts. If we are praying for material possessions, the acquisition of wealth, or relationships, although our prayers are genuine, we are not praying according to God’s Will.

Jesus told us to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT).

Our spiritual needs are a priority: We should ask for a pure heart, a closer relationship with Christ, and for our character to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22-24].

My favorite Christian writer states:

“Praying only for oneself leads to spiritual stagnation and misses the purpose of prayer, which is to bring us into harmony with God, not just to change circumstances. True prayer should include intercession for others; when we pray only for ourselves, we are likely to…find our prayers unanswered.”

The Apostle Paul gives us examples of how we should pray Intercessory Prayers for other believers: Colossians 1:9-12, NIV:

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…”

“bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” [Amen].

The apostle Paul’s prayer is a spiritual template, which teaches us how to pray with genuine concern, addressing the specific needs of other believers. When we accept Christ, we become part of the Family of God.

Religious Liberty Is one of our greatest blessings that many believers do not have.

“According to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, over 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination in the top 50 countries alone.”

“Most Dangerous Nations (2026): Top countries include North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Nigeria, and Pakistan.” Open Doors 2026 World Watch List

“When God’s people are struck down, attacked and even killed…what responsibility do we have as their brothers and sisters?” Open Doors 2026 World Watch List

Yes, we have the freedom to ask God to supply our needs, yet, we are to esteem others above ourselves, especially those who are suffering for Christ.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV): “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

To remain anchored in our relationship with Jesus Christ, our hearts must overflow with Jesus’ Love and Compassion, especially for our brothers and sisters in the Family of God.

Praying for others touches God’s heart. It is the Holy Spirit who gives comfort and courage to those who are suffering. Every day, we should pray asking for all believers to be strengthened by the power of Jesus Christ.

To remain courageous when you are being persecuted requires a level of faith that many of us know nothing about.

According to statistics there are approximately 2.6 billion Christians, can you imagine if all of us started praying for the power of God to intervene for our persecuted brothers and sisters?

In Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost proves the prayers of the righteous moves God to act and perform miracles that we cannot imagine.

Certainly, we should also pray for unbelievers, our country’s leaders, those who are oppressed, unhoused, impoverished, and even Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies.

What can we expect from praying for others?

“Consistent Intercessory Prayer: Strengthens Our Own Faith; Encourages Perseverance; Cultivates Empathy; and Strengthens Our Own Faith:”

“Intercessory prayer connects humanity to God’s throne, aligns us with Christ’s work of Intercession, and ensures our own hearts become more fervent, earnest, and aligned with Divine Grace.”

Our willingness to intercede for others invites Christ to empower us with His Righteous attributes of unconditional love, humility, and compassion.

Praying for others also enables us to develop kindness and the willingness to extend mercy to others even when they are wrong.

Who would think that praying Intercessory prayers would have such a profound impact on our spiritual awareness, growth, and transformation?

In John Chapter 17, Jesus Prayed for All Future Believers: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see my glory that you have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

“O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that you have sent Me. I made known to them Your Name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:20-21, 24-26, ESV). [Amen].

Lord God, we thank You for teaching us that our love and prayers must extend beyond our family and friends. We ask forgiveness for praying too many self-directed prayers. Lord, help us to see others through spiritual eyes. We pray for our unbelieving family and friends that they will accept your free gift of Salvation. We know that we are living in the Last Days and many Christians are suffering persecution and losing their lives because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Lord, in faith, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen our brothers and sisters, who are boldly proclaiming their love for You, despite the outcome. At this time, we intercede for all of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, praying for their hearts to be filled with love and compassion for one another. In Ezekiel 36, you promised to change our stony hearts into hearts of flesh filled with Your Agape Love. God, we ask You to give us pure hearts filled with faith, abundant love, and compassion. In faith and with humility, we ask and thank You for answering our Intercessory prayer that we ask in Jesus’ Loving and Righteous Name, Amen.