“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
Impatience is a BIG part of this world’s culture. Waiting is not a part of our DNA. But this is directly the opposite from God’s process and ways!
We cannot bring this impatience into His Kingdom Culture.
God’s process is different. God can do things NOW, but that is not always how He works. Matter of fact, He more frequently works over time than RIGHT NOW.
Take Job, for an instance. Commentaries say his trials lasted around 6 months. Sure, Job wanted everything back before then but there was a greater plan. Thank God Job stuck it out! What the enemy meant for evil, God meant it for good!
Here is a scripture I shared last post….
James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
God always has a bigger picture…one that is focused on the long term and not the short term. There are so many stories we can find in the Bible about how God’s purpose, plan and process was spread over time. All these stories show, the end was worth the season of waiting.
JOSEPH
Joseph is a BIG one in the book of Genesis. God took him through a pit, a false accusation, jail and then, finally, to the place of great authority from his original dream …If Joseph had been impatient, he would have lost everything God was arranging through the process.
DAVID
David was just a Shepard boy. He was best known as a giant slayer, but you don’t become a giant slayer without killing some smaller enemies first. The process of patience gets you ready for the expected end that God has designed for you. You and I must be willing to go through the valley of the shadow of death in order to enjoy the mountain-top experiences.
You know this without me saying it, but if something is just given to you all the time, it isn’t appreciated and you don’t grow. A wise parent understands that giving a child everything they ask for will only hurt them in the long run. You are loved by God, and as your heavenly Father, He rather see you make it to the end instead of you feeling good for a day.
HAVE PATIENCE IN THE PROCESS – this is what Kingdom Culture is all about.
We must be OK with delaying instant gratification. Everything about the world’s culture says, “Get it now. You deserve it.” In reality, you might deserve it… but it might not be the right time. The wrong time will always kill the dream that God has given to you.
I will remind you again of the verse I posted last week:
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
Don’t get in a hurry. This thing we call life is a long race – BE PATIENT!
