The Only Payment Is Patience FruitFull (Part 9)

0:00 Welcome to everybody who is has come out today and I believe God has something specific for you for you today. This is the last week of our fruitful series. And if you are here for the first time, I beg you go back and watch these other messages. This probably has been the most life giving sermon series on the fruits of the spirit, because I don't know about you, but fruits of the spirit, if you grew up in church and even if you didn't, It was just something that was kind of gimmicky sometimes. And you're like, love, joy, peace. There's songs for it. We get to eat some fruit sometimes and just different things that would happen. But God has really opened my eyes and opened up this whole thing. And we find it in Galatians chapter five, verse 22. And I just want to give you our anchor scripture so you can go back and study because people who believe in God study his word. And so Galatians chapter five, verse 22, it says, but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives.

0:57 I have a question. Who produces the fruit? OK, I need you to talk back to me. Who produces the fruit? And I want this to be clear, because a lot of people want these next things that come by thinking they can do better at those things. But the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit, when you get saved, he produces these things in your life. What does he produce? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which some of y'all didn't use over this last holiday season. But there is no law against these things. So today we're talking about patience. And let's just go ahead and put it out there right now. OK, how many people like waiting on stuff? none of us like like none of us like waiting on anything but this is a fruit of the spirit when we talk about patience god says out of all the things i can make and want for you i want you to have patience and innate in all of us we don't want to wait for nothing i was reading a study this week that said that the likelihood of somebody clicking onto a video after buffering two seconds one two goes down 50 percent if it takes two seconds from when i push the button to when it comes up i'm switching how many people are guilty of of if it doesn't happen in two seconds or less they said at five seconds it cuts it in half again and at 10 seconds there will only be 20 of the people who watch it i said 10 seconds now think about it if patience is a fruit of the spirit but we won't wait 10 seconds for something we desired to watch like nobody made you click it Like you click this like, oh, that looks nice.

3:03 You desire to watch it, but you won't wait 10 seconds to watch it. And I think that's why many people are sick and tired of following after God because they prayed for 10 seconds. Oh, come on. Let me come to this side. They waited for 10 minutes. They tithed for 10 days. they forgave 10 times but the bible tells us very clearly how many times are you supposed to forgive 70 times seven a day do that math somebody said that's just too many that's just and so when i started to look at this i said okay god you're gonna have to help your people with patience because because we live in a culture where convenience is king like like let me just read you some of the things i thought the faster the better no wait time we want microwaved meals and drive-through dreams we want high-speed internet and you better have wi-fi free wi-fi online grocery shopping we want our entertainment on demand don't tell me that i can't watch that show i want it now so we buy hulu and netflix how many people have a house fine phone nobody because we have cell phones we have uber eats you don't even have to go pick up your food no more amazon prime shipping within two days and if that's too long you can have amazon now shipping here in two hours deal dash instagram quicken loans the lottery ordering through apps fad diets facetime Don't want a relationship with trust, respect and commitment. Great. Neither do I hit me up on Tinder or Grindr. Let's hook up tonight. And the sad thing is these convenience ideas have crept into the church.

4:52 Can we be honest? People would rather connection with the computer instead of accountability and community. they would rather be seen than serve they were whether a platform than a process they want a moment of deliverance without discipleship they want success and not stewardship they want likes more than lessons they want wealth more than wisdom and all of those things would be convenient to get if we didn't have to pay for them but this is the thing the holy spirit probed my heart with this week and I want to ask you the same question. This wrecked me for seven days. Is your commitment to convenience killing your Christianity?

5:36 Is your commitment to have it now? Is your commitment to not waiting? Is your commitment to, I got a boyfriend today. We're married in three months. We have kids. Is your commitment to convenience killing your christian character and i begin to sit with that and i had to be honest and i said it is like this world tells me that i should be able to think it click it have it like that that's what the world tells me and then god tells me to get a vision write it down I need to talk I wish vision you could just tell it like Siri you know what I'm saying like I need to be able to have it write it down wait on it pray over it submit it to leadership too many processes too much time and then I gotta wait on you and we don't have a scheduled meeting every Wednesday for you to give me an update on the thing I prayed for?

