Expecting Hope

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

—Proverbs 13:12, NKJV

 

 

All of us have expectations in life. Some expectations are spoken and some aren’t. Whether spoken or not—conscious or subconscious, our expectations form our lives. An expectation can be described as strong anticipation, and it can be either positive or negative. Hope is a resilient and positive expectation of good. Without hope, the heart becomes sick with despair. But with hope, faith rises from deep within and brings forth life.

 

We are either positive in our outlook or negative. Some people expect to never have enough money, to always fail, to have problems, or never be well. And some of these same people declare that they are believing God for their promise. But a negative outlook keeps them from exercising their faith to believe. Your views of life, of God, and of yourself are always found in your expectations. And your expectations will either kill your faith or encourage it. You cannot believe the promises of God at the same time you are expecting a life of failure and defeat. 

 

If faith is the substance of hope (Hebrews 11:1) and hope is strong anticipation of something good, then it is impossible to believe the truth of God’s promises when you live with negative expectations. If your expectations in life are negative, faith has no fertile soil to take root in your heart and grow. This is why what you think in your heart is so important. As you think you are in your heart, you are (Proverbs 23:7). A negative outlook is death to faith. A positive outlook is the heart of Holy Spirit faith.

 

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34b-35, NKJV).

 

What you speak comes out of the abundance of your heart—either that which offers no hope or that which gives life. When you are negative in your expectations, your heart overflows with things that speak fear and despair. When you are positive and believing God, you are full of hope and good expectations. 

 

Hopeful expectations are powerful when the Word of God is believed in your heart. Without knowing who you are in Christ, you cannot have hope in the promises Christ has given you. God has given you victory in Christ. You realize His victory when you believe His promises are true. 

 

Come against the negative expectations that steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Be renewed by the Word (Ephesians 4:23). Put on the hope Christ gives (Ephesians 4:24). Let it flourish in your heart and change your perspective. The hope Christ places in your heart brings forth life. 

 

Your promise is fulfilled in Christ. When you believe that Christ is the fulfillment—the completion—the beginning and the end—of everything you have ever desired or needed, you know you have received life! His promises are yours, and they are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

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