Latest / Rise and Thrive with Dr. J. Nicole Podcast / PT. 4 | FAITH IN THE FURLOUGH | The Fiery Furnace of Finances

Transcript

PT. 4 | FAITH IN THE FURLOUGH | The Fiery Furnace of Finances · Rise and Thrive with Dr. J. Nicole Podcast

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  Welcome back to Faith in the Furlough.
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  I'm Doctor J Nicole, and today we are talking about what it
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  feels like to be in the fiery furnace of finances.
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  When the bills are due, when the check isn't coming, and when the
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  heat is turned all the way up, it feels like you're standing in
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  flames. But here's the good news.
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  The same God that showed up in Babylon's furnace shows up in
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  your life too. Today's anchoring scripture
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  comes from Daniel chapter 3, verses 16 and 17.
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  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king.
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  We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this
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  matter. If we are thrown into the
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  blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from
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  it. But even if He does not, we want
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  you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or
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  worship the image of gold that you have set up.
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  They have faith in the fire. Think about their situation.
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  They refuse to bow to the King's demands.
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  They were sentenced to die in fire.
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  That's a different type of pressure.
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  I don't know about you. I cannot honestly say that when
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  faced with the actual fire that I would have had that same
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  faith. Like, that's really and truly
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  difficult, right? That's real heat.
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  Like, literally. OK, so now in this moment, maybe
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  you're feeling like you're in a different kind of furnace.
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  The rent is due, groceries that I swear they just keep going up
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  and up. And the bills are stacking up.
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  And you're starting to really feel the pressure of this
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  furlough, like fire licking at your feet.
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  So here's the connection. Just as Shadrach, Meshach, and
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  Abednego were not alone in the flames, the Bible says that a
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  fourth man appeared within. You are not alone in this
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  furnace. God doesn't always remove the
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  fire, but He always shows up in it.
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  And here's the beautiful part. When they came out, the Bible
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  says they didn't even smell like smoke.
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  This means that you can go through financial furnace and
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  come out without the residue of defeat on your life.
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  I don't know about you, but like every time I really think about
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  that and how that had to have left the folks in awe who saw
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  them walk out clothing intact, didn't even smell like smoke, no
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  soot on their face, anything. OK, that is amazing.
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  And we serve that same God. So I want to encourage you,
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  while the fire is real, so is God's presence.
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  He's the one who provided Nana in the wilderness, oil for the
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  widow and the daily bread for his children.
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  Yes, the numbers might start to add up on paper, but God Nath is
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  real different. And that's when faith multiplies
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  what you have. Just like the loaves and the
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  fish, God has a way of stretching little into.
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  So you may feel the heat, but you will not be consumed.
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  And here's something practical you can do.
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  Write down your top three financial pressures right now.
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  Pray over them daily. Ask God to show you creative
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  solutions. And at the same time, I want you
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  to track what you do have right? Because this is gratitude.
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  Even the smallest provisions thank God for it.
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  Gratitude in the fire, it shifts your focus from fear to faith.
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  And faith is what invites God to move.
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  So here's what I want you to remember.
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  Being in the furnace does not mean that God has abandoned you.
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  It means that He is preparing to show His power in a way you've
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  never seen before. And I hope that's exciting to
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  you. And if you're not, get excited.
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  God is going to set this up for His glory.
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  Let us pray, Lord, for everyone feeling the fire of financial
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  pressure. Step in just as you stepped in
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  on the furnace for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, front of
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  God. Protect them, provide for them,
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  let them come out without smelling like smoke.
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  Remind them that your presence is greater than any fire.
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  Father God, allow their lives to be proof that you are real in
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  Jesus name, Amen. If this message encouraged you,
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  send this to someone else who's walking through that fiery
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  furnace of financial fire. And please don't forget to
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  subscribe because episode 5 we're going to be talking about
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  being restored after the humbling and what happens when
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  you look up and God brings us back stronger.
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  Remember, the fire may be hot, but you will not be consumed.
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  Love you all. I'll see y'all next time.