When we pound a nail we so often think of the sound the hammer makes, bang bang bang.  We never think about what the nail would feel if it could.  A sharp impact and the pressure of hammer upon it, driving it into another object.  The force it feels at it cuts a hole in the object it is being held against.  The repeating pounding to keep the pressure going.  Then finally, quiet, as it rests completely in the object it was pounded into.

We are that nail, and sometimes we feel that pressure.  That pressure may come from the things we are experiencing, or it may be coming from God’s hammer.  As God molds us He sometimes finds it necessary to pound His hammer on us so we can feel the force of the impact.  He does this so that we will eventually rest in the place He desires for us to be.  Like the nail feels the repeated pressure of the hammer until it rests where the hammer holder stops pounding, we can feel the pressure of God’s hammer until He stops pounding because we have reached the point He intended us to.

Sometimes a nail does not respond to the hammer holder the way he intended it to.  A nail will sometimes slip off the object, it will sometimes bend to one side after it is partly pounded in.  If we do those things when God is trying to mold us the molding takes longer because He must first straighten our course.  We will feel the pressure of the hammer as it corrects our course and starts pounding on us again.

God intends for us to come to a place of rest where we are finally molded into the likeness of Christ.  That happens when we are with Him for eternity.  While we wait for that day we must allow the hammer to pound on us so that we will be closer to that likeness.  When we feel pressure we must ask ourselves is it God’s hammer trying to correct our course?  Are we being a stubborn nail, slipping and bending, or are we allowing God to hold us up straight and allowing Him to decide where we land.  If God’s hammer is pounding us straight we ought to rejoice and thank Him, for it God who keeps us straight on that course.  If we are bending and slipping, then we are being distracted by the world, and we ought to ask the Lord to correct our focus, so He can continue His molding process.

A nail has never asked the hammer holder to pound on it, it has no choice in this matter.  We however have a choice whether we allow God to use His hammer on us.  We must choose to put ourselves in the position where He can mold us, for God does not mold those who have not put themselves under His hammer.  That position only comes through Christ.  When we have trusted in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross we are choosing to allow God to mold us into the likeness of Christ.  We must then choose daily to allow Him to continue that process of molding us with His hammer.

Praise-The act of giving God thanks and worship for who He is and what He has done and will do.  When we personally Praise God we recognize who He is and what He is doing in our lives and will do in our lives because we know we can rely on His promises.  We have already seen many of those promises fulfilled, and we know they are currently being fulfilled in our lives.  Ephesians 1 reveals to us that Gods plan has been laid out in such a way as to bring Him Praise.  In this we can have confidence-that no matter what we are experiencing it is going to bring Him praise because that is the ultimate plan.

Lets look specifically at verses 11-12  "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." (Eph 1:11-12 ) We were chosen!  God knew what you-in your free will-would choose to do with the gospel of Christ.  This choice and us are, as it states in verse 12 "for the praise of His glory".  The very act of you choosing to trust Christ glorifies Him!  So you have already praised God with your life.

Then when we look at verses 13-14 we see the fulfillment of promises that glorify God.  "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." (Eph 1:13-14 )  So we see here the fulfillment of the promise.  When we hear the truth and believe we receive a seal-the Holy spirit.  The Holy spirit guarantees our inheritance.  That inheritance is our eternal life with Christ-the fulfillment of the promise.  This is all to the praise of his glory.  The very plan of redemption has all been put into place in order that the Lord would receive Praise.

If we know that we are marked with the seal, the Holy spirit, and have been promised eternal life with Chirst that comes with that seal, shouldn’t that be reason enough to praise God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives!  No matter what our circumstance now-we know that it is all to the praise of His Glory because that is the ultimate plan.

The author of Hebrews writes in chapter 10 verses 19-25:

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:19-25 )

Holding onto Christ and others believers seems so easy when our lives our easy, but when our lives are not easy, when the path is rough, it becomes more difficult for us to see why we would do so.  What we need is to be assured that regardless of the condition of our path, drawing near to God is still possible.  This passage tells us that we have a "new and living way" opened for us.  Christs death on the cross made it possible for us to do draw near to God because it removed the veil between us and God.  We have the ability to be washed with a pure water, the water of life that Christ gives. (John 4:13-14 )  When we have confidence in this we can draw near to God at all times, regardless of our circumstance, regardless of what is on our path.

