Why does God allow and cause trials to come into our lives? There are four reasons. I have written about the first two in the last two blogs.

1. God designed life to have trials as a normal part of everyone’s life so that we will grow in character; without trials, there is no growth.
2. God takes us through trials we can manage so that we can help and encourage others who go through the same trials but who can’t manage them. God does this not as the most efficient way of dealing with trials but to help make the church beautiful, unified, and loving.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

3. The third reason God brings trials into our lives is to reign in our prideful, independent, self-sufficient attitude. Paul said, “so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God.” When life is going well, and we have few problems, we quickly become self-sufficient and independent from God. So He will bring us to the end of ourselves, and we will run to God for help. I used to have a hunting dog, and it was vital that he walked by my side until I released him with my voice to hunt and that he would come back quickly when called. I trained him with a leash and a choke collar. When he got to pulling on the leash, I would say,” heal,” and if he kept pulling, I would give the leash a jerk, and it would pinch his neck, and he would quickly submit. Trials are often God’s leash and choke collar, teaching us to submit, trust, and follow the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 We were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.

When we humbly seek God’s grace, strength, and help, we will have a plentiful supply.

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

1. God designed life to have trials as a regular part of everyone’s life so that we will grow in character; without trials, there is no growth.

This is one reason for tails in our lives and also for trials in the life of Jesus.

A second reason for trials in the life of Jesus is so he could understand what we go through, be a sympathetic savior and help us as we needed it as we lived life.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The second reason for our trials is the same as the trials that Jesus faced. If we have successfully gone through trials, we can help others go through their trials. Some people are strong enough and mature enough to bear up under trials victoriously, but many people are not, but they can with help from others. God has made things, so we stick together, the strong with the weak. The problem is that the strong are too selfish to give help, and the weak are too proud to ask for or receive help. When people receive help from Jesus and then provide help to others, the church functions as God designed it to function.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we are comforted by God.

A fundamental spiritual law of God is that the more we do for others, the more God will do for us, and others will do for us.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

The more we help and encourage others through their trials, the more God will help us through ours.

One of the questions I get asked a lot from people is if God loves us why do bad things happen to us; there are four reasons.

1. God designed life to have trials as a normal part of everyone’s life so that we will grow in character; without trials, there is no growth.

James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Why did Jesus suffer and have trials? There are three reasons. Reason number one, although He was God, He still had to grow in character. He was born into the world just like us, with no character. As James and Hebrews mention, to be made perfect means to be made mature in character.

Hebrews 5:8-9 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.

We can influence the amount and severity of the trials we experience. We have our foot on the gas peddle of life, determining how much and how hard our trials will be. How much we grow from our trials determines how much we must endure. The more we grow, the fewer trials we need; the less we grow, the more trials we need. The determining factor is how much we rejoice while experiencing trials; the more we rejoice because we trust God, the more we will grow from those trials; the more we grumble about our trials, the less we will grow.

It is very simple: God has goals, one of which is to make us like Jesus in character, and His primary tool is trials. It is like a football coach training his players to be good by having them run, jump, and lift weights.

A few days ago, I went out to get in my pickup, and a tire was flat. I was headed to a meeting, and I was going to be late. One of the commitments I make every morning in my “Commitment Prayer” is, “Today, Lord, I will rejoice about everything and grumble about nothing.” So, I said, “Thank You, Lord, for loving me so much that You aren’t going to leave me as a baby in character, but You are going to make me like Jesus.” I hoped it was a slow leak, so I pulled the air hose from my compressor over to it, blew up the tire, and drove to church. I wasn’t even late for my meeting. I was at the church for a couple of hours, and the tire was about half flat, so I filled it again using the church’s air compressor, drove to Les Schwab’s, and had it fixed for free.

That was an easy trial, and we all will have many that are much more severe than a flat tire on a busy day, but we manage them the same. Rejoice always about everything and grumble about nothing.

We will talk about the other reasons for trials tomorrow.

One of my favorite things is reading the goals people send me. It is a required assignment in the three leadership classes I teach, so I get to read those, along with many others who have maintained the discipline of goal setting after graduating from leadership class. Many of the goals are basic goals of exercise, weight loss, Bible reading, and prayer. But there are also some significant goals of starting a ministry, getting involved in a ministry, learning a second language, going on a mission trip, taking swimming lessons, getting a concealed carry permit, building a house, getting out of debt, returning to college, reading 50 books, and finding a wife! I made a goal when I started college to find a wife who met the seven standards I had set for a wife, and by the end of my sophomore year in College, I was engaged. I have set many marriage goals in the last 55 years we have been married. One of my goals was to have a dozen kids, but one of Patty’s was to have no children after 40; her goal won out. Together, we made many parenting goals, ministry goals, financial goals, purchasing goals, travel goals, and extended family goals.

