Sweating for the Lord

By Cyndi

As I was running in the 90-something degree F heat the other day (32 C), sweat was pouring off of me. Here in Florida, the summertime heat plus the humidity can be well into the 100s (37 C), but health experts say sweating is supposed to be good for you, cleaning out your pores and all. That’s why saunas and steam rooms are said to be conducive to well-being and are usually in spas and gyms–they cleanse the junk out of your body.

While thinking this heat I’m running in is actually helping to purify my body, immediately the Lord took this natural condition into the spiritual context. I started pondering about how I find myself in “heated” circumstances–where “heat” is put on me from my job, my family, my bills, or even just life itself. I can see these situations are meant to purify me, to cleanse the junk out of my spiritual system. Father God’s not putting things on me because He’s mad at me. No. He’s just using the normal consequences of life to help purify me.

How many times have I sung the words Brian Doerksen penned many years ago:  “Purify my heart, let me be as gold, and precious silver…?” Was I thinking that I could be purified without a little “fire”?

Malachi 3 speaks of this refining fire. It’s the Lord’s desire that we become pure and holy–sanctified for the Master’s use. When precious metals are refined, they are heated up to the melting point which causes the impurities to come to the surface. These impurities are scooped off the top and then the heat is turned up hotter, causing even more impurities to rise and be removed. It is through this refining process the metal is made purer.

Hence my title, Sweating for the Lord. I want all the impurities to come out of my life. I want to walk by the Spirit and not by my fleshly desires. I truly desire for my life to be pure and holy, ready to do His will. So just as I sweat in my physical body, Lord, help me to “sweat” on the inside, that my heart and motives may be cleansed. May I accept heated situations and circumstances as divine provisions and opportunities from You to purify me.