If we are pulling away from other believers in the midst of something rocky on our path, then we are missing out on the opportunity to encourage others believers.  How is it possible to encourage others believers when you are going through a rough journey?  The Lord is faithful to that which He promises, and one of His promises is found in Psalm 145:14 "The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." (Ps 145:14 )  When we are drawing near to God and He is lifting us up and other believers  see how the Lord is working in our life that is the most powerful way we can encourage them towards love and good deeds.  When we pull away from other believers in the midst of our rough journey we remove an opportunity for them to be encouraged by the Lords work in our life.

If you find yourself pulling away from the Lord because of your circumstance, remember our hope is firm in what Christ did.  A promise firm in the One who is always faithful, who wants you to remain unswirvingly attached to that hope regardless of your circumstance.  He will lift you up, cry out to Him.

"I messed up again!"  How many times have you uttered those words?  If those words have crossed your lips or your mind, I am sure if you are like me, it has happened more times then you care to think about.  There are those times we say "stop even thinking about it" or "your attitude is going to get you in trouble" or "if you don’t get yourself out of this situation you are going to regret it later".  None of us are capable of keeping ourselves free of wrongdoing on our own.  Unfortunately we all know that.  Sometimes we hate to admit it, but we realize that we can’t cleanse ourselves after we mess up.

We know God cannot stand the sight of sin.  In the moment Christ died on the cross He became sin for us, separated from God because God could not stand to be a part of sin. (Mk 15:34 , Matt 27:46 )   So then what confidence do we have that He is going to forgive us once again when we mess up?  Mercy.  Hebrews 4:15-16 says "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4:15-16 NIV )  If we are confident in God’s promises, and willing to remain on His Anvil, then we know He is going to fulfill His promise to give us mercy and grace when we mess up.

When God molds us part of the process is removing things He doesn’t like looking at in our lives.  If we believe that, then we need to go to Him and say "I messed up again!"  when we do. Why?  Because like us, He understands what being tempted is, but unlike us, He is without sin.  He is capable of helping us in our time of need, removing from us that burden, and giving us the mercy we seek.  Then, once we receive that mercy, we need to ask Him to keep molding us into the person He desires for us to be, remembering that we need Him to accomplish that task in our lives.  Mercy is often followed by a lesson.  It is in the lesson that we learn how to be the person God desires us to be.  Once we have gone to the Lord and cried out "I messed up again" and received His mercy, we need to be people listening for the lesson by ensuring we are in prayer.

If this is the first time you have ever gone to God and said "I messed up", or if you are thinking about it, you can read about the first time I did the very same thing at Reaching Home Plate Safe .

A blacksmith uses fire to heat the rod to soften it for the hammer to shape it.  That might work well for a rod and a hammer, but fire doesn’t work so well when a person is involved, we get burned far too easily!  Unfortunately however we often feel like we are standing in the middle of the fire when we are going through a trial, because the pressure builds causing what feels like intense heat.   Sure, our trials don’t physically burn us, but far too often we allow them to emotionally and spiritually burn us because we forget how to cool the fire.

When a blacksmith pounds on the rod and nears the shape he intends, he then sticks the rod into water, and the result is steam-a lot of steam.  The heat is absorbed by the water, and the result is that the water evaporates rising as steam leaving the rod cooled.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just jump into a pool of water when the fire of a trial seems too hot to bear and allow the water to absorb the heat and rise as steam?  We do have a pool of water available to us that makes this possible.  God supplied us with living water, a refreshing stream that restores our soul in a way water cannot.  In John 7:37 Christ says "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37 NIV )  Christ is telling everyone that He is available to all who can admit "I am thirsty, I need to drink of living water, not of water that only quenches for a time then leaves me thirsty again".  This living water is the forgiving grace of Christ that is given to all who admit their need for a savior, believe that Christ died for them, confess their sins, and trust Christ as their Savior.

