1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

Resting and Standing
Resting, Standing
And Walking
Chapter 7
REST
MT 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows
the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
MT 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light."
HEB 3:7 “So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear His voice,
HEB 3:8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
HEB 3:9 where your fathers tested and tried Me
and for forty years saw what I did.
HEB 3:10 “That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, `Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known My ways.'
HEB 3:11 “So I declared on oath in My anger,
`They shall never enter My rest.' "
HEB 3:12 “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that
turns away from the living God. [13] But encourage one another daily, as long as it is
called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. [14] We have
come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. [15]
As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."
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HEB 3:16 “Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those
Moses led out of Egypt? [17] And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not
with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? [18] And to whom did God swear
that they would never enter His rest if not to those who disobeyed? [19] So we see that
they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
HEB 4:1 “Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be
careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. [2] For we also have had the
gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to
them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. [3] Now we who have
believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
"So I declared on oath in My anger,
`They shall never enter My rest.' "
And yet His work has been finished since the creation of the world. [4] For
somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day
God rested from all His work." [5] And again in the passage above he says, "They shall
never enter My rest."
HEB 4:6 “It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly
had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. [7]
Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later He spoke
through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts."
HEB 4:8 “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later
about another day. [9] There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; [10] for
anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.
[11] Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by
following their example of disobedience.
HEB 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. [13] Nothing in all creation is hidden
from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom
we must give account.
HEB 4:14 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [15] For we do
not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
[16] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
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1JN 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for
us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. [17] If anyone has material
possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God
be in him? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and
in truth. [19] This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our
hearts at rest in His presence [20] whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater
than our hearts, and He knows everything.
STAND
EX 14:10 “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the
Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. [11]
They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to
the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? [12] Didn't we
say to you in Egypt, `Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been
better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
EX 14:13 “Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you
will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see
today you will never see again. [14] The LORD will fight for you; you need only to
be still."
DT 10:6 “(The Israelites traveled from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah.
There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. [7] From
there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water. [8] At
that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the
LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in His
name, as they still do today. [9] That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance
among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.)
NE 9:1 “On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered
together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. [2] Those of
Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places
and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. [3] They stood where they
were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day,
and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. [4]
Standing on the stairs were the Levites--Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni,
Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani--who called with loud voices to the LORD their God. [5]
And the Levites--Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah
and Pethahiah--said: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from
everlasting to everlasting."
JOB 11:13 "Yet if you devote your heart to Him
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and stretch out your hands to Him,
JOB 11:14 if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
JOB 11:15 then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.
EPH 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on
the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
[12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done
everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the
shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17]
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18]
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in
mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
JAS 5:1 “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is
coming upon you. [2] Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. [3]
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your
flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. [4] Look! The wages you failed
to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the
harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. [5] You have lived on earth in
luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. [6] You
have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
JAS 5:7 “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer
waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and
spring rains. [8] You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is
near. [9] Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is
standing at the door!
1PE 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm
and steadfast. [11] To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1PE 5:12 “With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have
written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.
Stand fast in it.
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2CO 2:5 “If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has
grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. [6] The punishment inflicted
on him by the majority is sufficient for him. [7] Now instead, you ought to forgive and
comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. [8] I urge you,
therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. [9] The reason I wrote you was to see if you
would stand the test and be obedient in everything. [10] If you forgive anyone, I also
forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven
in the sight of Christ for your sake, [11] in order that satan might not outwit us. For we
are not unaware of his schemes.
COL 4:10 “My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to
you, welcome him.) [11] Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the
only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a
comfort to me. [12] Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the
will of God, mature and fully assured. [13] I vouch for him that he is working hard for
you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. [14] Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and
Demas send greetings. [15] Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to
Nympha and the church in her house.
GAL 4:28 “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. [29] At that
time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.
It is the same now. [30] But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman
and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free
woman's son." [31] Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of
the free woman.
GAL 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do
not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
PHP 1:27 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my
absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the
faith of the gospel [28] without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by
God. [29] For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him,
but also to suffer for him, [30] since you are going through the same struggle you saw I
had, and now hear that I still have.
PHP 3:17 “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of
those who live according to the pattern we gave you. [18] For, as I have often told you
before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
[19] Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is on earthly things. [20] But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that
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enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so
that they will be like his glorious body.
PHP 4:1 “Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and
crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
So what are we talking about with all of this scripture? He is saying that after you have done all
you can do, all the seeking of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, after you have put on your
full armor of God and then you have put on your armor of light, to stand on Him. He will fight for you,
He will be your salvation.
All you can do is to stand firm on your faith in Him, stand firm on your decisions to believe, trust
and your action is being patient. To rest, and know that He is God. We are not God, we do not have the
power of authority, but we do have God living in us, we do have the Holy Spirit who will strengthen us,
to be able to keep or to stand firm in our decisions.
