Patience and Perseverance.

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

"Patience" is the fourth fruit of the Holy-Spirit.

One kind of patience, is the courage to endure. The other kind of patience is the willingness to wait. To be patient is to endure discomfort without complaint. God is an incredibly patient God. God is Love. Love is patient.

True love is patient. 1 Corinthians 13:4 

But even more challenging at times is the patience when one must wait upon God. Sometimes we must wait for a need to be met, such as finding a job. Other times we must wait for the satisfaction of a significant desire, like finding a spouse or conceiving a child. The best things in life are worth waiting for.

For one thing, patience with God involves faith. It is a complete surrender of ones life to God. To lack faith is to give in to one's desire for control.

Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 

Misfortunes during difficult times build the virtue of patience.

Don’t run away from what is difficult, or complain. The situation or outcome that you have been handed will make you into a stronger, better person. Only God knows your potentials, not you. Whatever you have dealt with will always be your advantage point. Because going through that phase, you did not know your strengths. Coming out, you realize that nothing can ever break you. So not only did you learn to be patient, but also you have persisted in a moment that has thought you a lot.

From this moment on you know that through all the highs and lows, all you need to do is persist and believe in God. We serve a God who is all victorious and a God of Breakthroughs. God will deliver you. Believe in His promises. I know, I do.     

Patience is faith in action because it says:
God is in control of life.
Patience is hope in action because it says:
God has great things in mind for the future.
Patience is love in action because it says:
You are worth waiting for. 

 

GOD Speaks…. Are you LISTENING?

God speaks to us daily! Question, is, are you listening? And would you harden your heart to the LORD. HE is the most gentlest and sweetest of all. Would you today, tune in to GOD. HE is all LOVE and Compassion. When God speaks to your heart, obey, for in your sacrifice of obedience, God rewards you bountifully! Following is a passage that I came across. READ it ever so gently.

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study.
The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray,
"God. . . If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought, stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the same thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

"Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."
It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed the Seventh street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street." This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down the seventh street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.

Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will."
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town.

It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighbourhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street."
The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here." He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?"

Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and t-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hall way speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.

The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some...Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers and that God still speaks to His people.

Praise God. He is always Faithful to answer prayers of those who seek Him.

Loyalty=Faithfulness.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.   Proverbs 17:17

Loyalty means being absolutely true, at all times and any circumstances. Our families, are the ones that can strengthen us completely and pull us through in our toughest times. The people we hope, that would stand by us is our family. We expect loyalty.

These days loyalty seems to be a word of the past. What it has become however, is just a brand name. It’s no more a quality and is seldom desired.

As humans, we need to have integrity of character. We need to be trustworthy and faithful. Never fear to do the right thing. There should be no room for selfishness. We have to stand by for one another. We have to learn to build the bridges. Learn to make ourselves trustable. Be honourable, be loyal. 

Lets not pull people down, by our criticisms. Let’s build people. Loyalty means you stick unto people, even though for instance, they have not been a good boss, or a good friend. Loyalty, starts with you being there for a friend, or a family member that needs you.

Through the highs and lows, you need to stand with the people who need you. Even though they have been bad to you, that should not be any concern. You need to defend their honour, fighting for them. That’s what’s called LOYALTY.

If you ever heard a rumour, keep it to yourself. Don’t go gossiping or telling tales about it. Honour and defend your family, and be always loyal. No matter how upset you are, never disclose your family disputes with a third person. Word always spreads around. If you let your family be dishonoured, what honour is there for you?

Don’t judge somebody by what you heard or saw. Not everything we hear or see is ever true.

We need to learn to know, trust and count on our families in our times of need. We need to be there for each other and be each others strength. Only LOVE will guide you through. Love is God, and God is Love. There can be no loyalty without love. 

Lets all come together and put our petty differences aside. Lets choose to be a person of honour and to always have integrity of character. Lets learn through God to be loyal. For GOD is ever FAITHFUL

To Forgive

On a particular day, as I was switching channels, I came across a movie with Whoopi Goldberg whose role in the movie was that of a woman whose husband had been killed. The scene at that moment was, Whoopi watching a news channel showing the person who had murdered her husband. Her children don’t understand how she can calmly watch the murderer with no anger towards him. On being questioned, she callmly eplains to them, what her husband had told her. Her answer is what changed my whole perspective on anger.

Her husband had told her, that you can be angry and bitter with a person and live your whole life with resentment. You could think of the ways you can get back at them. And what you have done, is lived a life filled with hate. The other person would have no idea whatsoever, of how you feel and would have lived a good life.

That is the moment, I realized, that Forgiveness is something that one needs to do, when someone hurts us. We have to choose to be not bitter, and choose to forgive.  Cherish each moment in life, as God's most precious gift.  Only when one has the capacity, to be able to rise above the hurts, can one truly forgive.  Life is filled with ups and downs. We need to forgive life’s short comings.

Forgive yourself; for the wrong things done, and what you possibly could have done, for not accepting yourself (what you could have been), and for being the person you were at the time. Justice may right the wrongs, but forgiveness heals the hurt.  Seek to forgive beyond justice.

Sometimes the people that could hurt you the most are the people, who are the closest to you. Sometimes the grief caused is way too much to handle. And there are instances, where everything just simply went against you. And you realized, that you mattered very little to the other person or persons. Anger causes resentment leading to hatred and will lead to self destruction. Choose to forgive.

Revenge will never right the wrongs done to you. It wont take away the humiliation that you faced. To refuse to forgive is to continue to hurt. Choosing to live a contemptuous life, your lack of forgiveness keeps you stuck in the zone of being a victim. A victim whose only identity is anger and contempt over everything.  Choose to forgive, choose love. Love overcomes everything. Only God, can and will heal the hurting heart.

Do not hold yourself in contempt, for the wrongs done. Every offense is forgivable– unless you choose not to. When you are having a difficult time forgiving someone, recall a moment when you wanted to be forgiven. Offer the other person what you so wanted to receive. That does not imply you tolerate injustice. It simply means forgive. Forgiveness, takes practice. I believe, that basically you practice a thing for 30 days and it becomes a habit. What I am saying is start with the small hurts and work your way up to the big ones. To forgive look within your heart and you will find the strength you need.

Finally, forgiveness is not something that you do for someone else; it is something that you do for yourself.  God guide you to this wonderful gift of FORGIVENESS.