Most people don’t set goals. That is like floating down a river on an inner tube; you go where the current takes you, at the speed the current takes you. Being in a jet sled is much more fun, so you can go where you want and fast. I know it is much more relaxing to float along with life, but when you get to the end of your life, you won’t have much fruit for God, not many real significant accomplishments. Many people defend this kind of laissez-faire lifestyle as trusting in the Lord and letting Him guide them. Jesus said that if we really love Him, we will keep His commandments, like go and make disciples, pursue righteousness, meet the needs of others, bear fruit, and many others that will require choosing, pre-meditated planning, and sacrifice to accomplish. Leisurely floating down the river of life will usually become a “broad and easy way” of living instead of a “narrow and hard way” of living.

Make some goals before January 1st; a dozen is a good starting number. Make them measurable, attainable, Nobel, and very clear. I would love it if you would send me a copy when you finish them.

In John 15:8, Jesus said, “This glorifies My Father, that you bear much fruit.” You won’t do that, letting the current of life direct you. Pray, think, ponder, ask God for some ideas and challenges, and then ask Him for strength, wisdom, and resources to accomplish the big goals He has directed you to set. It is the only way to live.

I have a goal that every year, I will make a goal to go someplace I have never been to, to do something I have never done, and to learn a new skill. I had not made those goals yet, but I just did. I just finished buying tickets to Oahu, where our daughter Sally and her family live. While there, I will fly to Molokai with my son-in-law, my grandson, and a friend, and we will hunt axis deer. And I just finished booking those tickets as well. I have never been to Molokai and never hunted for axis deer, but in a few months, I will have. Now, I need to think of a new skill to learn.

It is getting close to 2025, and of course you will want to have your goals for the new year done. Be sure you have a Bible reading goal, a scripture memory goal, a book reading goal, and prayer goals. One of your prayer goals should be to pray with your spouse three times a week or more. The prayer of a husband and wife is the most powerful force on earth for influencing our kids and grandkids. How could you neglect that prayer activity? Another super important prayer goal would be how many hours you will pray during the four five-day prayer events at JBC. If you don’t attend JBC, how many hours with your own church family? Corporate prayer is the most powerful force on earth for reaching lost people with the gospel. God didn’t give us prayer as a tool for living a more comfortable life here on earth but as a “big gun” for reaching people who are living far away from God and are headed for an eternity in hell.

Goal setters do much more with their life for God than non-goal setters. Goal setters are the movers and shakers, they change things. Make a goal right now to write some goals, a dozen is a good start.

The devil has no defense against our praying. The more we pray, the less he can do in people’s lives the less he can blind and control. His only defense is an aggressive offense against us to keep us from praying. He influences us by talking to us, and when it comes to praying, he and his demons speak a lot to persuade us to make prayer a tiny part of our lives. We hear them in our thoughts, and the sheer volume of all the thoughts on why we don’t need to pray persuades us to settle for short token prayers that require minimal sacrifice. Many factors determine the level of power we have in our praying, but nothing is as essential as simply the time we give in our praying. We have been conditioned to see prayer as merely asking for something, and God either does it, or He doesn’t, like, “Please pass the potatoes.” Prayer is a supernatural battle against the forces of darkness, and if we are going to win, we will have to persevere.

This next week is JBC’s “Five Days of Prayer.” We pray from 5:00 am to 10:00 am every morning, Monday through Friday, and from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm every evening, Monday through Friday.

Many people will think, “I only need to pray for one hour next week.” Where do you think that thought came from? Others will think, “Plenty of people are praying; I don’t need to go.” Where did that thought come from? Or how about this one? “Prayer intimidates me; it just isn’t my thing.” I bet you can’t guess where that one came from. And the most prevalent, “I am just too busy or too tired, or too something.” I lose card games to my grandkids, I lose softball games to other teams, and I lose arguments with my wife, but I am not going to lose to the devil and his demons; they aren’t going to push me around. I will pray, and I will pray a lot, and I will be a force against the kingdom of darkness so that God’s message of grace can spread rapidly to many people.

How about you? Are you going to win or lose?

Well, it is Monday, December 2nd, 2024. It feels like being on the start line of a marathon. December is the busiest month of the year for me. Lots of family stuff, with Christmas shopping, dinners, grandkids’ school programs, and Christmas Day festivities. Also, there are many church activities, such as the “Five Days of Prayer,” Christmas programs, outreach concerts, Christmas Eve service, staff parties, and regular meetings and services. This year, I am pastoring the Jefferson Evangelical Church, and I also have responsibilities at JBC, so church time has increased significantly. The key to managing it well is to put everything on paper, or instead, on my iPad and my calendar in great detail, including my study time, personal prayer time, exercise, Bible reading, and sleep goals. A problem many people have as their schedule fills up is a sense of being overwhelmed with all the responsibilities and activities. With that sense of being overwhelmed comes a psychological sense of weariness. A sense of weariness steals the joy out of our lives.

I read over the list of things to do for the next week each day and pray three things regarding that list.

