Faith And Patience

by Stuart Barth

Have you noticed that faith and patience almost always seem to go together in the Bible? If you see one, the other is generally not too many verses of scripture away. I believe that the patience the Bible refers to when it speaks of faith and patience is largely misunderstood by believers. The idea generally believed and taught regarding patience is the notion of time and waiting, or the length of waiting. It leaves the impression that if we’ll suffer and endure, someday God will answer our prayer. While enduring can be a good definition of patience, it’s not scripturally accurate when talking about faith. The Bible definition of this kind of patience refers to constancy, or consistency; remaining fixed and unmoved; standing firm as we persevere.

In Luke chapter 21 we see the disciples asking Jesus about the events of the end times. Jesus shares many points of information that Pastor Bob has recently taught on. But in verse 19, He says something that is a key to walking in faith and receiving the things of God if we take the time to read it correctly. He says in verse 19 that “in your patience possess ye your souls” (KJV). How interesting! Let’s look at that in light of the Biblical definition of patience: “In your constant consistency, remaining fixed and unmoved, and standing firm as you persevere, you will possess your soul.” Now that puts a different light on it, doesn’t it? Look at what He says about the soul, which is our mind, our will and our emotions. Jesus is telling us that we can possess our thoughts and our emotions. This would put us in a position of authority and dominion where our soul is concerned. This means we should be ruling and controlling our thoughts and emotions, and not the other way around. This is critical information when standing on the Word of God in faith.

James 1:3 says that “the trials of our faith worketh patience” (KJV). Notice that the trying of our faith doesn’t develop more faith! I’ve heard Christians talk about exercising their faith to build up their “faith muscles”, but the Word says the trying of our faith develops patience. So, it would seem that the need isn’t more faith, but more patience! How can that be? Isn’t faith enough to cause us to receive? Let’s look at the Word. Hebrews 6:12 says that “through faith and patience we inherit the promises.” (KJV, emphasis mine.) If we’ve spent regular time in God’s presence and in His Word, we’ve heard His voice, we’ve received rhema. Remember “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word (rhema) of God.” (Romans 10:17, KJV.) So the faith is there to believe, it came by the rhema, the word the Holy Spirit spoke to us. It’s the patience, that constant consistency, that’s going to get us to the other side to receive! How is that? Romans 5:3 says that our faith is going to be tried and tested. When it’s tested, that’s what’s going to work in us that constant consistency, that fixedness and firm resolve. If you’re going to believe God’s word, that decision of faith will be put to the test. But it’s the enemy who will bring pressure against us, not God. How will he bring this pressure? How will we recognize it? Possibly in our bodies, especially if we’re believing for healing. I’ve found that in all cases, the battle is going to be in our souls: our thoughts and feelings and emotions! The place Jesus just told us that WE can possess if we’ll not back down from God’s word!! Hallelujah!

Often times as I have begun to believe God for provision or for healing, I was attacked in the very area that I was believing for. If I needed financial provision, a big expense I hadn’t anticipated came out of the blue, or the Lord led me to give money to someone else. Now instead of increasing financially, in the natural it looked like I was decreasing. Then the enemy came to my thought life with words of failure and defeat, and emotions of fear and worry. This is the trial! This is the test! Here’s where we’re either going to have victory or failure where God’s promise is concerned. God gave us the answer when He spoke rhema to us, but it’s the trial that gives us the opportunity to stay fixed and constant, immovable against everything we can see or feel with the 5 senses. We need to declare with our mouth what we believe in our heart, just like we did when we accepted Jesus as Lord, and we need to keep declaring it! Every time fear comes, or a thought of failure comes, every time a twinge of pain comes, every time a well-meaning friend tells you about so-and-so who stood in faith and died anyway, we need to boldly declare (speak out loud!) God’s promise! It might have happened to so-and-so but it’s not going to happen to me! The Bible says that “a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand but IT WILL NOT COME NEAR YOU” (Ps 91:7 – Amp, emphasis mine).

Jesus, in teaching about sowing the Word, said this in Luke 8:15: “But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.” (Amp, emphasis mine) The fruit He’s talking about in this verse is receiving the promise of the Word, and it’s brought forth by constant consistency, remaining fixed and standing firm as we persevere. That’s the only way. We won’t receive from God by begging because He’s not moved by our need, and Pastor can’t lay hands on us to receive it. James 1:4 tells us to “let patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.” (Amp). It’s up to us to let it have its work, and if we will, we’ll be lacking in nothing. I like lacking in nothing!

King David said “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.” (Ps 103:1, KJV.) He was talking to his soul! He was telling his thoughts and emotions: “You bless God! You praise Him! You give Him the glory He deserves! He’s done great things!” Hallelujah! God has given us dominion in the area of our thought life and our emotions! Satan has no power – he’s been stripped. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that “all power in Heaven and in earth has been given unto Me.” Jesus took Satan’s power away, there’s nothing left for him, just a bleak eternity! So the next time he attacks you in your mind, you just keep on standing. Keep on speaking that rhema word every time that pain flairs up. The devil’s got no power to stop it from coming to pass. All he can do is lie to you and tell you you’re not going to get it and try to derail that patience and stop your faith. But we know better, don’t we!