Morning Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
Since 2016, I've been attending Women's Saturday Prayer Group at my church. It's a small group of women that literally gets together almost every Saturday morning to pray. Over the years, I've seen how powerful prayer is firsthand and grown to really enjoy it. An extra bonus- I'm able to fellowship, study the Word and pray with some amazing, believing women. It's an awesome small group, just saying!
This past Saturday, I led our prayer time and reviewed long-suffering- the monthly prayer theme, also a fruit of the Holy Spirit. I shared my notes with a friend, and they encouraged me to share with you here! So, this week's blog topic is going to unpack long-suffering a little deeper...
I'm going to cover the Five W's (Who, What, Why, Where, When) of long-suffering.
Reference Scriptures: Psalm 86:15, 1 Thess 5:14, Eph 4:2, Col 3:12, Exodus 34:6, Romans 2:4, 1 Peter 3:9, 2 Peter 3:15
Who
Because long-suffering is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, God is the source of long-suffering (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, we need God to be able to long-suffer, as we cannot long-suffer apart from God.
If long-suffering is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, who has the Holy Spirit?
Answer: Believers in Jesus Christ.
And since believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling in them, the Holy Spirit gives us the capacity and ability to long-suffer.
What
What is long-suffering? Early in my Christian walk, I thought it simply meant "suffer long" for everything, in all matters, without any discernment or direction from God. The word in Greek is two words combined- "long" and "temper", literally meaning "long-tempered". Additional similar words- "long fuse", as opposed to having a "short fuse".
Other definitions I found:
Describes a person who does not immediately retaliate or punish.
Patiently restrains or refrains from doing something. Does not succumb to circumstances or trials.
To be long-suffering means having self-control or self-restraint when otherwise could easily be provoked or stirred to anger.
Patiently enduring lasting offenses or hardships.
Is often associated with hope and mercy in the Bible.
Required to bear one another (forbear one another) in love.
Is an attribute that is taught by God via Holy Spirit over time.
Why
There are three main reasons why we long-suffer:
God does it. (Long-suffering is a nature and character trait of God.) God is incredibly long-suffering with us before AND after we are saved. Simply put- If God is long-suffering with us (Exodus 34:6), we must be long-suffering with others.
To grow into being a servant. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to serve and work with each other. The Bible describes it as forbearing in love (Ephesians 4:2). We attain this ability through growth achieved from various trials, offenses and hardships God allows or causes throughout our lifetime.
Receive the gift of salvation. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Ultimately, God is "long-tempered" or long-suffering with us to give us more time to turn from our wicked ways and come to Him, in hopes we get saved before we die on earth.
Where
Throughout the Bible, it describes and illustrates how God is slow to anger and quick to forgive.
One of my favorite examples: Noah didn't start having children until his 500th year of life (Gen 5:32). Next, Noah's sons were already alive when the Lord appeared to Noah and gave him instructions to begin building the Ark (Gen 6:18). Finally, the flood came in the 600th year of Noah’s life (Gen 7:11). Therefore, it's estimated that Noah spent between 70-100 years building the Ark. Since we know God was thinking about us before we were even conceived (Psalm 139:16), one could argue that God gave us at least 600 years to get our act together before He finally decided to bring on the Great Flood and start anew with Noah's family. Talk about long-suffering!
When
Guess what!?! Long-suffering actually has an end date and varies person-to-person.
Key Point: We want to long-suffer according to God's will only, according to His perfect timing and perfect purposes.
This is why it's so important to have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus Christ- So you're sensitive enough, humble enough and have a soft heart to hear from God on all your matters.
Taking a step further:
If we prematurely end long-suffering outside of God's will: We may miss the teaching, lesson, purpose, correction and/or test that God is trying to complete in our lives.
If we go past God's will, past His timing for us to long-suffer: We may enter into a form of sin, bondage, idolatry and/or demonstrate a lack of faith due to disobedience and proceeding outside of God's will in our lives.
BUT, when we long-suffer in alignment with God's timing: When we allow the Holy Spirit to tell and show us when to endure long, as well as when to endure short, God's will is completed. He's able to use such seasons of offenses and hardships to grow us, teach us, sharpen us, and show us how to be servants like Him. Furthermore, our faith is strengthened, we walk in obedience to God's will and we demonstrate total dependence on God. And of course, we know the goal of faith is salvation (1 Peter 1:9).
Several examples of when God demonstrated start and end dates for long-suffering below. It's interesting to note, some examples show that God required extended periods, sometimes centuries of long-suffering. And in others, God decided long-suffering would be swift, very short in duration.
Back to Noah's example again. Scholars estimate Noah spent up to 100 years building the Ark. We know during that time, Noah wasn’t silent. He shared with his friends and neighbors what God had told him. All those people had an opportunity to repent and come back to God, but they chose to stay in their wickedness and sin. So eventually God was like, "I've long-tempered enough. It's time for the flood (in Noah's 600th year of life), so I can start anew with Noah's family."
Israel's escape from Egypt to the promised land. God let the children of Israel be enslaved for 500 years, heard all their cries during that time in bondage and then decided when it was time to take them out of Egypt and free them from slavery. (Book of Exodus)
Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24)
Sending of Israel into captivity (2 Kings 17:1-6)
40-year wilderness period for the Israelites (Book of Numbers)
Jesus Christ. He came here for a specific purpose, suffered long and was incredibly long-tempered with us while here. Yet, even His long-suffering on earth had a start and end date.
Our salvation. Think about how you were before you got saved? See how patient, long-suffering God was with you? Think about how God IS STILL long-tempered, long-fused with you even now- post salvation? Yet, we know our time on earth is limited. One day, God is going to take our last breath. Then, His patience and long-suffering with us ultimately comes to an end with our death, followed by His judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Now that you know the 5 W's, are there areas or parts of you that need to grow in long-suffering?
Maybe you've given up on that friend or family member, convinced they're never going to get saved? No, keep praying for them.
Maybe you're short-tempered with your kids at times and you need the Holy Spirit to teach you how to have a longer fuse with them?
Or, maybe God has already told you that long-suffering in a specific area of your life needs to come to an end, but you don’t agree and/or scared to end the long-suffering?
Only you know what God is speaking to you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God's will for your life, remove the blinders from your eyes and help you do God's will where long-suffering is concerned.
Share your thoughts on this post in the comments below.
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Remember, it's all about progression, not perfection! God loves you! With Him, you got this!
Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
-Natasha
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