Faith's Divine Order #8
We’re going to continue our teaching on God’s divine order of faith. In the Word of God, God has laid the foundation of operating in faith. These steps are necessary for us to take into order to operate in what we call “The Divine Order of Faith.” So far the steps we’ve covered are as follows: Step 1, “IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM.” Step 2; “MAKE A QUALITY DECISION.” Step 3; “FIND THE PROMISE IN THE WORD OF GOD.” Step 4, “UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HEARING THE WORD OF GOD and MAKE AN EFFORT TO HEAR IT.” Step 5; “MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD.” Step 6, “CONFESS OR SPEAK THE WORD GOD.” And Step # 7; “ACT ON THE WORD OF GOD.”
I) This entire series of teaching has been dedicated to laying out steps to operate in faith that will produce an answer to any problem.
A) But there is one thing that you should be aware of and that is you may not always get through all the steps before your answer appears.
1) Sometimes your faith will produce after doing only the 1st 4 or 5 steps.
a) Other times it may take all seven steps that we’ve discussed so far are in
2) But from time to time you’ll discover that a situation even requires more.
a) That’s when you need to be prepared to take the next step #8 in God’s divine order of faith and that is Applying the Power and Pressure of PATIENCE.
B) When most of us hear the word, “PATIENCE,” we think of the terms of “Putting Up With” or “Enduring” something.
1) If you’re caught in traffic, you might remind yourself TO HAVE PATIENCE because you’ll get there eventually.
a) If you work with someone who is extremely irritating you might say, “I can deal with it. I’m a patient person.”
2) But when the Bible talks about patience, it’s referring to something entirely different.
a) Bible patience isn’t gritting your teeth and bearing some unpleasant or painful burden.
(i) In fact, trouble, irritation, pain, and affliction are always from the Devil and should be resisted and authority should taken over those things by every believer.
(ii) When Satan tries to put sickness on you, don’t put up with it. It’s not from God, so get rid of it.
3) But when the Word of God mentions patience it’s talking about the ability to remain constant.
a) A person with Bible patience remains fixed and immovable regardless of how the surrounding circumstances look or feel.
II) Patience stands on the Word of God no matter what.
A) This is the very quality that James talks about in James 1:2-4, so let’s turn.
1) In verse 3 James says, “the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
a) When you’re going through different trials and situations, your faith is being tried. When it is, it causes your patience and endurance in the things of God and to the Word of God to be developed. You could put this way, “TROUBLE PUTS PATIENTS TO WORK.”
2) In verse 2 James says, “Counted all joy when you fall into divers temptations.” Why?
a) Because patience is a force that can cause you to overcome that trouble.
(i) If you’re in the midst of a trial, you don’t want to put bitterness, grief, despair, anger, or guilt to work. They have no power to help you.
b) But rejoice when you face a trial, because it puts the power of patience to work on your behalf.
B) Keep your finger there in James and Turn with me to Romans 5:1-4
1) That’s why James says rejoice because patience is about to come on the scene, and patience brings experience and experience brings hope.
a) Hope is a powerful thing. It ranks right up there with faith and love.
(i) (1 Corinthians 13:13) says, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
2) In fact, it was David’s experience and hope that gave him such confidence to face the giant, Goliath.
a) In (1 Samuel 17:36) David said, “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”
III) As James points out, it all begins with patience.
A) If you’re still there in the book of James look at James 1:4.
1) Notice 1st of all he says “Let Patience.” That suggests you have the ability to either permit or prevent patience from performing her perfect work on your behalf.
IV) What is her perfect work?
A) “That you may be perfect (Mature) and entire (Complete), wanting (Lacking) nothing.” (James 1:4b)
1) Did you notice what I called STEP NUMBER 8 to God’s divine order of faith (the step we’re on now)? STEP NUMBER 8 is APPLYING THE POWER AND PRESSURE OF PATIENCE.
