One Thing After Another…

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

The past few weeks have been really weird. It all started with a lower molar that was giving me excruciating pain. I have no idea why. I went to my dentist and he said I probably needed a root canal. So, I got with an endodontist and after he checked me out he said he was not certain which tooth it was and the x-rays were inconclusive. He actually wanted to wait, which I appreciated because it would have cost me $1700. Eventually after a number of days, the pain subsided and today, there is zero pain. My mouth feels normal.

However, during this time, my back started hurting and even after stretching and going to my chiropractor, there wasn’t much relief at all. It’s better today but not back to normal.

Shortly after this, I developed Pink Eye. I’ve never had that before in my life and it was such a weird experience! Fortunately, I obtained some eye drops that took about a week to knock it out.

There was also an undercurrent of fatigue I was experiencing and nothing I did would alleviate it. Several days later, my throat just got scratchy and by the next morning, I knew I had a cold or virus or something. Turns out it was probably Flu A that I got from one of my grandsons who is also sick. It’s been hanging on for a while but I’m on the mend.

Then on top of all this, I lost my phone the other day. I have no idea what happened. I retraced my steps. My wife and I both retraced my steps here at home and at work. Nothing. It’s gone, simply evaporated into thin air. I have another one coming today and had no intention of buying a newer phone. I’m sure because I ordered a new phone, I’ll find my old one soon.

It’s been such a weird couple of weeks with all these events happening to me that as I was sitting there praying and thinking, the thought came to me that this was more than “happenstance.” It was a spiritual attack. Why did I think that?

I recall a friend of ours getting Pink Eye and I said to my wife, “How does a person get Pink Eye?!” as if they did it on purpose. The same thing applied to losing my phone. I recall when my wife’s brother lost his phone, my question was, “How does a person lose their phone?!” as if it is next to impossible for both things to occur and when they do the person must be at fault.

Originally, when I realized this was all a series of attacks, I was not happy. In fact, I was a bit angry, especially over the loss of my phone. I really had to take the time to give it to the Lord and submit to Him. He knew where my phone was and He knew why He had allowed this to occur. There was something to learn.

As I continued praying about these situations, I realized the take aways provided me with insight into my own thinking and, unfortunately, pride. We all have it and Jesus wants it gone. Unfortunately, the only way to remove it is through circumstances. Paul speaks of this a great deal to the Corinthian believers. Here’s one example.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12 ESV)

In the above text, Paul is simply pointing out that we live in dying bodies that are subject to death because of sin in general and our sin specifically. In essence, he is explaining the process of our sanctification. Notice he says he was afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair, etc. What he is saying is that though he constantly experienced severe trials, those trials were for two reasons. First, it was to help Paul die to his fleshly Self, which is why he says “we who live are always being given over to the death of Jesus” and the next part is the second reason for these problems or pressures we face daily: it is for the benefit of others and for God’s glory. He says this by stating “so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” He then completes the thought by stating clearly, “So death is at work in us, but life in you.”

These are the two reasons we suffer pressures in life, pressures that push down on us making life more difficult. It used to be that when I began realizing these pressures on my life, I wanted them gone. In fact, there was a time when I was on prescriptive SSRIs because I thought there was something wrong with my brain. Turns out, there was something wrong in the way I was thinking. I stopped the SSRIs and eventually regained control of my thinking. Now, when I begin to realize the pressures that literally press down on me, the first thing I do is go to God about them. I don’t ask Him to take those pressures away. I’m more inclined to ask Him what He is teaching me because of them and how to gain the victory over them.

My wife and I attend a Lifegroup at our church that uses the book Side by Side  by Edward T. Welch. I highly recommend it and it can be purchased through Amazon(1). The book has two parts that deal with the problems we face as human beings; saved human beings. In essence, we cannot do it alone. We need not only God of course, but we need other believers. It is the way God designed His system for our benefit.

Welch deals with six aspects of our neediness. We are needy and we best admit it. We need God and the salvation that only comes through Jesus. We need the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us and help us live the life that Jesus calls us to live. We need other believers for support in prayer and even in being there personally for us. We cannot and should not attempt to live our Christian lives totally set apart from other believers. Welch’s second part goes into the fact that we are not only needy, but we are needed. We are needed by others for their benefit.

There were times Jesus needed other people. One such time was during the evening of His betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:36-56 we read the account of Jesus telling His disciples that He was sorrowful unto death and asked them to wait while He prayed to the Father. When He came back, they were sound asleep. Essentially, instead of watching with Him, they caved into the temptation to sleep.

