In
order to have patience, we need to switch our thinking, philosophy, world view
and attitude about our daily needs. In our society, we want everything NOW.
However, God is not on our timetable.
We
often get discouraged when our prayers are not answered in our time and way.
God is not our puppet who responds when we pull His strings. He is our
sovereign Lord and King. It may even take years for us to see the results of
some of our prayers.
Relationships
need patience too. Differing personality types, life goals, world views,
attitudes, needs and expectations will often cause tension between us. Unless,
of course, we pray together about our differences and find a third option on
which we can both agree.
Once
we come to understand that God is in control, has His own timetable, and knows
the end from the beginning, our patience increases. We hope in Him alone, and
have faith in His faithfulness.
Jesus
learned obedience to Our Father through the things that He suffered in this
earthly realm (Hebrews 5:8). We too learn to patiently obey the guidance of
God's Holy Spirit each moment of our day.
Biblical
hero, Joseph, is a great example of a person trusting God throughout His life -
even when betrayed by his family, serving as a slave, and falsely accused and
thrown into prison. His attitude, patience and trust in the Lord are exemplary.
Our
world needs our prayers. With patience, we can find God's plan for our life in
order to be part of the solution to the world's ills, rather than criticizing,
blaming, fearing the worse, or giving up on everyone and everything.
Sharing
the Gospel of Christ with everyone we meet is the most effective solution to
changing the world. Jesus is the only one, the only moving force that can truly
make a difference in our world. There are many effective ways to share the
Gospel. (See Below.)
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for working in us, around us, with us and through us, so that we
can patiently do all that You planned for us to do each moment of the day.
Christ in us enables us to patiently persevere with determination and prayer.
This enables us to overcome whatever life throws at us with Your joy, which is
our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
We
are thankful that You constantly teach us that our way is not the only way
(Philippians 3:7-10), and that as our Father, You know what is best for us.
Help us to patiently wait on Your timing and will for everything in our life,
rather than forcing our desires and making everything worse.
Thought
for the Day:
Allowing
patience to have her perfect work is accomplished when we totally surrender to
God's will for each moment of our day; rather than striving and straining to
accomplish our goals through our human resources, we patiently wait on the Lord
until he opens doors, until He changes our circumstances, and until He gives us
wisdom on how to accomplish what He calls us to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Simple
Ways to Share the Gospel of Christ:
· Start by taking the
person's spiritual temperature in a loving, caring manner:
a.) Ask questions, such as:
Do you have a church family?
Do you know how to get to heaven?
Did you grow up in church? What were you
taught about God? Do you still believe that?
Do you have time for me to tell you a short
story? (Give your testimony of salvation).
Invite them to meet you at church and tell
them where and when, and even offer to pick them up.
b.) Listen to them share their heart,
current needs,
concerns, etc.
c.) Then, tell them God loves them and has a
plan for their life, offer to pray for them right then or later during your
personal prayer time, or just say God Bless You.
· Every believer should
be ready to share the way we were before salvation, how you came to understand
your need for salvation, and what God has done in our life since salvation.
· Tell a short story
from your own heart of your own salvation experience. (Use the Evangecube to
tell them the gospel: http://www.e3resources.org/
· Hand them your
favorite gospel tract to read when they have time. - https://www.christianbook.com/page/church-supplies/tracts
· Use an app on your
phone http://www.communicatejesus.com/5-apps-to-help-you-share-the-gospel/
· Use Dare2Share
resources: https://www.dare2share.org/resources/
· Write a letter including
your personal testimony and the facts of the gospel is a great way to share the
good news.
· Folded Paper Method: http://www.futureflyingsaucers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Paper-Folding-Salvation-Message.pdf
· Share the Jesus film:
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Film-Brian-Deacon/dp/B00HRYH6GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538795684&sr=8-2&keywords=jesus+the+film
· Host a Christian Movie
Night
· Use the Wordless
book:
https://www.abcjesuslovesme.com/ideas/wordless-book
Or bracelet:
https://www.letthelittlechildrencome.com/child-evangelism-tools/wordless-bracelet-kit
· Start a Bible study
in your home…use a study book from the Christian bookstore or from: https://www.christianbook.com
· Start your own free
blog and post on it often to share what you are learning in God's Word: http://top5-websitebuilders.com/free-blog/?utm_source=B
· Sit down with your
Bible and turn verse by verse through the Roman's Road…letting them read the
verses. Roman's Road: https://www.gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html
o Our universal problem
(all have sinned): Romans 3:23 and Romans 3:10
o The wages of sin is
death and separation from God: Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23
o But God provided a
way for our sin to be forgiven and not held against us any longer: Romans 5:8
o We personally receive
forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ: Romans 10:9,10,13
o Salvation brings us
peace with God: Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, Romans 8:38-39
o Invite them to
confess their sin and their faith in Christ through prayer. Explain to them
there are no magic words to pray; prayer is simply an expression of the faith
they have in their heart. Encourage them to talk to God in their own words.
