I heard someone say recently, "Faith sees, hope feels, love never fails."
I love that saying. It explains so much.
I know faith sees...I can't receive my promise until I see it with my spiritual eyes...Norvel Hayes taught me that. But I had never thought about hope. Hope feels.
This is what I am sensing today; I am feeling expectation. This is my hope speaking. This is hope arising. And the Bible says that "hope never disappoints" (Romans 5:5).
As I was pondering all of this, I remembered something the Lord once spoke to me. I had been talking with a friend, sharing something good that had happened, when I made the statement, "I wasn't expecting that." As soon as those words came out of my mouth, God spoke to me. He said, "Then...get your expectation up!"
In the Webster's 1828 Dictionary, expectation is defined as, "The act of expecting or looking forward to a future even with at least some reason to believe the event will happen. Expectation differs from hope. Hope originates in desire, and may exist with little or no ground of belief that the desired event will arrive. Expectation is founded on some reasons which render the event probable."
I love that! Our grounds to believe is the Word of God. That is our reason to render our expectation probable – the promises of God. Therefore, we have a blood-bought right to expect, not simply wish it would happen, but EXPECT the promises of God to manifest in our lives.
As I was sharing with my friend, I told her I had been confessing Scripture about daily blessings coming to me; however, I wasn't expecting them. Isn't that sad? Now, God has said, "GET YOUR EXPECTATIONS UP!"
Psalm 62:5, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him."
I love this Scripture in Psalm 40:5 (Passion Translation), "O Lord, our God, no one can compare with You. Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with You! And You think of us all the time with Your countless expressions of love – far exceeding our expectations!" That is what God desires to pour out on you and me today; countless expressions of His love, far exceeding our expectations. (Photo via Unsplash)
The Bible says that God "daily loads us with benefits" (Psalm 68:19, NKJV). Are you experiencing this? If not, are you expecting to be daily loaded with all His benefits?
The Bible says we will receive according to our faith. Do you have faith to believe for daily benefits from God? Are you believing for countless expressions of His love on a daily basis?
I must say, I was not. But now that I have been told to get my expectations up...I am doing just that. I am expecting to see His benefits poured out in my life on a daily basis. I am expecting to be, as the Bible says, DAILY LOADED with His benefits. I am expecting that for you as well.
Today, my friend, get your expectations up! WAAAY UP – up as high as you can get them!
• Expect His daily benefits.
• Expect to be showered every single day with expressions of His love.
• Expect His blessings to be poured out upon you today in a mighty way.
• Expect His promises to be manifest in your life.
We have every reason for expectation...we have His Word, and He does not lie.
Expectations = Results
Wouldn't you love to hear Jesus personally say to you, "According to YOUR faith, be it unto you?" Well, He already has. It is in His Word.
We've just talked about how important it is to increase our expectations, and now I want to share a story I once heard from a friend.
One day, I received a call from my friend Ken, who was wanting to share a testimony of what God had done for him. Now, Ken was already walking in the blessings of God, yet it seemed his time of blessing was about to go to a new level...but not without his faith and his expectations being in line with what God had for him.
He shared with me how he needed a particular piece of equipment for his trucking business. This item was quite expensive – tens of thousands of dollars. Because he didn't want to spend that much, he was shopping around. He came across exactly what he needed in a piece of good, used equipment. When he measured it, it was exactly what he needed and in good shape. He was excited to say the least, feeling God had dropped just what he needed in his lap.
After speaking with the owner of the business, the owner said he would call him the following day with the details. The next day, Ken learned that they were not willing to sell the piece of equipment after all. He was flabbergasted to say the least. He began to say to the Lord, "What's up, God? That was exactly what I needed. I have searched and searched...what is going on here?"
He shared with me how he then did something profound. He continued to speak faith-filled words, even in the midst of what seemed to be a huge disappointment, over this opened the door to a blessing beyond what he imagined.
Without getting frustrated, He said to God, "Oh...God, I know what is going on here. You must have something better for me. Okay, I accept that. Show me where it is!" (Photo via Pikist)
This is the important part, friends. Instead of being frustrated at God, instead of dwelling on disappointment, instead of allowing negative words to close the door on his blessing, he decided to take a "God" point of view. He declared that if this piece of equipment wasn't it, God must have something even better.
You see, he didn't allow this temporary setback to deter him. He knew his God. He knew he was blessed. He knew by personal experience the faithfulness of God. He knew this had to turn for his good, for that's what the Word says (Romans 8:28). Therefore, he decided to stand on the Word in faith.
Jesus said over and over again, "According to your faith, be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29b). And that is exactly what He did for this man.
I can't recall if it was the same day or the next day, but either way, Ken found another ad for what he needed. To make a long story short, he went and looked at it and it was just what he needed. In the end, the seller worked out a deal with Ken that empowered him to get this piece of equipment and extra equipment as well. Ken sold the extra equipment for a profit, which meant he got the piece of equipment he needed absolutely free! What could have cost him $25,000 plus, he ended up getting for free! Why? It was according to his faith.
I know I have said it hundreds of times, but it is vital, especially when it seems everything is working against you, to stand firm in your faith and declare God's Word and His promises.
Why? Because it is according to your faith.
If your faith says, "It's not going to happen for me," then it probably won't. However, if your faith, like Ken's faith, says, "God must have something better for me," then you better get ready for the "better," for it is on the way!
Our God is a faithful God...to those who believe in His faithfulness. Remember, He has ALREADY said, "According to your faith"; that applies to you too. Get your expectations up, for expectations equal results.
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Kim Potter
A New Thing Ministries
Email:Â kim@anewthingministries.com
Website:Â www.anewthingministries.com
Kim Potter is the founder of A New Thing Ministries, which sends a daily teaching to over 10,000 people all around the world. Her articles have appeared on The Elijah List, Charisma, Spirit Fuel and iBelieve.com. Kim's message is one of hope. She speaks to the heart of those who have grown discouraged and disappointed by the circumstances of life and imparts the desire and ability to stand against all odds; to stand for victory. She encourages people to press into God and discover that He is who He says He is.
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I've always been an "experimental Christian." What I mean is – when I hear a new teaching that sounds really good and is based solely on Scripture, I decide to TRY IT.
