The Spirit of Patience – The Peaceful Road To Things Hoped For

In this world things are moving ever so quickly. Fast food, fast cars, fast everything. Every day that goes by something new comes out to make life just that little bit easier. Supposedly, in the Asian region a robot is currently being made to collect and fold clothes in our houses.

From the equator the world spins just about 1,000 miles per hour but I personally believe that what’s within it is turning at a much faster rate.

It’s much easier to feel left out at this rate where just when you buy the newest plate car a few months later they enhance the model, just when you thought you had the best phone a new one arrives with better features. It’s easy to feel discontented and regularly disconnected from this fast paced environment if you’re not somehow very wealthy and up to date but we thank God for his Word.

Thinking about this I was studying the bible and was brought to a simple but very effective verse;

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Many of us when faced with a problem do not allow ourselves to work in patience, we unknowingly then operate in pride.
This particular verse is making the direct relationship between the end of a matter and patience, and the beginning of a matter and pride. More so, pride is not joint with the end neither is patience joint with the beginning.

Where pride is present, patience cannot be seen and vice versa.

We must know then that the end of a matter is dealt with patience and has nothing to do with pride. Put into context if we are not seeing the manifestation of the things we hope for, the word sums up, that pride is in operation and as long as this happens you will be stuck in the beginning, an undesirable loop hole.

Subsequently, if you desire to see the end or the manifestation of things hoped for work patience!

HOW

Simply being patient is much easier said than done, being younger I was always told by my mother to be patient and good things comes to those who wait but it meant nothing. I then became impatient to be taught how to be patient, God bless me!

Thankfully the word of God is consistent in every area of our lives and states;

“A man's wisdom gives him patience...” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV)

So let’s get wisdom!

In the book of James I think it can be summed up the best;

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4KJV)

Firstly I want to point your attention to the fact the text says ‘let’; working on opposites, if we’re able to let something happen then that must mean we’re able to not let something happen, or to hinder it. To hinder something beneficial would then, to confirm Ecclesiastes 7:8, take a degree of pride as you put yourself on a mantle as if to say you’re not in need of the patience, you’re in need of the prize.

Consequently, if we can hinder the work of patience then this must mean that patience will never force itself upon us, it’s a gift taken with acceptance. We yield to it as opposed to yielding to our emotions. We must humbly give in to the direction and stability of patience no matter the circumstance.

Secondly, and very importantly the scripture says ‘her’; patience here is actually given a descriptive analysis of femininity. Thinking about Patience as being feminine I was led to a scripture which was quite similar in description;

“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her” (Proverbs 4:8)

Here wisdom was being described as ‘her’ also, among that the instructions were to exalt and embrace. Within the book of Proverbs there were many more instructions but the means is to acknowledge they were not describing these attributes as a mere thing, they were describing them as living beings.

Please know that wisdom and patience are not just words or things but that they are Spirit! The Holy Spirit! Glory be to God!

By no means am I stating the Holy Spirit is a lady, the Spirit of God has no gender, I am stating that we are taught through the word of God to love and exalt patience and wisdom as a man would do so to his wife.

So we must embrace the Holy Spirit when he means to help us be patient in affliction, to let the Holy Spirit have his perfect work and not quench him. (1Thess 5:19)

In doing this we then are able to become a beneficiary to be perfect and entire, lacking nothing as the scriptures states.

How wonderful it is that the Holy Spirit does the work as the verse says and not us, to have an almighty God who sent his Spirit to do it for us, so all we must do is YIELD! Cast all your cares on God and see his glory. Every anxiety or challenge we face is to be left at the altar as we are instructed by the Spirit of God.

I beg you stop being weary, stop being proud and stop being impatient, I’m sure you’ll agree its tiring but we have God who is our ever present help, whom gave us rest and not work.

Lastly we must get wisdom of the particular thing we are after unless it will become a problem for us. James says if we lack knowledge then to ask God in faith, (James 1:5-6), so wisdom is key to being patient and waiting for our need whatever it may be. This is because we cannot receive what we do not know about as in context it potentially could destroy us. For example, a lot of people ask God for money, maybe millions and wonder why God will not give it.

