First watch this quick video by Joachim de Posada. He gives an interesting principle that is really a biblical principle which can be applied in all areas of life and it can really transform your life.
What did you think of the video? What an interesting experiment, huh?
I couldn’t help but to laugh at the faces of the children. Some of them were trying really hard not to eat the marshmallow!
If there is something that God is trying to develop in all of us, it is this trait of faith. It is important to note how faith and delayed gratification are linked. When we do anything “by faith” it is because we believe that what God has promised something to us and that it will come to pass if we learn to trust in Him.
Isn’t that what delayed gratification is all about?
We hold on to a promise or a belief that if we do not “give in” to things right away then there will be a greater reward. But in our generation we have been raised up to want things and want them NOW! No wonder when things don’t go our way, we tend to get angry at God and blame Him for all our woes.
We are reminded that what pleases God is a person who comes to Him in faith. In Hebrews Heb 11:6 it says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I don’t know about you, but I want to please God and I get a strange and suspicious feeling that God is glorified when we please Him. Therefore, is there any surprise when God moves in a way that will help us to live by faith? God will use anything and everything to accomplish His purposes. This means that even the trials that we face in our lives, it is there to produce faith. Even the hardships and suffering, there is a good possibility that we are experiencing these things so that we can trust in God more and produce the fruit of faith.
If we don’t learn this now at a young age, it gets harder as we get older. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that we can never learn it, but simply, it will be harder. When I look at my kids who play sports, there is a stark difference between where they are now and where I was at the same age. They started earlier and I started later. They are developing skills that I only started to develop when I was in junior high. I know that with the fundamentals being laid down at a younger age, they will be more successful in the future.
This is similar to our walk with God.
When we learn the fundamentals of holiness, obedience, faith, trust and other virtues when we are young, then we will be able to go through harder trials in the future. We will be more prepared to face the various challenges that will come our way. We will also be able to experience different opportunities because we will have the faith and trust to obey in those key moments of decision.
I am reminded of Moses in the Bible. As he learned how to deny himself for the sake of something greater (delay gratification), we see that God used Him to lead the people out of Egypt. Hebrews 11:24-27 says, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
We need more of these types of people in the world today if we are serious about seeing transformation.