Are You Patient or Impatient?

As you may recall, we have been seeking property to be a DMM (Disciple Making Movement) Academy & Retreat center for men who want to further their mission journey in the service of God. These men are ones who have applied, been qualified, and been accepted to attend the DMM Academy & Retreat at Freedom Lake.?

The path to Freedom Lake has been challenging but has been a tremendous learning experience which is how God prepares us for what He has in mind for us in serving Him.

But, as Tom Petty sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.” We certainly have waited for the “go” sign from God. We understand that God has his own timeline and, as we await God’s timing, we continue to work through the details to acquire the property He has put on our hearts.

We have faith that God has called us to what He has in store for this ministry… and in His timing, everything will go according to His purpose. We continue to see God working things together for our good every day.?

We see examples in the Bible of people who were impatient, who could not move on beyond their own circumstances, and who WERE obedient and what the results were for each. All three examples were in one family.

God promised Abraham and Sarah that He would give them a child (but didn’t say when). The first thing Sarah did was laugh at God, believing she was too old to conceive. Later, she decided to “help” God get His plan into action by enlisting Hagar to be Abraham’s “baby mama” (a term the men use).??

Hagar indeed became pregnant by Abraham and gave birth to Ishmael. However, God did give Sarah and Abraham the baby He promised them. Sarah’s impatience now created big problems, especially for Hagar and her son Ishmael.

We all know that there are consequences to any action we take. What we do can set into motion a series of events that may continue long after we’re gone. Unfortunately, when we are making a decision, most of us think only of the immediate consequences. These are often misleading because they are short-lived. This was certainly true for Ishmael.

Ishmael’s life reminds me of the men we serve and not being able to overcome old mindsets and/or their circumstances. Much of what happened throughout Ishmael’s life cannot be blamed on Ishmael. He was caught in a process much bigger than he was.?

However, Ishmaels’s own actions showed that he had chosen to become part of the problem and not part of the solution. He chose to live under his circumstances rather than above them.?

Like Ishmael, the men we mentor chose to get stuck in their circumstances because they look through the same, wrong lens that originally got them incarcerated.

The men – though well intentioned in their desire to follow God – often fall back to their sin-oriented nature we have all inherited. It can be partly controlled, although not overcome, by human effort.?

Too many of the men we disciple get released and think they can do it all on their own. They don’t go through the process of seeking His will first before heading back into a society that is controlled by sin nature and places them in the crosshairs of spiritual warfare.?

Many have an “I got this” attitude and the world sucks them right back in. They are too eager to get back to their old lives but don’t realize their old lives don’t get them different results. Therefore, they are unable to overcome their old mindsets.

Then we have Abraham whose faith pleased God.?

When God told Abraham to bring Isaac (the child God promised Abraham and Sarah) up to the mountain for a sacrifice, Abraham did so without hesitation and without questioning God (how his heart must have been breaking with each step!). God supplied a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac but Abraham’s obedience was without question.

Later, God told Abraham to pack up everything he had and move to parts unknown. Abraham had to decide between the security of what he already had and the uncertainty of traveling under God’s direction.

Abraham trusted God and did as God instructed. And God did as He promised and “made Abraham a great nation”.

We have thought much of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Ishmael in going through the property acquisition process. We seek God’s wisdom and discernment so we can make better choices based on obedience to what God is asking us to do.

God’s promise in Romans 8:28 tells us God works for our good “in all things”. That is reassuring because it means that - no matter the circumstance - there are only two qualifiers for God to be working all things together for our good.

?“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

First, He works for “the good of those who love Him.” If you love God, you can trust that He is working for your good. He loves you back, and when we love people, we seek their welfare.

Second, He works for “those who are called according to His purpose.” Do you realize that following God entails submitting to His purpose for you? You have been called by Him for a purpose that He holds for your life.

In fact, the wording of this verse suggests that these two qualifiers - loving God and experiencing His call - are actually one. Those who love God are called according to His purpose. And vice versa.

We know that God is working for the good of Freedom Lake, the men who will attend the DMM Academy, and for us. This journey has not been easy but we have grown in our faith but also grown closer to God. The closer we get to God, the more we trust and love Him!

Being called according to God’s purpose also reminds us what “our good” actually is. It’s not our comfort or worldly success. It’s the furthering of His purpose through us. And, if you choose to obey what He asks you to, furthering His purpose through and for you.

The question is: “Are you patient or impatient?” Are you an Abraham or a Sarah?