by Glenice Mills
Here we are at the beginning of another new year. This is a time of year to reflect on past achievements and disappointments but also think, plan and pray into what is ahead for this coming year. It is a time when common sense dictates that we put some things into action, however, more importantly it should be a time of quietly seeking the Lord as to what He is wanting to change in our lives. Most people have resolved to set to change something about themselves and their lives that they don’t like. They plan to reset a new course, a new direction, to put an end to the same old behaviour patterns, the same old way of life, the things they don’t like. It is about looking at things they want to change. Many ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ are made, and then a few weeks into the year the resolution has been forgotten. It has lost it’s impetus, and was a vague fleeting thought and short lived action. Often the things we are concerned about, that we want to change, are not the Lord’s concerns for our lives.
He sees things in our lives, in our character, that HE is wanting to put His finger on. However we get side tracked by our own perceived areas of concern. The New Year is a time of resetting the compass, of ushering in the new. This often means going along a changed direction. It can put us on a new course that radically changes our lives. This is a time of year when many move house, interstate or move to another country. It also includes changes in personal areas such as employment, training and church we attend. This can be a good thing if it is the Lord’s will to do it. However, one of the greatest traps we fall into is when we reset our direction we do so with expectations of what we think will happen. At the beginning of a new year we go in with certain expectations of how we think things will unfold.
We commit the year to the Lord, but because we have these expectations we automatically think the Lord endorses what we plan.
For us to get an understanding of this we need to know what expectations are and what are the traps we can fall into that muddy what we think is God’s plan for our lives. There is in fact a very fine line between expectations and hope. The two are intrinsically entwined however the foundation of our expectations and hopes are the big differences between them coming to pass in our lives, or becoming disappointed, resulting in anger and bitterness. We become angry at ourselves because we think we have failed or somehow let others and the Lord down. We become angry at God because we think He has punished us in some way because our expectations didn’t come to pass. Scripture gives us some valuable keys to help us differentiate between what is of ourselves and what is of God.
As we get an understanding of this it will help us to separate what is our own desires and what is the Lord’s will for our lives. Expectations in and of themselves are good, that is what steers us on course and gives us something to move towards. The problem arises when these expectations get slightly skewed because we put our own interpretation and understanding on what the Lord is actually saying and doing. God puts the dreams on our hearts. It is by His Holy Spirit that we know we are to do something that would propel us towards what He plans for our lives. The important key is we must know it is what the Lord wants for us. As we look at the meaning of expectation there is a profound difference between the meaning in the dictionary, and what the Lord is showing in His word. He sees expectations from a completely different viewpoint.
The Dictionary meaning of expectation is to regard as likely, to assume a future event or occurrence will come, it is to look forward, to anticipate.
The Biblical meaning of expectation is to take or receive from, it is a reaching out in readiness to receive something, an eager longing that is not satisfied until we get it.
There is a huge difference between the two and that is where we can so easily trip up and derail what is our own desires and what is the Lord’s desire and plan for our lives.
This problem occurs when the foundation of our expectation and hope is not on solid ground: that is built on the rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is actually about the true motivations of the heart. It is also when our wrong heart reactions roar up when our expectations don’t appear to be coming to pass: our fears, anger, anxiety, mistrust, impatience, and frustration. This is when we must bring these reactions in repentance to the foot of the cross and leave them there. So often we react again and again, pick up the same old attitudes and go around the mountain again. This is an opportunity to change and embrace the position we find ourselves in. We can choose to walk in the Lord’s timing knowing He is faithful to bring about every good thing, so long as we have faith and believe. Negative thinking is one of the biggest and easiest traps we fall into that stops us coming into ALL the Lord has for us. That is when expectations actually work against us and cause us to stumble. That sets us up for the cycle of disappointment. Following are some areas to consider, that would challenge where your expectations are coming from and have you consider whether the Lord is wanting to adjust some things in your life.
WE ASSUME AND PRESUME SOMETHING:
To assume means to take to be true, it can be something we take or put on our self.
Sometimes in our flesh we take something and see it as the green light for moving ahead so we rush forward without stopping and considering it. We think that the Lord is endorsing what we are doing because everything appears to be falling into place.
It appears really easy and so we blithely go along the road. Sometimes you can feel pressured to go a direction by circumstances, or by our own perceived expectations that could be easily resolved if we went down this path. It can appear easier to go the easy way, even if we know deep down it does not feel quite right. That push can be our own selfish ambition, or our own making something happen so things appear to be moving forward.
INCORRECT TIMING:
One of the hardest things for us to know is the exact timing of God. That is the faith journey we are all on. It is as found in Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Things can appear to be laid out for us to move forward but once the decision is made things go wrong. It appears like the exact opposite is happening. There are obstacles, insurmountable problems to try and solve, and it seems ‘cursed’. There is no results or fruits that would confirm to us that we have made the right choice. Often this is because we have made the right choice and the enemy is not happy with our decision! The encouraging thing is that everything we do, every decision whether it is or appears to be right or wrong is redeemable. The truth is there are never mistakes in God, only things we can learn from. More often than not it appears like the Lord has removed His hand and is watching what we will do. These are the tests in God which are actually opportunities to grow and learn about ourselves and more importantly about the character and ways of God. He is not so concerned about what we do. He is more concerned that we learn from and grow into being more like Him. The issue is ours, and our wrong understanding of what is meant to be happening in our lives. Always remember Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
God is not a mean God. He wants good for you, however He will give it to you exactly on time, not a moment too soon or a moment to late. It is about trusting Him.
He knows exactly what is right for you at any given moment of time. Be encouraged!
VAIN IMAGININGS:
One of the hardest, most oppressive and damaging outcomes to disappointment as a result of lost expectation is when at the very outset what we thought was going to happen has come from our selves. It is when we embellish something with our minds.
Often the actual expectation is correct, but the problem arises when we start to plan with our minds. This allows fanciful thinking to come that brings deception leading to an un-fulfillment of the expectations. Our minds become so consumed with thoughts of what is ahead and what we expect will happen, that we lose our way. In fact the truth is we have nothing unless the Lord wants to give us what we want.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Vain imaginings come from ourselves when we have selfish motives, such as a competitive spirit, ambition, lusts and greed. This will set us up for failure. However as we see in the above scripture the enemy will also have us think more highly of ourselves than we ought, and we must always be award of where these vain imaginings will make us see something that is not of God but rather of our own fleshly desires. The Lord will in no way endorse that, and it is up to us to recognise this flaw in our character and the way the enemy would set us up to go astray. That is why we must warfare over our dreams, so our expectations are yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and Him only.
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God is a God of hope! Hope means to have a favourable and confident expectation.
Perhaps this is a time to examine whether we are confident in our expectations and hopes coming to pass. The deep issue is whether we trust the Lord, that He will come through for us, in His perfect timing. Our days are in His hands and we cannot or dare not try and make something happen because of our impatience. It is time to remember the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These fruits don’t come about by the quick fix, instantaneous demands of our perceived expectations, but rather over time, and that often means long periods of time. That is the test.
(Prophetic Article given 6 January 2011)