Kindle Edition Amazon Scott LaPierre's website Category:  Religion Publisher: Charis Family Publishing ISBN-10:  0999555103 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 181 Copyright: Nov 16, 2017 ISBN-13: 9780999555101 Price: $2.99 (eBook) Trials are part of life on this side of heaven, and God wants to use them for your good! Pastor Scott LaPierre presents scriptural principles that give believers the encouragement they need when suffering. Every chapter concludes with questions that help you apply what you are reading. With Enduring Trials God's Way you will: -Develop the spiritual perspective to embrace trials -Appreciate the maturity trials produce -Understand the rewards­--in this life and the next--for enduring trials -Recognize God is still compassionate and gracious even during trials -Learn to persevere through trials that threaten your faith Your suffering is not meaningless or accidental. God loves you, and He always works in your best interests. Learn the Biblical Recipe for Finding Joy in Suffering!         Excerpt Trials Are Unpredictable, but Not Accidents Even though we should expect trials, we do not know when they will take place, which makes them unpredictable. James 1:2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into var-ious trials.” The words “fall into” communicate the unex-pected nature of trials. The Greek word for “fall into,” or other translations say, “face,” “meet,” or “encounter,” is peripiptō.2 It only occurs three times in Scripture and each time it describes something that is unpredictable. The other two occurrences are: • Luke 10:30—“Jesus answered and said, ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among (peripiptō) thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.’” • Acts 27:41a—“Striking (peripiptō) a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground.” It was unexpected when thieves robbed the man and when the boat crashed. Unpredictable is a great way to de-scribe trials, but do not misunderstand the words “fall into” and think trials are accidents. It is not as though we are walk-ing along, trip, and find ourselves in a trial. If we see trials this way, then when we experience one we will say, “I am so unlucky. Why do bad things keep hap-pening to me?” Even worse is when people feel as though they could have prevented whatever took place. They are filled with guilt and regret saying, “If I had only _____, then this would not have happened.” They beat themselves up, sometimes never forgiving themselves. Instead of viewing trials as accidents, we need to recog-nize they are from the Lord. Before trials reach us, they first pass through the throne of God. Some people are troubled by this view, but what is the alternative? God is not sover-eign. He is not directing our lives. He is not in control of what happens to us. He is looking down saying, “Why did this happen to _____? I wish there were something I could do. If only _____ would have happened instead.” This is a troubling view! If you could only choose one area of life you want God in control of, wouldn’t it be the trials you experience? When people are suffering, one of the best ways for them to en-courage themselves and experience any comfort is in recog-nizing: “God is in control. I can trust Him. He loves me. I am His child. He wants what is best for me, and He is using this for my benefit.” One of the most quoted verses when people are suffer-ing is Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This verse is about God’s sover-eignty. It encourages us because we are reminded the trial we are experiencing is not an accident. The Need to Be Prepared Since we should expect trials, we must prepare for them. Asa, king of Judah, provides a perfect illustration. Unfortu-nately, sometimes people read the Old Testament and think, “What does this have to do with me? How can I learn from people whose lives are so different from mine?” These are unfortunate questions to ask because the New Testament states the Old Testament provides us with examples: • Romans 15:4a—“For whatever things were written [in the Old Testament] were written for our learning.” • 1 Corinthians 10:11a—“Now all these things hap-pened to [the Israelites] as examples, and they were written for our admonition.” Church Age believers can learn from Old Testament ac-counts. Often, they provide a backdrop for New Testament instruction. Asa was one good king in the Old Testament, and he reveals how (and when) to prepare for trials. Early in Asa’s reign, God gave him peace. What did he do during this restful time? He built! Part of 2 Chronicles 14:5–7 records: The kingdom was quiet under [Asa]. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest. Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and pros-pered. Like Asa, we should build during peaceful times. While Asa strengthened his nation physically, we should strengthen ourselves spiritually. Pray and read the Word regularly. Serve the body of Christ. We do not serve others so they will serve us. We serve others because we want to serve Christ, but one blessing often produced is brothers and sisters who will “weep with [us when we] weep” and “suffer with [us]” when we suffer (Romans 12:15b, 1 Corinthians 12:26a). I have seen people enter trials and become frustrated that no-body was there for them, but in most of those cases they were not there for others who were “weeping” and “suffer-ing.” Unfortunately, during peaceful times, we are often tempted to do the opposite of build, and that is to relax. Then we are unprepared when trials come. Let me illustrate the danger of this with a sports analogy. I attended a small high school. Our football team had less than twenty players. While I have no doubt I would not have played much at a more competitive school, at my school I was the running back, punt returner, and kickoff returner. As a result, I was often tackled, and it taught me there are two ways to be hit. The most common and desirable way is when it is expected. You know you will be tackled, so you prepare for the hit. The other tackle type takes place when you are blindsided. Since you did not expect to be hit, you are unprepared, and it can be devastating. The point? Sadly, many people are like football players running down the field, unprepared for the trial about to blindside them. As a pastor, I have seen people become serious about their relationships with the Lord once they are in a trial. Then they begin praying, reading the Bible, and attending church consistently. God uses trials to bring people to Him-self, so this is better than not engaging in these spiritual ac-tivities; however, this is far from the ideal approach. What if Asa built his nation after an enemy attacked him? Should a student begin studying the day of a test? Should a couple plan for retirement when they retire? Should parents start discipling their children when they become teenagers? Athletes and soldiers spend years preparing for competi-tions and combat. Should Christians compare themselves with athletes and soldiers? Paul thought so! He said a Chris-tian “must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ…that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3–4), and he called Epaphroditus and Archippus “fellow soldiers” (Philippians 2:25, Philemon 1:2). We are command-ed to wear armor and carry a sword (Ephesians 6:11–17). Paul compared the Christian life to a race (1 Corinthians 9:24–25, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1). Like athletes and soldiers must prepare physically, so must Christians prepare spiritually. When believers are spiritually lazy, they should expect to struggle with trials as much as physically lazy ath-letes and soldiers would struggle during combat and athletic competitions. Moving back to Asa, he strengthened his nation during times of peace, and this left him prepared when the time came. Second Chronicles 14:8–10 continues: And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor. Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Val-ley of Zephathah at Mareshah. We all face trials, and Asa was no exception. One of the most formidable armies recorded in Scripture came against him. His five hundred eighty thousand soldiers sound im-pressive until you read that the Ethiopians numbered one million. No, we do not face armies that greatly outnumber us, but we do face trials that make us feel as desperate as Asa felt. He was completely distressed, and to his credit, he responded wonderfully. Second Chronicles 14:11–12 rec-ords: And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. This is what it looks like to turn to the Lord during a dif-ficult trial. Asa praised God’s strength and poured out his heart to Him. Write this prayer down. Circle it, highlight it, or underline it in your Bible. Asa’s trial was the Ethiopian army, but our trial might be a job loss, cancer diagnosis, un-faithful spouse, or rebellious child. When the trial comes, follow Asa’s example and cry out to GOD for help.