WALK
PS 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
PS 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
PS 23:3 “He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
PS 23:4 “Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
PS 23:5 “You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
PS 23:6 “Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
MIC 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
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To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
2CO 6:11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts
to you. [12] We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding
yours from us. [13] As a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts
also.
2CO 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness
and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? [15]
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common
with an unbeliever? [16] What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk
among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
2CO 6:17 "Therefore come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you."
2CO 6:18 "I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty."
2CO 7:1 “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for
God.
1JN 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we
proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to
it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to
us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have
fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
[4] We write this to make our joy complete.
1JN 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is
light; in Him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet
walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as
He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son,
purifies us from all sin.
1JN 1:8 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
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purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him
out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
LK 10:18 “He replied, "I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] I have
given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of
the enemy; nothing will harm you. [20] However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to
you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Fruit of the Spirit—patience
Faith leads patience. Faith leads to patience.
If you are impatient are you being faithful?
No. Patience is one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
GAL 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25]
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited,
provoking and envying each other.”
MT 8:22 “But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
MT 8:23 “Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. [24]
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the
boat. But Jesus was sleeping. [25] The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save
us! We're going to drown!"
MT 8:26 “He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then He got up
and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”
My original thought about this was that if they had faith, they would have
told the storm to be at peace, but He is saying to not fear. It would seem silly to have fear
knowing that Jesus was with them because for them to die, so would He. So no, He was
saying Psalms 23. They should have known it from the simple teachings they would have
gotten as a boy. It should have been part of their Jewish teaching.
HOS 6:4 "What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.
HOS 6:5 “Therefore I cut you in pieces with My prophets,
I killed you with the words of My mouth;
My judgments flashed like lightning upon you.”
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HOS 6:6 “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Burnt offering is worship—public worship. But He is saying that knowledge of God is more
important then worship. For knowledge leads to faith, and faith is what makes the world go around not
worship. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that worship is not important, it is, but it does not take
the place of faith. And faith comes by hearing the word of God, so if you are not hearing the word of
God you will not have faith, and without faith you cannot be saved. Worship does not save you, faith
does. I know that I worship more then all of you, but I know that is only because God has grounded me
first in faith.
MT 9:4 “Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil
thoughts in your hearts? [5] Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say,
`Get up and walk'? [6] But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go
home." [7] And the man got up and went home. [8] When the crowd saw this, they were
filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.”
MT 9:9 “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at
the tax collector's booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed
Him.”
MT 9:10 “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors
and "sinners" came and ate with Him and His disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw
this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and
`sinners'?"
MT 9:12 “On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but
the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I
have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
MT 9:14 “Then John's disciples came and asked Him, "How is it that we and the
Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"”
MT 9:15 “Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while
He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then
they will fast.”
RO 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And
how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they
hear without someone preaching to them? [15] And how can they preach unless they
are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
This hearing of the Word is a message of God, but for it to work, the Holy Spirit must reveal it to
us, John 14, 15, and 16. This revelation then becomes knowledge. Knowledge of the Kingdom of
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God—Matthew 6:30. You cannot put your faith into something that you know nothing about. You
must know God to trust God. Therefore you must fulfill Matthew 6:30 of first seeking the kingdom of
God, seeking to understand the Kingdom of God to seek to know the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness.
He will reward your faithfulness by making Himself known to you. Once you know Him, then
you can understand Him, and finally you can put your trust into Him and then you will have faith in
Him.
MT 11:25 “At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them
to little children. [26] Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
MT 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows
the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
MT 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. [29] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light."
MT 12:1 “At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His
disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. [2] When the
Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on
the Sabbath."”
MT 12:3 “He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his
companions were hungry? [4] He entered the house of God, and he and his companions
ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
[5] Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate
the day and yet are innocent? [6] I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. [7] If
you had known what these words mean, `I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not
have condemned the innocent. [8] For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."”
HEB 11:4 “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he
was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith
he still speaks, even though he is dead.”
HEB 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience
death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God. [6] And without faith it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
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HEB 11:7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear
built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of
the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Resting in God
God has said that we must rest in Him. What is rest? Is it not being willing to be patient? To be
willing to wait on the Lord. To be willing to be obedient by doing nothing, just watching Him work;
that is resting in Him.
EX 14:13 “Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see
the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never
see again. [14] The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
EX 14:15 “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the
Israelites to move on. [16] Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the
water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. [17] I will harden the hearts of
the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his
army, through his chariots and his horsemen. [18] The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD
when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
PS 37:5 “Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in Him and He will do this:
PS 37:6 “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
PS 37:7 “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
PS 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret--it leads only to evil.
PS 37:9 “For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”
PS 46:8 “Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations He has brought on the earth.
PS 46:9 “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
PS 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
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I will be exalted in the earth."
