So, here we are again and here I go. I often hear about trials, I hear about taking on giants in our lives and all this stuff. What I want to know is, what about the silence? I received a word in which it was said "the silence tests our faith more than giants do." What will we do when there is no circumstantial reason to cry out to God? People always say in the midst of a trial that we must thank God and rejoice in Him even though our feelings tell us otherwise. It’s easier to recognize our need for God when things are obviously too much to handle. Therein lies the blessing of a trial; that we come to rely more on God than anything else. It is a blessing when we are forced to put our hope in only Him, but why wait? Sometimes it takes an event for us to wake up and if that is what it takes than so be it. However, it doesn’t always have to be that way. I want to face trials the way David did, he strolled up to Goliath and told him he was going to serve him his head (1Samuel 17:46). God prepared him for that moment with Goliath, he was killing bears and lions to protect his flock before that fateful day (17:34). Jesus warned against a complacent attitude in Revelations 3:17, "you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful , poor, blind, and naked." It’s not about feeling good in the midst of a trial and the goal is to resist the temptation of becoming absorbed in our own suffering. Inversely, you don’t have to start making yourself miserable in a period of rest to remember how much you need God and the goal is to not become sleepy and too comfortable.


We used to say in karate that a fight was decided the months, days, hours, and minutes leading up until the match. The moments you spent sparring, doing pushups, running, etc. Chances are, the person who trained the hardest is going to win, the fruits of your labor will be manifested in that clash and there is no sense in looking back and wishing you had trained harder. The bible clearly states, "the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). You don’t work on your house in the middle of a storm, you work on a good day realizing that some day a storm is going to come and you should be prepared. Does this mean you spend every waking hour preparing for disaster? Obviously not. We don’t spend time with God just so we’ll be ready for challenges. Nevertheless, challenges will come and I’d rather receive discipline from my Father who delights in me than have to find my bearings in the midst of one of life’s tragedies. The tragedies will still affect us, but it doesn’t have to be a set back in our walk with God. In the dojo, students were in an environment where they could be tested, they could face the fear of confrontation, learn that being hit wasn’t the end of the world, they could learn to be calm, not to fly off in a rage at someone else. Better to learn in a safe environment like that than to have to learn on the street. Better to seek God now, to hang in there when He is working in us, to be "zealous and repent", to realize those whom He loves He will "rebuke and discipline" (Rev 3:19).


Will we be like Israel who went from being delivered from captivity to doubting God? Or will we go from glory to glory? Will we cling to the hope that we will be like Him one day and be purified by that hope(1 John 3)? We must put our confidence in His promise that He will be faithful to complete the work that He started (Phil 1:6). Let’s please Him by trusting Him, because we can’t please Him without faith and "anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). We can’t please Him without faith and we will not know peace and joy from our relationship with Him until we trust Him. We were made to worship, God made us to do that, we worship something when we trust it and put our hope in it. We have the faith, we have the hope, it’s simply misplaced. God is love and love hopes and believes and we’re made in His image and that is why "the just shall live by faith" (1 Cor 13, Genesis 1:27, Romans 1).

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17

So, every once in a while I dedicate a post to someone when I've noticed some sort of impact they have had. In a previous post a while ago, I thanked Paul and Ryan for being awesome friends during my whole ordeal a year ago. There are numerous people who I might not get to mention here who are awesome, so don't think people who are mentioned are the "elite." Unfortunately I don't have all the time in the world to mention everyone so I just go with someone who is at the forefront of my mind. So, Jake here is to you, bud.

You've been an awesome roommate and brother and I appreciate you listening to me complain about random stuff. It's great to have someone who can relate to a lot of the same daily struggles and all that other tumultuous stuff that we face together at work and everything else we do together. I know this great time in the apartment won't be forever (much to Tim's dismay) but I am enjoying this time a lot with you and Nate. You're my bro in arms, my tag team partner right now and God knew that I needed one and who more solid and trustworthy that Jacob Waugh? Just wanted to express my appreciation for being you and to tell you that I'll kill anyone for you. Keep buidling solid walls and remember to stack your incompatibles on the right side of the trailer.