"WE ALSO PRAY that you will be STRENGTHENED with all HIS glorious POWER SO YOU WILL HAVE ALL THE ENDURANCE AND PATIENCE YOU NEED. May you be filled with joy."
Colossians 1:11 (NLT)
• Paul did pray for the Colossian church to have strength for patience and endurance.
- Without patience-endurance you can not walk with God.
- You may miss God, If you just want to have your plans and wishes fulfilled without considering God's Plans or Wills for your Life.
- Patience is an important factor in the Christian Living. Without Patience, you may miss God.
- God wants those who are patience and are ready to endure, in their walk with Him.
- Your patience would be tested and proved before what you needed or wanted is released (James 1:3,4).
- God is not in a hurry when it comes to the process of being broken, that is, the building up or maturing of His children—the elects.
- A lot would be missed, if you were impatient with God; you may not come out shining as gold like He does want!
• Being a disciple is synonymous or equalled to that Jesus' yoke which you have to put on your neck.
- Albeit, the yoke is easy and the burden is light, He says:
29 TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN FROM ME [Jesus], FOR I am GENTLE [meek] and LOWLY in HEART, AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT" (Matthew 11:29,30 NKJV). - Yoke and burden are not things which anyone would want to embrace. Without endurance, His yoke and burden cannot be embraced or welcomed.
- Jesus made the yoke easy and the burden light. If Jesus' yoke seems to be difficult for you, and you do not want to endure, you may end up being under the yoke of the enemy, the devil.
- Truly it is a yoke, but it has been made easy, and it is a burden which has been made light.
• Spiritual life begins with spiritual birth, which occurs through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 10:9,10).
- When Jesus is accepted as your Lord and Saviour, you have come under His yoke and burden—He becomes your owner.
- In your new relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you cannot do without Him. He would not want you to live independently of Him.
- You are no longer allowed to drive your life as you had been doing in the past: "AND HE [Jesus] DIED FOR ALL, THAT THOSE WHO LIVE SHOULD LIVE NO LONGER FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR HIM WHO DIED FOR THEM AND ROSE AGAIN" (2 Corinthians 5:15).
READ: 1 Peter 4:1,2 - You have to vacate the driver's seat and allow Him to drive. You allow Him to take the lead of your life. He would have to be directing everything about your Life:
"I have been crucified with Christ; IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; AND the life which I now live in the flesh I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED me AND GAVE Himself for ME." (Galatians 2:20 NKJV). - If you do not want this pattern of life, you become miserable and troubled, and confusion would set in; you be at the mercy of the enemy—the devil.
- Whoever claims to be a Believer might not experience fulfilment until God is allowed to take His rightful place in his or her life.
THE yoke and the burden are about letting God having His rightful place in your life. - It could be calamitous if you wanted to strive with God about the control of your life:
"WOE to the man who fights with his Creator. DOES THE POT ARGUE WITH ITS MAKER? DOES the clay DISPUTE with him who forms IT, SAYING, “Stop, you’re doing it wrong!” OR the pot exclaim, “How clumsy can you be!”? (Isaiah 45:9 the Living Bible). - A wise Believer would submit and allow God to take a total and absolute control and lead on.
• You have to be patient in walking with God.
- He would want you to tell Him all your needs and concerns, but then, allow Him to take care of them in His own Way and at His own time (1 Peter 5:7).
- If you wanted to go ahead of Him and take care of your needs by yourself, He may allow or permit you to have your way, but surely will not work out well (Proverbs 3:7; Romans 12:16).
- Tell Him your needs and allow Him to have His Way, that is where patience-endurance comes in.
- God's ways might not be your ways, and His thoughts might not be your thoughts:
“FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” SAYS THE LORD" (Isaiah 55:8 NKJV). - You just have to be patient and allow Him, and let His Will be done.
• God wants you to be like a child in relating with Him.
- You are not to be a baby in the understanding of God, that is, in knowing about His Wills and Ways:
"BRETHREN, DO NOT BE CHILDREN IN UNDERSTANDING; However, in malice be babes, BUT IN UNDERSTANDING BE MATURE" (1 Corinthians 14:20 NKJV).
HOWEVER, In relating with God, you have to follow like small children with tenderheartedness:
"THE SHEEP that are My own [those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour] HEAR My voice and LISTEN to Me [Jesus]; I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME [Jesus]" (John 10:27 Amps). - In relating with God, He would want you to submit and allow Him to lead you in the affairs of your life (Proverbs 3:5,6).
- Whatever you wanted to do without God's involvement as a Believer may not work out well as you did expect (John 15:5).
- If you thought His way or pattern would be slow, or you trusted in your own ability, wisdom and knowledge, or influence; know that, an adventure or plan without His full backing would eventually fail—total disappointment would be the outcome.
• Power for patience-endurance
- You will do well to ask for His glorious power to strengthen you for patience-endurance (Colossians 1:11).
- You need the help of the Holy Spirit to walk with God in patience-endurance.
- The Human carnal nature tends to be impatient, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can tame or subdue the flesh:
"BUT I SAY, WALK BY THE [Holy] SPIRIT, AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH." (Galatians 5:16 ESV). - The Holy Spirit on the inside of a Believer is meant to be his or her Helper:
"BUT THE HELPER (COMFORTER, ADVOCATE, INTERCESSOR—COUNSELOR, STRENGTHENER, STANDBY), THE Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My [Jesus'] name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS. AND HE WILL HELP YOU REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE TOLD YOU" (John 14:26 Amps). - If you will ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, He is waiting to help and assist you in the matters of your life.
• If you have prayed, fasted, given or sown seeds, and done all you know to do about a particular situation; then be patient with God (1 Corinthians 10:13).
ENDURE and know there would be a change!
- Take time to seek God the more and focus on your spiritual Growth, that is, focus on knowing God the more and shift your attention away from the problem.
- Minister to others who are in need. And as you do that, that is, as you interpret the dreams of others, your own dream would be interpreted (Genesis 40:5-15; 41'8-13,25-45).
- The Solution to your problem will come in the place of service—while you are ministering to the NEEDS of others.
- Comforting others through the comfort with which you were comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:4).
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!