Patience

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:4 (KJV)
The word “perfect” means “mature.” So, the trying of your faith worketh patience that you may be mature, entire, wanting or lacking not a thing. Wouldn’t you like to be mature in the Lord, entire, lacking not a thing? In order to come to that place, you must learn something about Bible patience.

Patience in James 1:4 means “to be steadfast, unmovable.” Another definition is to remain constant. He says that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Note that faith and patience are linked together. It’s your faith that’s being tried, and patience is developing from it.

Faith and patience are mentioned together in several scriptures. Faith and love are mentioned in Galatians 5:6. It says that faith works by love. Hebrews 12:1- 2 says that we are to run the race with patience, looking unto the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus. Hebrews 6:12 says to follow them who through faith and patience inherit the promise. Titus 2:1-2 says to teach so that the aged (mature) men may be sound in faith and patience. 1 Timothy 6:11 says to follow after (among other things) faith and patience.

These scriptures clearly say that to receive the promises of God, faith, patience and love are required. So follow after righteous, which means right standing with God. Follow after godliness, or being like God. Follow after faith, love, patience and meekness. These things will make you mature in God; entire and lacking not one thing. Fight the good fight of faith. It is a good fight, because you have already won.

We are to walk by faith. But faith is not alone. Faith and patience go along together. And love causes it to work. With the right ingredients, you can be a mature man or woman of God, lacking nothing in this life.™. Amen.

Trust not Trouble

We cannot come to Christ without faith and we're unable to live a victorious Christian life without continuously walking in faith. Our faith is of great worth!
1 Peter 1:6-7
"For a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, our trial is our struggle to be close and all the things that come with being tested. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire it is proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

One of the beautiful truths in God's Kingdom is that everything along our walk has a purpose; whether it’s the various challenges or struggles. "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). Even our difficult times of hardship is being directed by God "for the good." As we continue to love Him with all our heart, God will use our trials to reveal and strengthen our faith. Be careful of what you speak and what you ask for, could it be that what you say is true as it is revealed, then change must come. And a truer understanding of our faith is one of the greatest "goods" we can receive.

Do we really believe our faith is "of greater worth than gold"? Until we've been sustained through times of great trial and testing, it's difficult to understand the true value of faith. Our faith is shown to be real, or "proved genuine", only as we trust Him when no other hope can be seen. We never need to prove our faith to God, but why is it that we seem to want to see “us” prove our faith to God, to each other, or that we must prove our faith for people. He sees deep within our heart and already knows the genuineness of our faith. God gave us our faith and calls us to live "in accordance with the measure of faith God has given" (Romans 12:3).

But our measure of faith is ALWAYS greater than what we believe we have, and it can sustain us through greater trials than we believe possible. As we more clearly see the strength contained in this wonderful gift of faith, we are able to give all praise, glory and honor to God as Jesus is revealed through the testimony of our life. As we trust Him with all our heart, He will cause us to emerge from our trials much stronger and more confident, more "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:4) because we will KNOW He is by our side.

As our faith is strengthened and refined, the presence of God will cease to be an interesting theory or an empty hope; it will become real and an integral part of our life! Let's rejoice that our trials last only "for a little while." But let's also rejoice that our trials are being used for His glory and for the purpose of proving our faith. We don’t need to prove to each other our faith. Love and embrace each other in love as in faith. The rest will fall in place.™ Amen.

Mindset

Your thoughts, what you’re thinking, has a lot to do with the way your life is. (Proverbs 23:7) says: For as he thinks in his heart so is he. What you keep your mind on will decide whether you will have peace or whether you will be full of anxiety in this embroiled, troubled world.
(Romans 12:2KJV) says “But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
And the message reads “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.( Romans 12:1-2 MSG)”
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, [If you do what this verse says, then the next verse will come into play.] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [And the way you keep from being anxious for nothing is by doing what verse 8 says.] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate [constantly think] on these things.(Philippians 4:6-8 KJV)” ”Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies (Philippians 4:6-9 MSG)”

