The refining process - are we yielding?

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear and answer them. I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God. Zechariah 13:9 AMP

Have you been through God's refining process lately? I think we are in that refining process every day. However, in my experience there are definitely times when there is some 'heavy heart refining' going on. 

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tries the hearts. Proverbs 17:3 AMP

Job had a sense of God's bigger plan and His intimate knowledge of each of us.

But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for is, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous]. Job 23:10 AMP

Sometimes when we enter the major refining season, we don't even realise that is what is happening. All we see is negative circumstances. It can take a while to lift our eyes and see above the trial, and see that God has a greater purpose. He is working in our hearts, refining them. Purifying us to be full of uncluttered love for Him. In those times, He wants us to do as Job did.

My foot has held fast to His steps; His ways have I kept and not turned aside. I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary good. Job 23:11-12 AMP

Job knew he had to stick with God. 

For us, imperfect people, we need to do the same. Each day, regardless of what is going on, we need to make the choice to say Yes to God, and Yes to His refining process. We need to yield if we want to even come slightly close to reaching the goal of living as Christ lived on earth.

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] that is possibly I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. Philippians 3:10-11 AMP

Questions for today, has God got you in a 'heavy heart refining' process right now? Are you yielding to Him or pushing away, saying 'it is too hard' ? If you are pushing away, why not ask God this morning to help you yield and give Him permission to do the refining work He has planned for you. He will answer you personally because He loves you more than you can imagine.

I'll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires. I'll refine them as silver is refined, test them for purity as gold is tested. Then they'll pray to me by name and I'll answer them personally. I'll say, 'That's my people.' They'll say, 'GOD - my God!' Zechariah 13:9 The Message