Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful. Let everyone know how gentle you are. The Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.

- Philippians 4:4-8

It has been said that, “our attitude controls our altitude.” When I was a teenager our church did not have many young people. One day I complained to my Daddy about it and he told me to pray that the Lord would send some young people to our church. Well, I did pray and I believed that this would happen. I would go to church and expect my prayer to be answered. Every week there was an excitement in my heart because I just knew that someone new would be there my age. We began to have young people come and the excitement grew. We ended up with a pretty large youth group!

If we have an attitude of expecting something to happen in our church services or small groups God will not let us down. With the attitude of expecting comes excitement, this excitement will rub off on others!  We will be so anxious to get to church and see what God is going to do each Sunday and He will not disappoint us.

 

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Today’s Thought

Father, may I have an attitude of expecting each time I enter your presence.

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Today’s Prayer

Lord, help me today to experience an attitude of expectation. I pray that I may come to church with an infectious excitement to worship.

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

- 2 Peter 1:3-4

I can still recall the anticipation of our first pregnancy! Pam and I had purposely waited almost 6 years before having children. The day the news came that she was pregnant, how proud I was! This set in motion a change that led us on a nine month journey of expectation of a promise. When the birth day finally came, and I held that 6 pounds of joy, my emotions overwhelmed me. Words were insufficient to express my love for my wife who struggled to bring this life into existence, but most of all to God, who delivered such a beautiful promise into our lives.

Yet, I continue to be amazed at God’s promises for our lives. He truly cares! All His “great and precious promises” will come to pass in our lives as we trust him.

 

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Today’s Thought

Each day presents an opportunity for God to fulfill a promise in our lives. Keep your eyes open and your heart prepared for opportunity today.

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Today’s Prayer

Our Father, we thank you for your love and your promises and know that in your time all these promises will be fulfilled. Renew me O Lord and keep my heart pure before you every day.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

- Galatians 6:9

Growing up my dad used to love using the story of Winston Churchill’s famous commencement speech from 1941 at Harrow School in his sermons where Churchill simply said: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in”. Now when my dad told the story he paraphrased it, saying: “Don’t give up! Don’t EVER give up!” He would always say it with such passion, yelling it actually like a war chant. It always got to me in a very powerful way. I have to believe that God is looking down on us when we’re at our breaking point, yelling, “Don’t give up! Don’t you EVER give up!” He says it, in a much lighter tone, through Paul in Galatians 6:9. God has promised us a harvest; that may be a harvest in our own lives, or in the lives of someone we’re praying for. Either way, you can expect that it’s coming.

I saw a great illustration of this recently. An animated picture of two men who had been digging for what looks like a long time. Both had made a tunnel in the ground. The man on the bottom is frustrated and walking away from his dig while the man on top is happily digging away. The man below was inches away from a pile of diamonds that the man on top will now get. A couple more swings of the pick axe and he would be knee deep in his reward. How many of us are a “couple of swings” away from being knee deep in the harvest God has promised us?

 

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Today’s Thought

So may you press on with the good work that you are doing even when you get weary. Your harvest is just inches away.

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Today’s Prayer

Lord, give us the strength to keep going when it feels like we can’t go anymore because we want to see your harvest in our lives. You never give up on us, so may we never give up on you.

Be very careful then how you live – not as unwise – but as wise; making the most of every opportunity.

- Ephesians 5:15-16

One of the great principles in life is that good opportunities are seldom labeled. Opportunities do not come down the sidewalk wearing a bright light blinking saying, “This is the opportunity of your life to do something good!”

In 1864 a civil engineer named John Clow volunteered with the American Bible Society to go to India as a missionary. With no Seminary training, he didn’t seem to be a good missionary candidate, but through persistence to God’s call, he was sent. Ten years after his arrival, India was devastated by a tremendous famine. Mr. Clow used his engineering abilities to supervise the digging of the Buckingham Canal, which put hundreds of thousands of Indians to work and helped feed their families. It also brought water to the areas which were stricken with drought and literally was able to heal the famine. The Indians who had refused the Gospel, saw the good Mr. Clow had done and they now responded to the Gospel by the thousands.

God sees the end from the beginning –we cannot! And, as we pursue the purposes of God, He always gets us in a position for an opportunity.

 

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Today’s Thought

Never underestimate the size of the opportunities that God sends your way – you never know where it may lead or what blessings can come from it.

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Today’s Prayer

Father, help me today to be aware of opportunities you are sending my away and help me to have a willing heart to do what I can to be a part of the solution – not part of the problem.

When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked.

- Isaiah 64:3

I know that in this verse God did great things, much more than what the people had even anticipated that He could or would do. There have been times in my life that my husband or I would lose our job and at first we wanted to panic but as we look back we see how God was moving us to a greater job or a greater position.

I know in life we go through seasons and it’s time for His blessings to be poured out among His people. He can do AWESOME things for you, for our church, our communities and our country. I believe that 2015 is going to be a year (a Season) of blessings.

 

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Today’s Thought

Just think back in your life and see how God has blessed you and know that this year is going to be a great year, so go into it with GREAT expectancy.

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Today’s Prayer

God, I am asking that this year will be a year filled with a great harvest of blessings. I’m not just talking about material things but spiritual blessings. I pray that families will be mended, healed and salvation will come to our friends and loved ones and that our churches will reach out to our communities and more lives will be changed for your kingdom.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him

- Isaiah 59:19

Every year on January 1^st we all make our resolutions and set our expectations for freedom from the trials we faced in the year past. Most of us become quickly disappointed by mid–January when our resolutions have failed and God hasn’t come through for us like we needed him to. I have had to ask myself this question, “Am I expecting God to move in my life this year or am I expecting the enemy to defeat me?”

