Faith and Patience – Ken Barnes
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12 NIV) Our scriptural reference, instructs us that the promises of God come to fruition through faith and patience.
On the landscape of the Body of Christ today, there are many churches with names like Faith Christian Center, or Faith Baptist Church. But, how many churches have you seen named Patience Christian Church? I suspect none. In our Bible verse, neither of these Christian virtues, faith or patience, is elevated over the other. Faith is never exercised without patience, and patience is not cultivated without faith. They always work in tandem and never in isolation.
Paul admonishes us not to become lazy. How do we become lazy? By not imitating those who have gone before us, who received His promises through faith and patient endurance. You have probably heard the prayer, Lord give me patience, right now. It would be nice if it worked that way, but it doesn’t.
When I was a young Christian, I would watch speakers come through our church and tell of their mountaintop experiences. They appeared to leap from one mountaintop to another. I, on the other hand, could not get out of bed, spiritually speaking, without tripping over my own feet. I wondered what was wrong with me. These feelings continued until I observed the lives of these preachers more closely, and found out that between their mountaintop experiences were often long journeys through the valley of delay, discouragement, and even some failure.
There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. It only comes through patient endurance as we imitate those who have gone before us. Exercising patience with our faith is what enables us to inherit the promises of God.
Contact Ken and read more from him HERE. 
