WEBVTT - Expectation 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.680 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.440 We enjoy spending this time with you, and I hope 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:38.400 you'll leave inspired. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.600 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.960 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:46.640 Enjoy our son Jonathan. 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:59.280 Today tonight, I want to talk about expectation, whether we 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.240 know it or not, We're all expecting something. When we 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:04.880 turn the key, we expect the car to start. When 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.080 the clouds darken, we expect it to rain. When our 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.840 team's up forty points, we expect to win the game. 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.960 The question is not if we're expecting, but what are 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:18.360 we expecting? Are we expecting the right things? Are we 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:22.360 expecting enough? The Bible shows us that God meets us 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:25.679 at the level of our expectation. When we wake up 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:29.160 expecting to have a great day, God meets us right there. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:33.480 When we expect opportunity, he opens doors. When we expect 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:35.880 to meet the right people, he brings them across our 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.240 paths Wherever our level of expectation is. That's where we're 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:43.919 asking God to meet us. That's the extent we're allowing 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:46.400 him to move in our lives. He wants to do 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:48.880 something amazing, but we got to give him some room 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:52.880 to work. We got to expect the miracle, expect the breakthrough, 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:57.120 expect our dreams to come to pass. Sometimes we find 0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:00.840 ourselves expecting the very things we don't want. We expect 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.240 the relationship not to last. We expect that we won't 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:07.600 get the job or the position. We expect to struggle 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:11.120 with addiction. When God's saying I want the best for you, 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.919 why are you expecting the worst? Maybe we think if 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:17.920 I don't expect much, then I won't be disappointed. The 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:21.400 truth is, if you don't expect much, you'll miss your destiny. 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:24.120 If we're going to become all that God's created us 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:27.960 to be, we have to learn to expect on his level. 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:31.880 We have to take a step beyond what's familiar, beyond 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.200 the ordinary, into what only He can do. This is 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:39.720 a time to redefine our expectations. If we don't set them, 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:43.400 then people and circumstances will set them for us. I've 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.200 heard it said things just keep getting worse. This is 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.200 just the way the world's headed. That kind of talk 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:53.400 has created such a negative outlook in our generation. We've 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:57.560 been told twenty seventeen was bad, twenty eighteen made it worse, 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.760 and now it's all downhill from here about you. But 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:04.640 I'm done letting anyone other than God tell me what's next. 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.480 Let's stir our expectation in twenty nineteen. Let's believe for 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:12.240 our best year yet. Let's believe this is the year 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.480 we see our family restored, this is the year we 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:19.039 are set free. This is the year we take new ground. 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:24.680 It's not just positive thinking. Expectation is our faith being released. 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:26.919 It's a force that can move mountains. 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:29.760 Part sees bring the dead to life. 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:35.760 If our expectations don't seem impossible, if our dreams aren't intimidating, 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:40.200 if what we're believing for is anything less than extraordinary, 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:44.880 then it doesn't take faith. We're talking about God size expectation. 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:48.480 The kind of expectation that says, I'll pay this car 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.240 off in half the time and be able to give 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:54.760 it away. The kind of expectation that says, right now, 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.760 I'm working for this company, but one day I'm gonna 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.840 own it. The kind of expectation and that says I 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.080 will be healed, I will be set free despite what 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:08.200 the situation looks like. Maybe you're thinking that sounds awesome, 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.240 but you also sound crazy. Then we're off to a 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.720 good start. Let's get our hopes up. I imagine God 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:18.159 looks at that level of expectation with a smile and says, 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:21.960 I'll meet you there. Finally she's getting a glimpse of 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:25.800 who I am. Finally he's scratching the surface of what 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:30.080 I have in store. Isaiah thirty eighteen says God is 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:33.920 longing to be good to those who expect and look 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:37.760 for his goodness. My question is what are you looking for? 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:41.320 What are you expecting? Are you looking for what could 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:45.359 go wrong? Are you expecting more of the same, or 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:48.839 are you looking for God's favor? Expecting him to show 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:51.960 up this year? He's longing to be good to people 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:56.320 like that. Let's raise our level of expectation. In twenty nineteen, 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:00.440 there are hundreds of people gathered around one man, A 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:03.040 man they said could make the blind see in the 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:06.320 lame walk, a man who could touch a leper and 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:09.360 cause him to be healed. The whole city had come 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.400 to get a glimpse of this man, Jesus. As he 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.719 made his waist through the streets, the people pushed and shouted, 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:18.359 trying to get as close as they could. In the 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:21.240 midst of all that chaos, a woman pressed through the 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.760 crowd with one thought in her mind. If I can 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:27.600 touch him, I'll be healed. This woman had suffered for 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:31.000 twelve years with chronic bleeding. It took all the strength 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.800 she had just to be there that day. With every 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.039 step she took, she said it again, I will be healed. 0:06:37.440 --> 0:06:40.560 When she could finally see him, she reached out and 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:45.120 touched his robe, knowing full well what was about to happen. Suddenly, 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:49.160 Jesus stopped and asked, who touched my robe? The disciples 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.040 probably thought, here we go again. Why does he always 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:55.599 ask these kind of questions. Jesus, everyone's touching you. There's 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:58.880 hundreds of people here. He said, no, this was different. 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:00.240 Who was it? 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.520 When she realized she couldn't hide any longer, the woman 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:06.440 stepped forward, hung her head and said it was me. 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:10.400 Jesus looked at her with a smile, lifted her head 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:11.600 and said, you took a risk. 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:15.239 Now you're healed and whole, Go and live well. 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.920 Dozens of people brushed up against Jesus that day. The 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:24.440 woman who reached out in expectation received a miracle. 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:26.200 Where are we in that crowd. 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:29.680 Are we brushing up against him just hoping something happens, 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:33.840 or are we like the woman who reached out expecting. 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:34.040 To be healed. 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:36.960 There are a lot of people with needs that day. 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:39.720 The fact that they were even there shows us that 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:43.160 they believed what they had heard about Jesus. But there's 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:47.840 a difference between believing and expecting. The others said God, 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:51.080 I know you can. This woman said, God, I know 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.160 you will. If we want to see the power of 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:56.760 God in our lives, we need to go from believing 0:07:57.080 --> 0:08:01.040 to expecting. Many of us believe God can do great things. 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:04.400 We know it's possible with him, but we don't expect 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:07.120 that it will happen to us. We don't make room 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:11.000 for him to work. When we live expectantly, it gets 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:15.640 God's attention when we wake up each day expecting to overcome, 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.720 expecting to be debt free, expecting to be a greater blessing. 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.040 Heaven sees that, and the angels go to work. 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.239 They get that miracle, that breakthrough down off the shelf 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.680 and put it in one of those brown Amazon boxes 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:33.960 with your name on it. They're like, finally someone is 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:37.560 expecting a delivery. We've got warehouses full of this stuff 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:41.040 up here. Why don't we throw in a few extra blessings. 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:45.040 Send the joy, send the strength, send the opportunity. God 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.679 is longing to be good to us. Let's not keep 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:51.800 them waiting because we're not expecting. The Bible says she 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:55.280 kept saying to herself, I will be healed. She didn't 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:58.120 just say it once, she said it over and over. 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:02.960 I will be healed, will be restored, I will overcome. 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:06.480 She was releasing her face, and it started with what 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.360 she said to herself. It started with her thoughts in 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.240 the same way. We can't go around thinking I'll never 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:15.640 get any better. This is as good as I get. 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:19.200 There's nothing good in my future. Doubt and fear may come, 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.320 But like that woman, we have to speak up and 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.679 keep saying to ourself. I will succeed, I will be free. 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:28.960 The best is yet to come. Don't just say it once, 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.440 say it until you're convinced. This is our year to 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:35.840 expect great things. This is our year to dream again, 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.480 to see God do something new. We can talk ourselves 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:41.959 out of the miracle, or like she did, we can 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:45.440 talk ourselves into it. Let's set our thoughts in the 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:50.040 right direction. In twenty nineteen, the difference between believing and 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.920 expecting is that two people can be in the same 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.720 place at the same time, doing the same thing and 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:57.679 have entirely different experiences. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.480 Some of the people there that day we're. 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:03.640 At the right place at the right time, and even 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.760 came into physical contact with Jesus, but miss the miracle. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.720 Why there was no expectation. 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:14.720 How many times have we bumped up against Jesus thinking 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:17.320 he doesn't have anything for me. I don't want to 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:20.360 bother him. The good news is tonight. We're in the 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.240 right place at the right time, and God saying, will 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.080 you just reach out? I want to be good to you. 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:30.120 Are we coming on Sunday night expecting to hear from God? 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:33.040 Or are we waiting for the songs or the speaker 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:36.160 to determine what kind of experience we have. We should 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:40.679 come expecting God to show up. We should come expecting 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.800 to make new friends. We should come expecting to be 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:47.319 refreshed and renewed. When we approach life like that, we'll 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:50.960 stop brushing up against Jesus and start reaching out for him. 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.480 He's not going to pass us by. We're not going 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:56.320 to miss what he has for us. We're determined to 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.440 become all that He's created us to be. When a 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.400 couple is believing for a baby, it's one thing they 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:04.840 may believe for a few months or a few years 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:09.600 before anything happens. But when the woman becomes pregnant, everything changes. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:12.880 And I'm not about to assume what that's like, but 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:15.840 I do know it's a whole new attitude. It changes 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.800 the way they talk, the way they think. It's no 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:22.960 longer if it's when they start getting ready for what's 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:27.040 about to happen. They buy toys and clothes, they read books, 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:29.960 they get a crib, they start making a list of names. 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:34.920 Now they're expecting when that baby finally arrives, they've prepared 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.640 for it. That's how we should expect, not if, but 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:42.720 when when I get promoted, when I get healed, when 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:46.880 my family is restored. Start getting ready for what God 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.400 is about to do. Let's get a vision for what 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:52.800 we're expecting. Take a tour of that campus, meet some 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.120 people there, go to that open house. 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:55.520 They don't know. 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:58.760 You can't afford it right now. Maybe you're single, you 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:02.040 can plan your wedding annivers or if you're in the hospital, 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.679 have someone bring your running shoes and keep them by 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:05.120 your bed. 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:06.800 That's what my grandfather did. 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:09.319 You might not be able to use them right now, 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:11.680 but every time you look at them, you can say, 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:13.000 I will run again. 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:14.280 You're expecting. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:18.240 At first, when there's no sign of a baby, the 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:20.440 couple doesn't say, you know what, it's been a month 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:24.640 and I haven't seen anything. I don't think we're expecting anymore. No, 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.160 they don't need to see it, they don't even need 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:29.320 to feel it. They got a report from the doctor 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:31.959 that says a baby is on the way. That's all 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:33.960 they need to start making preparations. 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:34.800 If we can. 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:38.520 Expect what a doctor says, surely we can expect what 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:42.840 God says. There was a couple that lived in a 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.800 tiny apartment and they were happy, but they knew God 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.760 had bigger plans. So they bought this couch that was 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.360 way too big for their living room. It was pushed 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:53.080 all the way up against the wall and they still 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.920 had to turn sideways just to get by. Whenever people 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.280 came over, they would say, I'm sorry, you'll have to 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:00.920 excuse our couch. We bought it for our new house. 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:04.840 When asked where they were moving, the couple always replied, 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.520 we don't know yet. We just know we're not staying here. 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.320 Some people thought that was crazy, but these people just 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.520 knew God had better things in store. They were getting 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.920 ready for it. Three years went by and those same 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.160 people would ask when are you moving? The couple would 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.360 always say soon. They didn't let it bother them. They 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.080 never thought, maybe we should have just bought a smaller couch. 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:28.080 This is ridiculous. 