Expectations!

Every one of us has been disappointed or has our expectations crushed. Sometimes it is because we let lust or selfish agendas and desires dictate our request. These wrong expectations cloud our vision for God’s expectations. If God grants our selfish agendas, it can bring a leanness to your soul. This means you won’t be satisfied. It is like eating a cracker when you want a brownie! Israel wanted a king. They couldn’t wait for God’s timing to give them a king, so they ended up with a Saul instead of David. This delayed David being king for around fifteen years.

Our expectations are linked with our desires. Expectation is defined as a strong belief that something will happen. It is tied to your will and experiences. Desire is a strong feeling of wanting something. It has a stronger emotional tie that could be linked to your flesh. An example of this is my desire for weight loss and health are overwritten by my desire for comfort and taste for the wrong foods. I can use my will power but if I don’t lose weight my expectations or loss of vision causes me to quit pushing forward.

Moving Beyond Our Own Expectations!

Psalms 37:4 states “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we give God our expectations and desires and ask God to align them with His desires, we will be surprised at the outcome. Our expectations limits God! We can miss what God is doing right now in our lives. The apostles saw Jesus multiply food two times and yet apostles still didn’t understand the miracle. Jesus rebuked them for their dull hearing.

An example of misplaced expectations is the Christmas I received a bike. I wanted a banana bike which was very plain, low riding, and had a long seat. Instead, I got a beautiful bike with a horn, headlights, and big wheels. I was so disappointed! Now when I look back at that Christmas, I realize how much money my parents spent on that bike. It was beautiful but I couldn’t see it because it wasn’t what my friends had. Our expectations can blind us to God’s blessings!

To move beyond our own expectations, we need to ask God to reveal His desires. He may only reveal one step, but it opens a supernatural walk with God’s provision. Proverbs 3:3-5 NIV “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” God’s word reveals His heart’s desire. Jesus died to give us abundant life. And the Holy Spirit, empowers us, corrects us, and teaches us the to see God’s path to that abundant life.

Others’ Expectations.

Another thing that will cloud or mislead our expectations is other people’s expectations. Parents can do this with their children by wanting them to go into the family business. A teacher has a child with great potential and pushes them too hard so they can’t develop other gifts in their life. I remember going to a Kenneth Hagin meeting in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He had a teaching and healing ministry. He was up on the stage teaching a subject that wasn’t his normal venue. He stopped right in the middle of preaching and said, “Stop pulling on me. I am teaching what God wants me to preach. Not what you want to hear.” That is when I learned other people’s expectations and desires can affect your decisions.

I have learned to not let other people’s expectations or my own expectations and desires cloud my vision to see God’s hand working in my life. A life submitted to God’s will allows God moments each day that will surprise you. With all the negative in the world, we need to be able to see God working in our lives. Ask Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see God’s blessings along your path.

Prayer

Somehow Lord, I need Your desires to be greater than my desires and expectation. I need You to help override my old habits, expectations, and desires and align them with Your goals for my life. I am willing for You to change me. I choose to follow you, Jesus, as I allow Holy Spirit to guide me to God’s best path.

Scriptures

James 4:1-3, Psalms 106:15, 1 Samuel 10:1-11 & 2 Samuel 5, Mark 6:5044 & 51-52, and John 10:10.