So, what’s on your mind? What are you thinking? The word think means "to decide by pondering, reasoning or reflecting and to consider." What we think is what we can become. Where we have kept our minds is where we are. Our thoughts can shape our behavior. Otherwise, what we do is what we think. In Quoting William Barkley, "It is a law of life that if a man thinks on something often enough and long enough, he will come to the stage when he cannot stop thinking about it. His thoughts will be quite literally in a groove out of which he cannot jerk them." How many people have gotten into bad situations because they just kept thinking and thinking and thinking about it until they found themselves in a mess. What are you thinking about? Are you thinking righteous or unrighteous thoughts? Are you thinking?
Are you thinking about gratifying the flesh through such things as pride, self, greed, pleasure, sex, angry exchanges, jealousies, envies, desires, and negative attitudes?
What about the lusts of the eyes through such things as immoral pornographic filth flaunted in magazines, films, books, television, and clothes that reveal too much of the body in a vulgar way?
Consider the desire for recognition, honor, position, and power? It is okay to want to be recognized, but will you do anything for recognition, to the extent of committing a sin or hurting someone in to get what you want.
Your mindset, fixated on the world system is what leads the flesh to anxiety, worry, emptiness, and restlessness.
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2 MSG)
So if you’re serious about this walk with Christ and the things above, this means setting your mind on the things of God, and you find out about the things of God, from His Word. Taking control of your mind and doing what it is you should doing, will determine your will. What’s your mindset.
“Lord do in me Your will in my mind and with my flesh”.
Here is the scripture we’re familiar with, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1-2) Now let’s read another translation. So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
We can renew our minds, but we have to think about God and His great love for mankind. If you don't, you will think in line with the world than with the things of God. You have to understand that the body always wants to gratify the flesh. You have to train the body, make it do what your spirit wants, kill it, sacrifice it. And sacrifice is not fun, but it is the joy of the Lord you want. Not the fleshly life of this world.
(Ephesians 4:20-24 MSG) “But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.”
It is our responsibility to do something about our minds. Once you have been converted and become a new man, your focus needs to be about the thoughts of God, and the good things of life. We, as Believers, should never dwell on immoral, fleshly, worldly, selfish, sinful or evil thoughts. Sinful and negative thoughts disrupt and destroy our peace. Your mind will go down to the level of the flesh, and it will take control, because we will then live in the flesh and that is the thing we’ll gravitate to. And that is why we need to operate in the Word of God in order to control our thinking, which will control our flesh. And the word of God will take over our actions and then we will be in the will of God. Are we doing the right thing? That’s all I have.

Pray Expecting God to Deliver

"Ask...in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 NIV
A local church called a prayer meeting and everybody showed up. They prayed for a young man to be healed, they had come to see God answer!
The year was 2006. I went to Nashville to receive a new liver, by transplantation. Prior to the notification of a donor something happened, here’s my testimony.
I was in agonizing pain from a period of pancreatic attacks, and then suffered what’s known as a mini stroke, and afflicted by Bells Palsy on the left side of my face. A week had gone by spending four of those days in the Veterans Administration Hospital to recover; then sent home for convalescence. You see that week had gone by and as I lay immobile at times, loved ones, family, and friends were in prayer, I was in prayer. While my mind was on the current situation a stroke and Palsy, pain, God allowed me to rest, all I remember was the phone ringing and it was about seven a.m. the next morning. Mr. Cruse, James C Cruse, a lady stated, this is Debbie from the Vanderbilt Hospital emergency contact department. Her statement was “we need you to get to the hospital and get prepped for your transplant, there is a possible match, and how soon can you get here?” After I got up off the floor from collapsing and praising and thanking God I said hello are you still there realizing what she had just said, I responded with, I’m leaving now.
Ok God knew when it was enough suffering and I kept thinking about my failing health, He took my mind off what was primary, rerouted my thoughts and exposed me to more tests, before I could say now God what else? There He goes and sends me a blessing. God knows your limitations and when enough is enough He will turn that situation around, will take your mind off what’s behind you and show you what is before you. Then you know even more of how awesome He is. By waiting on Him, and accepting His will, He made it happen. Glory be to God. Prayer works. And one of the dangers of praying, is praying, and yet not really expecting anything: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that...he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb11:6 NIV). You say, "So how do I get more faith?" By filling your mind with the Scriptures! "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Ro 10:17). When you immerse yourself in God's Word an amazing thing happens; faith takes root and begins to grow. And faith is what makes your praying effective.
But what if your prayer lines up with God's Word, yet the answer is delayed?
Keep praying and believing! "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb 10:35-36 NIV).
So when you pray if nothing happens keep praying!" the more you pray the more your Faith builds up. I believe. Not just what He has done for me but what He can do for you. I’m praying for your health and strength in the Lord.™