Our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob delights in giving to his children as they ask, he takes delight also when his people prosper financially. But God will refuse in many instances to bless a person with a wealth of money if he knows they cannot handle it.

In my opinion a person who is not good with money does not stand eligible to win a £100,000 on the lottery as by the end of spending the money they could have put themselves in more debt than to begin with and God, as you can understand would not do so. The same with all our needs, the primary thing is wisdom (Proverbs 4:7) Just like a good credit rating once this is established you become eligible, matched with patience and your soon sure to see the glory of God in your life.

So search for wisdom today and allow the Spirit of Patience to delightfully take you on a peaceful journey to all that you’ve ever wanted.

Confessional

Father, I thank you for your Word
It upholds the universe and all things thereof
I receive the grace today to yield to the Holy Spirit and
to let you have your way in my situations.
Every challenge I’m facing and every care I have I leave
with you from this moment and receive a calm in my Spirit.
I pray you direct my paths into the way of wisdom so that I
may be lacking nothing. I declare every need is already been
met in my life and I walk in rest and contentment from today.
I give you all the Glory
In Jesus name
Amen.

God bless you all
AX

Authority In Prayer

I been dwelling alot on true prayer recently, you know Spirit led prayer, a prayer which touches the very heart of God everytime. I think its very important to have a very important prayer life, more than we know so I've been searching the scriptures and reading books accordingly.

In doing so, I've come across a great anointed man of Gods' teaching on the perspectives of prayer by the late Kenneth E Hagin. It blessed me so much I thought it would be nice to post it.

Enjoy...

In teaching on prayer for so many years, I always take two particular Bible texts. The reason I choose these two for my main texts is because I don’t believe there are any better. These two texts will cover anything you want to teach on the subject of prayer. The first text I use is Ephesians 6:18, in which Paul is writing to the believers at Ephesus. The second text is John 15:7, which says, “If ye abide in me [Jesus], and MY WORDS abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

This verse is all-inclusive, because Jesus said “My words.” Therefore, any word the Bible teaches on the subject of prayer is covered by John 15:7.

If Jesus had just said, “If you abide in Me,” we Christians would automatically have it made because we all abide in Him as believers. But Jesus added, “And My words abide in you.”

Have you ever noticed that many of God’s promises are conditional? If you want answers to your prayers, follow the instructions that have been given to you: If you abide in Jesus, and His Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

I believe in receiving answers to prayer, all right. But there are conditions that have to be met in order for our prayers to be answered: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…”

I want to look at a passage in the Old Testament that teaches us something further on prayer. Isaiah 43:25 and 26 gives us insight into the authority we have in prayer.

ISAIAH 43:25,26

25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

God, through the prophet Isaiah, spoke this passage to Israel, but it applies to us because we are now God’s children (Rom. 8:16). And Hebrews 9:12–14 explains how the blood of Christ has blotted out our transgressions!

Notice that God made the statement, “… I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake…” (v. 25). I used to think that He blotted out my transgressions for my sake and that for my sake, He wouldn’t remember my sins. But that’s not what the Scripture says. God did it for His sake! One reason He did it for His sake was, He wanted to bless us. And He couldn’t bless us if He didn’t blot out our transgressions and forgive our iniquities.

Look at verse 26 again.

ISAIAH 43:26

26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

What does God mean when He says, “Put Me in remembrance”? In other words, He’s saying, “Remind Me.” Now, if God tells me to remind Him of something, I’m going to remind Him!

Well, God said for us to put Him in remembrance. And He tells us what to remind Him of: “I am He that blots out your transgressions, and I will not remember your iniquities [sins].”

God doesn’t forget His Word or His promises, so why does He tell you to put Him in remembrance? When you remind Him, you also remind yourself.

It’s important to remind yourself of God’s forgiveness, because when you go to God in prayer, the devil will try to bring all of your past failures and sins up before you. If you entertain the thoughts the devil brings, you will begin to think, There’s no use for me to go to God; He’s not going to hear me. I’ve messed up too badly.

