WISDOM FOR LIVING DEVOTIONAL
JANUARY 13, 2021
TOPIC: BE PATIENT; DON’T BECOME A PATIENT!
BY T. O. BANSO
“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11 King James Version).
If you go to the hospital, you will see the doctors and the nurses taking care of patients. Some of them have become patients because they were not patient, or are victims of a lack of patience. A lack of patience is the reason for some accidents.
An impatient driver beats the traffic light and causes an accident. Or he drives recklessly, not observing the speed limit because he is in haste. Consequently, he causes an accident, which, if he is fortunate, does not claim lives but makes him and the innocent victims become patients in the hospital.
The driver who is not patient now becomes patient! He can’t be in a hurry again. He can’t go to where he was rushing to again. He must now become patient to receive treatment and recover. It takes time to get back to normal life. He doesn’t determine how long it would take. The same goes for innocent victims.
Jesus Christ says, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke 4:18-19 New King James Version).
If you permit me, I will say these different categories of people, were patients that Jesus had to take care of although the word patient is not used. Jesus compared His work to that of a physician or doctor. He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17 New King James Version). Luke 5:21 records the same statement.
Thankfully, Jesus successfully healed all the sick people He ministers to. Anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:38)
Luke 8:3-34 in particular records the story of one of Jesus’ ‘patients’. It says, “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped” (New King James Version). The great physician succeeded where the human physician or doctors failed.
Today, pastors also have people they take care of who are like patients though they are not called by that name. They are people in different negative conditions in life. Some of their patients are people who were not patient. Impatience brought them to where they are. Some of them were warned or ministered to by the same pastors, who are ministering to them now, to deliver them from the negative situations they have found themselves in.
I’m not saying all the problems people are facing currently are because of impatience. Not all road accidents are caused by impatience, but some are. Not all of life’s problems are caused by impatience. But some are. Don’t become a patient in the hospital, or in the church because of impatience. You may recover but you have wasted some time. You may recover but may have to continue to live with some consequences of your impatience.
Patience is an important virtue to cultivate. Those who are not patient may soon become patients. They would say they didn’t know it would be like this. They would be regretting. They would have a ‘ministry’ to others like them not to be impatient. James 5:8 says, “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (New King James Version). While we must patiently wait for the coming of the Lord, patience should guide all our actions. We could actually extend our habitual impatience to our expectation of the Lord’s coming.
Someone who is never patient may be a patient as regards the fulfillment of the Word or promises of God. He may obey the Word of God or pray for some time for something, but he may not be patient for the answer to manifest. God, not man, determines the time for the manifestation of the answers to his prayers or the fulfillment of the Word of God in his life.
Impatient people resort to self-help, excluding God from their decisions, because they cannot wait for Him to answer them. It could be in the area of marriage, business, employment, or any other. They could go for alternatives, which may turn out to be the devil’s alternatives, and appear to work for some time. But they would, thereafter, begin to suffer the consequences of their decisions. Some of them become the ‘patients’ of the same pastors they didn’t listen to or the ‘patients’ of some pastors somewhere whom they may or may not tell the full story of their impatience and disobedience.
Desperation could make one settle for anything. Desperate people who settle for just any man or woman in marriage or employment may appear to have satisfied their hearts’ desires but they may have only postponed their disappointment. Life may become miserable for them sometimes later in the trap they have walked into.
Be patient. Don’t take a path that seems right to you but its end is destruction (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Don’t exclude God from their decisions. Isaiah 50:11 warns, “Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled — This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment” (New King James Version).
If only some people have been patient, they won’t be where they are today. Their lives would have been better. King Saul should have waited more for Samuel to arrive but he became impatient. He offered a sacrifice he wasn’t qualified to offer and justified his action as every impatient person does.
Hear Saul: “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering’” (1 Samuel 13:11-12 New King James Version).
No excuse for your choices or actions because of your impatience would be justifiable. It didn’t work for Saul and it won’t work for you. Human beings may show understanding with you but you’ll never be able to convince God.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 says, “And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (New King James Version).
Impatience put Saul in trouble. It still does today. Proverbs 19:2b says, “Impatience will get you into trouble” (Good News Translation). The New Century Version puts it this way: “If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake.” Impatience makes someone take short cuts which only cut him short! Impatience makes one produce another child other than that which God has promised. That was Abraham’s case (Genesis 16).
Don’t be impatient. Endure and wait for the fulfillment of the promise of God. Wait for Him to visit you at the time He Himself has set. Don’t do what will make you become a ‘patient’ later. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11 King James Version).
Be patient. You need it. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:36-38 King James Version).
Don’t let impatience cost you the fruits of their labour. Be patient enough for the fruits to mature. You need patience. The Greek word translated patience in the scripture you’ve just read is hupomone which “means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy.” The New Living Translation uses the phrase “patient endurance” while the New King James Version uses the word “endurance.”
Isaiah 28:16 says, “Whoever believes will not act hastily” (New King James Version). Be patient. Don’t act in haste. Hebrews 6:12 says we should imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. It doesn’t say though haste and impatience. The prophet Micah says, “Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7 New King James Version). How long should you wait? Wait until the Lord brings your answer or gives you your miracle.
Even in your relationships with people, be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (New Living Translation). Make allowance for people’s faults. Nobody is perfect including you. Romans 12:18 says, “Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible” (New Living Translation). Do your part for peace to reign.
Be patient; don’t become a ‘patient’. Trust in the Lord as you walk with Him. Believe Him as you hold on to His promises. If your requests are consistent with His will for you, He will surely answer you (1 John 5:14). “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks” (Matthew 7:7-8 New Living Translation).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to always obey the voice of the Lord and trust in Him. Let me not become desperate and act independently of God. Deliver me from impatience; help me to wait patiently for the Lord. Save me from acting hastily and thereby put myself in trouble. Father, I believe You and I will not act hastily. I shall not take the devil’s alternatives. I shall wait patiently for You.
(For over 400 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
