Faith and Patience: How to Inherit God’s Promises

Onisim Moisa 10.09.18

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Faith and patience are essential when we are waiting for God to fulfill His promises. We often have faith to believe what God has said, but struggle with the patience required to wait for His timing.

Scripture shows us that God’s promises are not always fulfilled immediately. Abraham waited many years for the son God had promised him. Joseph endured years of preparation before stepping into his calling. Even Jesus spent decades in preparation before beginning His public ministry.

So what happens between receiving a promise and seeing its fulfillment? Hebrews 6:12 gives us an important answer: through faith and patience we inherit the promises.

Let’s look at what Scripture teaches us about trusting God while we wait.

Faith and Patience: What We Learn From Abraham

When God called Abraham he was an idol-worshiper (Joshua 24:2).  If an idol-worshiper was able to know that the voice he heard was Adonai’s voice, then there is something in any of us that can recognize God’s voice when He speaks. Abraham was not a man of faith when he first heard from the Lord.  [Read also Genesis 20 to see another example of God speaking to an unbeliever who understood God’s voice— King Abimelech of Gerar]

Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was barren (Gen. 11:30). However, we read (Gen. 13:14-17) that God is giving him the promise of a seed. Needless to say that many years have passed by until he received the promise from the Lord (Genesis 21).

When Issac was born, Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. And they received their son, by faith (Hebrews 11:11). Twenty-five years have gone with Abraham thinking probably every day at the promise of God. He even made the mistake to obey his wife and sleep with his slave, Hagar, thus Ishmael was born (Gen. 16).

Why Faith and Patience Must Work Together

It is not always easy to wait for God to fulfill His Word. However, there is no other way but to wait with faith and patience. God’s time is always perfect! And when we do not wait in faith there will be negative consequences— an Ishmael will be born. Something of the flesh and not of the Spirit of God.

Many Bible teachers today are preaching that all you need is faith. Actually, this is not true, according to the Bible. In Hebrews 6:11-12 (ESV) we read

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

What can we learn from here?

1. Faith and Patience Help Us Inherit God’s Promises

Maybe God gave you a promise long time ago through a prophecy or in a different way. And maybe it was a promise for your spiritual life or a financial promise or maybe a healing promise. Moreover, because nothing happened until today in the natural you wonder if you understood God’s voice well. Or maybe you ask yourself if God did not forget about you or changed His mind.

Sometimes we believe we need an urgent change and take matters into our hands. And nothing good happens when we do that. Indeed, often we need to wait and wait for quite some time. However, it is not a passive kind of waiting but an active type of waiting. We need to remain in prayer and fasting and obedience! Only then we will see God’s hand working.

Waiting is for a purpose

When we wait for the Lord to intervene, He is building character in us. And God often is testing us to see if we will hold on to His promise when storms come in our life. Let us make sure we anchor our life in His Word and promises.

2. Faith and Patience Prepare Us for God’s Calling

Many Bible scholars believe that Joseph spends around 13 years in the prison before he enters God’s calling for his life. Thirteen years is quite something. And we do not read that he ever complained. Moses was 80 when he enters his calling (Acts 7) and David was 30.   

John the Baptist was 30 when he enters God’s calling. Many theologians believe that his ministry was only six months long. In six months we do not read that he did a miracle, a healing or that he raised someone from the dead. However, he turned Israel upside down because he preached the message of repentance. God prepared John the Baptist for 30 years to use him for six months.

How about Jesus?

Jesus was 30 when He began His ministry (Luke 3:23). His ministry was three years and a half long. God prepared Jesus 30 years to minister three years a half. We like to train for three and a half years and then to serve God for 30 years. Needless to say that God thinks differently than us.

Many believe the Apostle Paul had to be prepared by God 14 years (Gal. 2:1) before sending in the ministry. If God is calling you to do something have faith and patience to enter His calling. If not, you might miss His best for your life. Often, between hearing God’s voice and calling and you entering that calling there is a time of preparation and of character building. Moreover, if God did that with Jesus how much more do we need this preparation?

3. Faith and Patience Produce Lasting Results

If you plant a seed in the ground common sense will tell you that you will have to wait to see the plant maturing and bring forth fruit. Things do not happen overnight— not the important ones. God often accomplishes His most important work in our lives through a process. Spiritual growth, character, calling, and lasting fruit usually require time.

God Uses Waiting to Build Our Character

Patience is not a popular word in our days. The flesh wants instant results but the Spirit is teaching us to wait. However, we need to wait by expectation not just to wait. If we wait but have no faith it will not help us much. But if we activate faith and patience we will see how glorious God can work. And if I have faith while I wait for the Lord it will be seen in my deeds. If not I will become sluggish (Hebrews 6:11-12).

Therefore, how about we ask for God’s help and repent of any form of unbelief and lack of patience? Let us not lose our faith in God’s promises and wait with expectancy for His Spirit to intervene. We do not win/earn God’s promises but we inherit them.

Those who walk in God’s promises have found the key— faith and patience. Use this key for your situation, no matter what God had promised you. Don’t give up! Focus on Jesus and spend time in worship, prayer, fasting and continue to show faith in your deeds and wait for His time. 

Do you agree?

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Onisim Moisa

I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.