1. Thank You, Lord, for giving me so much to do for You; I love being in the game, not on the bench.
2. Please give me the energy and strength to accomplish each thing well so that people are blessed and You are glorified. Apart from You, I can do nothing, but I can do all things that are Your will for me by Your strength; I believe that.
3. Please give me Your wisdom to navigate life well, make the right choices, and always speak words that edify those who hear me.

It feels good to be busy and to be doing something with my life that matters.

Today, I received an email from a fellow who had heard a recording of a message I had given somewhere in my travels about my prayer journey with JBC. The message had to be old because he listened to the message recorded on cassette. He no longer has the recording and is trying to find one, so I sent him to our sermon archives. If he doesn’t find it, I will see if one of our remarkably proficient secretaries can find it for him. Loren is a republican State Senator for the State of Nebraska. I am not sure how he found my name, but it is cool to think about influencing the life of someone in Nebraska via a recording. I get emails regularly from people who hear me on the radio and read my blog, and it is always encouraging that God can use me even while I am in my recliner, in bed, or fishing through the marvels of electronics. That is why we record Pastor Mike’s sermons, mine, and everyone who speaks. They are all available online for whoever wants to listen to them. We trust God to direct people to the website, radio program, or blog site; they will listen or read, be blessed, and then tell their friends. In 2023, my blog was read by people in 13 different countries, including Israel.

My prayer every morning and every night is that God will use me more and more. You can also pray that prayer if you genuinely want God to put you in the game and use you for His glory. He usually starts small but gives you more and more to do as you prove faithful. And He always gives the resources, the time, the energy, and the wisdom to succeed at whatever He assigns to you. Go ahead, don’t be a chicken, go for it, pray and ask Him for something cool to do.

Many good things don’t get done because we forget; nothing reminds us to do them. Thanking the Lord for everything, rejoicing always, and praising Him continually is a significant emphasis in the Bible. Considering all the blessings in my life, I don’t thank the Lord nearly as much as I ought to. My only excuse is I forget. Thanksgiving is a day that reminds us to be thankful, but one day a year hardly meets the need to be grateful. In church, we have worship times that are supposed to lead us into worship each week, but as Jesus said, “They honor me with their words, but their heart is far away.” We seem to need that string around our fingers, and we mustn’t forget what the string is there for. I want to be a grateful person who continually thanks the Lord for every blessing in my life, so I do three things religiously to help make that happen.

1. Every morning, I pray a prayer of commitment, and one of the commitments is, “Today, I will grumble about nothing and rejoice about everything.” Praying that prayer every morning begins to push me toward actually doing it.
2. I read the Bible daily; part of my reading is five chapters in Psalms. Much of Psalms praise God, and I use those passages to remind me to think of things that happened that day for which I am thankful.
3. I journal daily and include things I am thankful for.

A significant advantage I have over many people is that I have established daily disciplines over the years. I rarely don’t get them done. We all have disciplines and habits of some sort. When I began my daily morning prayer of commitment, I wrapped a bunch of masking tape around the handle of my toothbrush. I always brush my teeth in the morning. On the tape, I drew a cross with a felt pen, reminding me of Jesus’s words, “Pick up your cross daily,” so I committed to Him to do the same.

You brush your teeth, take showers, go to work, change the oil in your car, and a whole host of other habits and routines you have established hook up a new discipline to an old one. It works for me.

Many good things don’t get done because we forget; nothing reminds us to do them. Thanking the Lord for everything, rejoicing always, and praising Him continually is a significant emphasis in the Bible. Considering all the blessings in my life, I don’t thank the Lord nearly as much as I ought to. My only excuse is I forget. Thanksgiving is a day that reminds us to be thankful, but one day a year hardly meets the need to be grateful. In church, we have worship times that are supposed to lead us into worship each week, but as Jesus said, “They honor me with their words, but their heart is far away.” We seem to need that string around our fingers, and we mustn’t forget what the string is there for. I want to be a grateful person who continually thanks the Lord for every blessing in my life, so I do three things religiously to help make that happen.

1. Every morning, I pray a prayer of commitment, and one of the commitments is, “Today, I will grumble about nothing and rejoice about everything.” Praying that prayer every morning begins to push me toward actually doing it.
2. I read the Bible daily; part of my reading is five chapters in Psalms. Much of Psalms praise God, and I use those passages to remind me to think of things that happened that day for which I am thankful.
3. I journal daily and include things I am thankful for.

A significant advantage I have over many people is that I have established daily disciplines over the years. I rarely don’t get them done. We all have disciplines and habits of some sort. When I began my daily morning prayer of commitment, I wrapped a bunch of masking tape around the handle of my toothbrush. I always brush my teeth in the morning. On the tape, I drew a cross with a felt pen, reminding me of Jesus’s words, “Pick up your cross daily,” so I committed to Him to do the same.

You brush your teeth, take showers, go to work, change the oil in your car, and a whole host of other habits and routines you have established hook up a new discipline to an old one. It works for me.