Overcoming Impatience
What is patience?
Patience is defined in the New Testament as cheerful endurance.
Expanded: Patience is the ability to wait through any amount of time or endure long through any difficulty with constant joy, calm, and contentment.
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Patience is powerful! It is in the top three most important qualities for a believer to have (1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 Thessalonians 1:3).
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Also, the more patient you are, the more joy you will have!
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Identify impatient behaviors first. You are impatient if you...
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Feel discontent or frustrated with waiting for something you desire (James 5:7-8).
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Feel frustrated or angry with yourself when you aren't progressing like you want to.
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It is patient to give time for repentance and show kindness throughout the process (Revelation 2:21, Psalm 103:8, 1 Corinthians 13:4a).
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Give others as much time and support for their growth as you would want/need for your own.
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Feel frustrated or angry with others when they aren't progressing like you want them to (Psalm 37:7-8, Ephesians 4:2-3, Romans 15:1-2).
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Anger towards sin, that motivates you to help someone, is okay. It's wrong if you are venting frustration to them, giving up on helping them due to impatience, or thinking that you don't want to help them anymore.
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Give up on tasks when it gets hard or challenging (Galatians 6:9, Mark 4:16-17).
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Overshare knowledge with people that you want to see saved, when they're not open or ready to hear you (James 1:19, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, Proverbs 29:20).
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Patience goes hand-in-hand with faith (Hebrews 6:12), and both are needed. We need patience in order to have faith. In fact, patience is necessary for growth in all areas(James 1:3-4, Luke 8:15).
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Patience is the ability to keep faith no matter what happens (Revelation 2:10).
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Patience is the ability to labor hard and even suffer for long periods of time without growing tired or frustrated (Revelation 2:3, Galatians 5:22, 1 Corinthians 13:4).
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Patience prevents you, in tense situations, from acting hastily. Rather, patience keeps you calm and sensitive to God’s voice (Psalm 62:1,5,11). You will be guided by the Spirit more through patience.
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We need patience in order to stay saved and obedient to God through the hard things of life (Matthew 10:21-22, Luke 21:19).
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Patience allows us to finish the works we're appointed to do, so that we don't give up at any time (Hebrews 10:36-37).
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People who lack patience will not bear much fruit because they will give up on following the Word when things get hard (Mark 4:16-17). If you've ever grown tired of the work we must put into obeying the Word, it's due to a lack of patience.
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Patience grows when it is tried and challenged through suffering or difficulty. So, when hard things come, count them as a joy (James 1:2-4).