No, put God and yourself in remembrance, saying, “Yes, I’ve failed. I’ve missed it and have fallen short. But thank You, God, You said in Your Holy Word that You blot out my transgressions and will not remember my sins. Thank You, Father, that I can come into Your Presence as though the sin never existed.”

How does He keep from remembering your sin? Well, He’s God! You and I aren’t God, so it’s hard for us to keep from remembering. But God said, “I’ll not remember your iniquities.” In other words, He won’t remember that you did anything wrong. And if He doesn’t remember, why would you want to want to remember?

Bringing up past sin is a ploy of the devil to defeat us. He wants to keep us thinking about how we’ve missed it and how far short we’ve come. But that kind of thinking is not scriptural, and it robs us of the blessing that God has for us.

Isaiah 43:25 and 26 removes our guilt over past mistakes. Say it out loud, “Lord, I put You in remembrance. You’ve blotted out my transgressions. You’ve forgiven my sins. I stand in Your Presence as though I’ve never sinned.”

That Word gives you faith and confidence in prayer. Not only can you put God in remembrance of that passage, but if you abide in Him and His Words abide in you, you can put Him in remembrance of all His promises concerning prayer.

Charles G. Finney, a lawyer and renowned preacher, knew his authority in prayer. He had authority because of the Word of God, and he exercised that authority by putting God in remembrance of His Word.

I once read that Finney went to Rochester, New York, in 1828 to hold a crusade.
Nearly every person in town got saved and started going to church. The only theater in town closed because no one went anymore. The only beer joint in town closed too.

And that happened wherever Finney went, time and time again. One of the secrets to Finney’s evangelistic success was his prayer life. Finney prayed from 4 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock in the morning—every morning.

Finney once said, “I had some experiences in prayer that indeed alarmed me. I’d find myself saying to the Lord, ‘Lord, You don’t think we’re not going to have revival here, do You?’ And I found myself quoting scripture after scripture to the Lord, putting Him in remembrance of all that He had said concerning revival and prayer.”

How could Finney be so bold? He understood his authority and covenant rights in prayer.

Today, we Christians live under the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6; 12:24), and thank God for it. But even in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant, God heard and answered prayer. (Of course, now we ought to be able to do more because we’re living under a better covenant with better promises.)

In Genesis chapter 18, we read that God intended to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sin. But Abraham—who understood his covenant rights in prayer—intervened on behalf of the two cities, and made a deal with God!

GENESIS 18:22–25

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Abraham realized he had covenant standing with God; the two of them had a covenant with each other. That covenant provided both parties with certain rights. And Abraham knew he had covenant rights in prayer. Abraham knew he had rights and privileges that gave him legal standing with God. So we hear him speak plainly, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right” (v. 25).

If you continue to read the story, you find that the Lord answered Abraham every time he went to the Lord with a proposal. I believe that if Abraham had asked, “Will You spare the city for Lot’s sake alone,” the Lord would have said, “Sure, I will.”

Throughout the Old Testament, we find people who understood and took their place in their covenant with God. Joshua opened the Jordan River. He also prayed and the sky stood still. Elijah brought fire out of Heaven to consume the water-soaked offering and altar. David’s mighty men were shielded from death time and time again as long as they remembered the covenant. Practically all the prayers of the Old Testament were prayers by God’s covenant people. They had to be answered!

Thank God, we’re under a New Covenant and a better covenant, established on better promises (Heb. 8:6). And if there are better promises, that means better rights and privileges—better authority!

Even though we may have failed, we can enter the Presence of God as though our sin never existed. Why? We have a legal standing with God. We have His Word on it! God said, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isa. 43:25). Say it out loud again, “God has blotted out my transgressions. He doesn’t remember that I did anything wrong.”

Isaiah 43:25 was spoken to Israel, but it also applies to the Church today! The New Testament believer has authority and covenant rights in prayer just as believers in the Old Testament had covenant rights in prayer. We’re to put God in remembrance of His Word! When it comes to having authority in prayer, we are to remind God of what He has said concerning prayer! Throughout church history, the mighty men and women of prayer have been those who reminded God of His promises.