Douglas Bond—Speaker, tour leader, and author of twenty-five books of biography, practical theology, and historical fiction
“Suffering. You're either in it, or you will be! Richly biblical, Scott LaPierre's latest book reveals a gracious pastor's heart, compassionately equipping people for trials. Every believer needs this book.”

Carlton C. McLeod, D. Min—Speaker, author, and senior pastor of Calvary Revival Church Chesa-peake
“Everywhere we look there are extreme circumstances: hur-ricanes, fires, earthquakes, diseases, economic challenges, political turmoil, and the list goes on. I truly believe Scott has written a book ‘for such a time as this.’ This is one of the best biblical treatments on the difficult subject of suffer-ing that I have come across. Packed with encouragement from the Holy Scriptures, Pastor Scott carefully lifts up the wonderful sovereignty of God in suffering and the cross of Christ during trials to help the reader develop the blessing of an eternal perspective. Every believer needs this volume in their library. I wholeheartedly recommend Enduring Trials God’s Way!”

Five-Star Review from Readers' Favorite
"Enduring Trials God's Way: A Biblical Recipe for Finding Joy in Suffering by Scott LaPierre is an insightful and uplifting book that will help readers understand the ways of God better and realize that He always works in our best interests. Reading this book will help you develop a spiritual perspective that is needed for embracing trials, appreciating the maturity that trials produce, understanding the rewards in this life and the next for enduring trials, learning how to persevere through trials instead of abandoning the faith, and recognizing that God is always compassionate and gracious, even when we're suffering.
I found Enduring Trials God's Way to be profound, encouraging, and comforting. It will give readers hope. The book is a reminder of the power and presence of God in everyone's lives. Readers will be given the faith and confidence that God is there to see them through suffering. Pastor Scott's book will also help readers develop the strength to face struggles in their lives with resilience. Enduring Trials God's Way is good to use in devotional groups, Bible studies, and home fellowships. This book will help readers see God and suffering in a biblical way. Everyone goes through trials in life and the author's experiences and writing make it easy for readers to make changes so that they can lead enriching and fulfilling lives."