6:45 And so I began to go through this and I said, okay, God, because I know I've had the excuse like many of you had is I can't read my Bible because I don't have any time. Okay. We have a hot church, a humble, open and transparent church. So I just want to ask you, have you ever said to yourself or to anybody else? Okay. Just yourself. I can't read my Bible because I just don't have time come on just be just be honest okay okay how many of us have said something like you know i can't pray because i have these other things that are priority like maybe you didn't say it you just didn't do it see me like i never said that okay you get the point you still ain't praying but there's a picture of us with the puppy dog face and we stick our tongue out some of the old folks like what is he talking about there's these filters on snapchat where it's the little cute puppies or anything and you got people But we don't have time to pray.

7:50 Let's be honest. And that may not be your thing, but you got a thing. Like that may not be your thing, but you got a thing that takes priority over what God calls important. And so when we start talking about this idea of patience, we have this why wait mentality in our generation. And I want you to see that we talked about it two weeks ago, but everything in our culture that is natural is against God. Like God has a plan for you. So culture looks like what God doesn't. And I need you to understand that. I'm not saying that everything in culture is bad, but if you don't know the use of it, you will distort it and you act like this is life and this is a chore. That's why people act like when they get become Christians that they get these chains. No, this is true freedom. What you're living in is chains and you don't even know it. You pay for it.

8:42 You allow yourself to be entangled and wrapped up in these things. And we say things like this. Why would we look to God for direction? Who I can't see when a university will gladly give me a direction and make me pay for it. Why wait to have sex? Why wait to get married? Why wait to spend the money? why wait why wait why wait and this is something that i discovered as i was praying the reason that you wait is because the promise that god has for you is usually discovered in the process and the process will always require patience i'm gonna say it again because i need you to get this the reason that you wait for things Why you display patience while you allow the holy spirit to work that in your life Is because the promise that god has for you the intended in the level of influence the marriage that you see the relationship goals All of those things. That's the promise that god has for you Remember before you were born he said in jeremiah 29 11 I have plans for you plans to prosper you plan to give you a hope and a future I got good things planned for you. I got a promise for you But the promise we are at the starting line asking god. What's the promise?

9:58 I'll go when you tell me the promise I'll obey when you tell me the promise I ain't saying nothing the first step I told you to make obey that one y'all ever seen the Wizard of Oz follow the yellow brick road that's what the Christian life is like you don't see where it leads until you step and there's another brick that comes when you step and the quicker the thing you gotta realize if you start stepping quicker the steps Keep coming quicker. But what we're doing is we're waiting for God to show us everything. And we won't step until we feel like we know what's going to happen. But then God says, my plans aren't your plans and my thoughts aren't your thoughts. And if I showed you where you was going, you try to figure out an alternate path to get there. Oh, come on. Y'all already know. OK, so he said, I need you to trust me. how many people ate good for thanksgiving like like ate good like you like do you know the thing about that meal is that that wasn't a convenient meal See that ham and that broccoli and cheese casserole and that macaroni and that corn and that whatever you ate that was just good.

11:20 And whatever you ate that was that you couldn't throw that in the microwave. And if somebody did throw it in the microwave, you could tell the difference. because anything of value takes a process and any process is going to take patience and so I want us to value patience maybe how we've never valued it before and God helped me see this analogy and y'all know God speaks to me in movies and I get to see things so because I want it to be real I'm not down for coming into church and being in the fifth heaven and then I'm figuring out what did they talk about on Monday? Like, I'm not, I want to know how to walk this thing out. So God gave me this analogy and y'all, this is going to flip the script on you. So few weeks ago, I went into a store and it was a place that sold things that were nice. And so I went in there and I was like, oh yeah, that's going to be nice right there. I said, uh, sir, how much are those? He said these, and he pulled them down from back behind the counter. And he said, they're this much. And I said, ah, I want two of them. He told me the price and I said, okay, cool. And I pulled out my card and he said, Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. There are certain items in this store that only take a certain kind of payment. We only take cash for this.

12:43 the level of offense i don't need that i had i say it's 2017 i was like i was you can't take my cart he said sir there are certain items in this store that we want to make sure the funds aren't insufficient Thank you. so we only take cash for certain items in this store so i left he's still working on me y'all he's still working on me i told you i'm coming i left and didn't come back and wasn't i'll find somewhere else that has this i started to do and then as i was driving the holy spirit started talking to me he said michael isn't it funny how there are some things you can't get in life without having the right form of payment.

