The next fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is PATIENCE. As we have stated, there is actually one fruit of the Spirit and these are all characteristics of it. Therefore, they are all linked and intertwined so that if you have one you will have the others as well. Even so, Scripture links faith and patience, especially in Hebrews 6:11-12:
 

If this is true, and we know that it is, then why is it we have this huge, worldwide “faith movement,” but have never heard of a “patience movement?” Certainly this may be the least popular, least written about, least preached about and practiced characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit, and this is likely the cause of many of the problems that so many Christians go through.

True faith is possibly most demonstrated by patience. Was that not how faith was demonstrated by Abraham, “the father of faith?” He was too old when God called him, and yet the Lord made him wait about twenty more years for the heir to be born in his own house. He was made to wait until it was physically impossible for Abraham, until his faith was not in himself, but in the Lord, as it is paraphrased in Romans 4:18,

Any normal, natural hope was actually contrary to Abraham’s faith. True faith is not natural, but is often contrary to all other circumstances, including time. However, with the passage of time, true faith will grow stronger, while the pretentious faith will wither. This is a reason why, just as Israel experienced, between the place where we receive the promises of God and the Promised Land, there is usually a wilderness that is the exact opposite of what we were promised. As we are told in I Corinthians10:1-11, this was done for our instruction upon which the ends of the ages have come. It is in this wilderness, which requires our patience, where not only our faith is perfected, but where we are matured in every way so we will be able to be proper stewards of the promises.

One of the glaring ways that the church’s lack of patience has shown up in recent years has been the way that it has been so susceptible to the most outrageous “get rich quick” schemes. Many churches and ministries have fallen prey to these, losing millions of dollars to them, some even losing millions to each one. These schemes all seem to feed on the popular hope that the wealth of the wicked is going to be given to the righteous, which is a biblical hope, as we see in Proverbs 13:22, “...the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

There are other biblical prophecies that speak of the wealth of the nations being given to the righteous. There is no question that this will come to pass, but what is important to determine is who are the righteous, and who are the sinners? It was the faith of Abraham, demonstrated by his remarkable patience, which was attributed to him as righteousness.

We should actually be wary of things that happen for us too fast or too easily. Was that not the root of the devil’s temptation of Jesus? When the devil promised Jesus all of the kingdoms of the earth if He would just bow down and worship him, he was offering the Lord the easy, quick way to receive what He had been promised, without the pain of the cross (see Matthew 4:8-9). This is still a primary way that the devil tempts God’s chosen vessels to depart from their true calling.

In Scripture, one can sense a distinction between wealth and riches. Riches, which may come fast or easily “makes for itself wings,” and leaves just as fast and easily. True wealth is the result of true righteousness, which will always be demonstrated by diligence, faithfulness, and endurance. It is lasting and will even pass on to future generations.

A few months ago I was intrigued by a study done on those who had won the lottery. Of the hundreds that had become instant millionaires, most were broke again very fast, having foolishly thrown their money away. These were in worse shape after just a year or two than they had been before winning the lottery, because they no longer had jobs, alienated many friends and relatives, and had often even lost their homes. Of all of the people they had researched, there did not seem to be a single one that had a happy ending, even among the Christians who won it. Overall, it seemed that winning the lottery could be one of the worst things that could happen to them.

The wilderness, and the patience that is required to get through it, are for the purpose of changing our fallen nature into His nature, perfecting our character, and teaching us the wisdom needed to manage the blessings of the Promised Land. Few things will demonstrate true faith like patience. Godly wisdom is always linked to patience. That was the source of Abraham’s faith, and ours too, if it is authentic. The passage of time strengthens true faith and exposes the false.

It has been said that the devil knows he has but a short time so he is always in a hurry. The Lord knows that He has eternity, so He is never in a hurry. Obviously, neither are those who are abiding in the Lord going to be in a hurry. If we have the true peace of God, and the true faith of God, it will be demonstrated by patience. Carl Jung, one of the fathers of modern psychotherapy, once wrote that “Hurry is not of the devil—it is the devil!” He said this because of the obvious ability that impatience had to distort and pervert human character.

Have you ever wondered why the Scriptures are so full of exhortations to wait upon God, but there is not a single one that tells us to “hurry?” It is obvious that we tend to have a problem with patience.

We also now live in times that seem especially devoted to attacking patience. From fast foods to fast planes, fast is now a commodity with increasing value, as the saying: “Time is money,” stresses. I have run into Christian leaders who said they no longer believed in prophecy because their prophetic promises had not come to pass and it had been over six months! You have to wonder if such people have ever read the Bible. As the Scriptures make clear, and wise saints know well, anything that comes too fast or too easily is insignificant.

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God called him. Paul the apostle went into the wilderness and spent what some have estimated to be fourteen years just getting his message from the Lord. As he wrote to the Galatians, he was waiting for the Lord to be revealed in him, not just to him (see Galatians 1:16). There is a big difference.

When we are driven by a sense that we are running out of time, we obviously are not abiding in the Lord who has eternity and who is never in a hurry. Because we are a publisher, we are often bombarded by more manuscripts than we could ever read. I have therefore asked the Lord to help me discern the ones that have merit that we should consider. One of the things I was shown to look for that was evidence we should not waste our time considering a manuscript was the author’s “sense of urgency.” Not only are such inevitably superficial, but they also promote superficial faith and superficial vision.

There is no question that depth and wisdom come with the passage of time. The older and wiser we get, if we have stayed on course, the more patience we will have. However, sometimes patience can become an excuse for inaction or lukewarmness. To those who are lukewarm, or led more by fear than by faith, just getting them moving at all can be a task, so I never preach about patience in a church that is lukewarm or fearful. Those who are not doing anything don’t need to be patient—they need to be raised from the dead! Even so, impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit. If we are led by our impatience, we will not be led by the Spirit, and we will not be found doing the Lord’s will.