Try This Challenge When You Need More Patience
What do you do when you’re frustrated and need more patience?
I’ve found a challenge that I believe will help us all.
Norman Vincent Peale wrote…
“Change your thoughts, and you change your world.”
I’m not sure I completely agree with him, but I do believe that changing our thoughts can adjust our attitudes, and an adjusted attitude can change the way we live.
So…
If you and I need more patience, it’s important to stop thinking impatiently.
Paul wrote…
We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power.
1 Corinthians 10:3, 5 (NLV)
We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.
That means, when we are reflecting on thoughts like…
- I can’t believe I’m stuck in traffic again.
- Can’t they get my food out faster? It’s taking FOREVER.
- Why hasn’t _________ returned my call? I must not be important enough to them.
- That doctor has no respect for their patients. This waiting is ridiculous.
- Lines. Lines. Lines. This store doesn’t care about its customers.
- Just hurry up!!!!!
We challenge and replace them with…
- PRAYER.
- PRAISE.
- GRATITUDE.
I’ll admit that most of the time, I’m completely unaware of the way my thoughts are influencing my perception of my circumstances. My goal is to become more aware, so I can choose to either take a deep breath and calm down or continue my negative, impatient thinking and be stressed. I can choose to focus on things that bless me or those that annoy me.
I’m learning that we need to remember that our attitudes will ultimately reveal themselves in the way we interact with others. Which, like it or not, will affect how they interact with us.
Let’s check out some quotes and verses to help us check our attitude when we need more patience.
Quotes and Verses to Help
When You Need Patience
Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have: it depends solely upon what you think. ~ Dale Carnegie
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thought that is forever flowing through one’s head. ~ Mark Twain
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” ~ Augustine
Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Ephesians 4:23
I do love words of encouragement. But words aren’t enough to change my attitude and make me patient if it’s up to me to do it on my own.
Too often, my self-effort leaves me grumbling and complaining, at least in my head, whenever I’m inconvenienced or annoyed.
Praise God! It’s not up to our self-effort. By God’s grace, we have the Spirit to help us and give us strength.
Paul wrote…
The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience…
Galatians 5:22
Having an attitude that leads to living with love, joy, peace, patience, and more begins with surrender. It’s having an attitude that SEEKS and KNOWS God’s truth and yields to His Spirit, asking Him to transform our hearts to TRUST and OBEY as our response to God’s love.
And pray with Paul…
We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding… We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.
Colossians 1:9,11
When you and I need more patience. We need to PRAY!
We give our impatience to God and ask the Holy Spirit to work a new attitude within us through PRAISE and a heart full of GRATITUDE.
Please join me as I surrender my thoughts yet again, asking the Lord to change my attitude and give me the strength I need to be patient…
A Prayer for God’s Help
When You Need Patience
Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting me to bring my questions and struggles to You. I really don’t like the way I think and act when I’m impatient. I get annoyed with myself, and I can only imagine how it annoys the people around me.
I want to have more patience with people and circumstances. Grumbling and pouting like a spoiled child never makes anything better.
Your Word tells me that patience is a Fruit of Your Spirit. Please help me. I surrender my heart and mind to You. Please give me a new attitude. One that shines with Your love. One that shows the wonderful ways Your love through Jesus has changed me.
My spirit is willing, but my sinful flesh continues to struggle. I need Your wisdom and understanding. I ask the Spirit to help me pray, praise, and live with gratitude. I want to glorify You, like Jesus. In whose name, I pray. Amen.
This is Holy Spirit work, friends!
I need to be honest with you here.
Getting control over my thoughts is one of my greatest challenges. I get stuck.
This isn’t fair! I can’t believe I said that! I don’t have time to wait! Why won’t they just cooperate! I want it, and I want it … NOW!
I know I need God’s mercy and grace. I need His help. So I’m surrendering my impatient thoughts (and behaviors) to the One who is more than able to help me transform my impatient thoughts, words, and actions into something He can use for my good and His glory.
“It is wonderful what miracles God works in wills that are utterly surrendered to Him. He turns hard things into easy and bitter things into sweet. It is not that He puts easy things in the place of the hard, but He actually changes the hard thing into an easy one.” ~Hannah Whithall Smith
He gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc.
He gives beauty for ashes. He heals the broken-hearted and redeems the lost.
Have you surrendered your challenges to the Lord? When you and I need more patience or anything else, we can trust Him to give us what we need. He can even give us a new attitude and more patience.
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Thank You Dear Father GOD!!!. Thank You Dear Friend Deb!!!. May God bless you Deb and help us All to Pray, Praise and have Gratitude and Patience. GOD’s Will Be Done!!!. God please help us All to Love You… God please help us do Your Will!!!. Blessings… Pray and Praise GOD with Gratitude, Patience and all our hearts, minds souls and strength!!… and Love God First above all else!!!!. Then Love all others as ourselves!!!. Amen
Thank you, Jack! I’m so glad you were encouraged. As always, I appreciate your kind words. Blessings!
Oh my goodness, I needed this today. I had a situation with something I ordered that will cause me more work than if I’d just gone to the store to buy it. To say my attitude was not good is…, well, let’s just say I need to seek the Holy Spirit’s help to have patience and a positive attitude. Thanks for always being willing to talk about the hard stuff.
Blessings to you, Deb.
I’m so glad this encouraged you, Cecilia. That does sound frustrating. What a blessing to know that the Lord faithfully works in us and gives us lots of opportunities to trust Him to give us the patience we need. Have a wonderful week!
I truly this was meant for me this morning!! I have had an issue with my computer, and it is testing my patience!!
I missed your posts last week because we were in the mountains on vacation.
I had another test of my patience with an issue with a store clerk when we stopped for gas on the way home. Instead of lashing out, I thanked her and told her to have a nice day and stay safe. You know how it is with those “God whispers?” Anyway, all of the advice is wonderful, and I sure am aware that I do need to practice and put to work all of your suggestions. You always have so much wisdom and seem to hit the nail on the head with what you know. God Bless You, my friend with a great week and please stay safe. You are so very appreciated by us all.
Oh, Sue. I don’t think anything makes me lose my patience faster than computer problems. I had problems with my internet connection a couple of weeks ago, but only for anything that had to do with Counting My Blessings. It took three days to get it fixed and it required lots of prayer to get through. And if I’m honest, there was a little foot stomping too. I love the way you handled the sales clerk. God bless you! I’m praying to focus on His blessings and cling to His grace whenever I’m tempted with impatience. Have a wonderful week filled with blessings.
Yes, Lord, let me be filled with your grace whenever I’m tempted to grumble and grow impatient with the people and situations around me. Replacing impatience with gratitude is key, Deb, that’s for sure. Blessings!
Thanks, Martha! Now, with God’s help, may I put it into practice faithfully. God’s blessings, my friend!
An additional quote from Dr Wayne Dyer…”change the way you look at things, and the things you look at, change.”
I love that, JoAnne! Another good one to remember. Thanks much and many blessings!