Power Of Patience Series

Patience - Fruit of the Spirit

July 20, 2003 AM, - Danny L. Williams

Gal. 5:22 -

Are you a patient person? Maybe we should ask your wife, or your husband or children, are you a patient person?

I really believed I was a patient person, up until this week, I guess I got tested early, My wife went out of town for three days, for a women’s conference and left me with our three girls.

Boy, Did I need patience

But, the bible say’s in Gal 5 that the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace and Longsuffering.

And the word long suffering means patience.

Are you a patient person

Let’s take a test.

Lets look at five areas quickly,

How do you do with Interruptions? When you are busy doing something and it has to be done and some one interrupts you.

How do you react? Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of a righteous [man is] a well of life: but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

How do you deal with irritations? Any thing bug you, irritate you? Cold food, Loud music? Long lines, traffic jams, lost keys, flat tires

How about inconveniences? schedule changes, late starts, long endings

How many of you know we live in the micro-wave generation?

Right now----

But did you know in normal life you will wait 6 months waiting on red lights.

You know if you are waiting at one of those red lights and the light turns green and you don’t move in 3 sec. The guy behind you turns red.

Let’s get more series

How do you deal with incapacities? A situation with your health, or your family,

You find you self-saying I would give all I have to change this but I do not have the capacity. There is nothing you can do about it. How do you react?

How do you deal with imponderables?

Not only is there nothing you can do about it, an (Incapacity) but you can’t even understand it.

It doesn’t make senses.

How are you doing on this checklist?

Do you know why these things come to us?

Romans 5:3 says that tribulation works patience.

See: God allows these not only to reveille impatience’s,

but God allows them to Grow patience in your life.

Now,

Understand that these irritations, are not Obstacles, but opportunities.

Lets Go deeper

1. What is patience? What King James calls Longsuffering…

It is not the ability to put up with something.

Let’s define it:

1 : the ability to bear pains, trials and calmly or without complaint.

2 : the capacity, habit, of being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

Listen: If you don’t learn this, you will never learn anything else.

I guarantee you if you don’t have patience in life you will be a failure.

Your not a failure until you quit, but if you quit you’re a failure.

This is vital?

So much so that

Luke 21:19 say’s ---- In your patience possess ye your souls.

Do you know what that means?

Your mind, will and emotions are subject to patience.

That’s what patience’s is for.

How do I become patience?

How can I be a full-grown Christian?

Turn with me to James

James 1: 1-5

Let me tell you something Church

suffering is purposeful: " . . .

How do we know

Vs. 3 knowing this, that the testing of your faith produces patience.

And let patience have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

, that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Your Faith is being put to the test

The only way you will ever have patience is for your faith to be tested

Ever heard someone say your testing my Patience?

The three results of Patience

To be Perfect

To be complete

Lacking nothing

The word LET (1:4) - The key word is "let" The word let refers to a "surrendered will."

The adversity is not what stops us.

We draw up short of the objective because we refuse to allow the complete work to be done.

In other words don’t stop the Process of Patience:

How many careers ended or relationships because they ran from growing pains.

------------The process begins with suffering,

The word "perfect" means mature;

God wants you to be a full grown Christian.

There is no maturity with out patience and no patience with out a trial

Question?

Are Children patience?

Of course not,

Look at the next word

the word "complete" refers to all our component parts.

Your emotions, your will,

God’s goal is to make you perfect and complete, mature in every part,

lacking in nothing.

What a strong expression -- lacking nothing!

God wants you to be a complete person who is able to face any situation.