Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. In our last message, we also looked at Galatians 5:22,23, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at those again.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
So what does this mean for you today? Let’s talk about patience that endures.
1. Godly patience will empower you to endure.
When I read the list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and I see that one of them is “patience that endures,” I immediately think to myself, “I need that.” I need the ability to endure. Why? Because I am committed to God and His call on my life for the long haul. Walking with God is not a temporary decision for me.
When I accepted Jesus as my Lord, and I gave Him my life, I gave Him ALL OF IT! I don’t have a PLAN B. I don’t have another option. And since there is no retirement plan for the believer, I see myself walking with God and doing what He called me to do until either Jesus returns or I die. As far as the dying part is concerned, to be clear, by faith, I do not believe I will die because I will get old. I do not believe I will die because I will get sick. I will only die when I am DONE! Period! When I can look up to Jesus and say, “MISSION COMPLETE,” I will be ready to go. Until then, my job is to be led by God’s Spirit every day, for everything!
Since I am living with an “I am in it for the long haul” mindset, I will need patience that endures. I must develop endurance because walking in Christ is not always going to be easy or pleasant. If you don’t have patience, you will give up, cave in, and quit. But if you are led by God’s Spirit, and you meditate/medicate on God’s Word day and night, you will develop divine patience as your faith is tested and you learn to choose spirit-over-flesh.
Godly patience empowers you to endure so there won’t be any QUIT in you! That’s the goal. Speak that. Say, “There’s NO QUIT in me!”
2. Biblical patience is “the force of consistency.”
(Heb 10:36 AMPC)
“For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.”
— Patience is more than simply waiting for something to happen. It is more than just a quiet and passive adherence to terrible conditions.
— Divine patience is an inner force (from the Holy Spirit) that empowers the believer to remain constant and steadfast inwardly, regardless of the conditions outwardly.
— Once this type of consistency and endurance is developed, it empowers you to hold on, remaining the same, day in and day out, no matter how long it takes for God’s promise to manifest. Divine endurance does not come easy and does not come overnight. It must be developed over time, as your faith is tested over and over again, and as you are led by the Holy Spirit.
— The word translated patience in our text is a Greek word that means: steadfastness, consistency, endurance; the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith, even in the greatest trials and sufferings; a patient enduring, sustaining perseverance.
— Biblical patience is the force of consistency. It is the ability to remain the same in the midst of changing and challenging circumstances.
— Patience is more than just waiting on something to happen. Patience is about remaining consistent while you wait. The goal is to be consistently the same day-in and day-out.
— When people look at you, they should not know when you are facing challenges. Your disposition should be the same, whether you are in the middle of a faith-fight or not.
A couple of years ago, at the end of the year, I remember sharing my heart on Today’s Word. I said, “This year was one of the most challenging years of my life. This was one of the hardest times for Isabella and me. But thank God we made it through!” When I shared that, I immediately started getting calls from people close to me. My sister was one of them. She asked, “Are you okay? I did not know. What happened?” After I shared a few of the battles we had been through that year, she said, “I did not know. I could not tell. No one would ever know.” And that is basically the essence of what I am teaching today. Biblical patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can enable you to enter every day with a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and a spring in your step, regardless of what you are going through.
People won’t be able to tell when you are facing a challenge or not because you have patient endurance. You are in it for the long haul. You are not swayed, moved, or knocked off course. You are living #TheGraceLife. Now, this does not mean everything will be easy. It just means you refuse to quit, because you know you are not in this walk alone! You are walking with God and He is walking with you. You are led by the Holy Spirit and He is constantly engerizing and empowering you to do what you could not do without Him! When you live this way, you develop the patient endurance to hold on until you get to the END of your journey. You are able to DIE EMPTY simply because you refused to quit!
3. Godly patience is fueled by the fact that you trust in God’s wisdom.
— Godly patience is about synchronizing your watch of expectation to God’s clock of manifestation.
— Godly patience is about knowing that God’s wisdom is better than yours and that His promises will always manifest in His timing.
— Godly patience is about knowing that when God finally does it, it will always be at just the right time.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
I know what it is like to wait on a promise from God for years. The key is to be led by the Holy Spirit. If you are, the Holy Spirit will help you maintain your JOY and PEACE (that we talked about yesterday) becuase your faith will be coupled with patience.
When you are led by the Holy Spirit, you don’t put human timelines or milestones on God. Those who do are simply setting themselves up for a let down. God never promised to do what He said ON YOUR TIMELINE. So stop putting timelines on God. Trust in His timing, know that His wisdom is better than yours, and keep reminding yourself that if you keep walking in the Spirit, everything will happen at just the right time!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, Your Word says that I have need of patience. Therefore, I believe and receive it. The testing of my faith develops patience in me by Your Spirit. Your patience is a fruit of Your Spirit. Your Spirit lives in me. Therefore, I develop patience that endures.
I remain consistently the same day-in and day-out. I am not moved, swayed, or knocked off course. Come what may, I enter every day with a smile on my face, a spring in my step, and a song in my heart.
I am with You for the long haul. I refuse to die until I am DONE! I will never give up. I will never cave in. I will never quit! I have patient endurance! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
