Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
When I was a child, I wanted a toy spaceship and expected to receive one for Christmas. Despite being blessed with numerous gifts that year, I was dissatisfied because I did not receive what I expected. Are you living in God’s blessings but don’t recognize them because they do not look, sound or feel like you expected?
Disappointment is born out of unfulfilled expectations. We expect to have a family, a promising career and live a long life. Yet, when we experience a setback, layoff or a lost we often feel like giving up because things have not gone the way we planned. We must stop expecting things from God He never promised us. He never promised us that the relationship was going to last, He never promised us a new car, He never promised us that we were going to retire from that job or that we would be rich and famous. What He did promise us is that if we abide, trust and believe in Him while seeking his kingdom and his righteousness that He will give us an abundant life according to His purpose.
Dying to expectations will require us to seek God first, submit ourselves to His will and believe that He will fulfill His promises.
Seek: Putting God first allows us to live in His provisions rather than our expectations. We live in an age of distraction and apprehension. Social media has caused us to put our carnality before our spirituality. We feel the need to perform for other people rather than for our God and become anxious and unhappy when we do not receive what we perceive others to have. “Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Do not compare yourself to others and do not expect to receive the life, relationship or anointing they have. What God has planned for you is perfect for you!
Submit: We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. When our plans do not align with God’s, we find ourselves living in disappointment because of unfulfilled expectations. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. When we submit ourselves to God and His plan for our life, our expectations change and shift from the temporary (what we can see) to the eternal (what we can’t see) and we are no longer disappointed when things do not work out as planned because we can remain confident that all things will work together for our good.
Believe: Our earthly expectations often return to us void. The relationship, voided. The money, voided. The career, voided. The family, voided. It is in that gap between our expectations and reality that we often find ourselves questioning God’s plan for our lives. God is not a man and cannot lie. So, if He makes you a promise then trust and believe that it will happen for His word will not return void. When life does not go as planned do not lose faith, do not fear and do not worry for God will do what He promised. He promised to fight for us, to never leave us and to prosper us giving us both hope and a future.
God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. He orders our steps and knows what we need. So, seek Him, submit yourself to His perfect will and believe in His promises; not your expectations, for your life.
When I was a child, I wanted a toy spaceship and expected to receive one for Christmas. Despite being blessed with numerous gifts that year, I was dissatisfied because I did not receive what I expected. Are you living in God’s blessings but don’t recognize them because they do not look, sound or feel like you expected?
Disappointment is born out of unfulfilled expectations. We expect to have a family, a promising career and live a long life. Yet, when we experience a setback, layoff or a lost we often feel like giving up because things have not gone the way we planned. We must stop expecting things from God He never promised us. He never promised us that the relationship was going to last, He never promised us a new car, He never promised us that we were going to retire from that job or that we would be rich and famous. What He did promise us is that if we abide, trust and believe in Him while seeking his kingdom and his righteousness that He will give us an abundant life according to His purpose.
Dying to expectations will require us to seek God first, submit ourselves to His will and believe that He will fulfill His promises.
Seek: Putting God first allows us to live in His provisions rather than our expectations. We live in an age of distraction and apprehension. Social media has caused us to put our carnality before our spirituality. We feel the need to perform for other people rather than for our God and become anxious and unhappy when we do not receive what we perceive others to have. “Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Do not compare yourself to others and do not expect to receive the life, relationship or anointing they have. What God has planned for you is perfect for you!
Submit: We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. When our plans do not align with God’s, we find ourselves living in disappointment because of unfulfilled expectations. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. When we submit ourselves to God and His plan for our life, our expectations change and shift from the temporary (what we can see) to the eternal (what we can’t see) and we are no longer disappointed when things do not work out as planned because we can remain confident that all things will work together for our good.
Believe: Our earthly expectations often return to us void. The relationship, voided. The money, voided. The career, voided. The family, voided. It is in that gap between our expectations and reality that we often find ourselves questioning God’s plan for our lives. God is not a man and cannot lie. So, if He makes you a promise then trust and believe that it will happen for His word will not return void. When life does not go as planned do not lose faith, do not fear and do not worry for God will do what He promised. He promised to fight for us, to never leave us and to prosper us giving us both hope and a future.
God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. He orders our steps and knows what we need. So, seek Him, submit yourself to His perfect will and believe in His promises; not your expectations, for your life.
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