Not long ago for those of you that follow the blogs I’ve written, you will remember a blog titled “Perseverance”. I believe in many ways this can be a continuation because after all what is patience but a synonym for perseverance. However, I know that the Holy Spirit has taught me some things along my life journey that I will like to share that has caused me to grow tremendously throughout the years.
For years after I had become a born-again CHRISTian, I witnessed some character traits in myself and other people that were not fruitful at all to the LORD. And I began to wonder why, so, I began to self-examine myself and found that though I was attending church regularly and that the church was in me (JESUS) I was not growing because I was still in my own way. I still had the “I” complex. “I” was full of pride, “I” was independent, “I” was full of unknown anger, “I” was full of hurt, “I” was suicidal, “I” was depressed, “I” was oppressed, “I” was abused, “I was a people pleaser, and “I” was a perfectionist. This is just to name a few. I wore a mask and I wore it well and no one ever knew or maybe no one ever cared that I was not this carefree, upbeat person that I pretended to be because no one took the time to get to know me. This is the problem with most of the congregants that attend their local assemble weekly. We hear about something but how many people are holding classes, or intimate what is said in here stays in here group sessions. So that people can heal groups within their local assemblies. Now I’m not writing that all worship edifices don’t have this in place but most don’t and because of this, we have too many hurting brothers and sisters in the body of CHRIST. We can’t expect the body of CHRIST to win souls into the kingdom if we are still critically broken and wounded ourselves. Then once we have been delivered and begun to heal we need to be taught how to live with patience because we will still face difficult times in our lives.
The most important lesson any individual must learn and understand is that no person receive the seeds sown unless their heart is ready for the truth. Then once heard that heart will keep what was heard and produce a fruitful harvest from that. But it comes with patience. As we learn and mature we will begin to take control of our soul by infiltrating our emotions, mind and will with the Word of GOD. We don’t have to know every scripture by heart but what we do know when we get a negative thought or desire to think and do wrong we can speak encouragement to ourselves and remind ourselves of whom we are in CHRIST JESUS.
This is why it is so important that we spend time reading and studying our bibles, because we live in a sinful world, and we socialize with loved ones in our family who are non-believers and our associates and our friends. We face stressful situations that sometimes catch us off guard and if we do not have the ability to recall to mind the joy, peace, and strength of the LORD we will succumb to that stress. Reminding ourselves of who we are in CHRIST JESUS and what JESUS has done for us ignites that patience and comforts us and be begin to have hope where before maybe for a brief moment we saw no hope. And we are always hearing and I’m certain that it has been said amongst ourselves that we need patience or more patience. How about praying a simple prayer like this. FATHER GOD of patience and comfort, I want to be like-minded toward my brothers and sisters in CHRIST JESUS, according to CHRIST JESUS. In JESUS name.
We are all called to minister but we are not all called to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher as stated in Eph. 4:11. However, with this fact, we all in the body of CHRIST need patience because we all will face distressing times. The moment we received JESUS as our Savior and told our family members who are not saved that became distressing. We tried to influence our neighbors and it became more distressing, so much so some returned to their sinful ways because of the pressure of being ridiculed and outcast. Then there are those who lost so much and have endured because of their patience and it has been a hurtful experience but they keep going because they understand that JESUS is worth it all.
Maybe this will be a good time to say this prayer.
FATHER, I want, I need to be filled with the knowledge of YOUR will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy, fully pleasing YOU, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of JESUS; be strengthened with all might, according to HIS glorious power, in all patience and longsuffering with joy. In JESUS name. Amen.
If ever there was a time for today’s CHRISTians in America who have never ventured outside of their native state, community or country to see how spoiled we are. Now is the time to learn how to grow in patience, now is the time to learn how to bear injuries and offenses without anger and revenge. Now is the time to stop speaking about your hope in the LORD and live in the hope of the LORD CHRIST JESUS. Not so much because of the outcome of the election but because we have been living in the last days for 2,016 years as of this writing and if JESUS continues to tarry it will be 2,017 years but darkness is continuing to grow. The church has been persecuted from the time JESUS walked this earth teaching the Kingdom of GOD and more so since HIS crucifixion and the fact that HE arose and ascended on high. And today no one has never been able to stop witnessing about the Good News of CHRIST JESUS and it will not be stopped orally or literally. In all perseverance generation after generation, the Good News is being spread from nation to nation to every corner of this world. The faith in CHRIST JESUS is growing and it will not be stopped not even in death because death does not stop a true believer, we have no one to witness to but we continue to praise HIM forever more. In our lifetime we will be persecuted but so what we were most likely persecuted before we came to CHRIST JESUS so what did we lose? We had tribulations then and we have tribulations now the difference is, we faced them alone now JESUS face them with us and more than likely those tribulations we had before are no longer with us. The tribulations we have now pertain to those who hate us because of JESUS within us.
Every day we should ask that our hearts be directed in the way that HE desires which is the love and patience of CHRIST JESUS. We would be surprised when we realize that everyday occurrences like traffic, office politics or whatever normally trigger you into a negative space will no longer concern us because we will have our heart fixed toward the FATHER.
Another lesson I learned is that if I want patience like anything else I wanted, I must be the one to go after it. So how does one go after patience? The exact same way King Solomon did when he spoke to the FATHER asking for wisdom. You see in order to get patience we must be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the power to live and operate in His patience aka longsuffering, Gal. 5:20.
Older adults 30 and up should be example setters to the younger. A sober mind is a mind that is not intoxicated or overpowered, not insane, or wild. No born-again CHRISTian should be under any influence other than the Holy Spirit. If you are drinking and getting drunk you are opening yourself up to demonic spirits/influences if you use drugs recreational or (a prescription that you are abusing) you are opening yourself up to demonic spirits/influences. Every liquor store or where ever one goes for drinks has the word spirits. That word does not stand for Holy Spirit. And it’s the same for drugs, drugs remove inhibitions and will cause people to do what they would not do or say if they were sober.
Every born again CHRISTian must find another born again CHRISTian who is more mature than they are and glean from them. Iron sharpens iron, and in our faith and endurance, we inherit as we go along to receive that which has been promised to us.
Our faith is continually tested but the passing grade is patience if this is what is produced. We must allow patience to have its perfect work in our lives making us complete so that we will have nothing withheld from us.
And the final lesson I’ve learned so far and that I’m continually learning in my trials regarding patience. Is to wait on the LORD. My waiting has and is grooming my character to be more CHRIST like. Oh, I’m not all together, don’t get me wrong but I’m a far cry from what I used to be thank YOU JESUS. And so are many of you or so you can be. We all have a great need to endure and no man is an island, we all need one another so that we can receive the promise. Stop being competitive with each other, begin to love not only in talk but in the doing. And allow patience to have her perfect way in all our lives.
Luke 8:15, 21:19; Romans 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 6:4; Colossians 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:4, 3:5; 1 Chron. 29:18; 1 Timothy 6:11; Titus 2:2; Hebrews 6:12; James 1:3-4; Rom. 5:3-5; Heb. 10:36
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