It all started on Tuesday night as I listened intently to one of my closest friends in Christ speak of her desire to reach "expectations". If you are going to truly understand my intent here, I need to give you a little back ground on this particular close friend. Her heart is nearly 100% checking in with God on everything she does and says. Although she says she has flaws, you rarely see them because she is so well hidden in Christ. She is in many people's eyes what one would call an authentic Christian, a Proverbs 31 wife. So as I listened to her stories of loving to reach exceptions, I caught a glimpse of the enemies tactics in the Godly desire to obtain the ability to meet "expectations". The enemies subtle twist.... to make you feel like everything should be an "expectation" and your focus on obtaining that Godly desire should expand to you striving to meet all expectations placed on you, and failing. Instead of focusing and excelling on expectations that are authentic for the Kingdom of God and the Testimony of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit and the advancement in setting captives free.
This followed in lesson, by my coworker leaving on vacation for nearly 2 entire weeks! I just started a new position, in which I absolutely love and feel blessed to have received, but there is much to learn, and when I say much, I mean overload. There are only two of us physically in the office and my coworker has been there nearly 30 yrs....so for a 1 month newbie, it can be pretty overwhelming for everyone I come in contact with. Their normal quick calls on "how do I do this" turn into them having to come up with the answers for me or me making 10 calls to make sure I have the right answer, and then providing the answer only to have it be not completely correct or missing steps. My position requires me to be the hub for many many other departments as a whole. In my eyes, as well as in reality, it is extremely important to get things right. And I couldn't. Not because I was making many mistakes, although I was, but because I didn't know all the steps to make each situation run smoothly for every cog that was depending on me. I am certain many people had high expectations of me and I failed them. Although frustrated, I did not find myself "stressed" or ready to "throw in the towel" because I was confident eventually I would learn this position and learn it well. "Confident"... I smile, because up until 2 yrs ago, confidence was not part of my self vocabulary. You can literally go back and read a blog from 2 years ago to see where I was at with my walk, and I assure you I was trying to understand how to please God instead of people, yet still trying to make sure that while pleasing God, I was pleasing people too.
What a vicious cycle. Pulling in the enemies schemes into your Godly dreams, simply results in frustration and eventually if not realized, "throwing in the towel".
So how do we discern the lies from the truth? Well, as I go back to look at my week's lessons, I am seeing two words. Expectation and Confidence. God's in them. Satan's in them too. So you have to go to the "Word" to find truth and reject the lies.
I like to use Biblegateway.com a lot. It gives me quick study when I've pondered something with God for weeks and sort of brings it all home for me to share it with you. So, I went to the New King James Version, as it's as close to the King James, but a little easier for me to understand. (I started with a comic book 12 years ago and worked my way up to NKJV so I am making progress.) I typed in the word "expectation" and here is the results. (Click the link) Now read through them and see when expectations are used for good and when they are not. You will notice from the Old Testament to the New Testament you will find many earthly expectations, that are attached to the "wicked". In other words, we managed to take a Godly desire and change it to meet wrong motives. Like placing expectations on people and then shaming them when they can't meet them. Placing expectations on ourselves and then feeling worthless when we can't obtain them. Like placing selfish expectations on God and then turning away from Him when He answers with a sovereign answer instead of how we want it done. I am however, on the contrary, drawn to this scripture when it comes to expectations:
Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
Let truth be revealed and grow in you.
I then did the same thing with the word "confident" in Biblegateway.com. I typed the word confident in the NKJV and this is what I received for results. (Click the link) I read through them and determined which were used for deception and misuse of that word and which ones God intended for growth in my hope to take steps into living my life more in line with Gods will each day. With that, this scripture spoke to me:
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
God still speaks to us today, both in love, grace and mercy, as well as in discipline, instruction and correction...but all for the same purpose, because He loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay the price for our wrongs, so we could understand how deep and how wide and how never ending His love is for us, in hopes that we will reciprocate that love for Him and others.
Keep pressing in my friends in Christ, there's a whole world waiting for truth and it's amazing to find God's treasures in each new day!
This followed in lesson, by my coworker leaving on vacation for nearly 2 entire weeks! I just started a new position, in which I absolutely love and feel blessed to have received, but there is much to learn, and when I say much, I mean overload. There are only two of us physically in the office and my coworker has been there nearly 30 yrs....so for a 1 month newbie, it can be pretty overwhelming for everyone I come in contact with. Their normal quick calls on "how do I do this" turn into them having to come up with the answers for me or me making 10 calls to make sure I have the right answer, and then providing the answer only to have it be not completely correct or missing steps. My position requires me to be the hub for many many other departments as a whole. In my eyes, as well as in reality, it is extremely important to get things right. And I couldn't. Not because I was making many mistakes, although I was, but because I didn't know all the steps to make each situation run smoothly for every cog that was depending on me. I am certain many people had high expectations of me and I failed them. Although frustrated, I did not find myself "stressed" or ready to "throw in the towel" because I was confident eventually I would learn this position and learn it well. "Confident"... I smile, because up until 2 yrs ago, confidence was not part of my self vocabulary. You can literally go back and read a blog from 2 years ago to see where I was at with my walk, and I assure you I was trying to understand how to please God instead of people, yet still trying to make sure that while pleasing God, I was pleasing people too.
What a vicious cycle. Pulling in the enemies schemes into your Godly dreams, simply results in frustration and eventually if not realized, "throwing in the towel".
So how do we discern the lies from the truth? Well, as I go back to look at my week's lessons, I am seeing two words. Expectation and Confidence. God's in them. Satan's in them too. So you have to go to the "Word" to find truth and reject the lies.
I like to use Biblegateway.com a lot. It gives me quick study when I've pondered something with God for weeks and sort of brings it all home for me to share it with you. So, I went to the New King James Version, as it's as close to the King James, but a little easier for me to understand. (I started with a comic book 12 years ago and worked my way up to NKJV so I am making progress.) I typed in the word "expectation" and here is the results. (Click the link) Now read through them and see when expectations are used for good and when they are not. You will notice from the Old Testament to the New Testament you will find many earthly expectations, that are attached to the "wicked". In other words, we managed to take a Godly desire and change it to meet wrong motives. Like placing expectations on people and then shaming them when they can't meet them. Placing expectations on ourselves and then feeling worthless when we can't obtain them. Like placing selfish expectations on God and then turning away from Him when He answers with a sovereign answer instead of how we want it done. I am however, on the contrary, drawn to this scripture when it comes to expectations:
Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
Let truth be revealed and grow in you.
I then did the same thing with the word "confident" in Biblegateway.com. I typed the word confident in the NKJV and this is what I received for results. (Click the link) I read through them and determined which were used for deception and misuse of that word and which ones God intended for growth in my hope to take steps into living my life more in line with Gods will each day. With that, this scripture spoke to me:
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
God still speaks to us today, both in love, grace and mercy, as well as in discipline, instruction and correction...but all for the same purpose, because He loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay the price for our wrongs, so we could understand how deep and how wide and how never ending His love is for us, in hopes that we will reciprocate that love for Him and others.
Keep pressing in my friends in Christ, there's a whole world waiting for truth and it's amazing to find God's treasures in each new day!
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