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.080 No, they kept expecting until one day they were offered 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:36.040 this huge promotion. It was an amazing opportunity. And do 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.560 you know where that couch is now? It's not in 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:41.800 their new house. They bought other furniture. They gave that 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:45.520 couch to another couple that's expecting their dream home. We 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:50.280 can't overestimate God. He always meets us at the level 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:53.560 of our expectation. Take the limits off, don't let it 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.600 be so low he can't fit anything there. Start getting 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.400 ready for what God's about to do. Make some room 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.720 for him to work. We don't have to buy a 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:04.840 really big couch, But what can we do to show 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:08.880 God that we're expecting. Let's say what that couple did soon? 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.880 When is that problem going to turn around soon? When 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.760 are you getting out of debt soon? When is that 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:19.400 door going to open soon? Say it by face, Say 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:23.040 it with expectancy, and watch how God meets us there. 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:25.720 Have you ever told a five year old something and 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:29.040 then almost wished you hadn't because they never ever forgot it. 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:33.200 I have some friends of mine have a little boy 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:35.200 that's about five years old, and one day he was 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.040 playing with some legos that I have. He's flying this 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.440 ship around making the sound effects. It keeps falling apart. 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:43.920 I'm trying to put it back together. But he doesn't care. 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:48.480 He's loving life. You've never seen happiness like this. So 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.120 in the spur of the moment, I say, hey, I'll 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.240 get you some of these legos. I meant for his 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:57.600 birthday or for Christmas. I didn't mean I get them. 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:01.400 In like fifteen minutes, I said that. It was all 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:04.240 he could talk about. He kept asking, Jo, did you 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.360 get my legos yet? I said, it's been three minutes. 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.360 I've been right here the whole time. How would I 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:12.240 have gotten your legos? The next time I saw him, 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:14.720 he didn't say hi, He didn't give me a hug. 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:17.200 The first words out of his mouth were, did you 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:20.440 get my legos? I would get calls from his parents' 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:22.880 phone throughout the week, and when I answered, this little 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:24.040 voice on the other end. 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.560 Would ask me about legos. I could not escape it. 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.400 But he wasn't being rude, he wasn't being unfriendly, he 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:34.400 wasn't even demanding. He just knew if I told him 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:37.960 I'd get him legos, I would. He believed me enough 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:40.720 to expect it. The thought that he wasn't going to 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:43.760 get legos never crossed his mind. He might not have 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:47.680 known when, but he never doubted I even overheard him 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.440 telling other people I was going to get him legos. 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.400 It wasn't his birthday, it wasn't Christmas. But I finally 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:56.600 got him those legos, and I think I was even 0:15:56.680 --> 0:15:59.360 happier than he was now that he had stopped asking. 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.280 Isn't that what we should expect from God, that if 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:08.160 he said he'd do something, he'd do it. That's childlike expectation. 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:11.960 When we take God at his word, we hold on 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.920 to the promise. We can't help but tell other people. 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.800 This little boy didn't ask if I could afford it. 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.560 He didn't try to give me directions to the store 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.560 or check if it was in stock. And the same way, 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.280 we don't have to figure it out for God. We 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.520 don't have to tell him how to do it. We 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.040 don't have to have a step by step plan with 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:36.000 our expectation. The Bible says, ask and keep asking, expect 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:39.880 and keep expecting. God knows what he's saying, He meant 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:43.000 what he said. If there's no way he can make one, 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:45.560 sometimes it feels like if we can't figure it out, 0:16:45.560 --> 0:16:49.880 then God probably can't either. We think expectation sounds great, 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.840 but let's be realistic. There's not enough time. This stet 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.240 is too great. I've had this addiction too long. No, 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:01.600 God didn't say ask, but keep it real, realistic, expect, 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:03.000 but don't get carried away. 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:04.800 He created reality. 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:08.399 He gets to decide what's realistic, and he says we 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:12.000 can do all things through his strengths. He says we 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.880 are free, equip talented. He calls us his children. Why 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:18.720 don't we expect like kids? 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:20.879 Again? God is a good father. 