13:36 It doesn't matter how much money you have in your bank. It doesn't matter how much you have on a gift card. It doesn't matter how much you have on a credit limit. It doesn't matter how much you have on a gift card or how many checks you write. Unless you have the right form of payment, you will not receive what you desired. And so then it started messing with me. He said in the same way, he said there are things god has for you places that he wants you to go there are dreams with your name on it there is relationships that you are supposed to walk into and it's supposed to prosper you there are areas in the atmosphere that are marked with your name on it but you will never get it unless you have the right form of payment i said god you're gonna have to you're gonna have to help me because I feel like I got you but I don't know he said Michael there are some things in life that the only payment is patience I'm about to help you.

14:41 The only patient for the, the only payment for the dream that you keep seeing is not going to be working harder. It's going to be waiting on it. Oh, I know you don't like to hear this. I know. Cause if, if your, if your text message doesn't work right, you're ready to throw away the phone. But God said, that's a concept introduced by culture. but my word tells you that patience is a virtue that I want the Holy Spirit to work into your life and so there are things that you're going to come up to the counter of life and you're going to say yes I would like a happy marriage and um a thriving business and they say how much oh don't worry about it I have gifting I have I have family I have friends I have connections I have charisma and they're going to say, Hey, the only payment for this one is patience.

15:40 So I'm sorry. I'm going to have to put this loving family back on the shelf because you're too out of control for this. This one's going to take patience. Yeah. The only payment for this career that you really desire. Oh yeah. It would look perfect on you, but you can't wait. See, when you look at the fruits of the spirit, faithfulness and patience are the only fruits that have a prerequisite of time. You can't tell if you're faithful unless you do it over time. And you cannot be patient unless it has an amount of time attached to it. And so this is why many believers get so out of whack about the promises of God because they have not learned the virtue of patience. And you're sitting up in here and you want to get rich quick scheme and you want to shock a Baca to your blessing.

16:39 And you want all of this other stuff to just happen. And God says there's some stuff that I've promised you that's yours. It has your name on it. You're going to walk into it. You're going to wear it right. It's going to be everything that you think and more. But the only payment is patience. Look at your neighbor and just tell them because they're in shock right now. Tell them the only payment is patience. Yeah, the only payment because they've seen like, oh, my God. Like, you know, the only payment. And that's my first point. I want you to write this down because some of you are in a season where you've been trying to make things move, where you've been trying to move things. You move from this city to this city. You move from this job to this job. And God said, you can keep doing that, but you just exercise. because what I showed you, it's not going to be by might or power. It's going to be by my spirit. And what are the things that the Holy Spirit is trying to work in your life? Patience.

17:37 Oh, oh, oh. So, so, so point one, write it down just in case you missed it. There are promises where the only payment is patience. And until you get that, this whole thing is going to be off kilter for you because everybody look we celebrate just like one hit wonders and people who get discovered like that and we just think about it we celebrate people who are nothing one day bam and they became something new and god said we can clap but that's not going to be your story Thank you. because God doesn't want you to have it for a moment and lose it. Do you know there are statistics that say that anybody who wins the lottery, 70% of them are broke in seven years. it's because God knows something that culture does it that if your character can't sustain where you're going it won't be the devil that has to kick you out of that position you'll disqualify yourself and so slow and steady in certain areas God will produce the virtue of patience that when you get there, you'll appreciate it. When you look around, you'll love the people who are around you. You'll stand with the people that, that, that, um, tried to throw you away, but then came back. God's saying, I want this virtue in your life. Look at Romans 12, 12.

19:11 It says rejoice in our confident hope. That's Jesus. Be patient in trouble. Most of us get frantic in trouble Come on, let's just be honest Like trouble comes Oh my god, I don't know how to pay this And oh my god, they're going to repossess my earth Be patient in trouble Well, God You got this And I trust you And how do you react in trouble? Let's just ask that question How do you react in trouble? Because God says we're supposed to be patient Wait on him Wait on the lord when it's trouble and keep on praying Those are instructions that we have to do because for what god has for you. It's great It's big the family you want to see the influence you're gonna have you Notice i'm not saying you got to work and do something to get god's he's already favored you There are people that are ready to stroke a check with your name on it There are doors you're gonna walk into there are inventions and witty ideas This is what the word promises us.

20:17 There is mending of broken relationships. There is a book inside of you that is going to change the world. But the only payment for this promise is patience. You say, Pastor Mike, you know, I just, what are the other promises we can get without patience? Because this one's a little difficult for me. And I know because it's countercultural. But God came to turn this world upside down. And I want to encourage somebody who's in a season where you're waiting on God that you're in good company. Look at Joseph, who had the jean jacket of many colors. Joseph, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and had to wait 14 years before he got his opportunity to be impactful on the culture. Now, I just want everybody to see, would you be patient for 14 years?

