EXPECTATION, THE EIGHT PRINCIPLE TO RECEIVING YOUR BREAKTHROUGH!

One of the reasons why many people do not experience breakthroughs in their lives is because they have no expectation that what they are believing God for will surely come to pass.

God is bigger than your problem. He is greater than all the problems on this earth put together. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Yes, God is able to give you the breakthroughs you need in your life (Eph. 3:20; 2 Cor. 9:8).

What is breakthrough? Breakthrough is a sudden change in the state of things. It is an instance of removing an obstruction from your way. It is the overcoming of a stalemate in your life.

There is nothing the God of breakthrough cannot do. In Luke 1:37 Jesus said, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

In Jeremiah 32:27 God said, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?”

The truth is that breakthroughs are based on your expectations. In times of need, if you will cling tightly to the promise of God concerning your situation, and expect it to happen in your life, you will experience the very breakthrough you need.

So today, we want to look at the eight principle to receiving your BREAKTHROUGH - “EXPECTATION!” If you are going to receive the breakthrough you need from God, you’ve got to have an expectation because you can never receive what you don’t expect.

What is expectation? Expectation is a strong belief that something will happen. In Mathematics, expectation is another term for the expected value. For instance, 2+2 is expected to be 4.

Expectation can also describe something that is supposed to happen. For instance, a teacher expects that all his students will come to class prepared.

Expectation is the mental picture of the future. This is the area we would like to focus on. For instance, you expect your future to greatly increase according to Job 8:7 which says, “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”

We should realize that:

1. Expectation is the breeding ground for breakthroughs.

2. Your expectation must be in line with the perfect will of God for your life. In Jeremiah 29:11 God said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

3. Your expectation is from God. Psalms 62:5 says, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for MY EXPECTATION is from Him.”

4. Your situation has an end and your expectation will be fulfilled. Proverbs 23:18 says, “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.”

5. Faith is the reality of your expectation. The Bible says, “Now, faith is the substance [reality] of things hoped for ...”

So whatever the thing is, faith is the substance (confident assurance) of that thing. “Things hopped for” means “things you expect.” Therefore, “to hope for” something means “to expect” something.

6. Expectation is a blue print. When you say you have expectation, you must have a picture of what you are expecting. If you have no such picture, your expectation is without foundation. It is baseless.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or THINK (imagine, expect), according to the power that worketh in us.”

7. This is the truth: your imagination is your image maker. You must develop your imagination (expectation), and let faith fill it.

Genesis 11 talks about what the people had imagined to do. They imagined to build the tower of Babel so as to make a name for themselves. And God said that anything they imagined to do cannot be restrained from them. They have already built the tower of Babel in their imagination. They have seen themselves in their imagination doing that.

In a similar way, if you can see yourself doing whatever picture you have in your imagination, faith will cause that thing to manifest in the physical. If you can see yourself healed, delivered, prosperous, living in that mansion in Heaven, your faith will bring that which is in the unseen realm to the seen realm.

If you can conceive it, you can achieve it. If you can see it in your imagination, you can possess it in the physical.

What is your blue print? What are you expecting? What do you see yourself in your imagination doing? That is your vision. And that is what faith will fill.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “Moreover the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod [branch] of an almond tree. 12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten My Word to perform it.”

God said, “You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it” (AMP).

“…and I am watching to see that My Words come true” (GNB).

“You have seen well: for I keep watch over My Word to give effect to it” (BBE).

8. Without expectation faith has nothing to fill. Expectation is like the very thing you desire, but faith is what fills it.

Sketch the picture of what you expect (hope for) and keep it where you can always behold it. You become what you behold (see)! That picture you have pasted is the image you have developed. This is what you are expecting (hoping for). Your faith is what will bring it into manifestation. Your faith is what will call it into existence. Your faith will call it from the realm of the spirit into the realm of the physical.

What is your expectation? Meditate on that your expectation that is in line with God’s Word until an image (picture) is conceived in your imagination. At this point you have developed an image in the spirit realm. Thereafter, your faith calls it into existence.

Your imagination (expectation) works together with your faith to bring into existence things that be not.

