EXPERIENCE VERSUS EXPECTATION

“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”–Genesis 17:17

REFERENCE:

GENESIS 17:15-19

The God who can do infinitely over and beyond what we can ever imagine or hope for, came to Abram and painted an expectation on the canvas of his mind. He gave him a picture of possibility and a preferred tomorrow. He spoke about the certainty of a colorful destiny for him; but Abram fell on his face and laughed at the absurdity of such talk. Why? Experience – his experiences in life reminded Abram that no man in his generation, at 100 years old, fathered a child, talk less of a 90-year-old woman.

When expectation tried to arise in Abram’s heart, his experience gave it a choke hold. Experience laughed mockingly and said, “Shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old?” “Shall Sarah at 90 bear a child?” “Just let Ishmael (my error or weakness) live before You.” Experience concluded that God should let things be. Likewise, in II Kings 7, Elisha (as God’s spokesman) said, “Tomorrow about this time, there will be an economic boom.” Expectation spoke, but the man on whose shoulder the king leaned (perhaps, his chief economic adviser) said, “Even if God were to open a window in heaven, this won’t happen.” His experience, fed by years of drought, countered what Elisha said. Experience was what also spoke through the Israelites, “Let us go back to Egypt,” while expectation said, “Let us go forward!”

You are probably familiar with the very fierce contest between your experiences and expectations. For some people, their experiences have been good, consequently, they have positive expectations. However, if your experiences have been largely unpleasant, it makes it difficult for you to expect good from God, because experience conditions you and colors your hopes. To break the dominion and control of experience along with its propensity to hinder your expectations, expectation therefore, needs to do something extra and get extra help.

Elisha told a childless woman she would have a child by the coming year. The woman responded, “Don’t lie to me man of God.” Her experience made her call God’s truth a lie. Have you become cynical about God’s prophetic word? Have you been self-questioning about God’s promise: “Can this change, can this happen, can God make a way, is it still possible, etc.?” That is experience talking! Experience has conditioning power over the mind; it pulls our expectation back every time it attempts to soar; it shuts it up every time it tries to speak, suppresses it every time it tries to reach, and slows it down whenever it tries to speed up. Experience is often armed with tons of facts, credentials and stories of failure that overwhelm expectation. It blinds the eyes of faith, extinguishes hope and attempts to determine what you dare or believe. It is a spirit of fear!

Today, the Spirit of God breaks the dominion, power, control or influence of every bitter experience over your life. Today brings to an end the romance between you and your bad experiences. Your yesterday will no longer have a negative hold over your tomorrow. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Experience has robbed you of what can be, what you can have and what God can do, but I declare, “Thus far and no more.” For surely there is an end; and your expectation shall not be cut off. Keep believing, for there shall be a performance of things spoken concerning you.

PHOTO QUOTE:

ADDITIONAL STUDY

Luke 1:45, John 11:39-40 & John 20:24-29

PRAYER POINTS

+ Father, I refuse to be intimidated by my past experiences; I bind the spirit that makes me look back at my past failures and falls, and the experiences that make trusting You hard.

+ I believe in Your power to change and re-write the story of my life; I look up to you in hope knowing that my expectations will not be cut short.

+ Lord, I thank You for Your word concerning me, my health, finances, my home, family, the Nation, my Church, for there will be a performance of Your good words spoken concerning them all.