PATIENCE

'Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God...' Hebrews 6:12

I was reading the notes I had taken from Joyce Meyer's book 'Battlefield of the Mind'. There were more nuggets of truth that I would like to share. Impatience is the fruit of pride. The proud man says 'Please don't make me wait for anything; I deserve everything immediately!' Patience is not the ability to wait; it's the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. We actually spend much more time in life waiting than we do receiving, so it's better to learn to enjoy the waiting, not just the manifestation.

Pride prevents patient waiting because the proud man thinks so highly of himself that he believes he shouldn't be inconvenienced in any way. Patience is brought out by trials. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. The proud man runs in the strength of his own flesh and tries to make things happen in his own timing. A humble man waits patiently; he actually has a 'reverential fear' of moving in the strength of his own flesh. But a proud man tries one thing after another in his strength, yet all futile.

As we wait on God and refuse to move in our fleshly zeal, there is a 'dying to self' taking place. We begin to die to our own ways and timing and become alive to His will and His way for us. But on the other hand, if God told you to move on yet you stayed put, there isn't a sign of humility either. It's disobedience to His word resulting in unnecessary delays. Sometimes it could be due to fear of the unknown or unwillingness to leave one's comfort zone. But in any case, if you stayed put, you are not flowing in His timing and His way.

This was something new to me. I knew it was a form of self-righteousness when I felt indignant that those who waited for a much shorter time received their miracles before me. I didn't connote such thinking to pride. Now I see that as I waited on the Lord, there was a dying to my flesh, as I chose to die to my ways and timetable and yield to His timing for my life.

How about you? Is there something the Lord has told you about? It could be to move on from this mountain instead of to wait some more. If that is the case, congratulations because the waiting has finally come to an end! Just cooperate with the Lord and very soon you will see your manifestations!