“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
Longsuffering, or patience, is a fruit of the Spirit. You cannot operate in the fruit of patience if you do not also first operate in the fruit of love, joy and peace. You need to walk in love in order to walk in patience, because love gives you a reason to be patient – love is patient and kind.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV
You need to walk in joy because joy keeps your attitude straight while you exercise your patience. You need to walk in peace in order to walk in patience because you are trusting God to come through for you and the measure of your peace is the measure of your trust. You can be patient because your trust is in God who answers prayer and delivers you from all tribulations.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
Perseverance is patience in action. The Greek word in verses 3 & 4 translated patience in the KJV and perseverance in the NIV and NKJ mean cheerful and hopeful endurance and constancy. You will never know if you have patience unless you go through something that requires patience. The difficult situations that we go through, both call for patience, and also develop patience in us. Patience is something that grows as we use it.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 NKJ
If you live on this earth – stuff happens. When you go through a trial or through adversity, you can rejoice in the middle of it, and you can rejoice in spite of it, because you know that something good will come out of it – you will grow in patience! Joy is an important part of your faith and your patience. When you encounter adversity, you need to know that the way you handle your situation determines the outcome of your situation. The trying of your faith produces patience. When you properly apply your joy and your faith in the middle of an adversity then your steady faith will produce patience. When patience is allowed to run its full course in your life then you will become perfected.
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11 and 15 KJV
When you have heard the Word and you allow it to be planted firmly in your heart and you patiently allow it to be watered and to grow, you will bring forth good fruit in your life.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebrews 10:35-36 (KJV)
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:10-12 (NIV)
Our Father God has made us exceeding great and precious promises, but we will not be partakers of these promises unless we believe that what He has promised is true and unless we patiently exercise our faith in His Word.