Expectation—live more purposefully, more richly!

The most fulfilled life you’ll ever live is the life of expectation and obedience, where you are completely dependent upon God for all things. Embrace responsibility for your own outcomes, and you position yourself in accordance with your expectations—and then act to fulfill them.

There are approximately six days left in the year 2022. So if you want the balance and fulfillment of a new year, a new vision, and new blessings of what God has promised…you must raise your expectation for the upcoming year 2023!

What are you expecting for the upcoming year? What do you dream about? What’s your vision? What do you expect?

 Expectation is defined as looking ahead to something in the future, to look forward to the likely occurrence of something. This attitude of expectation means that you eventually get what you expect.

I remember during Covid being under attack with symptoms that did not line up with the word of God. After walking 2 1/2 years of resisting this “disease of Egypt” and claiming the promises of God upon my life, and rebuking this slimy thing that dared touch God’s anointed—I remember saying to God, “this is not my expectation of wholeness that you have already given me and my family, as part of our new covenant. You said I was not subject to these diseases of the unregenerate world, so therefore, I rebuke them!

I spoke peace to my body, went back laid down, went to sleep and rose up completely healed! Got up, showered up, and went about the business of proclaiming God’s truths from that time forward! You and I are the witness that He is the living God!!

Today, I want us to look at a text where without obedience, the power of God would not have been manifested. A man would still be lame, and the truth would not have been shared.

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate, where he was put every day to beg, from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John, and instructed him to “Look on us!" (ie..consider what we have for you) 

So the man gave them his attention (were obedient to their instruction)...expecting to get something from them.

HE GOT MORE THAN HE EXPECTED!

His healing enabled him to no longer need to be a beggar! 

Many who call themselves "Kingdom Believers," live a life of the mundane, simply because they have no expectation of their desires happening.  Perhaps they have never experienced a God-move in their lives, so their attitude is—“why should there be any expectation?”

That is exactly how the deceiver desires them to think. If he can keep a Believer, stuck in the quicksand of low expectation, difficulty, distress, and embarrassment, then he has achieved a great victory...for without a vision, you will suffer complete ruin!

Being Stuck in the quicksand of low, or no expectation, simply means you really do not have a God-vision!

On the other hand, God has decreed that, if your life is walked in obedience to Him, you can expect great and marvelous events to unfold!

OBEDIENCE, CREATES AN ATMOSPHERE FOR WHICH GOD CAN PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES.

Peter and John, in obedience, created an atmosphere where God could move in this lame man’s life. 

First we see they were walking in obedience -they went up together into the temple. What would have occurred if they had laid out of going that day? —God’s power would not have been manifested, a man would not have been healed, and a testimony would not have been shared. But because Peter and John was obedient and went as God had commanded, they were able to create the atmosphere where God could perform a miracle.

In His sovereign purpose, God placed this man in their path. If they would have possessed a careless attitude and said, "well, we went last week,” or “I don't think we have to go this week,” or even, “I’ll wait till the second service,” this man would not be healed through them. 

Unless the path of obedience is walked, you will miss the opportunities that God has placed there for you. This man was laid daily at the gate of the temple. In order to benefit this man, Peter and John had to be at the temple. There was no other path that they could have walked that would have caused them to come in contact with this man.

Being in obedience, you can boldly expect God’s miraculous outpouring. Peter and John never doubted for a moment that this man would be healed. The lame man’s expectations were raised. I am sure that he had seen throngs of individuals come and go that would not even look in his direction, or maybe ridiculed him, or even worse. But this time, he saw that someone was interested in him..."he gave heed unto them expecting to receive something of them." 

WHAT HE RECEIVED WAS GREATER AND BETTER THAN-HE EXPECTED, AND TOOK THE PLACE OF WHAT HE REQUESTED.

Like Pete and John, if you fail to be obedient, fail to move forward and continue to believe, if you let the vision go; and if you constantly think about how long it's been or how old you've gotten. (everybody and the “tell-a-vision,” will constantly remind you of this, and give you their version of your vision) Regardless of how long you feel you've been trying to make it happen, and the constant reminder of the pandemic and world racial unrest and their effects, God is aware! That’s what makes Him…GOD! Our times are in His capable hands-nobody else’s…relax! 

I can understand that at times, your journey of expectation and obedience, simply get weary, but there is no other way! regardless of how hard it get…we cannot come another way, other than obedience and expectation…towards Him! It simply will not work!

Therefore, create an atmosphere of expectation, where God can manifest your miracle, or perhaps a miracle for somebody else, through you! It is only as far away as your obedience! Not one of His promises will fail!