For those who have trusted Christ there is a refreshing stream that restores the soul when the trial seems so hot.  Often we feel this heat because we are longing for something.  We are longing for refreshment.  Psalm 42:1-2 says this:

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?"

Our soul is built to long for God, to desire Him, to want to meet Him.  Though there is coming a time when those who have trusted Christ will be with Him (Rev 21:3 ), right we now need to be seeking Him to find refreshment while we wait for that day.  In Jeremiah 31:25 the Lord says "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint".  The answer to the longing and the thirst.  The refreshment we seek.  Now we need to act.  We need to be a people who seek the Lord.  Again in Jeremiah the Lord says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart". (Jer 29:13 )   If we seek Him we will find Him, and He will refresh us when we our weary.  The fire will not seem so hot if we are refreshed by the one who is capable of giving us more then a simple drink of water.  Go to the Lord in prayer, let Him know you feel hot in the fire of the trial, lifting your needs to Him like steam rises when the rod cools.  He will refresh you and satisfy you in a way that only He can.

When I was swimming competitively I swam long distance swims.  We used a lap marker at the end of the pool to remind us what lap we were on so we didn’t have to count our laps.  We did this because it would be very easy to get confused while swimming 20 laps of the pool and lose track of what lap you were on and either swim too many, or worse then that, stop too soon!  There were other things going on while were in the pool that could easily distract us from counting correctly.  Things like the people screaming when we reached the end of the lap, the pool noise, or even our own inner talk that distracted us if we were not fully engaged in the race.  While we are running the race we are on for Christ, we can sometimes get distracted as well.

Galatians 5:7-10 says  "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be" (Gal 5:7-10 NIV )  When we are running our race in a manner worthy of being called good we need to be aware that confusion can occur.  When trials come our way we need to be especially on our guard so that we are not distracted from the race we are running.  The enemy is going to search for ways to distract us by lieing to us about who we are, what God is doing, and what we should be doing.  We know that because the scriptures call him a liar (John 8:44 ) who is seeking to devour us (1 Pet 5:8 ).  During times of trial we are especially vunerable to this because it becomes more difficult for us to see what God is doing in the trial.

What we need to be careful of is that we don’t allow ourselves to get distracted by the persuasion of the enemy because He throws us into confusion.  If we look carefully at Galatians 5:7-10 again, it tells us that "the one who is throwing us into confusion will pay the penalty".  It is not our job to determine that penalty, simply to remember that "that kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you."  To put our focus back on the race, away from the screaming people, the noise around us, and the inner talk that doesn’t match our goal.  In order to do this we need to be a people absorbed in God’s Word, the Bible.  In order to know what God is doing and to understand His purpose for what we are experiencing we need to also be spending time with Him in prayer.  It is easier to be distracted in a race we are not fully engaged in.  Don’t make it easier for the enemy to throw you into confusion because you are not fully engaged in the race.

Darts are a curious game.  You have a pointed sharp object you throw across the room in an attempt to have it stick in a small circle in the center of a larger circle, hitting the bullseye.  Now that in theory is the way to win the game.  All around this are varying point value areas when you miss the bullseye, some of which are double value, or even triple value.  The hardest thing in darts may be getting the first dart to hit the bulls eye, but harder yet is getting the next one and so on to hit the bullseye with the other ones are in the way!  There is something blocking the path and obstructing the target that might veer the next dart off to the side.  So you might purposefully try to hit the triple or double areas as a second or last resort!

In life we, in a way, are trying to hit a "bulleyes".  We are attempting to remain on course so that our eyes are constantly fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Heb 12:1-2 )  If that is our "bullseye", then we need to ensure that nothing obstructs our path on our way to get there.  Part of Hebrews 12:1 says "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles".  We need to a people who seek to remove those things by keeping our focus on Christ, and through listening to the Holy Spirit.   Though some of the things around may seem appealing, like those double and triple points on the dart board, they are in no way equal to the prize we receive when we focus on the bullseye!

Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Heb 11:6 NIV )   To know and believe that He rewards us for seeking Him is not only necessary for us to keep our eyes focused on the bullseye, it is also remembering a promise.  "He rewards those who earnestly seek him."  God promises to reward those who seek Him, to credit as righteousness the faith of those who trust Him (Rom 4:4-5 ).

Hitting the target is about getting our focus right, on Jesus.  It is  about keeping the obstacles out of our way, and about believing that God rewards those who seek Him.  Hitting the target in darts may be fun, but missing in darts doesn’t have much of a consequence.  When we lose our focus on Christ and veer off course we may began finding obstacles in our path.  That is when we need to be willing to stay upon Gods Anvil and not run from what He is doing in the molding process.  All of us have times we lose focus, but by earnestly seeking Him we can get back on course and start hitting the target again.

When was last time you really listened for quiet?  You know the absolute absence of any noise.  It is nearly impossible anymore to find that.  Try to think of one place where you could go to find absolute quiet.  No noise at all.  No hum, no buzz, no ticking, nothing.  Even now I bet there is noise around you where you are.  I can hear the fan on my computer going!  It is hard to find a place of quiet in our world.  Sometimes it gets so noisy it becomes hard to hear the very thing we are trying to hear!  How many times a day do we say or have someone say to us "what did you say?" because other noise was to loud around.

In our life noise can be a problem in more ways then one.  When we are experiencing a trial we often start discovering that very thing.  We discover how much noise in our life distracts us from hearing what God is trying to tell us and what He is doing in our life.  During a time of trial we want to hear His voice,we want to know what He is up to, and we may find out how much "noise" is preventing us from hearing the very voice we want so desperately to hear.  We begin to fear that God is not with us because we do not hear Him, because we think He is distant.  However Isaiah 41:10 says in part "So do not fear, for I am with you". (Is 41:10 NIV )  He has not left, we just need to be listening.  However part of what happens is we let a lot of noise get in the way.

What kind of noise?  The noise of the situation for one thing.  When life seems at it worst it can be an easy trap for us to focus on the temporal situation rather then our eternal goal and prize.   In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 Paul says  "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor 4:17-18 NIV )  We need to remember that God promises us an eternal glory that is far better then that which we are temporarily experiencing now, that which He is now preparing us for.  We cannot let the noise of the situation interfere with that promise.  Yes the reality exists and must be dealt with, but we must not allow that to block out what we know to be true of God and His promises.

Another kind of noise that gets in the way is the noise we create all on our own.  The noise that we decide somehow takes precedence over listening to what God is telling us.  It might be some priority in our life that is important, some mundane task, something fun, something meaningless.  The question is how much of the noise are you creating yourself by placing more importance on other things in your life over God?  When we have so much going on in our life that we squeeze out God, we are creating too much noise.  When our schedules are crammed, and our life is hectic, when our time is so under demand, and everything seems behind, do we listen to all that noise?  What happens when we create enough noise in our lives that we think God is silent?  He is still there, right where He was.  Isaiah 41:10 says it.  We need just to remember that though noise is constant, so is God.  Yes there is always noise, but when we are creating it ourselves we cannot expect that we are going to hear God through it all unless we make a different choice.

We need to people who are listening.  People who are willing and ready to hear.  God does not force His voice upon us.  He asks that we listen and tells us we will know His voice if we do.  Like sheep who know their shepherd’s voice, we will know His for He is our shepherd.  Christ tells us this very thing in John 10:1-5 when He tells us about the Shepherd and His flock.  We need to be people who stop listening to all the wrong noise around us, stop creating noise of our own, and start listening for the shepherd’s voice.  We will know it, and when we hear it we will be able to focus more easily on what is unseen, the eternal glory that outweighs what we are expierencing now.

