His Way or Hell’s Way: Where Patience Leads You
Lately, the Lord has been dealing with me about a lot, calling me to step further and further into purity. To say that denying my flesh has been difficult would be an understatement. Yet, I am beyond grateful for how much the Lord loves me that He seeks to correct me and redirect me even when it’s uncomfortable.
As I read deeper into the Old Testament, I identified a pattern of the Lord’s longstanding habit of calling those He loves into discomfort. He called Abram, later called Abraham, to leave his home and wander around in foreign lands among strangers who, as far as he knew, might kill him on sight (Genesis 12). He called Moses to stand before the most powerful ruler in Egypt and demand the release of the Hebrew people (Exodus 6-13). He called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to defy the Babylonian King’s idolatrous command and subsequently be thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3)—just as Daniel was tossed into a den of lions after he kept praying to God despite King Darius’ decree (Daniel 6). Christ himself commands us to embrace the difficulty and discomfort that accompany a flesh-denying, Kingdom-proclaiming life.
Obedience to the Lord may seem easier said than done, however, it forces us to remember:
He is in control
He is the ultimate authority
He established a plan and purpose for all of us
A key element in obedience to the Lord and to a spiritual growth that will place you on the path to eternal life is patience; one of the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I decided to read this same scripture in the amplified version. This version defines patience as: “not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting”. Essentially, patience is an attitude and your attitude shapes your actions. So why is patience important to your salvation?
Ecclesiastes 7-8 (AMP)
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride).”
It is better to be patient than proud, yet our tendency is to be proud and not patient. Impatience is rooted in a version pride and arrogance given that pride produces impatience by us placing ourselves at the center of everything. We grow impatient when things do not go our way or at the timing we want them, right? I’m here to inform you that is called selfishness…Let that marinate. When we don’t submit to the Lord’s will for our lives because we decided that His will was too uncomfortable for us, pride nudges us to do our own thing, instead of exercising patience in the season that we are in. Now consider what exercising patience WILL and CAN do!
Luke 21:19 (NIV)
“Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Luke 21:19 (AMP)
“By your [patient] endurance [empowered by the Holy Spirit] you will gain your souls.”
When we are patient and endure with the Holy Spirit, we win eternal life. It forces us to quit idolizing what we may have believed we wanted for ourselves. But how do we remain patient?
Proverbs 13:10 (AMP)
“Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.”
Psalm 119:98-100
“Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For Your words are always with me. I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers [because of Your word], For Your testimonies are my meditation. I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers [because of Your word], For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged [who have not observed Your precepts], Because I have observed and kept Your precepts.”
Matthew 7:24 AMP
“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock.”
We must seek wisdom from the Lord and welcome well advised counsel!
First, Wisdom, TRUE wisdom, comes from the Lord. You gain knowledge through HIS word and execute wisdom by applying that knowledge to everyday life. When one is walking in the fear of the Lord, he or she is relying on God’s wisdom in the matters of everyday life and making whatever changes need to be made in light of God’s Word. Take a look at the imagery in Matthew 7, it’s like building a house on the rock! Think of yourself as a house and the sturdy foundation of your house (or at least the SHOULD BE sturdy foundation of your house *wink*) as your submission to the Lord.
Second, at times we need to allow correction and redirection from WELL ADVISED counsel. Don’t allow people who don’t know the Lord to speak into you. Those who are of the world do not have the capacity to understand what the Lord is seeking to do with you because they themselves don’t know Him. They will simply speak into you from their own understanding. The danger of this is emphasized in Proverbs 14:12:
Proverbs 14:12 AMP
“There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.”
However, when we surround ourselves with followers of Christ who have entered a covenant with Him, we are positioned to receive Godly advice and constructive criticism.
Proverbs 27:17 AMP
“As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].”
The concept of “iron sharpening iron” implies at least two pieces of iron. It would be impossible for one tool to become sharper without the presence of the other. Left isolated, both blades would be dull and useless. This verse illustrates the important biblical principle of well advised counsel. In the essence of thanksgiving, I am grateful for my sisters in Christ who have acted as iron in my walk with the Lord. Though it may sting, we want to know that the person giving us the counsel has our best interest at heart. After all, it’s a part of having patience through the discomfort.
Maybe at this moment in time, you are in a season of unmarriedness and have been seeking a godly relationship at your own pace. Maybe at this moment in time, the Lord has delayed a goal of yours that you are eager to reach. Maybe at this moment in time, much is being required of you and you have yet to see its fruit. Whatever your case may be, the Lord is asking you to be patient and wait on Him. His way is the best way, and though it may be the road less traveled by, the destination will be worth it.
Romans 8:18 NIV
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Let’s pray…
Dear Lord,
We give you thanks for the new mercies and grace that you grant us every morning. Strengthen us to be humble and obedient like Daniel. Strengthen us to be patient and wise like Moses. Expand your covenant with us and destroy our flesh so we may lead kingdom lives that are pleasing to you. We repent from our pridefulness and impatience. Lord in these times of discomfort and waiting, pour life into us through your word and give us revelations about those areas in our lives which we have left unaddressed. Place your saints in our lives that will serve as iron to us and soften our hearts so we may gracefully receive correction. We give you all the praise and all the glory forever and always.
In your mighty name we pray,
Amen