To Many Identities

Those God foreknew, he also predestine to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29). Many young people find their identity in a pro-athletic or team. While others idolize and emulate a rock star. Adults are more subtle, but we too will identify ourselves by our careers, our family roles, our hobbies or trends set by our favorite celebrities. It is human nature to pick an appealing image-any image-and then try to live up to it. We enthusiastically become like the people or ideals on which we set our affections. When we want to, we conform easily. Our desired image becomes a part of us.
When we become Christians, we may have found that we continually struggle to become Christlike. Why? If our affections are set on him as they once were on the trends and icons of our culture, wouldn't a godly transformation be a nature process for us? Perhaps that is just the problem. Perhaps our affections are not entirely Christ-ward. We easily let our love grow stale, losing the excitement that newness and discovery brought us at first. Other images-culture trends and newfound interest-become the object of our infatuation, while Jesus subtly and imperceptibly passes from adoration to our obligation.
When this happens we find godliness more of a struggle. It is hard to let ourselves conformed to the image of Jesus. When we hold another image in higher esteem. Other passions pull us in other directions, often making conflicting-or at least superfluous-demands on our character. Godly character cannot thrive in such a context. Our spirit will not fit into two modes simultaneously.
Is your growth toward godliness a difficult struggle? Examine your desires. How do you envision yourself? How would you like other to perceive you? What image do you aim for? If you find any image other than Jesus shaping your soul, abandon it. It will hinder your growth. Find your identity entirely in HIM.™

Troubled, Don't be.

Troubled, Don’t Be

“Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!” 2 Corinthians 4:15 (MSG)
Do you continue to have trouble? Then it’s time to give God thanks, He is your Deliverer! In the time of trouble, you have to abound in thanksgiving to God. Thank Him for power, protection and for provision. Thank Him for your food, fellowship friends and finances. Thank Him for your job. Thank the Father for the good and the bad. When you do, you’ll release His ability and power.
In So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG)
There is no need to faint and nor fear, when we are in Christ, don't measure your future by what the stock market does. Don't measure your future by what the newspaper says. We need to measure our stature in this life by the word of God which lives and abides forever. I'm telling you now, don't look at all the things you are reading in the paper, or see on television. Instead look to God. You may not see God, but you know He's there. Do you know He’ll make a way for you? So start thanking Him for doing it right now.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:6 it says "Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble." In other words, God is going to trouble your trouble. In 2 Thessalonians 2:2 it says, "We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn't slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God's Message to you, defiant of the opposition."
Now is not the time to be troubled or frightened. Don't be full of fear. God is pleased by our thanksgiving, and He will move in your situation. It is time now to thank God for delivering us by His mighty power!™
Keep the faith, at any time your bondage will be loosed.”Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose. Acts 16:25-26 (MSG)

Forgiving Prayer

Have you ever been disappointed in someone you considered a good friend. They did something I felt (and still feel) was totally wrong and it was hard for me to get over. I knew that I needed to forgive them and let it go, but it just kept nagging at me like the pain of a thorn.

I began to quote any and every scripture I could remember to keep from holding a grudge, probably made a few up. I did this for quite a long while, but it seemed when I stopped reading scripture, I got mad all over again.

While I tried to forget what happened, it kept playing out in my head over and over again, I shared it with a close friend and a relative, but got even angrier - it was like every time I told the story, it was like it just happened all over again. So I decided that I needed to stop talking about it because that was not helping me.

Have you experienced anything like this? Maybe it wasn't a friend, perhaps it was a sibling, a co-worker, a neighbor or even someone at church. Whoever it was, they crossed you in some form or fashion and raised your blood pressure. Or as we would say got on our last nerve, what ever that meant. You found yourself on this never ending cycle of anger because you could not let it go.

I started to realize that forgiveness is very hard in our own power... and at some point, the Holy Spirit took over and convicted me, and I took it to God in prayer ...and yet again, God’s amazing ability to bring an inner peace in the midst of any situation, started to bring peace to my situation.

Prayer is by far the greatest weapon we have. Prayer causes you to change your perspective on things.

In the mist of prayer, God reminded me of the countless times I had turned my back on Him. The many times I had disappointed Him. Yet, not once has He held back his forgiveness towards me.

He also reminded me that no one except Him is flawless, and yet I must not put people on a pedestal or expect them to never let me down. Yes, we expect certain things like respect from our friends, however at some point; we have probably all disrespected someone we cared about. How is it that we expect people to always be willing to forgive us but when the tables are turned - watch out! It’s my way or the highway.

Through prayer, I realized it was alright for me to be hurt by the situation, but why was I still dwelling there, God healed my wounds and gave me the courage to step out and not allow my situation to dictate my mood, attitude or behavior towards the person who offended me.

There is something to be said about the power of prayer ...next time I won't wait so long to use it!