Today we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience Volume IV — The Wonder Twins”. Today I will continue to lay the foundation for the series. Yesterday we read three foundational scriptures. Let’s take a look at the same scriptures and then get into the message.
(Hebrews 6:12 NIV)
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
(Hebrews 10:35 AMPC)
Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.
(Gal 6:9 NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. The heroes of the faith held on long enough to see what God said.
a) David was 17 years old when God sent a prophet to anoint him as the next King of Israel. He was 30 when he became the king of Judah. It took him another 7 years (20 years total), to become the king of a unified Israel. In those 20 years, David endured many extreme challenges. But he never gave up. He held on long enough to see what God said come to pass. He kept the promise alive in his heart.
b) Joseph was a young man when he received a dream from God. What he did not know is what the dream would take over 20 years to come to pass. In those 20 years, Joseph had to endure a PIT phase, a POTIPHAR phase, and a PRISON phase, before he could enjoy the PALACE/PRIME MINISTER phase of his life. But phase after phase, Joseph never gave up on God’s dream. He believed the dream would eventually come to pass. He kept the dream alive in his heart, and after 20 years, his dream became his reality.
c) Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies sent into Israel that had the faith to believe God. 10 of the 12 spies put a “NO” where God put a “YES”. Millions of people believe the 10 and not the 2. As a result, an entire nation died off in the wilderness. And this left Joshua and Caleb waiting until they did. It took Joshua 40 years to take possession of the Promised Land, even when the delay was no fault of his own. When Caleb originally went into the Promised Land he was 40 years old. While he was there, he saw a mountain and he believed God told him he would take possession of it. 45 years later, when he was 85 years old, he said, “Lord, give me my mountain.” God did what He promised and Caleb received his mountain, but it took 45 years! Most believers today can’t wait 45 days!
d) God gave Abraham a call and a promise in Genesis chapter 12. The promised child was born in chapter 21. Although God spoke it, it took 9 chapters and 25 years to come to pass. Think about that for a moment. Let that sink in. 25 years is a long time. It is always great when God gives you a promise in the morning and makes it manifest in the afternoon. Even if it does not come the same day, most of us can wait a few days; maybe even a week. But what happens when your promise takes a lot longer than you expected? Will you give up? Will you stop believing? Will you throw in your faith towel? Or will you keep believing?
During the 25 years between the promise and the performance God reiterated the promise to Abraham and reassured him over and over again that it would come to pass. God had to keep telling him that he was a Father of Many Nations, even though he did not have any children yet. This is how it is with us. While we are waiting on God to do what He promised, He will reassure us over and over again. He will speak to us as we are reading His Word. He will give us dreams while we are sleeping, open visions while we are awake, and He will send people to us to give us confirming words. We must accept all of these assurances and then stir up our faith. It is through FAITH and PATIENCE that we will inherit the promises of God. We need both!
e) The point is that everything God planned is already done. It’s done as far as He is concerned because He is in eternity and not time. But for us, who have to deal with the continuum of time, it is truly A MATTER OF TIME. God’s promises are yes and amen. God’s promises are sure and certain. But God’s promises will NOT manifest in the earth until the fullness of His timing. Which is why God requires us to have FAITH and PATIENCE! We need both!
2. Life is a journey, not an event.
Many believers have a bad habit of only coming to God when they think they need something. They come to God for this or they pray for that, only to forget about God in between the times they feel like they are stuck. God is not Santa Claus. God is not someone who just comes bearing gifts. Walking with God is not about this event or the next one. Walking with God is a journey. God wants to be Lord of your entire life… the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the good and the bad. Either God is Lord OF ALL or He is not Lord AT ALL!
When you read the stories of the heroes of the faith (like the ones I mentioned today: David, Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, and Abraham), you see people who endured tremendous challenges and who held on to their faith, for decades, in order to see what God said come to pass. They were able to enjoy the journey and not just seek God for an event, because they looked at their situations from God’s point of view.
3. Look at your situation from God’s point of view!
When you realize that God knows everything (past, present, and future), that He has already been to your future, and that He considered everything that would ever happen to you when He promised what He promised, you can rest assured that no matter how big and bad your current challenge is, God already knew it would not be the end of you! God factored OUT your challenge when He factored IN His grace. His grace is sufficient. His power is enough. He has given you the grace to endure and overcome what you are facing right now.
To make it pertinent to today, let me tie this point to COVID-19. God did not put COVID-19 on us, but this terrible disease did not catch God off-guard. While God did not make it happen, He knew it would happen. God was not surprised. Therefore, every promise God ever made to you about your future was made with God’s foreknowledge of COVID-19. This means that every promise is still valid. Everything God said to you about your business, your finances, your health, and your family is still a valid promise. Those things are still going to come to pass.
Nothing has changed. God is still God. His promises are still true. His power is still immeasurable. His grace is still sufficient. What God is looking for from you are FAITH and PATIENCE. God has provided the grace. You must now provide the faith and patience. If you do, you will hold on long enough to see everything God said come to pass in your life!
I will close with the words of Moses this morning, “God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does He speak and not do what He says? Does He promise and not come through?” (Numbers 23:19 MSG).
That’s enough for today!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I know that life is a journey and not just a series of isolated events. I am not like those who only call out for You when they need something. You are not just the Lord of my major events. You are the Lord of my life… ALL OF IT! I walk with You daily and You walk with me. Walking with You and embracing Your grace helps me to not just ENDURE life, but to actually ENJOY it! I ENJOY the journey… ALL OF IT! I am not moved by negative situations, because I know that You already knew about them and You made Your promises anyway. I refuse to FACTOR IN what You already FACTORED OUT. I refuse to put a “NO” where You put a “YES”. I believe every promise You have ever made me shall come to pass before I die! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