21:17 If God told you, hey, I'm going to make you the president of this company and you're going to control 15 billion dollars of income every year. Most of us would post it on Facebook at that moment. Most of us would go out. But he didn't tell you in the fine print, you know, when you have a contract and it says read the fine print. but what joseph would have taken this if he would have told him your brothers are going to sell you into slavery you're going to be passed around you're going to be taken from your home country this crazy cougar is going to try to push up on you and you're not going to want to do nothing but she's going to want you to do some stuff to her and then you're not going to do it so you ain't even get none but then she's going to blame you like you did get some and like read the bible it's juicy y'all the bible is juicy so then you get sold into slavery in the king's house and then you interpret a dream and then they forget about you. Your boy told you. I mean, all this stuff happened. And what did Joseph have to be? He had to be patient and wait on God.

22:19 And he got the coat 14 years earlier that said he was favored. See, this value of patience, if we don't get this and it's worked in us by the Holy Spirit, we will forfeit our promise because we want it now. Y'all know that commercial, So I got a structured settlement and I need cash now. Call JG. We're worth 877 cash now. Okay.

22:53 The problem with that in our culture is they don't tell you what they take. They don't tell you what it costs if you get it now. You think it costs more if you wait. It costs more if you get it now. Think of Joseph. Think of David. Who was anointed king but had to wait 15 years. to take the throne. Think of Noah who got instructions to build a boat on land and start a zoo 50 years. No, he started a zoo. 50 years before it ever rained. Like the instructions of God sometime will put us out there looking stupid. He had to get up every day. Noah, what you're doing if i was his neighbor what you're doing ah you're doing the same thing he was doing yesterday bro it ain't even right bro we not this is land there's no water even near what are you doing and that's the voices the enemy tries to tell you why are you serving at that church why are you going to that school why did you start that business why did you do and those are the voices but he had to have patience the ability to step stand fast and know that god's given me a word and I'm going to endure this. I'm going to wait this thing out. And it's a virtue that the Holy Spirit is going to work in me. No matter if nobody in my family agrees with me, no matter if anybody understands, I know that this is a virtue that is only produced by the Holy Spirit that tells you that a lot of people don't work through the Holy Spirit because barely nobody has patience.

24:35 but not transformation church. See, we're going to be a church that doesn't take one piece of the Bible and try to live it out. This, just in case anybody know, this will be a fundamental part of God developing you into his character. Is there will be some situation, some person, some obstacle that will work patience into your life. Because when we pray for patience, he doesn't send patience. He sends an opportunity to be patient. Oh boy, that was good. There is not a like, oh, I'm patient now. No, he sends that annoying boss. He sends that ungrateful co-worker. He gives you a child with your name. But with the demon spirit on the inside. Do you understand what I'm saying?

25:29 Like, he doesn't give you patience. He gives you the opportunity to be patient. and until we understand that there's nothing in me that can fuel patience it's a work of the spirit remember the holy spirit produces this type of food in my life that's patience and so i want you to understand this that time is the currency of patience and go to this this scripture in hebrew chapter six because this blessed me you know i like formulas i like plays i like i like i don't know when i used to play video games uh we we used to play a video game named street fighter and I had my combinations on Street Fighter that I knew would work every time. So like up, down, like A, B, A, B, A, da, da, da, da. Like I knew my combinations. And if I can just have a combination, it makes it easier for me. I'm about to give you an equation right now that may make life easier for you.

26:21 Look at Hebrews chapter six, verse 12. It says, we do not want you to become lazy. I could literally preach that one scripture for 35 minutes, but we're just gonna skip that. but don't become lazy but we want you to imitate those who through faith and patience inherited what has been promised see most of you would read through that scripture but there is an equation right there underline faith underline patience underline promise most of us would say we want the promise for our life we want to be maximizing our potential we want to help people we want to Be generous. That's the promise God has for us. And we probably know to get that we need faith. You need faith in God. We need faith to believe. But that second line, we would probably put something else there. How do we receive the promise? We have to have faith and gifting, faith and connections, faith and a plan.

