Do you expect the worst?

Do you ever find yourself waiting for the outcome of something and expecting the worst? Do you regularly expect an outcome that is far from glorious?

Recently I realized I was expecting a negative outcome for something I was going through.

It was just a simple negative thought but it suddenly struck me that it was not the Gospel! God can do abundantly MORE than we can think or imagine. It’s funny that I can know this on one level YET still catch myself in negative expectation. These thoughts can be very subtle.

In my case, I started to imagine scenarios to help me prepare for the way I would handle the negative outcome. For years, I was so well versed in these imaginings (many scenarios that never actually came into being!) that this became my normal thinking.

We need to understand that this is not even close to the supernatural norm that God intended for us. It is not that we are all delusional pessimists. More often people become this way because of legitimately bad experiences of being let down and disappointed over time. Perhaps this is why children are often so trusting and open and, well adults... adults have often learned the hard way, have lowered expectations, have become jaded or any combination of sad experiences that seem to have robbed them of a childlike disposition.

Often it seems easier to protect our hearts by not getting our hopes up. What I realize now… it’s so important to take these stray thoughts to the cross. Bring your thoughts to Jesus' truth. We need to see how He sees us and the hopes and dreams He has for us.

Scripture instructs us to take every thought captive to the knowledge of Jesus. Christ's cross is not only where our identity arises from but the place where we are healed by His wounds. By His stripes we are healed :) How could we possibly be childlike as Jesus tells us (Matthew 18:3) if we are carrying this heavy rubbish. I speak of the rubbish of disappointment, rejection, failure, wounds.. and the list goes on, where we often end up identifying with this rubbish and expecting it to keep playing out in our lives.

How do we submit everything to the knowledge of Christ?

To me submitting this to Christ means recognizing the lies and bringing them to the glorious truth of the cross! Our ultimate truth and our ultimate identity is based on Jesus’ death and His resurrection life that we were so graciously included in on. We can stand on every promise He has given us in His Word because Jesus is trustworthy.

As real as the disappointment, lies and hurts have been in our life, even over the course of a lifetime or as recent as yesterday, the reality of Christ is our greatest truth and reality. Resist going down the path of the lie that postures itself as truth… and expecting the worst. A negative expectation often creates a negative result and we don’t need any more evidence or life experience with something that pushes us further down the spiral of lies, failure and dejection. We need the truth and power of the Gospel to be alive to us in the new day God has given us. Look at Him, rest in Him and what He's saying to you. It may seem safer to slink into self-protection to ward off further injury/harm, yet this only digs a deeper hole reinforcing our negative belief and even influences our outcome.

God has given us every blessing through Christ Jesus.

How much better for us to throw our lot in with Christ than be continually jogging down the same paths (even mentally) of disappointment and hurt that keep FREE people captive. The truth renews our mind and our expectations will align with the mind of Christ, our inheritance.

We could not be more blessed by God the Father!

We have everything He gave His son and restored for us!

As He is, so are we in the world. (1 John 4:17)

Expect what God promises. Expect what He speaks to you and whispers. Remain in God's Word. His abundance, His life and His light is our portion. Past bad experience is the bar of life lowered and most likely the enemy trying to keep you in a small hole so you never realize all you have in Jesus. We were all made for more and we are loved beyond what we can even imagine. God wants to give good gifts to His children. He gave us the best gift imaginable by paying the dearest cost possible when He gave up His life for us. Let's not live a life beneath all He's accomplished. We are Kings and Queens, sons and daughters! Let's lift our eyes to heaven's perspective and from that truth, even the hard times will not shake us from the sure foundation of Christ and every good gift He has for us.