People often asked themselves this question — Can I Overcome Temptation Through Patience? You might have asked yourself that question too, and the answer is YES you can if you want to flow with your creator.
Do you want the best of God? Do you want God to do it for you? Do you want to avoid the wrong choices? Painful experiences? Do you want to please God? Beloved, be patient as you walk with God. Whatever God has promised you could be fulfilled through the spirit of patience. It takes a patient spirit to wait for the timing of God. But how long can one wait to justify the word ‘PATIENCE‘ ?
Truly speaking, if we are to define patience within the frame of time, we mustn’t go beyond biblical description as Christians. So we can say it’s that fervent spirit which keeps believing God until He shows up; until He meets the need promised. It’s that non-stagnant spirit which progressively believes in the ability of God to bring about that which He has promised.
Notice that we have used the word PROMISED because patience, in respect to whatever God has promised you and the time of its fulfillment, makes God the only time setter. So it would not be correct for the child of God to give up on God because he or she has waited long enough. Biblical patience is achieved only when the Lord brings about what is hoped for; what is promised.
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That’s just what James says on the subject of patience. His great admonition of all time is that of being patient until the Lord’s coming. “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming (James 5:7).” Emphasis is on God bringing about what He has promised and not on the duration of time spent waiting.
So if God promised you something and you have stayed long enough, you think, but it hasn’t come to pass, it would not be an act of patience if you quit, or pushed things or forced them to happen in your own way and timing.
This spirit of patience may vary from one person to another. While Sister Joyce may wait for two years for God to fulfill His promise, Brother Jones may have to wait for five years, and even Pastor Silas just for a year. All of whom may be called patient servants if they waited for God to bring about the promises at His right timings respectively. Even at times, an hour could be considered great patience for a particular situation. What is important is that let it be the Lord of the promise who brings about its fulfillment.
The faithful of old who inherited what God promised them did so through faith and patience. Similarly, we are asked to emulate their acts of faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12). For faith works better through patience.
Every Christian should cultivate that spirit of patience if we are to see Jesus. Because it’s an ongoing act, an ongoing process so to say; it is until the coming of the Lord, says the Bible (James 5:7). So before Jesus Christ comes, that spirit is not ruled out. The lack of patience will only cause us to falter and fall out of the faith. It opens wide the door for Satan to tempt us.
Impatience has been the cause of many people’s downfall. This inability to wait for the right time to do something is one of the great weapons Satan uses to tempt many people into doing the wrong things and missing the right things.
Saul was a humble man who was without equal amongst the Israelites of his day (I Samuel 9:2, 10:24); a man chosen by God and anointed as king over Israel. But through impatience, he was tempted to disobey God by doing what was only done by the priests. Through impatience, he did not wait for the arrival of Samuel but assumed the office of the priests and offered burnt offerings. And as a result of this, he lost the royal lineage of his kingdom (I Samuel 13:8-14).
Jacob also was a lad who had tremendous promises from God, but he became impatient and was tempted to lie and deceive his father in order to receive the blessings which God had set at His own timing (Genesis 25:23; 27:19- 23). He had miserable experiences because of impatience.
The Israelites on their way to the Promised Land had been several times impatient with God. On one occasion they suffered snake bites from which most of them died (Numbers 21:5-6).
It includes marital relationships too. Some couples in marriage could have prevented the experience of divorce and its consequences if they had been a little patient with each other.
Whenever we become impatient, we give Satan a tool over our lives through which he can direct the courses of actions we take and the decisions we make. And such actions and decisions which are the products of impatience may not please God at all.
Do you want the best of God? Do you want God to do it for you? Do you want to avoid the wrong choices? Painful experiences? Do you want to please God? To have a healthy relationship with God and with your spouse? Beloved, be patient as you walk with God.
We love you and pray for you all.
Adapted from the teachings of Rev. PC Akubueze © 2020 All rights reserved
You are welcome, Parveen. I do appreciate your contribution. Have a good day.
Hey Verra, In my views you can overcome Temptation through Patience. Yes, Faith works better through patience. I agree with it. If we have patience then everything is possible in this universe. Your article is awesome and I enjoy while reading. I will share with my friends too.
Thanks for your valuable time you took to write this article.
Parveen
Thank you Mr. Biizy for the comment. It was a blessing hearing from you. Yes, God’s time is the best, and Like you, I too “have decided to wait on God and His promises because His time is the best.” Have a great day.
Hello Verra, thanks for sharing this amazing post.
Patience is key in achieving good success and fulfilment of the promises of God just as you have pointed to throughout this post. Remember this quote “A patient dog eats the fattest bone”? Patience brings about the fulfillment of God’s promises in a grand style. Impatience is 100% destructive just as we have seen in our world today and even in the Bible. Impatience has caused a lot of havoc in our communities, society, nations and the world at large.
I have decided to wait on God and His promises because His time is the best.
God bless you!
You’re welcome, Rose. Life itself is a classroom full of many lessons. We never stop learning. You are the victor having learnt from the mistake. You can see things better now and certainly won’t fall for it again. That’s victory,you know! Have no regret and let the past be truly over as you’re on a new page in life. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this great post on how to overcome temptations through patience, personally I believe the best way to overcome temptation is by having patience, when I was younger I was tempted just because I don’t have much believe and I was not patient enough because what I was waiting for then was almost mine then satan got on with something faster and better which was not really better though, because he knew how desperate I was waiting on the thing then, unluckily for me I was tempted with what he brings and this is one of the things that affected my life till today, patience and contention matter a lot, thanks for this article.
I applaud you honesty Raymond. thanks for being honest.
You definitely pose an interesting question — I think I’d have to agree with you. I’m a very spontaneous person, and I can often be easily bribed into temptation. That being said if I was a little more patient, and thought about things more clearly, then perhaps I wouldn’t be going off like a spark in every direction, and often.
Thanks for this. I’ll give it a good think 🙂
Quite insightful, Rodarrick. Thanks for the comment
Patience is often the key to unlocking so many things pertaining to the goodness of God. When we are patient, we tend to accept the willingness to try more in the spirit and connect more to demand for only the will of God to be done even in the face of temptations. Temptations are inevitable but when we trust God and rest on him, we are sure to be delivered and keep growing