Children, unlike adults dare to dream and expect the impossible. They dream big with no hesitation and expect nothing to stand in their way. As adults, life struggles some how find a way of taking the wind out of our sail. A four-year-old child taught me this valuable lesson as we read a Bible Story.  This particular story was about faith, praying and believing God would answer. So we paused and I asked her what did she want God to do for her? I thought, isn’t this awesome, I’m teaching her about prayer.  Ha, little did I know I was the one getting the lesson.  She simply said I want some new dresses.  This young lady, already in full princess mode, only desired to expand her collection.  So we prayed and after we prayed she said, “Ok when is God going to bring them?”  She proceeded to look out the window in anticipation.  I thought how sweet and proceeded to explain that sometimes we have to wait.  Now of course my answer came from my adult experience and perspective. Later on that day I shared the story with her mother and, to my surprise, discovered someone had donated a bag full of dresses to this princess. God had heard and answered her prayer. I learned a lot from this little princess that day.  Childlike faith coupled with expectation produces.

The experience reminded me of Matthew 15: 21-28 where a woman was desperate for her daughter’s deliverance.  Jesus’ response was to inform her he was not called to her people group only the children of Israel, which she was not. I can imagine how her heart must have sank at first but she continues to plead her case.  In her efforts she says to him, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table.” In other words, she was saying, “I may not deserve or even be a rightful recipient of your goodness but have mercy on me, just a crumb of your goodness will be enough to deliver my daughter.”  She believed beyond written rules that were rightfully established during that time.  Jesus, himself, told her he could not help her but her persistence demonstrated great faith and he responded with, “Woman you have great faith!” “Your request is granted.”  Her daughter was instantly healed.

I want you to see something here.  She did not deserve nor was she a rightful recipient of what she was asking.  In all honesty she simply had no right to even ask him yet his response is, “ You have great faith, your request is granted.”  So many times we let our desires die because we don’t believe we deserve them. So we let go, walk away and say God didn’t want us to have it.  It’s almost like a strange way of punishing ourselves.  This scripture proves that obtaining things are not about whether you deserve them.   1 John 15:14-15 tells us that we can have whatever we ask according to God’s will but I believe that some times we don’t understand just how much God loves us and what his will and desire is for us.  Instead we create a list of qualifications based on worldly standards.(Romans 12:2)  We must always remember Isaiah 55:8  “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” “My ways are not your ways.”

Somehow, instead of faith partnered with expectation, years of disappointments cloud our judgment. Years of fighting, failure, and the enemy bombarding your mind with thoughts that God has forgotten you and outright failed you have lowered your belief in God.  What has happened is what Proverbs 13:12 states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”  You have simply hoped for so long with no answer that you subtly no longer believe. Now the devil has you right where he wants you.  His elaborate scheme has worked.  You see, he cannot stop your blessing from coming but he can delay it or cause you to forfeit it through disbelief.  You simply have moved into a state of hopelessness believing you have been forgotten and that God is not capable of providing.

Job 3:25 quotes Job saying that which he feared and dreaded has happened. Although Job was an upright man who feared God and shunned evil his secret is let out in this verse.  Job for some reason feared losing everything and it is the very thing that happened.  The enemy tries to set us up the same way.  Instead of having expectations that God will come through for us we are lulled into an unconscious fear that over time the very thing we fear will happen.  So I say today, exam your heart and your thoughts. Where do you feel defeated and hopeless?  Where is it you have lost all positive expectations and settled for mediocrity?  Repent, and begin again. Strengthen yourself in the word and speak positive declarations of who God is and what you expect him to do.  Believe again… (Philippians 4:13, I John 4:4, Revelations 12:11, Proverbs 23:7, Galatians 6:9, Deuteronomy 9:6)

Author:  Petrina Milan    

eyesofanovercomer@gmail.com

Facebook:  @eyesofanovercomer

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Twitter:  @petrina_milan

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