There is a biblical story in the book of Daniel that tells of an adventure three Hebrew men had in the strange and foreign court of King Nebuchadnezzar. Because they would not bow to the idol he had decreed to be "God," they were thrown into a fiery furnace, meant, of course, to kill them. However, that is not what happened. They were bound and tossed in, but shortly thereafter, the king, himself, noticed that not only were they not burning, but were loose, walking around, and had been joined by another "entity" that he remarked looked to be the "Son of God."

From time to time, the circumstances of life throw us all into the fiery furnace of trials and tribulation. This is unavoidable. However, it is possible to come through the ordeal unscathed and even with "no smell of smoke" on your clothes. Here's how:

1. Understand that God will use your enemy (or what/who you perceive to be an enemy) to perfect you. Fire comes from the same root word as "purging." Sometimes fires in our lives are not meant for our destruction, but rather to purge us of something we need to let go of or be rid of in order to grow.
    
2. Even though you are anointed, remember you can still find yourself bound by life's circumstances. You may go into the fire "bound," but if you allow it to do it's purgatory work, you will emerge loose and free, just as the Hebrew children did.
    
3. Remember that you cannot purge anybody but yourself. The king was so enraged that he ordered the furnace be heated to seven times hotter than it ever had been before. In fact, it was so hot, that the guards who opened the doors were immediately killed. The point is, the fire you create for someone else will end up killing you, so worry about your own purging and not someone else's.
    
4. Know that many times a falling precedes a loosing. You can't fall from grace. This is a misunderstanding of the concept. You can only fall into grace, and that fall is God's providence bringing you to a place where the fire can burn away the things that have you bound.
    
5. Don't wear flammable clothing into the fire. What is flammable clothing? Anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, and most of all - blame. Don't spend your time in the fire trying to figure out why it came or who/what is responsible for it. Spend your time accepting that no matter the origin, it has come to burn something off you that needs to be gone.
    
6. Be confident that surviving the fire will bring promotion and influence. Don't wallow in self-pity because you are in the fire. That is a sure way to end up "keeping the smell of smoke" on you for a long time. After the Hebrew children came through the fire with no smell of smoke, the king promoted them.
    
7. Don't be afraid of C.H.A.N.G.E. - "Creating a Healthy And New Growth Environment." Sometimes fire is a very good, beneficial and necessary thing. It always burns off what is unnecessary in your life and makes room for the new growth!