Patient Possession

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 4

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Patient Possession

 “By your patience possess your souls” - Luke 21:19 (NKJV)

Patience is by far not one of my strongest suites, and I’ve frequently gotten frustrated over the smallest of details and lost my temper for no valid reason.  Seems like it didn’t really matter what the situation was, be it interacting with my brothers, doing a school project, or working with my livestock at home, I was (and still am) always stressing about details.  I constantly forget to step back and look at the big picture and what really matters.  Reading Luke 21:19 truly puts it perspective – nothing in this life is worth getting so angry, frustrated, or even distracted with, that it effects my soul and relationship with God.  When I let anger consume me, I’m playing right into the devil’s hand, where I’m not bearing godly fruit with patience (Luke 8:15).  Basically, I can only possess my soul through patience.  When thinking about this, memories of riding my show horse come to mind. There were numerous times I got frustrated when my horse would fight me because she didn’t understand the cues I’d give.  This was one of the best ways I began to learn patience, because the more uptight I got, the more uptight my horse got.  However, by stopping and evaluating what the root of the problem was (often times it was me) and then practicing the correction, I was then able to better guide the horse, creating more patience and trust between us.  James 3:3 talks about this – “Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.”  That being said, I need to learn to not resist the pressure of challenges (the bit) God allows me to go through because His hands are on the reins guiding my life.  James 1:2-4 sums this up very well: “²My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  So by prayerfully seeking God’s will and letting Him guide my life through all situations, He will bestow on me the patience to not make rash mistakes and jeopardize my walk with Him.

Application: Tonight in my journal, I will make a basic list of current struggles, and then make a second list of things I am joyful about in my life and thank God for those blessings.