Day Eight
I want to start this off with a prayer from Paul in the book of Ephesians:
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19
I truly pray that each of you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with love of Christ and filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
As I was praying before the fast, I was asking God what I needed to change. I felt that God wanted me to change my hope to expectation. Now what does that mean? Well, here’s what he showed me.
If you’re like me, sometimes you fall into a season of hope rather than expectation. You hope God shows up, but you don’t really expect it. You hope God heals your relationships, but you don’t expect it. You hope for breakthrough but you don’t expect it.
Now don’t get me wrong, hope is a good thing. But I think, especially in our faith journey, we tend to manage our expectations. Maybe it’s because you’ve been part of our fasts in years past and maybe God didn’t show up the way you expected, so you manage your expectations for this year so you’re not disappointed. Or maybe, this is your first time doing something like this so you’ve managed your expectations because you don’t know what to expect.
Well today, I want to encourage you to stop managing expectations and expect great things! I want you to raise your expectations of God. And I want you expect that He is going to come through for you! Don’t put God in a box. Don’t limit God just because He hasn’t shown up in the way you’ve wanted in the past. The truth is He can and will do great things.
Don’t believe me? Check out this passage:
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine! Immeasurably more is a LOT more than we ask or imagine. Let God blow your mind.
So during these next 2 weeks (and beyond), let’s come to God with expectant hearts. Let’s expect greatness from our great God.
I commit to stand at the end of this fast and proclaim the goodness of our God! Who’s with me?!
I love you all and happy fasting,
Pastor Caleb