When Faith Leads Through Fire

When Faith Leads Through Fire

Novak Armstrong

Broken By God

My home is the small community of Cibecue on the Fort Apache Reservation. Our White Mountain Apache people have lived here for many generations. We still speak our language. 

I spent my early years building a reputation as a bull rider. I was a proud of what I had accomplished, and the party lifestyle was fun at first. But in the end, all it brought me was shame. I couldn’t control my drinking and got into many fights. I’ve been stabbed seven times.  

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful… –Proverbs 14:12-13

You name it: I’ve done it. I wasted years bootlegging and being one of the “local alcoholics.” I didn’t know which way to turn. All I knew was to go get high or to go get drunk. I woke up each day already defeated and desperate. None of my achievements meant anything to me anymore. I was numb to life and apathetic about things that mattered. I didn’t care for my family as a father should. I neglected my children. 

I finally hit bottom. I needed a miracle. The turning point in my life took place in an old shack where I had gone many times to sleep off a drunk away from my family. It had no electricity, plumbing, or windows. I decided to go there and separate myself from everyone. The only thing I took with me was a Bible, and I spent a week there crying out to God. I read His commands and promises over and over. It was there in that old shack that the proud bull rider was broken. 

Saved By Grace

God’s Word pierced my heart. God gave me eyes to see the seriousness of my sin. He gave ears to hear the good news—that Jesus died in my place. I prayed, trusting God to save me from my sin. I asked Him to deliver me from the bondage of my addictions. I begged Him to make me the husband and father He had created me to be. I pleaded with God to protect me from the enemy who had stolen so much of my life. 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. –Romans 10:9-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. –Ephesians 2:8-9

I knew that I could never earn this kind of a relationship with my Creator. I understood that it was a free gift to me that had been purchased by Jesus’ blood on the cross. From that day forward, God began patiently building me back up on a new foundation—a foundation of God’s grace. 

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. –Matthew 7:24

God cares about you. God can change your life. I had tried to find joy and happiness in this world. But those things can only come through Jesus Christ. He will make a way for you!

Tested By Fire

We should expect hard things to happen in life. Our trials prove that we mean business with God (James 1:1-12; I Peter 4:12-13). The only way to be prepared is to meditate daily on the Word of God. When you know the ways of the Lord, the things that used to get you down won’t bother you as much. When your delight comes from God, nothing the devil does to you will be able to shake you. You will be like a tree planted firm in the ground. 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. –Psalm 1:1-3

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. –Psalm 37:5

Sometimes we have to go through fire to grow. That is why we have to commit our way to the Lord. You may go through a lot, but God will never abandon you. When you go to church and stay in church and get grounded there, you will see all the ways the devil has been fighting you. And you will learn to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21)!

I worked hard to regain the trust of my family. It wasn’t easy. I had to say no to the old crowd who wanted me to return to the old lifestyle (Proverbs 4:14-27). Living in a small community, I heard the gossip and criticism of the new path I had chosen. Every week there was a new test. In time, many people in my community came to respect my commitment. They could see that I meant business. 

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. –I Peter 1:7

Living By Faith

When we live by faith, God works in unexpected ways to protect us. One time when I was working in a remote area, a bear charged me. I prayed, and the bear stopped in its tracks and just looked at me for a while. Then it turned around and ran away. I believe that God honored my prayer of faith and protected me. 

When we live by faith, God gives us opportunities to commit our way to Him. One opportunity came at a hard time. I was out of work and had very little money in my pocket. While my son and I were checking out at the store, the cashier accidentally gave me back too much money in change. I thought about just saying nothing and leaving with the extra money—our family needed it desperately. Immediately, the Holy Spirit reminded me that this was another test of my faith. My son was watching me. What would I do? 

“This is too much money. You gave me back the wrong change,” I told the cashier. She didn’t believe me and called her manager, who confirmed that the cashier had given me too much money back. By then, other shoppers had stopped to listen in. Puzzled by my honesty, the manager asked me why I didn’t just take the extra money. “In the old days, I would have taken the money,” I explained. “But Jesus has saved me and changed me. I’m a new creation in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). I want to honor Him in everything I do.” Later that week, I began getting more orders than ever before from people to cut firewood for them. I believe that God honored my obedience and provided for my family this way. When we commit our way to the Lord, He makes a way for us!

For we walk by faith, not by sight. –II Corinthians 5:7

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. –Proverbs 3:5-6

Used By God

As I look back over the decades, I am thankful that God has never let me down. He brought Christian brothers into my life to sharpen and encourage me in the Word of God (Proverbs 27:17). He placed me in a local church where I could grow and serve others (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

You don’t have to be someone special—just study your Bible and pray. That is how to be prepared (II Timothy 2:15). When I think of faithfulness in ministry, I think of a sturdy, sure-footed pack mule. Thoroughbred racehorses may have the fancy credentials and expensive training needed to run fast. But they aren’t a fit for the steep, narrow trails in the mountains where our people live. Like a mule, I can labor day by day in a hard place to carry the Gospel to people who still need Christ (I Corinthians 1:26-31).

… And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! –Romans 10:14-15