Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Consistent, Consistent, Consistent

Patience is not only endurance but consistency. Consistency is so important in your life not only in how you relate to others but primarily in how you train your children. To be a godly parent you have to have patience. You say, "Dear Lord, the patience of Job!" How do you think your parents felt? Most of your kids are better than you were. To raise your children properly, the one thing they need is a leader that's consistent, consistent, consistent, consistent. You need to mature to be consistent as leader, not acting out of your own selfishness, whims, perceptions, or whatever is easiest on you. Much of your children's negative behavior is not due to a lack of character in them but a lack of character in you. I'm not excusing them, but you experience these things to reveal what's in your heart. If you only see what's in your child's heart but not what's in your heart, then the trials haven't affected you the way God wants them to and there's not the maturation process.

The ministers of God have to go through hardship first. Paul was proven and found consistent so he could stand and bring about admonition to those who would follow in the faith. Paul speaks quite a bit on the subject of trials because he had a lot of experience being an object of satanic assault. Satan thought he was destroying him, but all he did was refine him to bring hope into the hearts of those to follow. Satan hasn't figured that out yet, as intelligent as he is. The Scripture says if he were able to grasp this principle, he would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

Paul says of his apostolic role 2 Corinthians 12:12, "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds." The signs of an apostle were demonstrated in all patience and then in signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. How many people today reverse those in their thinking? They look at what that individual does--praying for the sick and seeing them recover, or raising the dead. It's important that those who walk in the spiritual anointing of God experience that power in their lives, but signs and wonders don't require any character; patience does. Patience is what allows you to administer all of these other gifts properly--not for your own glory and not for somebody else's benefit as a respecter of persons. Maturity is what allows you to flow in the anointing of God with intelligence and character.

Most of us will never have the trials of the severity of Paul because none of us have been called to the scope of responsibility that this man had. As I read his life, I'm thankful that I don't have to go through those things that he went through. But it was necessary for him because of the scope of what God purposed to accomplish through him in the kingdom. Paul was then prepared for this example that we could follow as we follow him who follows Christ. Follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God. We too have to go through the crucible of purification, the refining in our lives, which come through the trials.

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