27:22 to reach the promise. What does the scripture say? You need faith and patience. Y'all don't even want to say the word. Like look at people in here like, you need faith and these are the two ingredients that will produce the promise. I need you to hear me. If you're in here and you're 18 and you want to take over the world by your 21, listen, baby, you're going to take over the world but it's going to take these two ingredients faith and patience you will receive the promise and then it goes on in verse 13 and it tells us about abraham again it said when god made his promise to abraham since there was no one greater for him to swear by he swore by himself saying i will surely bless you and give you many descendants that was the promise and then this is This is Abraham's part and our part. And it said, and so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

28:29 I just came to encourage somebody that the Holy Spirit has a gift for you called patience. And if you could get faith and let him, you don't even got to do it on your own. Let him begin to work this thing of patience in you. So like when you want to go and do something, I'll tell this story. I've been having these shoes that I've wanted for a year and a half, like a year and a half. And I went to the website probably 30 times, had them in a cart ready to purchase them. And then I just shut my computer. I said, that's what they want me to do. I don't know who they are. but, but, but literally, and the Holy Spirit said, you don't need to drop that type of money on those shoes right now. You need to save for them. And I was like, save for them. I got the money in the account right now. Everything will be fine. And so I start putting back a little money every month and every month I'll put back money. And I literally, while I'm putting back money, I'm like, man, I got half of it. That's better than what I was going to do two months ago.

29:29 I can go ahead and buy that. And the Holy Spirit was working patience in me. And see, we wouldn't take a regular example like that and think that's the Holy Spirit working patience in me. But nobody kept me from buying those shoes. The Holy Spirit was saying, I want to teach you something that's not normal to you. What situation in your life can you go ahead and do it right now? But you feel something saying, don't do it. Wait on that. Stop. Think. Hold up. he's trying to give you the ability to have funds in your account for your promise see because there's going to come a time and god's going to say hey i have this purpose on sale for you right now and he said but the only form of payment we can accept is patience you that oh i've been i'm i'm i'm loaded i got more than enough and then god can drop promises on you because the only payment was patience and i know this is not popular and i know some of y'all is like i didn't come to hear this today because but i'm telling you you'll be frustrated for the rest of your life if you don't allow the holy spirit well why didn't this work out why didn't that work out can i tell you something that what god's doing in your life is not a punishment he's trying to give you the payment that will pay for your promise you gotta stop looking at your situation i'm still living at my mama's house or i thought my kids would be saved by now or this that that listen change your heart perspective on it change change your perspective it didn't work out but then god says in romans 8 28 that all things work together for the good So could this be a part of the plan?

31:13 And until you get a revelation of that, you will never, ever realize that patience is one of the greatest gifts that God can give you. The Webster dictionary version of patient is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.

31:34 Let's just be practical. Most of us don't go through delay without getting mad. God says, I want you to build up endurance. I need endurance to be built in your life. That's why James tells us, James chapter one, verse three, it says, for, you know, that when your faith is tested, how many have people that test your faith? Come on. Y'all know they may be sitting next to you. Just put your hands down.

32:01 You got people who test your faith. But it says, we know when our faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow because you can forfeit this and not not be patient, not wait on God, not do it. And he said, but let it grow for when endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. This is the thought the Holy Spirit gave me. He said, Michael, if patience is a fruit of the spirit, impatience is a fruit of the flesh. And it hit me. That means that every time I'm in traffic. come on let's be let's be practical because god didn't come for us to live in every time i'm in traffic and that car is just being slow like there's so much more room to go like will you please move that raggedy van and get like out of my way and when i speed up then you want to speed up and then when i slow down you want to slow what are you doing Thank you.

33:02 But the Bible tells me that that's a chance for me to learn how to endure. So just sit there. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Like, all I'm saying is, are we looking at the things that we are impatient in and we're passing up the opportunity to receive a fruit of the spirit? God's going to give you opportunities today. What are you working out of your flesh or your spirit? If patience is a fruit of the spirit, then impatience. Some of you are impatient with your wife. Some of you are impatient with your kids. Just because you had them doesn't mean you treat them any type of way. impatient they're three they're gonna touch stuff stop touching

34:02 did god give you that child to teach you this fruit of the spirit because what you are you're going to develop in them and they're going to become just like you because you didn't have patience with them so they won't have patience for a destiny and so they'll quit because they feel like everything should come to them like this but you quit on them when they were born because you didn't want to teach them how to be disciplined so you punish them out of your emotions and embarrassment and so they become what you never wanted and then they repeat the cycle now all i'm all i'm saying to you is maybe patience is a bigger deal And there's promises that God has for you where the only payment will be patience. I think about this in the life of Jesus. Have you ever thought about this?

