One wise man said sometime ago and I believe it. He said; “I don’t respect a man of faith who has not shown his patience in his journey of faith.” You can get some things by faith but you would get most things by faith and patience. Patience is the balance for a potent, productive and profitable faith.
Friend, you need to be patient with God. Your faith will be tested. The test of faith is the test of patience, and the test of patience is the test of time. What would you do when God seems to be coming too late? Faith does not only require that you believe that God will do it but that you are also comfortable with His timing and his process (Genesis 15:1, 17:1). The test of time is the ultimate test (Luke 18:8).
A lot of people have truncated God’s plans and program for their lives by their lack of patience or ability to keep up with God’s timing. Whatever God will give you on this side of eternity, the devil can also give you. You have got to decide who you want to get it from – God or the devil. The devil can give you any time you want it but God has His own timing for the things of your destiny (Luke 4:5-8). You have got to keep the faith by keeping with God’s timing for things.
You need endurance to deal with the devil. The devil is only as strong in your life as your ability or inability to keep on keeping on. Endurance comes with an attitude and a mindset of sticking to it no matter what. It comes with the development of capacity to keep on keeping on despite the stiffness of the opposition (2 Samuel 3:1). It is making up your mind that you would not give up or give in to the devil. This is what it means to keep the faith.
You need longsuffering when dealing with people. On this side of eternity and in the pursuit of your God-given destiny, you would need to deal with people. The Agape love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is mostly about our relationship with people. Love suffers long (with people). You need to understand that people will always change; for the worse or for the better, and you must give allowance for such changes.
Your spouse will change, your friends will change, your Church members will change, your pastor will change, your colleagues at work will change. Change is constant and inevitable in life so you need to prepare for it and suffer long in the will of God. Don’t let people’s changes surprise or change you if you hope to finish well and strong. You need to be prepared to suffer long with people. This is what it means to keep the faith.
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria