I loved church when I was a little girl. We were not one of those families in every activity and at church every other day but we were there just about every Sunday and I loved it. I loved the tradition, the music and the hats. The only thing I loved more was Sunday School. It was in Sunday school where I was first introduced to our friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

You may remember their story from Sunday School too. They were the ones thrown into the blazing furnace and miraculously saved by God. But as we continue our study “Unshaken” about their testimony I want to point out that our focus is not primarily on their rescue from the furnace. This study focuses on why they were in the furnace in the first place.

See our three friends could have avoided the blazing furnace situation all together. They could have lied and manipulated their way out of this struggle but they don’t. Good thing for us because if they did we would have been deprived of one good Sunday School story.

But our friends were in the furnace because they selected to stand for their God with a boss like faith we admire. And I believe that the main reason why they have this strong faith is because they decided a long time ago that they would not bow to another God. They made this decision long before facing their blazing furnace.

In this week’s study, we learn that every journey towards an unshaken faith like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s starts at the same place: a decision. Have you decided Beloved? Are you all in with God? Because your decision now will determine how you face your fiery furnace later.