Grow in Patience

“Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” (Psalm 37:34)

I.                 You know when you are impatient when…..

a.     You begin working things out without waiting for God.

b.     You give in to the anxiety—feel rushed to do it but no peace.

c.      Irritable, nervous, fearful what God promised will not happen

Situations will come and go in our lives and our trust in God is not based on the victory and receiving, true victory is being okay, content, and having peace in the Waiting Zone.  

(Philippians 4:10-13) “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now, at last, your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.  Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

When you begin giving into the negative feelings of impatience and acting on them, you are giving into the enemy; and that is not trusting God.

II.               The Path to Patience

What do you do to overcome anxious feelings and impatience?

“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14)

You stay close to Him! Keep your mind off the negative, don’t dwell!  REFOCUS your mind!

(Galatians 5:16-17)

“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

This verse says it all, walk in the Spirit.  So, how do you do that?

You do that by staying close to God.

a.     Pray daily

b.     Talk to God throughout the day

c.      Stay grateful, and thankful, and tell God!

(I Thessalonians 5:16-18) “Rejoice at all times.  Pray without ceasing.  Give thanks in every circumstance, for this, is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

d.     Read the Word daily –(John 6:35) “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

e.     Pray in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:18) “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

f.       Go to church and fellowship with other believers! – This is so important, God will speak to you through your Pastor, and through others at church and He will use you to speak to others and together you all stay strong! – (Hebrews 10:25) “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

When you stay in the Lord’s presence, as we move, He doesn’t, so will His peace, and you will grow in discernment and be able to distinguish between the voice of your flesh, the voice of the enemy, and the voice of God.  And when you are hearing, and obeying God’s voice, then you will stay on God’s chosen path for you and receive what is promised.

(John 10:27) “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.”

Waiting patiently for Him to answer in HIS time, your prayers will turn out better than you can imagine.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1)

III.             The Peace of Patience

Trust God. He will never fail you and you will always gain the victory! Trusting God, knowing that He will do what He promised He would do; He keeps His covenant and His promises, none will fail.

(Joshua 23:14) “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”

Trusting God through the hard times is like having an overwhelming bill land in your lap that you cannot pay even if you wanted to and Dad comes along and says, “Give it here, I’ve got this; I will pay it.”

You know your dad and you know when he says he will do something, he does it so you do not worry any longer.  It is the same with God. Why, if He would send His One and Only Son to die for your sins, I think that shows His overwhelming love enough for you to trust Him and His word.

(Psalm 138:2) “I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”

As you learn to trust God more and more, you will begin to enjoy the peace you have in knowing when trouble hits, He’s got it.

(Exodus 14:13-14) “But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.  The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Wouldn’t you want peace instead of worry and anxiety?  That is a great trade-off, don’t you think?

I would rather have peace in knowing He will take care of things and in fact, He tells us to give Him our burdens.

(Psalm 68:19) “Praise the Lord who daily bears our burdens.”