34:55 Jesus had to be patient. He was the son of God on earth. if that was me and I knew I was the son of God on earth and I could do miracles do you know what type of parties we would have had in my teenage years like like just think do you know how I would have walked around do you know but Jesus had an opportunity this is why I love God because he made him all human with God in him he had a moment like that when he was 12 he didn't tell his mom and daddy where he was going he said I'm the son to God, I ain't got to tell Mary and Joseph nothing. Just think about it. He goes to the synagogue. He starts sitting down. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus Jehoshaphat if you don't get over here right now mom what what I'm about my father's business you know I'm here on purpose you know you didn't do it with my daddy to have me you know that she pulled that boy she was this is my man she went cross-eyed on him boy Get back in that house and do the dishes.

36:16 This is just a little sub point. It doesn't matter about your gifting if it's not time for you to use it. Your gifting doesn't matter. She knew who he was. She pulled him in and said, and listen, he was 12. We don't hear from Jesus for 18 years. Talk about patience. that he literally could have done miracles at 10, 12, 14, 16. He was doing dishes and learning how to make tables. They called him a carpenter. Where did he learn that? He learned that in the time where he was being patient.

36:57 There are things that you're not ready to go to because you haven't learned what you're supposed to learn in the time of patience. This man was patient for 30 years to have three years of a platform for three hours of purpose. I want everybody to let that sit. Jesus lived for 33 years, 30 years of preparation of waiting for three years of a platform for three hours on the cross of purpose. will you wait on God See, some of y'all are uncomfortable right now because you're waiting on me to say something.

38:02 But that wasn't even 30 seconds of waiting. what happens when God gives you 30 years of waiting? will you be called faithful will you be found doing what god told you to do the last time he told you to do it well they don't recognize me they ain't recognize my gifts they see your gifts it's just not time well they well god told me i was gonna be married you will be he told me you're gonna have i was gonna have children sarah was 90 Thank you. that's physically impossible god works miracles I'm not coming to pump and prime you. I'm really just trying to pop your bubble. Like, so that you can see it clearly. There's no hit like the one you don't see coming. So I want you to see this coming.

38:58 God has not forsaken you because it's taking time. He's not left you because he's given you an opportunity to work patience in your life. I don't know some of y'all ain't going to go back and rebroadcast this. But some of y'all are going to catch this and you say, okay, Pastor Mike. I'm going to be patient. I'm going to allow the Holy Spirit to work patience in my life. I know I have big dreams and big goals and all these different things, but God's going to get me to my intended end. I'm going to walk into purpose. I'm going to stand. My family's going to be hold. I'm going to be healed. I'm going to do everything, but it may take some time. And the only payment for some promises is patience. Well, okay. I just want to warn you, though, my second point, that pride will repossess the promise. Like, like if you're patient in one season, but then you get prideful and you start saying like, I don't need anybody else and I don't need to be around. And it was me who did this and all of the pride will repossess the promise.

39:54 I think about a guy named Saul and most people, when you read the Bible, they don't have a favorable, favorable outlook on Saul. But I started to look at Saul's life. That brother was blessed. Like before he made one bad move, this dude was the king of Israel. He was 30 years old over the entire country. He was favored. The Bible tells us he was anointed. He was doing his thing. Everybody looked up to him. He was winning victories. God's favor was on him. And then he got an instruction from a prophet named Samuel because they were in a battle against the Philistines. That's Goliath's people. They was big. They're trying to take over everything. And he was the ruler of the king of Israel. And God gave him instruction. He gave him an instruction in 1 Samuel chapter 10 verse 8. It said, then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. This is Samuel talking to Saul. I'll join you there to sacrifice a burnt offering and a peace offering.

40:51 You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions. He was like, cool, cool. God's going to be with us. We're going to win this victory. Everything's going to be good. Go to chapter 13, verse eight. First Samuel chapter 13, verse eight. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn't come. So Saul started to realize that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded we ain't waiting on Samuel. Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offering and Saul sacrifice the burnt offerings himself. He tried to get in pride and do it his own way. He tried to make his own path to the promise. just as Saul was finishing the burnt offering Samuel arrived Saul went out to meet him oh shoot okay um and welcome him hey Samuel uh hey bro hey I didn't know you was coming and Samuel said what have you done Saul replied see see what had happened was I saw my men scattering from me and then I did you did you I mean you had said you was coming in seven days. I mean, I know it's still the same day, but I thought you was coming like right, right when it turned to the seventh day and you wasn't here. And the Philistines were at McMash and it was ready to bash. And so I said to the Philistines, are you ready to march against Gilgal? Cause I haven't even asked the Lord for help. So I just, you know, I had felt compelled. I had prayed. I felt compelled to offer up my own burnt offering myself before you had come. You foolish man, you have not kept the command the Lord God gave you or in other words you were not patient enough had you have kept it the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever If you would have just done this one thing, I would have made you ruler for a verse.

