DG05 – Patience
There are seasons that we walk through that are difficult. The end result is better than the beginning, for your character has been stretched and expanded from your previous state. To under go trial is to understand That God works all things according to His purpose and will use any circumstance we find ourselves in to expand us into who we are called to be.
When we are in a state of persevering, you almost always never see where you are lacking growth until it is right in your face. You will have to fight to for a period of time, to be able to see what it is that God is trying to do. Even once you have seen it, time still remains for it to fully work in your life. This is the time frame of being stretched.
Our battles are never won immediately, but rather over a period of time we do gain the upper hand if we are obedient to what God is asking us to do. Patience is an action that is required on our parts. You will not learn it in a book. There is a quote that I love:
“Patience Sounds Right Until You Need It”
The only time that you discover that you need it is when you are in the thick of it. We are all in that same boat, the moment we find that we need it, that we don’t have it, we want this to pass as fast as possible. Like, “is this over yet”, but when we realize that God is using these times to change us and transform us, we get a better understanding of why our lives need to be shaped although difficult, necessary to bring forth the character of Christ Jesus in our lives.
And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. (James 1:4 TPT)
We are strengthened during difficult times. It is reassuring that as we go through these times, we are not alone. We have a faithful friend who promises to be there for us. One of the biggest struggles that we go through is putting our dependence upon Him. No matter how big our struggle, if we have allowed patience to work itself out in our lives, we will have learnt the art of casting our cares upon Him, for we will have figured it out. With out God I will fail miserably, with God over time I will be transformed, victorious, and will have taken the ground.
Our faith requires us to mature and to do that patience is a real part. Faith is an on-going experience. The faith you have today will never carry you forward with the faith that is required for tomorrow. That’s part of the stretching you forward like a big elastic. Faith takes time to grow, and all that we need is inside the seed. The potential is locked up inside the seed. Only when the soil is properly prepared, the seed is planted and given the right environment, will the seed come forth with a great harvest.
So, you will get a harvest depending upon what you sow. If you sow patience, you will get a harvest of patience, if you sow a harvest of impatience, you will have a harvest of impatience. Both have fruit, both are choices we make, and need to take ownership for the final out come. We have all had moments where we didn’t do well with patience. The bigger issue is when this becoming the norm, and if so, why? When it becomes a normal response, it creates havoc on your overall well being. You suffer deeply because of it. Before it becomes a destructive force, learn what it is that triggers the opposite of what you were hoping to arrive at. If you can discern this key point, you will be able to unravel how the enemy has robbed you of your peace and joy.
Prayer: Dear Lord, one of the hardest things at times seems to be patience. It always seems to strike at a moment when it’s a fine thread holding it together. Help me to understand those moments in advance. Help me to discern the areas that trigger me to react instead of respond.
Verse: Don’t be under any illusion: you cannot make a fool of God! A man’s harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows’ If he sows for his own lower nature his harvest will be the decay and death of his own nature. But if he sows for the Spirit, he will reap the harvest of everlasting life by that Spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for, unless we throw in our hand, the ultimate harvest is assured. (Galatians 6:7-9 Philips)
