I really love my steam mop…
My steam mop may be one of, if not THE best thing that came from our wedding registry (mother’s always know best, thanks mom!). It is the only thing that can truly get my floors looking fresh and truly clean.
While mopping my floors yesterday, Airpods blasting and bow slippers in sport mode, I began to feel this thought download on my heart…
There is one element of a steam mop that is necessary…
Heat. Without the scalding heat, the mop really wouldn’t do much. Maybe catch a few crumbs or hairs here and there, but in truth, it is the pressure from the heat that makes all the difference.
Change is often brought about in life the same way.
Did you know that gold is refined with fire? It is through blazing fire that gold is purified and refined into what it is meant to be.
Now I know you probably have an idea of where I’m going with this, and you’re thinking, “Fire? Ouch. No thanks.”
But I want you to think of that situation or circumstance that you’re in right now where you feel like God cannot possibly bring any good from it. Like the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t exist - like the waters won’t part but will drown you instead.
That’s the fire, baby, and you’re in it. But you are becoming gold.
The bible tells us,
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Maybe you’ve been praying for God to move in your family, your career, your finances, your body, your church - the list could go on.
But fruit doesn’t grow overnight.
The night always precedes the day.
And heat must be applied to produce gold.
Maybe you’re in a steam mop season - or maybe it feels more like you’re being steam rolled, if we’re being honest. But hear me when I say that the heat is necessary to produce the gold. This pain, this difficulty and even hardship is temporary, God is so good that He doesn’t leave us there. But it is a necessary road to get to the good that He is going to do, to the JOY that He promises.
Foundations are being laid in the fire. YOU are being refined and prepared for the breakthrough that is to come.
We have a choice…
We can either allow the fires we walk through to destroy us or refine us. But we are never alone.
In the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the three men are thrown into a blazing furnace for standing firm in their faith. And scripture says,
Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers,
“Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.
He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like the Son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called,
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God — come out!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.
When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men; not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
People may see the fire..
But they can also see Jesus in it with you. The verse we read in 1 Peter tells us that one day this trial will bring glory and honor, that it will produce strong faith. It was IN the fire that they saw the Lord. Not before or after, but within.
The same will be with your story.
The fire is a vital character, but it is NOT the victor. For we walk through every season from a place of victory that was already won by Jesus through the cross.
So, my friend,
Be proud of where the Lord has brought you from, and endure where you are in a posture of hope and praise for what is to come. For this fire will not leave you burned, but golden.
This week on The True North Podcast…
This week in our Feature Fall series, I sit down with Danielle Danver, Youth & Young Adults Director, content creator, and woman of deep faith, to unpack what it truly means to steward influence through the lens of Scripture.
With a growing online community and a heart for helping others know God’s Word, Danielle shares her journey of faith — from encountering Jesus at a middle school church camp to rediscovering her calling later in life as a wife, mom, and ministry leader. Through seasons of drifting, surrender, and obedience, she’s learned that influence is never about numbers — it’s about faithfulness.
Danielle opens up about what holy influence looks like in a world obsessed with followers and virality, the temptation of comparison, and the peace that comes from aligning your heart with Kingdom purpose.
If you’ve ever wrestled with your own sphere of influence, questioned your purpose, or compared your calling to someone else’s, this episode will remind you that your ministry matters — right where you are.
Have a great rest of your week and thanks for being here!
Love, Mykah (and Nimbus)
