EXPECTATION PRECEDES EXPERIENCE

Text: Matthew 24:42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come”

INTRODUCTION

Expectation precedes experience in other words; the foundation for every desired result is expecting it. This will be evident in your preparation for it. In the same vein, you don’t expect to have a result for an examination you never sat for. The lame man at the beautiful gate in Acts 3:5 was said to have given;

“...heed unto them (Peter and John), expecting to receive something of them”

Expecting is a way of placing a demand on life to deliver the abundance He offers, John 10:10b says;

“...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”

As open as this offer may look, your signature of expectancy must first be appended for you to enjoy the abundance it offers. This is where faith comes in; it is your faith by which your desire is formed and delivered to you that is being created in the place of expectation. The purpose of salvation is the richest of any purpose under the Heaven because it offers life to the fullest. Let’s look at a few areas one could be expectant;

WHAT AREAS AM I TO BE EXPECTANT?

A. Heaven- You will agree with me that we are all pilgrims here on earth and that we have an eternal home where we’ll all return. For believers, it is heaven while it is hell for the unbelievers. So, paramount on the list of our expectations as believers must be heaven. Making heaven must be a conscious part of our daily living. Matthew 6:33 says;

“...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness...”

Even scripture categorises it as first but unfortunately many today seek the last in place of the first. Your heart resides where your treasure is in the same vein, lay up your treasure in heaven so that you can end up there because expectation precedes experience. What you give attention to will always deliver its dividends to you. As Christians, we must give God our utmost attention to have our expectation converted to experience.

B. In 3John 2, scripture says;

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”

It is the will of God that we live in Divine health. Jesus did not just heal during His earthly but He made whole leaving no trace of the ailment on its victim. That is why I know beyond all reasonable doubts that everyone here with one ailment or the other, diagnosed or not, as you give attention to Jesus from now those ailments will melt away in Jesus name, Amen!

Blind Bartemeus had heard that one Jesus of Nazareth is on rampage healing diverse sickness and working miracles. So, he made up his mind in expectation that when he gets a hold of this Jesus, he wouldn’t let him go until He has healed and so it was, Mark 10:47-52. The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25-34 amongst many isn’t excepted from the catalogue of men and women who expected and experienced as expected.

C. All Needs- Everything you have and will ever need for a glorious living by heaven’s standard are wrapped up in God and I mean just everything, Finance, Wisdom, Ideas etc. John 1:3 says;

“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made”

Everything you desire or will ever desire has only one source and if any other shows up, it is the way of the thief, John 10:1. If you receive anything on any other line than that of faith, it is a stolen property in your possession. Faith is your access to meeting all your needs; for without faith it impossible to convince the giver of all things. Hence, the just shall live by faith, Hebrew 10:38.

Furthermore on this note, there is nothing you need that wouldn’t have to follow the track of expectation before you experience it in other words, until your expectation has appended its signature heaven is not obliged to release it. Matthew 24:42 admonishes us to be on our watch because we don’t know when the Lord will come in other words, only those expectant will have something or one to welcome. When the Lord eventually come sickness, barrenness, poverty etc are bound to flee.

Conclusively, Matthew 6:32b reminds us that God is aware of our needs and not our wants while Philippians 4:19 assure us that He will supply those needs to us according to His riches in glory. Though not according to our own timing but His timing during which whatever He gives is most needed and beautiful, Eccl 3:9. To crown it all and to boost your faith, Romans 8:32 further assures us that if God didn’t spare His Son (Jesus) and He released Him to die for us when we were dead in sin, what could be too much for Him to give us? If you’ll be true to yourself in answering the above question, you’ll realize you are already on your way to the supernatural.

If you are not saved then you are not safe; give your life to Jesus now as you say the following prayer “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, please forgive all my trespasses, wash me in Your blood and give me a new beginning as I accept you as my Lord and personal Saviour from now on, Amen” Congratulations and God bless you.

DEFILING DIVINE ORDERS

There will always be two sides to a real coin. Such is the case when we talk about subjects as divine orders. Joseph followed through and was rewarded but let’s look at a man who thought he could follow his own plan or order to arrive at God’s destiny for him. We will learn a few lessons from him.

Jonah was a Prophet of God by calling. However, God sent him to Nineveh but because he didn’t like the people of Nineveh personally he changed course, Jonah 1-4. The first point to note here is that God will not send us to where He doesn’t have plans to visit, Luke 10v1 so your interest in them isn’t a criteria for your obedience. Your opinion isn’t needed, just obey!

