PATIENCE -part 1 of 2
Is your answer from God taking too long?
Do you have a dream or a longing you
want to see fulfilled?
Do you have a promise that hasn’t come
to pass yet?
. . .
then you have need of PATIENCE.
PATIENCE
– What is it? Why is it crucial? And . . .
how do you get it?
Galatians 5 :22-23 But the fruit of the spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience),
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, (or humility), temperance (or
self-control): against such there is no law.
We
refer to these “fruits” as virtues that the Spirit works in our lives. Patience
is a virtue just
as love is a virtue, so both are necessary to develop. In our instant society however, patience is
not always seen as a virtue. The sooner the better is the way the world
operates. So why should we desire to wait patiently . . Why is it so crucial? James1:2-4 – gives us a reason . . .
Count
it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying
of your
faith
worketh patience. But let patience have
her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Wanting nothing
. . .
I once saw a little pin in a catalog - “Settle for more!” That’s what James is
asking us to do here. . . Settle for more.
God is promising us inner satisfaction if we forego our quick fixes. Take a minute and ask yourself the question–
“What exactly am I waiting for? Think of
the two or three issues that you need patience for. I’m believing that God is going to give you
insight as I share this word for how to develop the patience necessary for
these issues, and also give you practical ideas for any actions that you are to
take.
So,
why do we have such a problem with patiently waiting? Mainly,
because we’re believing a bunch of lies. At a minimum, believing a lie can put
a real damper on your day, but at a maximum it could totally ruin your life. We
believe lies like:
If that dream or work is going to happen at all it’s entirely dependent upon me. - (It’s not.) or . You can’t be really happy unless
you have that person, thing or circumstance in your life right now - (Actually, you can.) or . . .Your desire for that need is more
important than living out God’s intended purpose and plan for your life. -
(It isn’t.)
If anything, in God’s
economy, your
destiny and purpose in life is ultimately greater than your desire for whatever
. . . (fill in the blank here). There
are certain instances in the Word where this
idea is apparent. Not until the person actually came into their exact position
or destiny did God give them influence,
or a spouse, or divine favor, or
the ability to exercise certain gifts. (Think of Joseph or Daniel.)
Sometimes
the enemy tells us . . . You
know it’s totally up to you to take charge of your life and get exactly what you need to make things happen. (It’s not- it’s up to God to take care of you and to provide what you actually
need.) He may also whisper . . .There
isn’t really a divine order or timing to most things- maybe for some things but
not usually, so if you hesitate you lose
out. (Ecclesiastes says there is a
time and purpose
to everything under Heaven. . . not just for some things but for everything. He may also state the ultimate lie -Waiting will ultimately result in loss -
(It won’t.) According to Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. And Luke 8:15
But on good ground are they,
which having heard the word keep it and bring forth fruit
with patience.
We
have to learn to counter the lies with the Word of God.
When
you feel a little impatient take a look at a few passages in the word that
reflect someone’s lack of patience . . .
1) Genesis – 11:31 (Remember, they settled there – they should
have gone on but they didn’t want to wait – they
ultimately settled for less. . . )
2) Esau handing over his birthright
There
are some things in life that you won’t get without extreme patience. You
might get what others might consider “good”
but you won’t get the ultimate
God has for you. Meditate a little while
on James 1:2-4 “Let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and
entire wanting nothing.” The
end result of waiting for God’s timing
will be more than you could have ever considered, asked for or imagined. I think God said that because He endowed us with incredible imaginations and yet He
can surpass even that!
-S.
Kitts © 2016
This is only the first part of a two part message by Title I Reading Specialist, Stephanie Kitts, from Dinwiddie County Public Schools in Virginia.
Please log back in tomorrow for part two of her message on Patience. Until then, please enjoy our weekly song, "Wait on the Lord" by Donnie McClurkin and Karen Clark Sheard
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