Expectation I: Hold on to Your Confidence

Expectation: Hold on to your Confidence
Isaiah 36:4-5; Hebrews 10:35; 2 Kings 2:9

We are living in the last days. Experts on Bible prophecy are watching closely peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. A peace between the two parties could mark a significant point in end time prophecy.  Non faith experts are also concerned with world developments and recently the Doomsday clock  that is an indicator of the vulnerability of the world to some catastrophe such as from climatic change or nuclear weapons, have moved the clock to five minutes to midnight. Midnight being an imagery of the end. In the past many have predicted dates of the end and have been wrong. Time is coming when false predictors will be wrong for the last time.  Those without Christ are expecting doom but we are not afraid. We are positively expectant. We look forward to the coming back of our Lord Jesus and to us joining with him to reign.

In Isaiah 36:4-5 Senachrib’s servant kept asking, ‘What is the source of your confidence?’ Our hope is pinned in the character and ability of God. To have hope you have to have confidence in something. Faith is confidence in something.  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward (Heb 10:35, 1 John 3:21; 5:14; 2:28).  Hope is a positive expectation. It is anticipation something good will happen. In our lives and even when we gather lets expect God to work. Lets expect the Lord to be evidently present and people getting saved, healed and filled with the Holy Ghost.  Expectation precedes everything else in faith dynamics (Hebrew 11: 1-2).

Expectation founded on a credible basis  gives hope. God can be trusted. He is able and faithful to fulfill his word. He has the ability to occupy, defend and develop. Expectation without credible basis is deception, ignorance or madness. When  a credible  basis such as our God is not matched with high enough expectation,  it becomes a case of  lost opportunity.  May you not be guilty of this sin.

A challenge often encountered is one of crisis of expectation. That happens when the actual constantly falls short of expectations resulting in loss of confidence. Why are many in crisis of expectation? One reason is that the expectations match God’s ability but the inner/spirit man is too weak to deliver (Isaiah 37:3). Its like a child crying to  lift a 100kg weight because the father has such a weight. But because the child is small they can not lift the weight even if granted. God has given his grace lavishly. The limitation is our faith or the capacity of  the spirit man to handle his grace.  God in us works to the size of our spirit man. A large tree in a pot will not grow big. The territory has been provided for  you. Now you need to ask God to enlarge you for the territory. You can not remain a spiritual baby and expect great things (Heb 5:12). You need spiritual muscle and stamina. You  need spiritual rank that comes from disciplines such as meditating on God’s word, praying and fasting.  Allow the small challenges you face to build your spirit man as you respond in faith. Enlarge your spirit or develop the muscles of the spirit so you can handle the greater things of God. The greater  the works you expect from God the greater the work God wants to do in you. A tall building requires a deep foundation. The foundation of the future you expect is being dug in you. Often we want God, circumstance etc to change in our favour but everything hinges on you changing to God’s likeness.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

Ground and First Floors Sunset Bay Building,

204B Bram Fischer drive,

Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa