Above All, Have Patience by Brother Duke Hansen

         Good morning and Merry Christmas. This morning's message is not going to be the typical and oft spoken sermon regarding Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus. This morning, something was pressing on my heart to share with others. It is something in short supply throughout the year, but it is seemingly impossible to apply in the holiday season. The message is going to be about patience. We are going to turn to the book of James this morning, chapter 5. We will start reading at verse 7.

        You have to seek out things in your walk with God in order to grow it. Progress is never made by merely standing still. Real life is not like a fairy tale where some cute and winsome figure, designed to sell junk, comes into your life and shows you some magical path to happiness. God does not work like your favorite fiction! He doesn't turn mice into horses, a pumpkin into a coach, sprinkles dust on you to fly. He can be your best friend but he is not going to take you by the hand, wave his across the air, and magically things happen for you. When you know, truly know, who you are and what God wants you to be in life, you have to seek it out and take in information. 

        7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

        James is speaking here in his letter of the end of things and for the church to be ready for it. Paul states in his first letter to the church of Corinth chapter 15 and verse 31. I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. You and I need to crucify our flesh daily. I can die everyday with the armor of God still on me. If you are walking through your life thinking you are safe and good without a change in your life through your walk, you are deceiving yourself.

        8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord drawer nigh.

        Be patient like God in establishing your heart. Patience is a mindset brought about by tribulations. You can fight and decline against your trials, actively avoiding the use of patience and often over react with emotion. Patience in practice will burn out your anger if it is used right. The emotion of anger is the opposite of confrontation. You can't face the hard things in your life needing changed when you are angry. The closer you get to God, the requirements are going to change. It is up to you in how to grow your ministry. You have to engage and study the scriptures to grow from your spiritual infancy. The more engagement, the more prayer, the more learning comes maturity. If your mind is permanently set on evil, don't act surprised that evil action comes from your evil intent. 

        9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

        Judgement is at the door. Do not hold a grudge against one another. Grudges are a spiritual issue. Be careful in how you build your relationships with others, how you listen and comprehend conversations with friends and sometimes family. Grudges can be distilled down to a "you" issue. If you do stuff and the difference is between if you want to and if you need to, God knows there's a big difference between those two. Everything you excel at in life right now, you need to remember that there is more. There is no plateau too high for you to climb. In handling the promise of God's word, be clear eyed in thinking that some of it will cause suffering in your flesh.

        10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

        11 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.

        Let's look on the story of Job. Job is generally remembered as a testament to mans patience, because man is always going to define the divine in carnal terms. Did Job fall into condemnation? Yes he did. Job learned not to swear against things he did not create. Too many words spoken can lead to sin. The mouth moving without guard is a facilitator of man's sinful heart. Job had covered his house, went to God more than was necessary and above measure. You do not have the right to speak into someone's life. The reality of spiritual warfare is someone trying to pass on their demons upon you and you either have your spiritual defenses up, resist them in Jesus name or you take that spirit in. The patience of Job was even after he had condemned himself, Job still sought after God.

        12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

        James says to let your yea's be yea's and nay's to be nay's. In today's reality, we cannot take a no and simply walk. We want to question everything, especially when there is a no. Say yes or no and don't provide an explanation. If you are going through trials, we need to learn and put into practice patience.

        Can you break your nature and allow God to teach you and deliver you? We are pressing forward into a new battle, and we still have fights going on behind us we didn't or haven't resolved. We keep seeking and striving for the end, obsessed with getting as much as possible to possess, when God's trying to make us better. We are missing the meat in the middle of the path pushing ourself forward on the sides.

        You cannot get rid of anger completely from your life, but you can get rid of the why of anger. If you are seeking glory from others, it is often glory of the flesh.