And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40 ESV)

Jesus was understandably saddened over the fact that His own disciples could not remain awake enough to watch with Him and pray. This is why His next statement was “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (v41) Yet, notice His compassion in their failure. Apparently, He came to them several times and each time found them sleeping.

Jesus needed people, proving His humanity, even though He was not fallen as we are fallen. That is proof to me that even in His unfallen state, He wanted and needed to be around others. He loved people. Yes, He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief – the pressures that push down on us throughout life, because of what He endured in His 30 something years. He wasn’t simply acquainted with grief and sorry on the night He was betrayed into the next day’s beating and crucifixion. He was a man fully aware of the grief that comes to us in this life. He was not exempt from that. Though sinless, He lived in a sinful world that affected Him, yet without His own personal sin.

And interestingly enough, it is those pressures that God allows or sends to us that help us resist our pride and grow as believers. We become strengthened by this growth, recognizing those pressures for what they are – opportunities to die to Self and live to Jesus. This is what Paul is saying in the above text. This is why he was at times perplexed by not despairing. In other words, he had questions about why certain things were happening but he did not fall into a depressive state of mind, leading to hopelessness.

In another section of 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul talks about having undergone severe trials he had experienced.

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

So Paul clearly states that all trials he received were allowed by or come directly through God’s will. They are all designed to make us rely on God Himself and to turn from Self’s mindset. It is in these situations and coming through them successfully that makes us more able to be of help to other Christians who are struggling in similar ways. This is what it’s all about – dying to Self and becoming an encourager/coach to other believers in their struggles. Ultimately, we glorify Him by doing so.

So in my case, with the past two weeks of pressures pushing down on me, I was perplexed initially. As time wore on and one thing after another occurred, I was tempted to become despairing (depressed) over those situations. In fact, I do recall growing angry over them, wondering why they were all happening. I recall telling my wife that I would have not done so well if God had allowed Satan to throw onto me everything he threw at Job.

But eventually, I poured my heart out to Him letting Him know that I did not want to succumb to my SELF and preferred to submit to Him and His will, but I needed His empowering to do that (because I AM needy for Him!). While I realize that the Holy Spirit indwells me and because of Him, Jesus lives within me, the power is there to live a holy life, a life separated to God, which brings Him glory. The world says, “You can DO it!” meaning using our alleged strength within. God says “I can DO it THROUGH you if you will let me!”

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” So when pressures of life push down on us, we are tempted to fear or even become angry. However, the purpose of those pressures is to reject the temptation to fear because God has not given us a spirit of fear. He wants us to draw on His power to overcome those temptations and to love Him and others through a sound mind, a mind that is firmly connected to the truth of His Word.

The important part of all this is that it is a daily requirement. It is not once and done. It is renewed daily, sometimes multiple times in a day. Every time we experience a difficulty, problem or pressure in life, that is the time to go again boldly to the throne of grace. Unfortunately, we too often rely on our own strength (such as it is), and think we can handle things on our own. We try and normally fail. That clearly does not glorify God at all and it glorifies Self only.

It is difficult for us to admit we are needy, to admit that we need to go to God immediately, every time, instead of relying on Self, which is thoroughly opposed to God and His Word. Going to God is primary. Going to other believers asking for their help in prayer and support is secondary, but also important. Too often we refuse to do that because we don’t want to be seen as weak, ineffectual or lacking faith. In our Tuesday night Bible study group, we routinely share prayer requests and praises. It brings us together in reliance on others. Paul talks a great deal about this in his two letters to Corinthian believers.

God has designed us, because of this fallen world, to need Him first for salvation and daily help and to be willing to go to other believers as well for additional support. It also means that because of the things we suffer through, God wants us to be a help to other believers going through the same or similar situations. We can offer encouragement, comfort and coaching, but it helps to have gone through the process successfully ourselves in order to be able to offer any help to another believer. However, even if we have not gone through that same thing, we are to offer help through prayer and encouragement.

Paul mirrors this sentiment in 2 Corinthians 1:4-7 ESV.

(God) who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (emphasis added)

The two reasons for experiencing discomfort are clearly listed above. We suffer so that we can comfort those who also suffer. In this way we glorify Him by growing in our faith, love and perseverance. It is what He designed for us that we call our sanctification. It is ongoing and will never stop in this life.

(1) https://a.co/d/gRJR8cC

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/12/02/one-thing-after-another/