The soul is the mind, will, and emotions of an individual. Patience will protect the soulish man. The man who is constant on the Word of God will certainly keep his mind in check.
You know the place where the battleground is when you're in the midst of a difficult situation - your mind. When you're trying to remain constant on the Word of God, what's happening? Satan is bombarding your mind, telling you that you can't make it, telling you "Oh, the Word of God is not for you."
He's telling you some bad things. He may send people along who will speak to you and tell it to you. Oftentimes, he'll send the one who is closest to you, the one who has influence. He doesn't mess around with the people who don't have any influence upon you.
Anytime you decide to believe God, look out. But remaining constant on the Word of God will protect the soulish man.
A Natural Example
In the parable of the sower sowing the Word, which also is found in Luke 8, the ground that produces 30, 60, and 100-fold has a particular composition. In Luke 8:15, Jesus says, "But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."
Patience is what causes the vine to bear fruit. If you plant an apple tree, it grows up, and in the fall, its buds become little green apples. God's intention was that we not eat the fruit until it totally becomes developed and ripe.
But, because of greed, people pick it early before it is ripe, and spray it with red coloring that has chemical additives in it, and you eat it. The reason they do that is because of impatience and the love of money, for which men will do anything.
But, God's intention was that we function in enough patience to let the vine bear her fruit when it is ripe, because the apples taste the best when they are ripe and mature.
The Extent of Faithfulness
Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). In order for your faith to produce its fullest extent, you need to remain constant. Many people will study the Word of God and find out what it says about a matter, and then begin to believe God for it.
When they do, God begins to work on it, and His angels go to work on the situation because the people are speaking the Word of God. Psalms 103:20 says that angels "harken" unto the voice of the Word of God. As you are speaking the Word of God, those angels are causing that thing to manifest. It's on its way. It's coming.
It's like that seed planted in the ground. When a farmer plants a seed in the ground, what happens? He goes to bed, and he gets up. He goes to bed and gets up, goes to bed and gets up, etc. He doesn't go back after a few days and say, "I don't see anything. The seed must not be any good," and take a shovel and dig it up and throw it away.
He has enough patience to wait until something comes through that he can see. Now, it didn't start growing the minute he saw something. It started growing the moment it was put in the ground. It mixed with the chemical composition of the ground and began to grow.
Our Spiritual Seed
The seed is the Word of God. The ground is the human heart, and when you speak words of faith, something begins to happen. The seed is planted, and as we remain constant on the Word of God, we go to bed and get up, go to bed and get up, go to bed and get up, etc., thanking our Father that the need is met.
"Thank You, Father, that it is so in Jesus' name." Then, one day we see a blade pop up. Glory to God! Hallelujah! We see the manifestation of it, but it didn't start growing at that moment.
I'm well convinced that most people put the seed into the ground, and if after a week they see no manifestation - they look at their bank book, no manifestation. They look at that loved one, no manifestation. They take the word of their mouth, their shovel, and say, "It doesn't work." And, they dig up that seed because they are impatient.
Remain Constant
Many battles have been lost just before the blade broke the ground. That's the time of greatest pressure because Satan is a spirit being and can see what is happening in the spirit world, and he knows the answer to your prayer is right around the corner.
When everything is going bonkers, and you wonder what is happening, you know you must be close to seeing the manifestation. That's why we remain constant on the Word of God - because there is a big one coming.
Excerpt permission granted by Word of Faith Christian Center