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Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Expectation and Hope



 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

—Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

 

 

What kind of expectations do you have? Are they positive filled with hope and faith, or are they negative filled with worry and fear? What you expect is what you are looking for. Faith doesn’t spring from negative expectations. It doesn’t thrive from a pessimistic outlook on life. If you have a negative attitude, you have no hope. And without hope, you can’t have faith. Faith is the reality of what you hope for. It is the evidence—the proof—of things not seen.

 

Your expectations come from how you were raised—from how things have gone in your life or the way they may go in the future—from the information you receive. Expectations are built on what you have been taught about God and His Word. They form your attitude and what you hope for in life, and what you believe. Many don’t realize that your expectations and attitude about life are formidable weapons to receive healing.  

 

If you believe you will always be sick, then that is your negative expectation. You see yourself as a sick person struggling to be well—waiting for symptoms and worrying about the next thing that will happen. If you have a negative attitude and are healed of something, you won’t be healed for very long. Negativity is the atmosphere for sickness to flourish. Pessimism produces unbelief.

 

Positivity is the breeding ground for optimism and hope. With hope, you expect good things to come. You have a vision of them, and that vision is the reality you have placed in your mind. If you believe that God wants you well, then you see yourself as a healthy person fighting off sickness that comes against you. You don’t dwell on the symptoms. You dwell on the promise of God’s Word that Jesus has already healed you. You are changed in your mind by the Holy Spirit, guiding you into God’s Truth. Healing takes place in your mind and heart long before it takes place in your body.

 

The disciples concluded that five loaves and two fishes couldn’t feed a multitude. Their conclusion came from their natural experience and became their expectation. Yet, Jesus took those five loaves and two fishes, and with a different expectation and vision, everyone received bread and fish to eat. Faith is the reality of what we hope for. It is the absolute proof of what we don’t see.

 

“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” (Romans 15:13, NKLV). Your attitude and expectations come from somewhere. When you believe, the God of all hope fills you with joy and peace. Your hope stirs and you begin to believe in what others have told you is impossible. You expect and believe that nothing is impossible with God!

 

 

©2020 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2020/12/expectation-and-hope.html

 

 

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