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.199 He's longing to be good to us. Let's not keep 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:26.879 him waiting because we're not expecting. We don't have to 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.560 beg We don't have to figure it out. We can 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.359 trust because he's faithful. And if he said he'd do it, 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.919 then we can praise him like it's already done. In 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:39.960 Psalm five, David writes, each morning, I bring my request 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:44.560 to you and wait expectantly. He didn't pray and then 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:48.280 get discouraged. He didn't ask God and then become complacent. 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:53.680 David waited expectantly, and the time before our prayers are answered, 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:56.639 the moment's leading up to the promise. There's always a 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.720 period of waiting. The question is are we waiting the 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:03.240 right way? When we wait expectantly, we wake up saying, 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:06.080 this could be the day I get the call, This 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:09.240 could be the day the situation turns around. We have 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.800 anticipation in our spirit. We might not see it yet, 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:15.240 but we talk like it's on the way. We act 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:18.440 like it's going to happen. We're not just waiting, we're 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.639 releasing our faith. We see this all throughout David's life. 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:26.119 He said things like, surely goodness and mercy will follow 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:27.280 me on my days. 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:31.480 He wasn't just hoping that happened. David was convinced. 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:34.240 He expected it, and this is one of the reasons 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:37.159 God called him a man after his own heart. He 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:41.160 had great expectation. When David wrote some of these things. 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:43.400 He wasn't the king of Israel. He was a man 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.760 on the run. The current king wanted him dead. Yet 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.639 he still said, I am confident I will see God's 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:52.119 goodness in the land of the living. He knew it 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:54.600 was only a matter of time before God delivered him, 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:58.720 and until then he was going to wait expectantly. True 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:03.840 waiting is not past, it's actively expecting. We're not thinking 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:06.360 this is never gonna work out. I should just learn 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:10.680 to live with this problem. Like David, we pray, believe 0:19:10.800 --> 0:19:14.040 and then start looking for the answer. We can say 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:17.679 things like, surely his blessings will chase me down. I 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:20.400 am confident God is going to show up. It could 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:22.680 be a work, it could be a school. I could 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:26.280 get a call whenever wherever I'm on the lookout for 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:30.600 God's goodness. The Bible in the Book of James encourages 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:34.359 us to wait for God's promises like a farmer waits 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:35.120 for the harvest. 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:36.600 Think about that. 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:40.040 A farmer doesn't plant his crops and spend the next 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:43.680 six months worried. He doesn't stress when he can't see 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:47.200 the seed. He doesn't kick back and do nothing until springtime. 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:52.240 He's actively expected. He waters the seed, takes care of 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.239 the soil, pulls up the weeds. On top of that, 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:59.280 he's making preparations for the harvest to come. He's getting 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:02.600 ready for what it's about to happen. Like a farmer, 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:05.840 we don't have to live anxious and worried while we 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:09.320 wait for the promise. We know it's not if it's 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:12.040 when God has us in the palm of his hand, 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:15.920 He'll never leave us or forsake us. He promised to 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:19.640 keep us in perfect peace. We don't have to stress 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:23.160 when the seed's underground. When we don't see anything happening, 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:25.320 we know God is at work behind the scenes. 0:20:25.640 --> 0:20:28.480 He's still in control. He'll do what he said. 0:20:28.800 --> 0:20:31.640 When doubt and fears come pull him up like their weeds, 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:34.199 Let's just let them know that the harvest is on 0:20:34.320 --> 0:20:38.720 the way. We're not waiting anxiously, We're waiting expectantly. It's 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:42.959 an active position of faith. A farmer isn't complacent. He 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:46.160 cultivates what he's expecting and God causes it to grow. 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:49.359 It's our job to do the same while we wait. 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:51.800 Let's thank God for what he's done in the past. 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:54.280 Let's praise him for what he's going to do in 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:58.040 the future. Keep saying to yourself, the promise is coming. 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:01.600 Don't give into negative thoughts. Stand on God's word and 0:21:01.640 --> 0:21:04.960 start getting ready for it, making room for what is 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:08.359 about to happen. Let's worship while we wait. When we 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:11.199 do what we can, God does the things we can't. 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:14.600 He brings the healing, he brings the favor, he brings 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:19.040 the deliverance. He's faithful to his promise. The Bible says, 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:22.719 while we wait, God gives us strength. He causes us 0:21:22.720 --> 0:21:26.439 to soar like eagles. We may still face challenges, but 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:30.240