Physical pain effects us in so many ways.  It is more then what we endure physically, it trickles into other aspects of our lives because we require the use of our physical body to do the tasks of every day life.  Even the simplest things can become difficult when our bodies do not agree with what we may want to accomplish.  Physical trials of many kinds can often seem to go on for the longest in our path.  Some of us have physical trials that last weeks, months, years, or all of our lives.  We are still Gods workmanship (Eph 2:10 ), and God is still going to use the situation we are in to mold us into the person He wants us to be.  The physical trial we are in is a result of the fact that we are in our physical state.  A body that can become broken, battered, and bruised.

It should not come as a surprise however that our bodies go through physical trials, because our bodies are imperfect. They are natural, weak, and an perishable creation.  We know this from 1 Corinthians 15 (1Cor 15:42-44 ).  From that same passage we also learn that there is a spiritual body.  In stark contrast to our physical bodies our spiritual body is going to be imperishable, raised in glory and power!  What hope that gives us in physical trial.  The promise that it truly is only temporary, no matter the length here on earth.  We know this to be true because our fleshly bodies will be changed before we inherit the kingdom of God, because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50 ).  What a powerful promise of God to remember, that no matter our physical condition, it will not last forever because we will be changed before we inherit eternity.  We will be imperishable.

We must also remember that we are being renewed here on earth, molded on Gods anvil, changed into the image of God as we run the race He has laid before us.  He is using the very circumstance we are in to make us into the person He desires us to be while we are here on earth.  Remembering that and Gods promise, and it becomes much easier to see Gods plan, rather than mans circumstances.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4:17-18

When traveling have you ever ended up at a completely different destination then originally intended when you left your house?  That can happen, but it would be rather unusual.  I would suspect if we had airline pilots who told us "I am going to take you to a completely different destination today as a surprise!" we would not generally consider that a good surprise.  Even if we ended up in a beautiful tropical location we always dreamed of visiting, having intended to go to a family reunion!  Our reaction might be one of shock, surprise, dismay, and eventual utter disarray and confusion.  The reaction can be as varied as the individual.  The outward reactions might be anything from humorous to scary as a matter of fact.  The internal reactions however would be where the real fight took place, and what really would matter when the plane landed at its destination.  How one reacted to the original news, and handled the flight int he middle, would determine how one would react to the news of where they eventually landed.

Our internal reactions is where we battle everyday when we are faced with major U-turns in our life.  The big trails that test us for the long term.  The trails that continue for longer then a bump, a detour, or road block.  These trials are the trials that completely alter the course of our plan and place our trust in Gods plan on an every day basis.  We start asking "God what exactly are you doing to me?"  How we react is in our control, and we can choose to run to God or away from Him.  Which we choose to do is going to make a dramatic difference in what we focus on during the trial.  That focus will determine our state of mind, our emotional well being, and our spiritual strength as we run the race that lays before us.  We are to fix our eyes on Christ, who endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of God. (Heb 12:1-2 ).

Focusing on Christ is what will determine our ability to withstand the trial, because He is where our focus lies, the goal is the prize of heaven and its reward (Phil 3:12-14 ).  When we began to lose our focus that is when we stumble, and it becomes easy for the enemy to attack us with lies.  How do we stay focused in our trial, in the midst of a U-turn?  First, we remember that God knew it was coming and intends it for our good (Jer 29:11 ).  Second, we recall that God does not change regardless of our circumstances (Mal3:6 , Jas 1:17 ).  The third step requires action on our part, we need to be sure we are an active participant in our relationship with Christ.  What does that mean exactly?  Prayer, reading Gods Word, and fellowship with believers.  Even if you are in a place in your relationship with Him where none of that is happening, it can.  The smallest gesture on our part connects us to God in a powerful way.  He desires to connect to us, He wants a relationship with you so badly He sent Christ.  So if you are in a place of confusion or disarray, simply go to God with a "Help!  I need you!"  He is there waiting to hear your voice.

If you don’t have that relationship because you have never trusted Christ and what He did on the cross, that is where it begins.  The story of how I trusted Christ can be found here:  www.LayingOnGodsAnvil.com .  I hope that you would take the opportunity to read it, and pray that you trust Christ and what He did on the cross for you.