2) Patience has the power to make you perfect or as most translations put it MATURE and COMPLETE. AND it has the power to cause you to lack nothing, or in other words it has the power to bring your prayers to reality.
a) As we just saw in (James 1:4) that patience, if allowed to do its work, will put you in a place where all your needs are met.
b) But remember the definition of patience. It is not just putting up with something or enduring, if you looked up this word “PATIENCE” in the Greek, it would tell you it refers to “STEADFASTNESS and PERSEVERANCE.”
(i) It refers to standing on the promises of God no matter how long it takes, without being double minded.
B) James goes on to give us some insight into that and reveals to us what it takes to put patience to work.
V) James 1:5-6
A) Obviously, when we’re facing different test and trials we need the wisdom of God to get out of these situations.
1) The book of Proverbs tells us wisdom brings success, prosperity, long life, and the knowledge of what to do it any situation.
a) (Verse 6) tells us exactly how to get this wisdom from God, “ASK IN FAITH.”
B) The next 2 Vs. deliver a pretty blunt warning for those who come against that “FAITH STUFF.”
VI) Look at James 1:6b-7-8
A) When you’re asking God for something, ask in faith.
1) If you don’t, you’re only fooling yourself if you think you’re going to receive.
2) James says, if you’re asking and you’re full of doubt you’re like a wave of the sea being blown every which way.
a) A wavering man says, “The Word of God reveals I’m healed, but I feel so sick, but I’m healed, wait a minute, I think I’m sick.”
b) James calls that double mindedness and that’s not how you’ll receive.
VII) Double mindedness in a sense is the opposite of patients.
A) Remember the BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF PATIENCE that gave you a moment ago?
1) It refers to STEADFASTNESS and PERSEVERANCE, but also means MENTALLY FIXED and IMMOVABLE.
a) When you’re double minded, you’re being moved whichever direction the wind is blowing, and usually is blowing the wrong correction.
B) When trouble comes, the battleground of patience is truly in the mind, the will, and the emotions. Or you could say the battleground is in your soul, which is your mind, your will, and your emotions.
1) Look at what Jesus said to do when we encounter tribulation in LUKE 21:19.
a) According to the Vines dictionary of New Testament words, it’s in your steadfastness, patient endurance, and in your continuance to the Word of God and the things of God, ye gain mastery over your souls.
b) By standing firm you will gain life. NIV
2) You’re mind is really the battleground of faith. You’re going to have to choose, in your mind whether to believe the promises of God or not, before faith can drop down into your spirit.
a) Before faith can begin to work you have to have control over your mind, will, emotions, and intellect which are all the areas of the soulish realm.
(i) Patience, which is PATIENTLY ENDURING, AND STEADFASTNESS in the Word of God, enables you to take control of your soul.
(ii) When you’re patiently enduring in the promises of God, you’re stopping all the other voices that are coming to your mind, which are contrary to the Word of God.
b) That gets you into the position TO BE SINGLE MINDED and TO PRAY IN FAITH.
C) Inheriting the promises in God’s Word is really the bottom-line for everything that I’ve ministered so far in these messages.
1) All the steps that I’ve laid out are God’s ordained progression for seeing those promises become a reality in your life.
a) According to book Hebrews there are 2 spiritual forces that work in tandem to make these promises a reality.
2) Hebrews 6:12
a) These two power twins, “FAITH and PATIENCE,” work together to bring God’s great and precious promises to pass in your life.
b) For either of them to work effectively they have to be joined together.
3) We’ll see this connection again in Hebrews 10, so let’s turn there.
VIII) Hebrews 10:35-38
A) It’s a shame, but many believers castaway their confidence right before the miracle was about to manifest, simply because of a lack of patience.
1) If you’re standing on the Word of God for your healing, Satan is going to try to get you to throw your confidence away by intensifying the symptoms.
a) Unless you’ve got faith and patience working together, you’re likely to give up and decide it’s not working, and all too often right before faith was about to produce a miracle.
B) What is God’s prescription for not throwing away your confidence on the brink of a miracle?
1) “You have need of patience.”
a) Patience is faith’s partner that keeps the pressure on the Devil until he turns lose and runs for the Hills.
b) That’s why patience is an essential avenue on the road to your miracle.
WOLCC Sunday, November 23, 1997 & Sunday, February 23, 2003