Fruit of the Spirit - Patience (Controlling your wait)

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Colossians 1:10-12
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 3:12-13
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

How is your patience doing today? Do you have a "wait" problem? How do you react when you have to wait too long in a line, in traffic, when people around you don't act the way you would want or expect them too? I think this is a fruit we all have difficulty with at times and need help from the Lord to cultivate!!

What causes us to be impatient? Well for most of us, we become impatient with the following:

1. We become impatient when people don't change or come through for us like we think they should.
2. When life doesn't work out the way we want it too.
3. When God doesn't answer our prayers on our time table or as we think he should.
4. When we believe something MUST happen for us to be OK or worthwhile.

Look at that list. The bottom line is we become impatient when we focus on ourselves more than others. Impatience comes when we focus on our goals and our satisfaction and forget about others wants or needs. Impatience is selfish. It causes us to be agitated and irritated. To lash out at people we love and care about.

So, on the flip side, what is patience?

Patience is spirit directed strength and perspective that God gives us. It helps us to wait on God to act in the changing of someones actions or a circumstance, when wisdom or immediate danger do not dictate otherwise.

Examples of this are:

Patience lets other people change at their given pace and according to their ability and God's action in them. Patience is letting others change according to their place in the spiritual journey, not where we think they should be. It is accepting that others may not think or behave or grow in the same way we do. Patience is ultimately accepting that the circumstances around us may not turn out in the way or time frame we had hoped.

Ephesians 4: 1-3 : " As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

We become impatient when we demand things from God or others.

First, we demand God answer our prayers our way or on our timetable. We forget God is not on a clock, he has no past, present, future. God knows better than we do what is good for us. He knows what we need and when we need it. He is a perfect parent, guarding us against ourselves.

We also demand changes in other people. We become frustrated when people will not conform to what we think they should be. We forget that changing people is God's business not ours. We can pray for people and try to show them the right way to act. However, sometimes we have to step back and realize it is not in our control and leave it up to God.

2 Timothy 4: 1-2 ; In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

Lastly, our impatience grows when we demand a change in our circumstance. There is nothing wrong with praying for change. God loves for us to ask for his help. However, we need to remember God is more interested in building our character rather than changing our circumstance. We need to trust in him and realize the answer we get may not be the one we want.

Isaiah 30:15 (New International Version)
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.

So, what can we do to obtain patience?

1. Admit and ask God to help remove our demands. Trust God for the results. Let him do the changing, control what you can but trust in God to do the rest.

Psalm 56:4
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

2. Change your demands to desires. Do the best you can to encourage people to change, be an example, be gentle and reasonable.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

3. Pray for the changes you long for.

Mark 11:24 ; "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

4. Start using your wait time differently. Try looking at things from a different perspective, sometimes you will be surprised to see God show up during the wait!!

Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

5. Focus on what you can control and who you are. Work on yourself.

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

6. Learn to wait on the Lord.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

Prayer:
Lord, Help me to show more patience everyday, help me to trust more in You, to be patient and wait, for what I want may not be what is best for me or for You. You are my Father and I trust You to know what is best for me in all situations. Help me to set an example of patience in this world and allow the fruit of Your Spirit to grow in me daily. Thank You for all Your blessings. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.