Morning Hope – April 22, 2011

Let’s look at our two key scriptures that address what we’ve been studying these past few days. Remember, they are well known scriptures, so don’t fly through them. Take your time, read them like you’ve never seen them before, letting the Holy Spirit open them up for you. Open your bible, read the scriptures around them.

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

We are going to discuss long-suffering today. I can hear you now, “Oh sure, now we get to the part where I am a floor mat that lets everyone walk on me”. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Long-suffering is the word for patience. It is most often used when talking about God himself. That last thing He is is a mat to be walked on. Change your thinking in this area, let the word renew your mind about this word today.

Patience. This is where the metal hits the road, folks. This is where you sink your teeth into the battle and trust God in every area. Patience is being steadfast, consistent, and waiting calmly for manifestation of what you are believing for to occur. Without patience there is no faith. If you get everything immediately you have no need for faith.
Some look at patience as something to endure, when infact patience is the enduring itself. (read that a few times).
So in plain english, all patience really means is acting like a grown up. Not getting what you want and demanding it immediately, but doing what God has commanded and expecting the result God promises no matter what is raging around you. Not being moved by what you see, but by faith. We live by faith, not by sight.

Look at the promise we are given for our patience.

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

Perfect means mature. It’s “grow up” time. And in the spiritual grown up land is where miracles live.
So by letting patience be the answer to strife when it gets in your face, you are promised spiritual maturity.

The word “entire” means WHOLE.
Let me show you the definition from Strong’s Concordance, because it’s powerful.

1) complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole
1a) of a body without blemish or defect, whether of a priest or of a victim
1b) free from sin, faultless
1c) complete in all respects, consummate

The word “wanting nothing” is the word for “no lack”.

Remember, these are Fruits of the Spirit, they aren’t coming from you. They are Him inside you, working these things. It’s submitting to Him that allows them to function in your life.

So when strife is raging around you, and you have walked in love, joy and peace, being patient is the next weapon. Strife makes you “impatient” like a child.

Need healing? Something missing in your life? Look back at your love walk, your joy walk and your peace walk, anything subpar there? How about being patient? God promises this and more to those walking in, submitting to the Fruit of the Spirit.

If you find no area lacking in your love, joy and peace walk, smile, because now you just be patient and watch the Hand of the Most High God move on your behalf! He promises it!

Be blessed!
-Kath

Scripture quotations marked “KJV” are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.