Patience Is a Virtue…

Principle 7: Be patient with yourself and the process.

Taking the journey of soul healing challenges us to grow in our faith and trust in God.

Walking by faith means we make a conscious decision to do things God’s way and trust Him to do what we cannot do. This requires patience on our part, because many times He doesn’t do what we think He should do, the way we think He should do it, or when we think it should happen.

Joyce says, “Don’t take action on your own and then expect God to bless it. When we move in the strength of our own flesh, we end up frustrated, confused and sometimes, we’re even embarrassed by how we’ve behaved.”

It’s much better to patiently wait for God to lead us—in His way and His timing—than to take matters into our own hands, trying to make things happen that we can’t really change anyway.

Being patient isn’t just waiting for something—it’s having a good attitude while we’re waiting.

Waiting sounds like a passive experience, but waiting on God is a very spiritually active time:

• It’s a season of seeking God in prayer and studying His Word.
• It requires you to keep your focus on God’s promises, rather than being distracted and discouraged by circumstances that don’t line up with Scripture.
• You grow in faith as you trust God to do His perfect will instead of trying to make things happen in your own strength the way you think they should happen.

The truth is, we gain a lot of benefits as we learn to trust God and go through the hard times with patience.

Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. — James 1:3-4 (AMP)

In these verses, as well as Hebrews 10:36, what is the result of putting faith in God when you go through difficulties?

What issues, thoughts or feelings are tempting you to give in to discouragement? Pray about each one and ask God to help you release your cares and concerns to Him. Study 1 Peter 5:5-10 and make this passage of Scripture the foundation of your prayer.