42:47 Some of y'all seen Sandlot forever. You understand what I'm saying? But now your kingdom must end. For the Lord has sought out of a man or a woman after his own heart. So that means patience means you're a person after God's own heart. He said, I've sought after a man after my own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people because you have not kept the command or you did not wait patiently.

43:20 Forty two years of a promise was repossessed because of a few hours of impatience. Guys, I don't care if you see a way to make it happen. If God's saying wait on him, wait on. I don't care how easy it would be for you just to go get married and hope that God would bless the marriage. Or start the business and do. Listen, the promise is yours. But you have to use the fruit of the spirit of patience and patience. And there's some things that God will only accept patience for, for you to see the promise. I wrote down this statement and I think it's worth saying to you. Anytime you come up with your own solution, but it is not in submission to God's strategy, it will become your sabotage.

44:20 If you come up with your own solution, but it's not in submission to God's strategy, it'll be your sabotage. Saul spent the rest of his life. Fighting for something that was already his. he tried to kill David. He got jealous. He started listening to the voices of people. See, when you're not waiting on God, you then allow other voices to come in. And this man killed himself. Like this is how his life ends. He killed himself. Running for his life. When God said, I had a plan for you, a promise that your descendants, your children's children's children's children, would have reigned over this area forever, but you were impatient. Guys, what are we forfeiting? Cause we can't wait on God.

45:14 See, you don't see it now, but that's why he's saying, I'm trying to work this fruit of the spirit in you right now that you become patient, that you would wait on me, that you would allow me to speak to you and speak through you. And even if it doesn't happen when you think it is, I didn't leave you. I didn't leave you. I did not leave you. I'm right here. I'm just trying to teach you some things. I want you to trust me even when you don't see me. I want you to hear my voice in a still small tone. I want you to be able to hold on to a promise. I don't want you to get to a place that your character can't sustain you in. So it's going to take not four minutes, not four hours, but what about five years? What if it takes 15 years for this church to reach what God has called it to be? That sucks for me to even think that. But if we could ever get to a moment that we are effective and we're reaching tens of thousands of people all over this world and seeing the glory would i rather have it now for it to leave and for me to be cursed and for me not to be in the presence of god walking and holding it up by his power or would i rather see the promise of god come to pass but i just gotta pay 15 years for it Guys If you don't hear anything else I say That patience Is a fruit of the spirit That requires time So if you don't allow the Holy Spirit to work this in your heart, there are things that you will live this life without that God wanted you to live with.

46:51 So, Pastor Mike, what do I do? Because now you just tell me I need to wait on everything. Feel like I don't need to go out to eat today. Like I need to go put something in a crock pot. Just feeling like I need to, you know, just walk to work tomorrow, Pastor Mike. Okay, I'm not saying be extreme. I'm just saying don't allow convenience to kill your Christianity. don't put God on Amazon standards if it's not here in two days then I don't mess with you no more so Pastor Mike what do I do my last point how you wait directly affects how long you wait how you wait directly affects how long you wait Pastor Mike that's not true ask the children of Israel God delivered these people from slavery and they literally had an 11 day journey.

47:54 11. But on those 11 days, they complained. They were frustrating to leadership. They made false gods and worshiped other things. And those people turned an 11 day journey to purify them into a 40 year death. I mean, what happens when God tells you the whole reason I'm part in the sea is to take you to a promised land? Like y'all were slaves. I'm about to take you to a promised land. They get out and they like, oh, this sucks. Like I can't stand working with these people. Oh, my gosh. He fake. Look at her. And all the see, these are things we say. Like, I can't believe that church. I can't do all this. They're just complaining. And God said, ah, they haven't learned patience. They haven't learned to wait on me.

48:47 Did they just construct another God other than me? Did they just make their business or their children or their family? Did they just make that? Come on, man. This was 11 day journey. I bet in 11 years, God was just frustrated. Just like, would y'all please just learn how to wait on me and know that I was the one who provided a way when there was no way before. And I literally have manna dropping from heaven every day. I know it's not the best, but I'm trying to work something in you. Manna literally means what is it? So they get their food every day and they say, what is it? Like that's, that's what it is. But it was a miracle happening that they turned into a problem because of their perspective. I guess I'll eat this. They did all of these things and they turned an 11 day journey into a 40 year death because they did not learn patience. So my questions to you is how are you going to wait?

