The Will Power to Stand with Patience

By Pastor E.A. Deckard
NNPA

“If you believe indeed in the Lord Jesus for the salvation of your soul, if you walk uprightly and do not regard iniquity in your heart, if you continue to wait patiently, and believingly upon God; then answers will surely be given to your prayers.”- George Muller

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.”- Edmund Burke

Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity takes over. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

At the beginning of the college football season, Cardale Jones was the third team quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He patiently waited for his chance to play and finally at the end of the season he led the team to three straight wins including the college football championship game. At 6’5″ and 250 lbs. everyone assumed Cardale Jones would leave college early and turn pro but he made a decision to stay in school and get better. Only time will tell if his decision was good or bad but, no one can question the fact that this young man has the will power to stand with patience.

If you believe God for greater favor this season you must realize that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude are major principles to receiving from God. When you let go and learn to trust God, it releases peace in your life. When you trust God, you’re able to be more patient; patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you are waiting and your attitude while you’re waiting.

1 Samuel 13:8-14 The Message

8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left. 9-10 So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. No sooner had he done it than Samuel showed up! Saul greeted him. 11-12 Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?”

Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering.”
13-14 “That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!”

At first Saul waited but, time kept moving without him seeing any results and he became impatient. In my travels across this country, I often experience flight delays and there is nothing more frustrating than sitting around in an airport waiting for takeoff. I finally realized the delays were in my favor because, weather conditions or mechanical problems could have caused the flight to experience some difficulties which could have potentially created major problems. I learned to stop watching the clock and find something enjoyable to do until the new takeoff time has been announced.

As I look at the entire text (1 Samuel 13) I realize the situation was critical and fear had taken over in the military forces being led by Saul. Saul allowed the fear of others to cause him to be overcome with fear. When you are facing critical situations in life don’t allow the fear of others to cause you to become fearful. I have discovered when things look bad to reflect on testimonies of victory from my past.

Saul panicked and became impatient then he made a foolish decision based on fear and doubt. We can’t allow ourselves to be led by fear and doubt because fear and doubt will keep us stuck in a negative place. Saul made a decision during a time of fear and doubt and that decision led him to experiencing negative results from God. Remember, your decisions are directly connected to your final destiny.

Saul allowed the situation to overcome his level of faith. During difficult times we learn a lot about ourselves. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

1.Lack of faith—faith is like gas in your car when you run out you stop moving
2.Level of trust in God—never forget your ‘won’t He do it?’ stories
3.Lean on your own understanding mind set—smart enough to let go and let God

Verse. 13: You acted foolishly. God was getting ready to release greater favor into your life.

Verse 13 speaks directly to how important our decision making is in regards to us receiving from God. We all know many talented and gifted people who are struggling in life because their poor decisions keep them stuck in negative places. At the end of the day, God blessed us all with some degree of talent but, we must operate with sound wisdom to maximize our talent and opportunities.

At some point in our lives we must stop looking to blame others and focus on becoming better decision makers.

Verses. 14: But you forfeited and now God is looking to replace you (Man after God’s own heart).

In verse 14, I discovered three qualities of patience which God is seeking from us in order to release greater favor in our lives.

1. Praise with Patience
Remember Paul and Silas were jailed for serving God but they had the patience to continue praising God in a negative place and God caused their situation to turn around.

2. Hold on to the Promise with Patience
Abraham was given a promise from God but the manifestation of that promise took years. Abraham remained patient and God blessed him greatly. We must hold on no matter what things look like.

3. Pray with Patience
In the bible Paul prayed three times for God to move on his behalf but God did not respond in the fashion Paul desired. Paul remained patient and declared God’s grace and mercy was good enough for him.

In conclusion, Jesus had the will power to stand and remain patient during a very difficult trial. Jesus was being a perfect example for us to follow when he became impatient when the pain and pressure of the situation grew but Jesus quickly came to the conclusion to remain patient under pressure. Forward thinkers, Jesus declared to God let your will be done.

Jesus stayed on the cross with patience because He kept the big picture in mind.

Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church located, 16711 Ella Blvd. Houston, Texas, 77090. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him at pr.ghic@gmail.com or the church website www.ghic.net