Outwardly we make our proclamations that the enemy won’t defeat us but inwardly we believe that he will come in like that roaring lion to destroy us. Our expectancy for God to move quickly becomes overshadowed by our expectancy for the attack of the enemy. It is guaranteed in scripture that we will face attack but we can’t let that fear overcome us and ruin our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We can be assured, as God’s people, that the enemy will be met head on with that overcoming power of the Spirit.

No matter how many times we feel we’ve been defeated we must be confident in the fact that Christ has won every battle, even the ones we have yet to face. We must never let our faith and expectancy in the Almighty God be overpowered by our enemy.

 

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Today’s Thought

No matter how big your battle is today, remember that God has already won it for you, but it’s up to you to stand firm on that victory.

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Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that you would renew in me a spirit of expectancy for your work in my life. I pray that the enemy would be destroyed in my battle today and every day.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

- 1 Corinthians 1:25

Growing up and playing sports, I developed this “must win” mindset. No matter what I played, if we didn’t win I would develop the foulest attitude toward everything in life. As I look back at those times, I realized that my losses should have never been considered losses, nor my “missteps” in life be considered failures. It was all about what lessons could be learned from each loss or “misstep” that took place in my life. My own prideful expectation of how I thought things should go, at many times, kept me from missing God’s great handiwork in the game of life.

 

What “loss” is God trying to tell you is a “win?” Maybe you competed this weekend and got beat. Maybe you “lost” in some other area of life and are wondering: “where is God?” Well, the truth is that He’s right there, blessing your socks off. Who are we, to declare what is good and bad in our lives? Are we God? We have no idea what He wants to do with the results of our efforts. All we can do is give it our best shot and then thank Him for being faithful through it all. We have to approach life without expectations of what good things we think we deserve. Instead, trust the only One who sees the whole picture and has promised good things to those who love Him.

 

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Today’s Thought

What “defeat” are you wrestling with right now? What were your expectations going into this trial? Take away those expectations and ask God what He wants from this time. Ask Him to bring about His victory.

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Today’s Prayer

God, thank you for your patience with me. I pray that the expectations I have for myself, become yours and not my own.

Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

- Habakkuk 2:3

Year after year Simeon, a good man who lived in prayerful expectancy and Anna a prophetess and a devout widow for eighty-four years stayed near the temple with prayer and fasting. Both Simeon and Anna expected to see God’s Messiah at anytime when a child was brought for the rituals of the Law but for years they had been disappointed.

Then, when Jesus was eight days old, Mary and Joseph brought him and presented him to Simeon. He took him in his arms and blessed God, “God, you can no release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation. Anna praised God and talked about the Child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:25-39).

If God has given you a promise, earnestly wait for it. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.

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Today’s Thought

Never give up on God’s promise even if many days pass before it comes. God is always faithful.

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Today’s Prayer

God grant me the strength to live in prayerful expectancy while waiting for the fulfillment of your word.

Be sober , be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about , seeking whom he may devour

- 1 Peter 5:8

Last year my son began the sport of wrestling. All I knew about wrestling was that the boys wear this little “leotard-looking costume.” After watching some of the matches, I found that you have to be extremely strong and very methodical in your approach. First, you must have a game plan when walking onto the mat. Second, you have to be ready with a counter move to react to whatever your opponent does. Lastly, you have to have the strength and determination to get out of whatever hold your opponent puts you in. The same is true in our Christian walk.

We all know that living a Christian life is full of great rewards but it is also full of many trials and temptations. I have learned that the closer I get to God the more “stuff” comes my way; stuff, like hardship, temptation, trials, and burdens. God clearly gives us the game plan for any struggle the enemy may throw your way.

1. Be alert. Be aware of where God is in your life and priorities. Always make His will your first priority. God wins in the end. No matter what the enemy throws our way.

2.Be vigilant. We must have a “never give up” attitude. You have the power to RENOUNCE the enemy’s control over you. You have God’s word to trample serpents and defeat giants!

 

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Today’s Thought

There is no doubt that Satan is waging war against God’s people. My question to you today is: How bad do you want victory? Are you ready to fight the fight? Are you strong enough to stand up to the attacks of the enemy? Remember, we win!

 

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Today’s Prayer

Lord, I am so thankful that you have made us more than you. conquers. I ask you to help us remember the strength we have in Help us to focus on the task at hand and finish strong.

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, EXPECTING to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

- Acts 3:2-7

This scripture is probably one of the most remembered scriptures about expectation. Mark 11:24, tells us “Whatever we ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” If our faith is in God, when we ask we will receive because we expect Him to honor our request.

Many times when I am in prayer I speak to God the scriptures where He reminds us to put our total confidence in Him.

We have just gone through the Christmas season; a time when our children or grandchildren tell us their gift list. Once a child makes that list they begin expecting to receive what they ask for. If we could have the faith of a child we probably would not be able to contain the many great things He will do for us. Just as that child has a look in their eyes of wonderment during Christmas, we too could look at our Heavenly Father with those eyes because when we ask He will do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we could think or imagine.

 

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Today’s Thought

May we never get to the place that we lose the joy of expectation.

 

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Today’s Prayer

Father, may I never lose the innocence of a child to believe that whatever I ask I will receive