God is pleased by faith, so we need to know how to live by faith. One of the most overlooked aspects of faith is patience. Patience is needed for a life of faith. Patience has great benefits if we allow it to have its perfect work in us. – Devon Daniel, Executive Pastor at Believer’s Victory Church
Believer’s Victory Church
Day 1
Scriptures: James 1:2-4, Romans 8:37, 1 Timothy 6:12, Psalms 5:12, Daniel 3:27
Your Faith Will Be Tested
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
– James 1:2-4 NKJV
Your faith will be tested! This statement isn’t a negative confession; this is the Word of God. James said, “when you fall into … ” and “knowing that the testing of your faith … ” There are some trials that faith won’t prevent.
Overcomers Overcome
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
– Romans 8:37 ESV
The good news is that God has already made you more than a conqueror. Dogs bark, cats purr, preachers preach, and overcomers overcome! It’s what you are designed to do, so don’t be afraid when trials show up in life. You are made to overcome trials because God designed you that way.
“Many fights are lost on the counterpunch.” – Mark Hankins
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
– 1 Timothy 6:12 ESV
If you have ever watched boxing, you have seen boxers throw counterpunches. A counterpunch is when a fighter is anticipating his opponent will throw a punch at a specific time, and the boxer moves in such a way that he dodges the punch and throws his own punch at the same time. Sometimes, it’s so good that his opponent is knocked out.
Tests in life feel like a punch in the face sometimes. Problems hit you, and you think “whoa, where did that come from?” When you get hit, you can hit back! Throw your counterpunch.
Sometimes the test we are experiencing is the enemy throwing a counterpunch to us when we stand in faith. Our faith may be tested by our flesh, the unrenewed parts of our mind—sometimes even friends and family (Just to be clear, don’t punch your friends and family; that’s not nice.) In both instances, our faith is being tested, but in two different ways.
Your counterpunch is SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD!
When tests come, remember that you are more than a conqueror. You are not stuck in the storm, you are going through it. Throw your counterpunch by speaking the Word.
Remind yourself that you are more than a conqueror. Remind the storm that God lives in you! Remember that favor surrounds you like a shield (Psalms 5:12). You can come out of the fire without smelling like smoke, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:27)
Confession Today
I know trials are going to come my way. When these trials come, they will test my faith and that is ok; patience is being produced. I am made to overcome every trial that comes my way because God made me an overcomer. I will fight the good fight of faith and I will win by speaking the Word of God. Favor surrounds me like a shield, and I will come out on the other side not even smelling like smoke.
Day 2
Scriptures: James 1:2-4, Romans 8:37, 1 Samuel 17:45-51, 1 John 5:4-5
We Must Allow Our Faith To Be Tested
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
– James 1:2-4 NKJV
James said to count it ALL joy! This phrase is a concept that is very misunderstood. Most people focus on the first part of the verse without paying attention to the second part. We are not to count it all joy for the trial; we are to count it all joy for what the trial produces because of our faith being tested. We can’t skip parts of this passage. The “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” does not happen without the testing of our faith.
Allow Your Faith To Be Tested
If you run away from a trial, you are not allowing your faith to be tested; you are strengthening the fear. How can you test your faith if you are not standing in faith? You can’t.
Faith is an intentional act, not a passive reaction. If we run away from allowing our faith to be tested, patience will not be produced. James is saying here that patience is needed to experience all that God has for us; “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Made To Pass the Test
Our faith will be tested, but the good news is that we are made to pass the test. We are overcomers. (1 John 5:4-5) We are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37) No one test is bigger than you. Believe today in who God said you are! If He says it, believe it!
It’s An Open-Book Test
Open-book tests are great because you can get the answers during the test. The book that you need for the test of faith is the Word of God. Don’t try to pass the open-book test without opening the book. Don’t focus so much on the test that you forget that you already have the answers. The Word is powerful, and you have access to that power. Don’t try to guess the answers. Speak the Word.
David’s faith was tested with Goliath. David didn’t run away from Goliath! He knew who He was.
David started the test, talking. (1 Samuel 17:45 – 47)
David ran at Goliath, talking. (1 Samuel 17:48)
David cut off Goliath’s head (1 Samuel 17:51) and went around town as an example that God is how you get “ahead” in life. (That will always be funny!)
Allow your faith to be tested. You are made to pass the open-book test.
Confession Today
Today, I will allow my faith to be tested. I will not run away from the test. I will not avoid it. I will show up knowing that I am made to overcome it. When I do this, I will be made perfect and complete and won’t lack anything. I am made to pass this open-book test by speaking the Word of God.
Day 3
Scriptures: James 1:2-4, Philippians 1:6
There Isn’t An App for That – Patience
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
– James 1:2-4 NKJV Emphasis Added
Patience is everyone’s favorite subject. Ok, I know it’s not really, but it should be. The results of patience are great, but that’s a topic for another time. Today, we are talking about two elements of patience: it’s needed, and it grows.”
When your faith is tested, it presents an excellent opportunity for your patience to grow. This opportunity is extraordinary because it’s through patience that you may become perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
“Patience Is Necessary To Become Who God Called You To Be.” – Devon Daniel
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 1:6 NLT
Perfect in this verse means “brought to its end.” That doesn’t mean that you are going to die, but it means that you are growing to be who God desires you to be in your mind and your will. James is referring to your soul in this verse. Spiritually, once you are a child of God, you are already renewed and perfect in Christ.
Patience isn’t an app that we can download and have in a few seconds. Patience is a process that takes time. Most importantly, we have to allow patience to work. You have to be patient in your patience. You will have to apply it repeatedly: yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly … maybe even by the minute.
Give Yourself A Break
Sometimes the person that we are the least patient with is ourselves. In the past, daily I said to myself “if only I did this earlier” and “I should be so much further along.” To be patient with other people, you must first learn how to be patient with yourself.
Faith is a confident expectation that what we asked God for will happen. Keep that expectation strong. Remind yourself of His promises by finding His promises in the Bible and saying it regularly. As you do, your patience will grow; your soul will become perfect: complete and lacking nothing.
Confession Today
Today, I will allow patience to have its perfect work in me. My faith will be tested and patience will be produced, so I will allow patience to work in me. I know it won’t be instantaneous, but I will stick with it. Patience is necessary to become who God called me to be. I will give myself a break and be patient with myself.
Day 4
Scripture: James 1:2-4
Benefits of Patience
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
– James 1:2-4 NKJV
Everything that God tells us to do is for our benefit. This statement is a truth that we need to settle in our hearts and our minds. Everything that He tells us to do leads to victory if we stick with it.
The testing of our faith, and allowing patience to work in our life, have their benefits. God isn’t trying to teach us a lesson; He is trying to help us grow! He wants us to be “perfect and complete, lacking nothing!”
Perfect Work—Choosing the Right Actions
Just because we are aging doesn’t mean we are maturing. No matter how old we get, we will need to exercise patience. We are always a work in progress. There is always room to grow, improve, and mature. However, this requires patience. We must allow patience to take us where we need to go. Sometimes the action that we need to take is no action at all. Waiting on God is an action!
Perfect and Complete, Lacking Nothing
It is possible to be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. This doesn’t mean that you won’t make a mistake, but you can always come to God and let him help you correct any mistakes you make. As we do that, we strengthen ourselves to be who God is calling us to be.
When it comes to lacking nothing, most people tend to think of material things. We sometimes focus so much on what we don’t have that we forget what we do have. Just because someone else has something that you want or like doesn’t mean that you lack it. You don’t lack it, just because someone else has it.
Lacking in this verse means “to lag, be inferior.” When I understand that I realize that every person who is more mature than me has had a season when they had to exercise their patience to get to where they are now. You won’t grow beyond your ability to allow patience to work. When you allow patience to work, you won’t lag or be inferior to the things that you are facing.
Patience has such a bad rap because it doesn’t feel good. We don’t like to wait for something that we know we can have eventually. However, there are some things that you will NOT get UNLESS you exercise patience.
Let patience work in your life! You won’t lag or be inferior … you will be whole, and you will have everything you need.
Confession Today
Today, I will allow patience to have its perfect work in me. I can be complete in Christ. Whenever I make a mistake, I can go back to Him for help. I can choose the right actions and trust God to handle everything out of my control. I will have seasons of exercising patience and those seasons are helping me grow to become who God has called me to be.
Day 5
Scriptures: James 1:2-4, Mark 4:15-17, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6
Faith and Patience Work Together
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
– James 1:2-4 NKJV
In life, one missing ingredient can change the final result. I used to think that chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips would be sugar cookies. One day, someone tried it, and trust me when I say it tasted nothing like a sugar cookie. We were left with a weird-tasting cookie.
Faith and patience work together when it comes to growth in our relationship with God. We need faith because, without it, it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We need patience because most journeys in life are not instantaneous. Time and effort are required. But in life, we need both faith and patience, working together, to produce the life that God wants us to have.
Faith Without Patience Produces Shallow Roots
“And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.”
– Mark 4:15-17 ESV
In the parable of the sower, the seed is sown, but because it has no roots, they only endure for a short time. The roots of a tree are what keeps it strong. The bigger the tree, the stronger the roots. Patience is what produces the roots of your faith.
Faith gets you going, but patience keeps your faith growing. We live in a microwave society— the quick and fast get most of our time, attention, and even money. Faith does not work this way. Faith believes God will do what He says, but patience keeps us strong until we see it with our eyes.
Patience Without Faith Is A Wish
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
– Hebrews 11:1 ESV
When you don’t have faith, you are not convinced that what you are waiting for will happen. People in this state usually use the statement “it is what it is.” But when you are living by faith, you know that God is going to come through. It may not look like you thought it would, but He will do it.
So remember, you need patience, and you need faith. They work together to get the results that God wants you to have.
Confession Today
I will live in faith, and I will be patient. I will fill myself with the Word of God and stand in faith for what God has promised me. I will also allow patience to work through me during this time. I can’t have faith without patience or patience without faith. Patience is working in my life. It is perfecting me and I will live in the results of it.