PATIENCE

20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 FOR GOD CALLED YOU TO DO GOOD, EVEN IF IT MEANS SUFFERING, JUST AS CHRIST SUFFERED FOR YOU. He is your example, AND YOU MUST FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS."
1 Peter 2:20,21 (NLT)

• Your patience would be tried or tested as a leader. You have to be patient beneath the blows of sufferings.

• Living right or doing the right things will attract opposition.
• Ministry is about changing and transforming the lives of people through the Word of God. In the process of doing this, you may be misunderstood.
• Thus, God would allow your patience to be tested. He would allow your good gestures to be abused. Some may even look down on you in a bid to help them or minister to them: "FOR GOD CALLED YOU TO DO GOOD, EVEN IF IT MEANS SUFFERING . . . " (1 Peter 2:21 NLT).

• When patience is being talked about, some think it is stupidity, but It is not.

• If God says people should be marching on you, If you however wanted to resist and raise your head up, you might be bruised or wounded the more.
• The best is to lie down and wait until God says you should raise your head up. And when God lifted your head up, no one can match on you again. You do not fight for yourself, let God do it for you:
  24 AND A SERVANT OF THE LORD MUST NOT QUARREL BUT BE GENTLE TO ALL, ABLE TO TEACH, PATIENT, 25 IN HUMILITY CORRECTING THOSE WHO ARE IN OPPOSITION, IF GOD PERHAPS WILL GRANT THEM REPENTANCE, SO THAT THEY MAY KNOW THE TRUTH" (2 Timothy 2:24,25 NKJV).
  READ: Romans 12:19

• In the work of ministry, you have to be patient with the people. Some may want to abuse the love you are expressing to them and take you for granted, thus, patience is needed.

• You have to be patient about having your needs met also. Do not beg, begging is not honourable. Pray that God will meet your needs.
• If you are not patience in having your needs met as a minister and you resulted to begging, your honour and dignity would be eroded.
• Even if you are presenting the ministry needs, do not do it beggarly. When you pray on everything, God will lead you on how to go about getting the ministry need, or whatever the need, met. God can stir the heart of some people to reach out to you in getting such needs met.
• Take time to pray on all things. Study the Word of God and walk in the light of it. In other words, be a doer of the Word (James 1:22,25).
• Beware of friends that would not encourage you to walk uprightly with God, those who will cause you to derail from the right path (1 Corinthians 15:33).
• There are some relationships that would not allow you to focus on your spiritual life and the assignment or ministry given to you, thus, avoid such relationships. Such people are in the ministry work for wrong reasons:
  18 FOR I HAVE TOLD YOU OFTEN BEFORE, AND I SAY IT AGAIN WITH TEARS IN MY EYES, THAT THERE ARE MANY WHOSE CONDUCT SHOWS THEY ARE REALLY ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST. 19 THEY ARE HEADED FOR DESTRUCTION. THEIR god IS THEIR APPETITE [belly], THEY BRAG ABOUT SHAMEFUL THINGS, AND THEY THINK ONLY ABOUT THIS LIFE HERE ON EARTH. 20 BUT WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN, WHERE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST LIVES. AND WE ARE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM TO RETURN AS OUR SAVIOUR" (Philippians 3:18-20 NLT).

• Let God have His way. The ways of God are not the same with that of man:
8 “FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” SAYS THE LORD. 9 “FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS" (Isaiah 55:8,9 NKJV).

• Let God build your life and ministry as He wants or pleases. You cannot define ministry for God, It is only Him who knows what He has prepared and packaged you for.
• It is important for you to also know that God will prove your patience in the ministry work. In other words, the motives of your heart would be tested.
• The result or breakthrough you are anticipating in your ministry work might be delayed or not come as you have expected. Thus, follow God as He leads you from one level of glory to another, beholding Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• God is not always in a hurry because He does not work in the realm of time, a day to Him is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day to Him (2 Peter 3:8).
• God would want to know what is in your heart, whether you are genuinely seeking Him or you are looking for money, fame, and recognition.

• Ministries and callings differ. You would have to understand the uniqueness of your person and the assignment or ministry that God has for you.

• The training that would be given to you would be tailored with, in line with, the assignment God has for you. This is the reason why It would not be wise enough to completely copy what someone else's is doing.
• Even If you are having a spiritual father, your ministry would still not be a complete replica of his. There would still be a distinct difference between your ministry and that of whoever you are relating with as a spiritual parent. Each ministry is unique!

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Whatever is contrary to your health is rebuked and completely uprooted in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
• The hold is broken and the affiction will not rise again in Jesus' name.
  Peace.

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!