Note: This is a repost of the mini note I shared on Facebook dated April 26, 2009.
An anvil is a heavy iron block used by blacksmiths as a surface for hammering, shaping, and refining metal. It’s not a comfortable place—it’s where metal is softened by fire, struck repeatedly, and molded with purpose. In Max Lucado’s On the Anvil, this imagery becomes a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. Just like raw metal, we too must go through faith under fire—the kind of refining that shapes us into vessels of purpose and strength. This faith under fire journey isn’t easy, but it is essential for those seeking to be molded into Christ’s likeness.
This book review highlights my personal experience reading On the Anvil during a peaceful stay in my husband’s hometown in Pangasinan. As he visited relatives and reconnected with childhood friends, I chose to rest in our nipa hut with my book and a cup of quiet. Before traveling, I had picked up this gem at OMF Literature in Boni. The cover immediately caught my attention: “Stories On Being Shaped Into God’s Image.” I knew I had to read it. I finished the book in just three days. This reflection shares the top 10 lessons that stood out to me during that time of faith under fire.
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Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church; they are within the church. A church will never die from immorality or from corruption. But it will die from the corrosion within—from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met Him and from those who have religion but no relationship.
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The most deadly trick of Satan is not to rob us of answers. It’s to steal our questions.
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Dear Father, may we never grow so “holy,” may we never be so “mature,” may we never become so “religious,” that we can see the footprints of Satan and stay calm.
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There’s no way a coach can really keep up with the game from the sidelines. Everyone yelling advice. Parents complaining. Players screaming. Cheerleaders cheering. Sometimes you’ve got to get away from the game to see it.
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A nation’s strength is measured by the premium it puts on its own people. When people value people, an impenetrable web is drawn—a web of vitality and security.
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Don’t go to God with options and expect Him to choose one of your preferences. Go to Him with empty hands—no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back.
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The good teacher goes to where the pupil is, takes him, and leads him to where he ought to go.
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Be slow in choosing friends and be even slower in leaving them.
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People are priceless. We should never allow a gadget to interfere with the precious simplicity of waiting for a fish to bite. If my father and I had bought a sonar fish finder, we’d have caught more fish, but countless precious conversations would have never existed.
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Triumphant in Christ. It is not something we do. It’s something we are.
Reading through these pages, I realized how necessary faith under fire is in the life of a believer. It’s the only way pride is broken, trust is built, and purpose is revealed. Max Lucado writes with such clarity and compassion, reminding us that faith under fire is not a punishment—it’s preparation.
“Time on God’s anvil should clarify our mission and define our purpose. In a world of confused identity, in a world of wavering commitments and foggy futures, let us be firm in our role. God has not hidden His will from His people. Our Master does not play games with us. We know who we are. We know what we are for.”
My Final Thoughts
If you are in a season of faith under fire, I want to remind you: this isn’t the end of your story. You are being shaped, not shattered. Strengthened, not sidelined. God sees the bigger picture—and though you may feel the hammer’s blow now, it’s only because He is crafting something extraordinary in you.
This book review of On the Anvil is more than just a reflection—it’s an invitation to trust the process, to lean into the refining, and to let God mold your heart for His glory. Hold on. The fire won’t last forever—but the faith it produces will.
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. – Isaiah 48:10 ESV-