PS 46:11 “The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
ZEC 2:10 "Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live
among you," declares the LORD. [11] "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day
and will become My people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty
has sent Me to you. [12] The LORD will inherit Judah as Hs portion in the holy land and will
again choose Jerusalem. [13] Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because H has roused
Himself from His holy dwelling."
To have faith is to decide to trust. If you trust the Lord, obey His commands, and one is to be still
and see that He is Lord.
That is then patience.
COL 1:9 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying
for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom
and understanding. [10] And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord
and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge
of God, [11] being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you
may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully [12] giving thanks to the Father, who
has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. [13] For He
has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He
loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
HEB 6:7 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop
useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. [8] But land that
produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it
will be burned.
HEB 6:9 “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better
things in your case--things that accompany salvation. [10] 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. [11] We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very
end, in order to make your hope sure. [12] We do not want you to become lazy, but to
imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
1CO 13:1 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I
am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have
not love, I gain nothing.”
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1CO 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. [5] It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
So you cannot say that you love anyone if you are not willing to be patient with them. This
patience means that you trust God to answer your prayers and take care of the situation, because you are
being patient in waiting on the Lord. Waiting to hear what He has to say and so show what needs to be
done by you. Until then, you wait, you be willingly patience.
This means that when you are attacked with thoughts of doubt, of mistrust, or fear or dread that
He will not do it, or that you are attacked in the idea that you missed it or that He has forgotten you or,
or, or, etc. You will stand firm in your decision to have faith in Him and obey Him anyway.
But He is ever faithful and He will make sure that you know that He is Lord.
If you have not seen it or heard of it, it is not because you missed it, but because He is waiting
for the precious time to make it happen.
It is like the story of the man in the burning building.
A fire broke out in the middle of the night. A Christian man was a sleep, but he was rudely
awakened by the fire alarm. Well the fire was just down the hall, and in fact the hall way was on fire,
blocking his way out. And if he opened the door, the fire would flood into his room.
He had a sense that he had to get out, and to stop the fire from getting in. So he was lead to the
bathroom and soaked a towel and stuffed it under to front door preventing the fire from entering the
room from under to door.
He had a sense that he should tie his blankets and sheets together, but he was 5 or so flights up
and even with all of them tied together, he could not reach the ground. But as he was doing this, he
sensed that he had to wait. So he prayed for more guidance, then he was to just wait. The fire was
raging and it was starting to burn through he door. He knew that if he opened his window to yell, that
opening the window would allow the fire into his room faster. So he waited, patiently. After about 5
more minutes, he sensed the Holy Spirit telling him to tie off the sheet rope and climb out the window.
So he did, and as soon as he opened the window the, extra air caused the fire to blast through the
door. He climbed out the window, and climbed down the sheet rope. As he got to the bottom of the
rope, a ladder truck was just coming up and saw him. The ladder with a fireman grabbed him just as the
sheet rope burnt through. The fireman had him and he was safe. The timing was perfect. It only
worked because he trusted the Lord and waited on Him. He was patient and he was saved.
Patience—To be willing to wait.
RO 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom we have gained access by faith into this
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grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only so,
but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4]
perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] 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.”
If in times of trial and tribulation, the Lord has asked you to just rest and allow Him to fight for
you, and in being obedient you suffer, here is why. Suffering produces perseverance, which in turn
produces character and with character comes hope in the Lord. It is this hope that allows us to trust Him
and so to be patient—to be willing to wait in Him, knowing that those who wait on the Lord will not be
put to shame in their trust in the Lord.
Being patient is the act of loving, it is the act of trust, it is the act of obedience, it is the act of
developing character, it is the action of a person eating meat and not a child drinking milk.
JAS 5:10 “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the
prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. [11] As you know, we consider blessed
those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the
Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
HEB 6:7 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop
useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. [8] But land that
produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it
will be burned.”
HEB 6:9 “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better
things in your case--things that accompany salvation. [10] 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. [11] We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very
end, in order to make your hope sure. [12] We do not want you to become lazy, but to
imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
2TI 4:1 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and
the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: [2]
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. [3] For the time will come when
men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
[4] They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. [5] But you,
keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge
all the duties of your ministry.”
This is faith. You are righteous through your faith, which leads to obedience and only acting in
the will of God can a person be righteous.
JAS 2:18 “But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
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Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
[19] You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and
shudder.”
JAS 2:20 “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is
useless? [21] Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did
when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that his faith and his actions
were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. [23] And
the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him
as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. [24] You see that a person is justified
by what he does and not by faith alone.”
JAS 2:25 “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered
righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a
different direction? [26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is
dead.”
Finally, you cannot enter into God’s rest unless you are standing firm on the Word of God and
that you are walking firm on the decisions you have made that build you faith in Him, and finally you
cannot enter into His rest unless you are righteous by always being obedient to Him.
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