Examples of people who adopted this principle abound in the Scriptures:

1. The man that was lame from his mother’s womb (Acts 3:1-11). Acts 3:1-11 says, “…4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, EXPECTING to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk…”

The lame man at the Beautiful Gate received his breakthrough because he was expecting something from Peter and John (Acts 3:1-10).

Acts 3:5 says, “And he gave heed unto them, EXPECTING to receive something of them.” This man received his breakthrough because he was full of expectation. This man was expecting to receive alms. But God knew what he really needed more that he himself. God knew that his legs are the symbol of his economic strength. So if He could get his legs in order, then the man can go around to get the money he needed himself. If he could walk he can earn money much more than what the servants of the LORD would have given him.

2. In Acts 14:9-11 the cripple man at Lystra had an expectation: “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.”

Notice that this cripple expected to be healed. That was why he received his healing.

3. The woman with the issue of blood was also full of expectation. Mark 5:25-34 says, “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague...”

This woman had a number of obstacles to overcome:

i) Religion: In those days, a woman with an issue of blood was regarded in the same category as a leper and was not allowed to mix with the public, according to the teaching of her religion. But her actions said, “Religion or no religion, I’m going to get my healing.”

ii) Custom: Also, in that day, women did not have the liberty to mingle publicly. Again her action said, “Custom or no custom, I’m going to get my healing.” When she got there, a multitude of people crowded between her and Jesus.

iv) Crowd: In her weakened physical condition, that would have been enough to cause her to give up. But her actions said, “Crowd or no crowd, I’m going to get to Jesus to bring my issue to an end. And she elbowed her way through. This woman’s actions showed (demonstrated) her faith. Her action was an evidence (proof) of her faith. She took a step of faith because faith without works is dead (Jam. 2:20, 26).

Therefore, in spite of all the obstacles facing her she got up and walked over the top of them all because she was truly expectant that she will certainly receive her breakthrough.

3. The three Hebrew children were full of expectation that God will surely deliver them (Dan. 3).

4. Daniel was full of expectation that God would deliver him from the hungry lions in the den of lions (Dan. 6).

5. David was expectant that God was going to deliver him from the hands of Goliath (1 Sam. 17).

6. Paul and Silas were in a dark place but they were very expectant that God would deliver them from their predicament. Paul and Silas were in their dark hour, they were writing their promotion examination.

The Bible says, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25-27).

And suddenly, the Holy Ghost came down and their suffering immediately came to an end. Why was it immediate? Because God saw that they had already learnt the lesson He wanted them to learn from that experience.

7. Blind Bartimaeus was in a dark place but he was full of expectation (Mk. 10:46-52). Many people were in the crowd following Jesus. They were even touching Him, some out of curiosity. They just wanted to identify with the crowd, but not with Jesus. They wanted to identify with popular opinion, but not with Jesus. They wanted to identify with signs and wonders, but not with Jesus. But when blind Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he said to himself, this is my moment of blessing, this is my opportunity, this is my season to receive double for my trouble, this is my moment to step over from blindness to perfect sight. He was full of expectation. So, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. The cry of Bartimaeus was the cry of faith. Faith will always make God to halt and attend to you.

Let me ask you a question: “What does your condition have to do with the majesty of God? What has your pain got to do with His glory?” He is the same today, yesterday and forever (Heb. 13:8). No matter how dark your dark place is, God is still God. He is there to help you and deliver you.

In Isaiah 43:2 God said, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Psalm 23:4-5 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”

That you are going through poverty does not stop Him from being Jehovah Jireh. That you are sick does not stop Him from being Jehovah Rapha. That you are fighting some battles right now does not stop Him from being Jehovah Nissi. You don’t praise God for just what He has done for you, but for whom He is. Whatever the case may be a song says, “Shout Hallelujah Anyhow!”

The same God will deliver you from every situation if you would only expect the BREAKTHROUGH you need.

Therefore, no matter what your need may be, just stand firm on God’s promise to you concerning your situation, expect it to come to pass in your life,  and you will see your expectation come to pass right before your very eyes.

 

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend, I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor, HOG).                           

Promise of God: This week, “God will crown you with His goodness; and your paths will drop fatness” (Ps. 65:11). “He will turn all your mourning into joyful dancing” (Ps. 30:11).