So Jonah decided to go to Tarshish instead but the bible says; “...so he paid the fare thereof...” Jonah 1v3b. Another point worthy of note is that he had to pay for his decision because it was of course. I once heard of one President who was charged by his country for stopping over for two hours in country on his way back from his official visit to another country. Now, that’s here on earth, how much more in heaven? Our God is One of orders so you can’t choose your route and expect Him to pay our fares, it doesn’t work that way. Many are stuck here today so you had better retrace your steps. You can’t make plans outside divine order and expect Him to finance it, no!

Jonah decided to go down to the lower deck where God wouldn’t see him. What a foolish man and in case you think you can hide from God, you are only fooling yourself. Eventually as the ship began to sail a storm arose. The Sailor tried all the techniques he knew to balance ship but couldn’t. So they began to off load the ship into the sea hoping to lighten the ship but the storm grew worse until they resolved to cast lots and they found out it was Jonah that was running away from God.

It is crystal clear that some persons are going through storms of various degrees because of the ship they are in. Be it court-ship, relation-ship, partner-ship etc. I think it time you take stocks and retrace your steps back to where you missed it.

Jonah knew he was the problem so he said they should through him into the sea. Reluctantly they did it and a big fish swallowed him, of course you know the story.  Eventually the storm ceased. But note the magnitude of lose recorded on that ship and if they hadn’t discovered Jonah their lives would have gone. Many have died untimely because they were aboard with someone running away from God. So prayerfully chose your partner.
Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish and then repented. I am sure you know it wasn’t a fun ground in there. God heard him and ordered the fish to vomit at the bank from where he took off to Nineveh to do what he was sent to do there initially.

Conclusively when you compare this two case studies, you will discover that they both had divine orders but while the former followed he’s regardless of the tribulations on the way knowing that the one who sent him is watch-guarding him the later took off on his own course. God created us and know what capacity He built into everyone. Unfortunately the course we eventually choose is to our detriment.

Make following your divine a pursuit from now on and watch it, the things that you’ve struggled with for years will be delivered to you on a platter of gold. Just say this prayer of committal to this course;

Lord Jesus I choose to follow your divine order for my life henceforth, accept me and give me all it takes to scale through to the end in Jesus name, Amen!

Congratulations!

FOLLOWING DIVINE ORDERS

Taking off from where we stopped yesterday, in Genesis 37 Joseph comes on board divine order and one thing you must take to heart is that divine order positions you in life. In other words it defines your place because everybody has a place in life. Joseph caught a glimpse of a glorious future and was expectant of it fulfilment which was evident in the boldness with which he told his dream to his brethren even though he was hated and envied, when he dreamt a second time he still told them again.

But thing took a dramatic turn. Which is to say, of a truth you have so many beautiful promises pending but you just have to pass through the tunnel of trial. Unfortunately the tunnel can’t too many people at the same time which accounts for why you hear people lament “why me” “why me alone after all things are working for so and so despite the fact that we graduated the same year. And I even had a first class” I am sure you are conversant with such lamentations. That was exactly where Joseph was when he landed in the pit, Genesis 37v24 and in a few hours time on his way to Egypt as a slave. This was virtually the opposite of his dream but it was all divine order on the way to fulfilment.

I am sure joy is already welling up in you as our discussion is beginning to take the shape of what you are going through now. I have good news for you, just a little patience and you will be at the end of the tunnel. Tunnels are not naturally bright unless they are lightened. And you can imagine your speed in a dark tunnel. It will soon be you turn to arise and shine for your light will definitely come.

Joseph got to Egypt and was sold to Potipha, Genesis 37v36. However the Bible says; the Lord was with him all the while even as He is with you now, Genesis 39v2. He became the head of slaves in his master’s house. He found favour with his master because God was with him so his master put him in charge all he had except his wife.

Interestingly as though this was a fulfilment of his dreams. After all he is a master and a few people are bowing to him. This look like the dream coming through but because he understood this subject of divine order he wouldn’t settle for anything less than his dream. Even when he was tempted by his master’s wife in Genesis 39v7-12, he could have mistaken it for the fulfilment of the dream because he would have a wider range of coverage as it were. But he understood that God wouldn’t use corny ways to fulfil His promise. After all He owns all things, of who will make God be afraid that He will have to lie or play pranks. 

Unfortunately Joseph landed in prison for following divine order. The prison experience was a part of the divine order or plan because God was still with him, Genesis 39v20-23. He became the leader of other prisoners in prison to such an extent that the Jailer put all things in his care, Genesis 39v23. Divine order!

Finally he saw rays of light having travelled through the tunnel all these years when Pharaoh had dream that disturbed him so much. It was all by divine order. Or hasn’t he been having dreams all this while? What made this one different? Now the solution of the Kings Dream riddle was with a prisoner in divine order.

Let me take a break to tell you that there is something in you (Talent) that will be needed at the ivory tower where you have dreamed of all this while. I am glad to let you know that it lies with you alone and no other is competing with you to solve it. On the other hand you will leave such a vacuum on earth if you don’t live up to it.

To cut the long story short, Joseph unravelled the king’s dream and the king thought through seeing that this young man has come the divine order way. Because it was on the basis of the order he engage in unravelling the dream that he was enthroned above others including his former boss who put him in jail, Genesis 41v37-45.

Conclusively his dream came through on the line of divine order. Though it was hard but he understood that he was following a divine order, Genesis 45v5 saying his brother sold him but God sent him. Taking a vivid look at the way he left home we can easily deduce that God had a hand in it because his father wouldn’t allowed him to go anywhere outside his reach or even do any hard job considering how much his father loved him. My good news for you is that you will eventually rule over all those who thinks’ they have successfully sold you out in Jesus name, Amen!

DIVINE ORDER

I will be taking you on this series and i trust God that it will bless you


God doesn’t jump lines. One of my Mentors said “there is nothing you can do that will make God to do what He wants to do tomorrow today”. Now this is not to say that God can’t intervene dramatically in some matters but God doesn’t jump lines. He says; there is a time for everything, Eccl 3v1. He is a God of order and principles and that’s why by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit I was motivated as I read a Mentor’s (of blessed memories) book to write a few lines on God’s order or call it Divine order.

Many today are stock at this junction without knowing that it’s a divine order their lives are following. That you are suffering doesn’t mean that God isn’t with you. Isaiah 43v2 already said that we will go through situations that wouldn’t us as it were. Jesus told His disciples in John 16v33 that they will have tribulations in the world. So that your boat is rocked by the storm of life doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t in your boat, Mark 4v35-41. I think one question you should ask yourself is, will my boat sink with Jesus on board? The answer is obvious, No!

I will be using just two Bible characters to drive down my points and they are Joseph and Jonah. These two bible Heroes are epistles to be read when we seek to know the positive and negative dividends of following Divine order.

JESUS, THE VULCANIZER OF DESTINIES

Your journey could still be propelled with greater speed if you get to meet the vulcanizer of destinies. It doesn’t matter how bad your situation is, He can sort. With Him the things that are impossible for men are possible. It doesn’t matter how sluggish your progress has been hitherto, you are gaining speed now because here come the vulcanizer of destinies. His name is Jesus!

In John 5, the impotent man had been there for about thirty-eight years, just stagnant. In John 9, a man that was born blind met Jesus at the age of forty and that terminated his stagnancy. Apostle Peter’s business with all his professionalism had was crawling without anything to show for his effort. He was toiling when he should be doing exploits. These and many more too numerous to be numbered are events when Jesus helped out on fixing the tyres of men’s destinies and He is set to do yours but one thing you’ll note is that until He met them, life was horrible for them.

The extreme is where He can pick you up, the prostitute in John 8:3-11 was already on her way to the grave. Lazarus was already in the grave, John 11:39-44. That is why I know beyond all reasonable doubt that He will fix your tyres now and you’ll make progress speedily again.  But on one condition; that you are born-again;

“...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3b

You must have a relationship with Him for Him to be able to come to your aid anytime. When your car gets stock on the highways, you simply pick your phone and call your mechanic with whom you have built a relationship. In the same vein, you’ve got to have a relationship with Jesus because only He can come to your aid at such points and times in life where no one is willing to take risks or leave his/her comfort and when your destiny-tyres pick sharp object that deflates it.

You want to meet Him now? Please say this prayer after me; “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, please forgive all my trespasses, wash me in Your blood and give me a new beginning as I accept you as my Lord and personal Saviour from now on, Amen” Congratulations! Now you will begin to experience tremendous changes and progress in your life henceforth. God bless you!