Patience of God

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Patience of God

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God has warned for thousands of years, through the prophets and Scripture, for everyone to repent of unbelief and turn back to Him in believing faith. He has been patient in giving many opportunities for us to admit that we are rebellious in heart, and we need to change that attitude.

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent [to turn away from idols and turn back to him in faith]. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed" Acts 17:30-31.

Every soul is valuable to God, and everyone will spend eternity in one of two places, so He patiently waits for the last repentant person—and He alone knows who that is. Before Christ returns, we must turn back to God in faith for things in this life—for healing by trusting on the Atonement of Christ; for victory over temptation by the power of His Spirit; for protection from harm by placing ourselves under the blood of Christ; and for daily needs by trusting God to provide them without backup supplies, stored assets, or insurance policies. It is our responsibility to trust God in faith for those things.

God chose to love Israel, but they turned away in unbelief. The apostles told them Acts 13:46 “It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

Every soul could enter God’s kingdom, but everyone will have to repent, turn back to Him, and believe in faith on the Atonement work of His Son for real-life issues to save their soul. God “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.

God is love; God is faithful; and God is patient, so He gives more time and many opportunities for people to turn from their rebellion and unbelief, to a willingness to trust Him in believing faith for everything in this life. If anyone will make the decision to believe, and personally trust God in faith, they will receive His Spirit—Revelation 22:17 ”Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” It is a total surrender of our self-will to do God’s divine-will. Luke 14:33 "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

The world will face judgment. 2 Peter 3:10-12 “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare [burned up]. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming [repeats: wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat]?”

A godly life is possible only by a believing faith on the Atonement Blood of Christ that endures through all tests, trials, and temptations. Even though that is a fact on faith for salvation, billions of people openly reject the Lord Jesus. God still loves them, however, so He gives them more time to repent. Hebrews 12:14 ”Follow [persistently strive for] peace with all men, and [growth in] holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Jesus told us to look for signs—like persecution, famines, military conflicts, hatred toward believers, rampant immorality, horrible crimes, wickedness everywhere, an increase of evil—but a decrease of love—and false teaching everywhere—because only Matthew 24:13 "he who endures to the end shall be saved.” The only escape is through a believing, trusting, and enduring faith in the Blood of Jesus.

Everyone will make a choice to either reject Him in unbelief and be lost forever, or to trust Him in believing faith and be saved forever. God cannot make that choice for us, but He wants us to make the right choice to believe that the divine power in back of the Name of Jesus can heal our body, provide our needs, protect from harm, guide our decisions, and save our soul. “Many are called, but few chosen" Matthew 20:16 because most will choose not to trust God.

There is only one true faith in God, but there are many false teachers who distort God’s grace. Any correct interpretation of God’s Word must include the vital need of putting a believing, trusting, and enduring faith on the Atonement blood sacrifice of His Son for removing the sin nature from us—it is a faith that trusts God for real-life issues.

True believers Luke 8:21 “are those who the word of God are hearing, and doing.” There is only one true faith in the resurrection power of Christ, but many false doctrines and counterfeit faith today. Those who teach the false doctrine of eternal security—once saved always saved—distort God’s grace. There is security in Christ but not in sin.

They teach that occasional sin will not keep a person out of heaven, but Jesus said it would. Revelation 21:8 ”But the fearful [cowards], and unbelieving, and the abominable [polluted], and murderers, and whoremongers [fornicators; immoral], and sorcerers [practise magic], and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

True grace is Titus 2:12 ”Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Satan is disguised to deceive and ready to destroy anyone foolish enough not to resist in faith. Satan is not yet in Hell but he is disguised on earth and prowling for souls. We must be on a high state of alert and 1 Peter 5:9 “resist stedfast in the faith.” God does not resist him for us, but we are to resist him by the grace and strength God gives us. It is our choice to resist by faith, or to give in by no faith.

Satan can quote Scripture, so we have to be on guard against the leaven of false teaching Matthew 16:6. Ephesians 2:8 ”By grace are ye saved through faith”—which is a continuing faith in the Atonement of Christ through all trials and tests. We are justified through faith Romans 5:1 but faith can cease to exist. Even the Jews Romans 11:20, “Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.”

Everyone is loved by God and could be forgiven of their sins, but every individual will have to make a deliberate choice to trust in the resurrection power of His Son for the issues of this life—health, healing, provisions, protection, correcting wrongs, divine guidance, and victory over the rebellious nature that will not trust God for anything. Many are called, but very few stay in the race, and even less are willing to trust God everyday.

There is only one way to stand before God, forgiven of our sins—it is Romans 3:22, “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” We are not under law Romans 6 but If we live according to the sinful nature we will die Romans 8. Future sins are not forgiven unless the sinner truly repents and forsakes those sins.

Ephesians 5:1-5 ”Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication [immorality], and all uncleanness, or covetousness [greed], let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient [not right]: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

Abusive language, profanity, filthy jokes, and immoral talk is common today, but believers are not to mention them even once. We are to be a spiritual light in a dark world—not be a spiritual hindrance by talking like the world. God will not tolerate any idol in our life, so we must be open to conviction, and ready to forsake anything or anyone who has taken God’s place. He is always faithful, but we must be willing to keep our faith on the resurrection power of Christ. Revelation 2:10 “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Eternal life is for everyone because Romans 2:11 “God does not show favoritism,” but very few recognize the seriousness of sin, so they do not believe in, nor trust on, the atoning sacrifice of Christ for the needed cleansing from sin. Obeying God’s Word is just evidence of believing faith in God’s power to heal, deliver, protect, provide, and save. Very few are willing to trust God, and fewer still endure in faith through trials.

God loves us so much that He had His Son to die for us Romans 5:8, but we must love him and trust Him in faith to the end. The young ruler rejected God’s advice, but Jesus still “looked at him and loved him" Mark 10:21. Nothing can separate us from the love of God Romans 8:35, but our unscriptural choices often separate us from the Word and will of God. James 2:5 “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

God’s divine love for us is far beyond any human love, so everyone could enter His kingdom, if they are willing to believe and place a trusting faith in the resurrection power of Christ. Every human life has an eternal soul, so living by faith in Christ concerning all life issues, and meeting things as His Word says to meet them, is the most important issue facing us today.

The patience of God is beyond our comprehension, but He will always be faithful. The question we must answer is—are we willing to do His will and remain faithful to Him? 2 Peter 3:9 ”The Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promise, in the sense in which some men speak of slowness. But He bears patiently with you, His desire being that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

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