The rest of Isaiah 43:26 says, “…Let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” Let us plead together! Declare thou! Another translation says, “Put forth your cause that you may be justified.” That’s a challenge from God for us to lay our case before Him. When you stand before the Throne of God, plead your case as a lawyer would. A lawyer is continually bringing law and precedence to bear. What are our law and precedent? The Word! We bring what God has said.

The Problem With Advice

I’m sitting here contemplating the reality of friendships. My intention isn’t to write a long blog today as I’m still pensive about the issue, but I feel compelled to give a brief account now.

I thank God for the gift of friends and the many joys they bring. I have many and although I fall out with some time and time again I’m grateful and blessed for them all. The close ones whom I can confide in are always there for me and I’m blessed to have those around me. Their supportive, uplifting, caring and respectful to name a few. I guess their main focus is for my personal happiness, I mean that’s what every friend wishes for their peer right? But how far does making someone happy really go?
I use to think that telling someone what they want to hear is to love them, until I was reading the bible recently which put things in another context. The bible states;

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Pro 27:6 KJV)

I realised after meditating on this that it’s not always about what your friend wants to hear, in fact if you truly love them then you will rebuke them in the time of need. As a friend trying to help another in the time of distress, much care must be taken in both your approach and your words.

Firstly, the advice given must not be of your own knowledge and understanding. I can’t stress how important I’ve come to realise that giving advice from your own understanding and human wisdom can be devastating for the recipient.

Consider Justin who recently had just come out of a bad relationship, with all bitterness of his breakup a few months later his friend Jason goes through the same scenario and calls on Justin for some advice. You can see here that just because the scenarios are the same it doesn’t mean the same advice should be given because the opportunity for a different outcome is very much in balance. What works for one may not work for another and in this case, where there may have been a chance for Jason to save his relationship he takes Justins advice to leave and risks it all.

Another thing struck me as to advice giving in that it’s easy to give advice when you are not in the midst of the problem because of what’s at stake. From the prior scenario let us assume Jason uses Justins’ advice and leaves the relationship, Justin (advisor) has lost nothing from Jason leaving whereas Jason lost something, which potentially could have grown if simply given time and care. What I mean to say is when taking advice remember that carelessness may play a part in the advice given because they have nothing to lose but you do!

Ultimately advice giving should not be solely from past experience of human wisdom yet the word of God. The perfect example of what is to be mentioned pertaining to advice giving was actually spoken of by God in the book of Job;

“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath” (Job 42:7 KJV)

God rebuked the friends of Job because they let Job speak negative and gave him no hope which is the word of God. The verse says “...ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right...” The Lord was explaining that comforting and being there for them profited Job nothing, friends are meant to speak the things of God, ultimately the word of God concerning their situation and nothing more despite how they may take it.

In summary of this when giving advice speak not what is right to them but simply what is right for them because this is done out of love and for lifting them up.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Eph 4:29 KJV)

Lift your friends by the word of truth

Subsequently when taking advice be careful in who you take it from as it may not always be fruitful for you. Sometimes this may be regarding a health, finance, business or relationship issue.

A friend told me once upon a time that they took relationship advice from someone and unwillingly lost their partner. I asked what status the advice giver was in to which my friend replied they were single I had to ask if they would take money advice from a poor person because it’s the same thing.

We must remember it’s your situation, your baby, so be careful with words people speak to you. One of my previous blogs about arranged marriage asked the question that if you had a word from God to be wed to someone and you hadn’t known them for what society deems to be correct, would you still trust God? Alot of people said they would wait but couldn’t explain why, which struck me. I realised that its social correctness that challenges babies we carry such as dreams and aspirations.

You can’t start that business because your funds are too small, you can’t get married because you haven’t known that person for long enough. Who decides the timing? Is it not God? So why do we listen to friends who give us times? Is it there dreams? Are they with us when we day dream about it? Will they be there when you’ve succeeded? If your not willing to step out of the box then wont you be subject to the limit of their success?

The word of God teaches that the barriers of success are removed, nothing is impossible with God so who would you rather listen to?

If God has placed something in you, let him prosper it with his word, not by the shakey advice you may get from friends.

“To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 KJV)

A-pplying D-ivine V-eracity I-nto C-urrent E-vents

AX