Faithfulness Reaps the Reward

//Oretha Hagin

Over the years many people have asked me, “What is the key to your success?” There are many keys to success in the ministry and in life. But I always tell people that first, you have to be willing and obedient to do what God has called you to do.

Second, I tell people that to remain willing and obedient to God through the good times and the bad, you’ve got to be faithful. You’ve got to be faithful to serve God. And you’ve got to be faithful to obey God and His Word.

I encourage you to be faithful to obey God and follow His leading step-by-step. If Kenneth and I hadn’t been faithful in the early days of our ministry— even in the small things—we would never have accomplished what we did accomplish. And being faith ful in the small things doesn’t just apply to people who are in the ministry. It applies to all of us. If you are faithful to do what God says to do, God will be faithful to bring you into all that He has planned for you. So stay faithful and remain stead fast in the vision God has given you.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Don’t faint by the wayside in your commitment to the Lord. Stay in the fight of faith because you are the victor in Christ. You won’t lose as long as you’re walking with Him. J esus will always see you through. You may think you’re going under because of the storms of life, but you won’t. Just trust Jesus, and He’ll bring you safely through every storm.

To succeed in life—whether or not you’re called to the ministry—you can’t quit doing what God has put in your heart to do. You can’t obey God for a little while and then quit when the circumstances don’t look too good or when your faith is being tested and tried. You ’ve got to be faithful to carry out God’s plan for your life.

I think the reason many people fail in life is that they get impatient. But you can’t get impatient in the things of God. The plan of God for your entire life won’t unfold overnight.

Many times God will tell you something about the future, and you want it right then! But God has to get you ready for what He’s called you to do. You might not be ready right now to handle what God has for you. But God will get you ready and steer you in the right direction. If you will follow the gentle nudge you have from the Holy Spirit, then step-by-step He will lead you until He gets you to the place spiritually where He knows you’re ready.

So be patient as you fulfill God’s plan for your life. Even when things don’t happen the way you think they should or when you think they should, faithfulness is what brings you through to victory in God. The devil may try to stand in your way to see what you are made of. But that’s when you will have to stand fast and show that you mean business with God. He never fails. And no matter how difficult the test or trial, faithfulness always reaps the reward.
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(Editor’s Note: Kenneth E. and Oretha Hagin shared nearly 65 years of marriage and Christian service. Mrs. Hagin went home to be with the Lord June 28, 2007, at age 88. This article was adapted from her book The Price Is Not Greater Than God’s Grace.)