God says that He brings trials into your life for two reasons. If you’re being a little punk, then He uses trials to discipline you. If you’re living in alignment with Him, then He uses trials to reward you. Trials can be a spanking or they can be the key that unlocks the door to the next level of spiritual maturity. They are either about dragging you back onto the right path or they are about pushing you closer to God. It’s the same with blessings. Just because God is making someone’s life go well doesn’t mean He is pleased with that person. God often uses blessings as a means of disciplining someone (see Understanding Why God Blesses Us). Often God finds heaping on the blessings to be a much more effective spanking than heaping on the trials.