49:45 See, this is how most of us wait. Oh, God, okay. But it's not how long you're going to wait. It's how are you going to wait? What do you want me to do, God? Who do you want me to serve? Where do you want me to go? How much do you want me to give? At your service. How do you want me to wait on you? How do you want me to stand in the gap for other people? How do you want me to serve? how do you want me to wait? You want me to work in the children's area for four years? Lord, I don't have nerves for that. But whatever you want me to do, God, I'll wait on you. You want me to go back to what? School? Oh God, I was done. I was done. At your service. What would happen if your waiter talked too much or was complaining when they were trying to serve you? like like we have to get this and many of you have the disposition of my little daughter bella i'm gonna show you this and we're gonna end two weeks ago i have a four-year-old that is coming into her personality and y'all just pray for me and pastor natalie but she said dad i'm starving like everything is so dramatic dad i'm starving i said bella what do you want to eat she's like mac and cheese. I was like, okay, dad's going to make you some mac and cheese, but I'm starving.

51:10 So she wanted it now. And I made the mac and cheese. And I just want you to see this video. Watch what happened. We're trying to teach you patience, right? And so you had to wait. How was it waiting? Well, it was not good. So I was trying to wait so much, but I couldn't. I was just super hungry and my tummy was rumbling so I couldn't wait until that's when you start. But you have to be patient. But I was really hungry. But you weren't just hungry, you ate gummy beers. Why'd you eat gummy beers? Well, that's because I was hungry. Okay, so next time you're going to wait, you're going to be patient? But after every day, single day, I get a tummy ache. Or I'm so hungry all day. Oh, you're not hungry all day.

52:05 Yes, I am. Okay. Like right now. Okay, we'll eat. But in different things, you have to be patient, okay? I don't know you're not patient when you guys make it so slow. Why don't you? You don't like to wait? No. Why? It's kind of hard. It's hard to wait. as funny as that is isn't that how we sound to god we start to exaggerate the truth that baby says she's starving all the time but but doesn't that sound like us god nothing is going right for me god there's nothing well i'm trying to teach you patience but it's hard to wait and what she did is she had nourishment that was being prepared for her but she settled for jump there was gummy worms on the table and because she was hungry and she felt like her father wasn't preparing it for her or she didn't understand the process then she went to try to make her own way and she filled her belly with something that was going to make her feel full for a minute and then drop her and her whole thing then was to look at me and she blamed me. She said, because you move so slowly.

53:39 but doesn't that sound like us but god i thought this was gonna happen and i thought i was gonna move here and i thought i was gonna change the world but you're moving so slowly and it makes us do things to provide for ourselves when god's in the background preparing a gourmet meal for us right now I'm just asking you to allow the Holy Spirit to begin to produce patience in your life and it's not going to be a prayer it's going to be a process it's going to be a process you say that out of your mouth say it's going to be a process that hebrew 6 12 scripture says so don't be lazy but imitate those who through faith and patience inherited what has been promised can i tell you this the only thing harder than waiting on god is wishing you had so the promise that God has for you it's going to come to pass you're going to see it but what if the only payment that is accepted is patience let me pray for you father I thank you that you're working in this church to not let us have a watered down version of this gospel but you're helping us father god be able to really understand that there are things that are going to be uncomfortable that you call us to that are going to produce patience in our life god for those who may be in a situation right now that it is requiring patience holy spirit i thank you that you would be the comforter the aid the paraclete the one that comes alongside of us to help and father let us use you god we have an advocate when you left us you didn't leave us alone you gave us the holy spirit and you said he's gonna help you through everything so holy spirit we need your help father we need your help as people as parents

55:47 as business owners father we want it now culture tells us we can do it now we can have it now but father god if you're asking us to wait father let us wait on you let us wait with the right attitude Let us wait not complaining. Let us wait father God and find joy in the process not just in the promise. God I'm asking you for every single lady or single man that they'll wait on the marriage you have for them. God I'm praying for every entrepreneur that they would wait on that business that's going to provide for their children's children father. You have plans for us. You want this for us God. But let us not move and try to provide a way for ourselves. but let the fruit of the spirit of patience be worked in our lives god i thank you that you are supplying us with the payment of patience and we will see the promise in jesus name we agree amen if you're gonna allow the holy spirit to work that in your life go ahead and give god some praise right now