Attitude Of Expectancy

Scriptures: Colossians 3:23, Ephesians 4:31

We have to choose our attitude on a daily basis.

When someone says “you have an attitude” typically what they mean is your attitude is negative. Often attitude is one of those things that only gets brought up when it’s an issue. The word “attitude” has a negative connotation, but it isn’t necessarily negative.

In reality, you always have an attitude. Every second of every day, you have an attitude. In fact, not only do you have an attitude, but you are the one who makes the choice on whether or not to change that attitude. We just don’t often bring it up unless it is a problem. Ultimately, your attitude is going to be either positive, negative, or neutral.

The choice is yours.

Choosing our attitude starts with choosing your words. It starts with making the decision to speak life over death. If all you’re putting out is negativity, then that’s all that you’re going to get. Your attitude may seem trivial at times, but your attitude is something that is going to shift you into a specific direction, and that direction is where you’re going to go. Speaking life over death will change your perspective, which changes your attitude.

If you have a pessimistic outlook on the world, and a negative attitude, then negativity is all that you are going to attract. If you are expecting to succeed or expecting to fail, then you probably will. Having an attitude of expectancy means that you are unwilling to let your losses affect your expectancy to win.

You can’t go by yesterday’s results TODAY!

Your attitude is the only thing in life that you can control 100% of the time. You won’t always be able to control your circumstances. You won’t always be able to change your situation. But you can always make the final decision on how these circumstances and situations will affect your attitude.

Use your attitude to your advantage. Expect great things, and great things will come.

Scriptures: Genesis 7:1, Genesis 7:5

God spoke to Noah about what was to come. Up until this point in time, rain had not occurred on the Earth. God told Noah that it was going to rain and keep raining until the Earth was completely covered in water. The Lord then instructed Noah to get ready for it and to prepare an ark to save all kinds of species and animals, along with his family.

Noah trusted God. He knew that what God said was going to happen was going to actually happen. His faith expected the word of God to do exactly what he said it would do. Therefore, Noah got ready and prepared for what was coming. Faith gets ready before the promise comes. Faith prepares for what it’s expecting. What are you standing in faith for today? What are you expecting to receive from God‘s promise today? Whatever it is, get ready and prepare for it to be a part of your life, even before you have it.

When a woman is pregnant, she is expecting. Although she hasn’t seen her baby yet, she begins to prepare for her. She gets ready for the baby to be in the house and in her life before the baby is delivered. Her body begins to prepare for the delivery of the baby. She begins to purchase clothes, diapers, formula and everything that can supply the needs of the baby before the baby is even born. They prepare a room with the crib and all of the furniture and toys.

Why?

Because the mom is expecting! The baby is coming!

Get READY! Get prepared! You’re expecting to receive God’s Word and your promise is coming!

Scripture: Philippians 4:8-9

Attitude has been the catalyst for every setback, shortcoming, failure, and accomplishment in my life.

To have an attitude of expectancy is to make the decision that, above all else, you are going to believe in better things. To have the understanding that despite your flaws, despite your circumstances, and despite your situation, you will expect greatness.

Because ultimately, you are a product of greatness.

My issue with attitude was always my willingness to justify my actions. If I felt that someone wronged me, I felt justified in wronging them. If my day didn’t start off on the right foot, then I felt justified in moping about it for the rest of the day. I was too focused on where I was, and not focused on where I was going.

I allowed the difficulties of life to become the excuse for why I had a negative attitude.

But too often do we let our attitudes rise and fall with our circumstances. Too often do we justify our wrongdoings with the wrongdoings of others. Your attitude can be a tool. A positive, unwavering attitude will be the sails that get your ship out of the storm. A negative attitude, however, will be the crack in the bottom of the boat. I was so busy shoveling water out of my boat, that I didn’t stop to plug up the hole.

For myself, my attitude is something that I have to actively be mindful about. It isn’t something that I can put on autopilot. I remind myself each and every day to stay positive, to stay focused on the plans that He has for me, and ultimately, to know that things will work out in the end. Having an attitude of expectancy is to expect great things to happen even in the midst of chaos. To know that things might not be going well right now, but that He has the power to right our wrongs. I am expecting change, I am expecting greatness, and I am expecting growth.

What are you expecting?

Scriptures: James 1:2-4, James 1:5-8

When we walk with an attitude of expectancy, there can be a temptation to disregard the Lord’s timing in favor of our own timeline. We want the reward now!

While it’s important to have faith that the Lord will ultimately “make all things work together for the good of those who love Him,” sometimes we forget that there’s a journey needed to achieve the final result.

Think of Joseph. Sure, he eventually ends up living a prosperous life, but what led him to that outcome? Joseph’s own brothers faked his death and sold him away to strangers. He is later framed by his new master’s wife, thrown into prison, and only after remaining faithful to the Lord through all this misfortune is Joseph elevated to be Pharaoh’s second-in-command over all of Egypt.

There’s no shortcut to success in life, and this is true for our walk with Christ as well.

Having an attitude of expectancy means we should have faith in God’s Plan just like Joseph. We should trust that He knows best and can accomplish far more than all we can ask or imagine, while also having the wisdom to expect adversity during the journey.

Why should we expect adversity? That’s simple. God regularly reiterates that trials are part of the journey. Testing our faith benefits us by producing endurance, which is required for spiritual maturity. The Lord never says he will prevent us from experiencing any hardship, only that we can depend on him to get us through it.

But what exactly should we do in the face of a challenging situation? We must pray with expectancy, having faith in the process.

Then what?

It might sound easy to say “trust in the Lord,” but what happens when the Lord takes action? Have you ever wondered how you’re supposed to know what choices to make when the Lord opens doors to opportunities?

Scripture: Isaiah 40:29-31

Waiting is not something we genuinely like to do. 

Many times we get anxious or frustrated when we have to wait on something or someone. When my wife is getting ready for us to go out, I am always ready before her. Often I find myself pacing back and forth from the living room to the bedroom, until she finally tells me to go back into the living room and wait on her. 

Do you find yourself feeling the same way waiting for God to do something for you? Are you waiting on Him to answer a prayer that you’ve been praying for a long time? I know the frustration of waiting on an answer from God and I will tell you that worrying about it will not make the answer come any quicker or on your time.

There is scripture in Isaiah that uses the word “wait” in a different light. It’s not the wait we are accustomed to, like pacing around or just sitting there frustrated. You see, this wait really means hope & trust. This wait is a posture, an attitude that we must have, an attitude of expectancy in God. We can find our hope only in God. Only He has the answer we are searching for. A posture of waiting looks like this; I am expectantly waiting on God to come through for me. I am going about my day with hope and joy because God loves me and is on my side. I am his child and His promises are for me. The promise is that He will renew my strength. He will cause me to mount up on wings like eagles. He will cause me to run and not grow weary and not faint. You see, an attitude of expectancy in God brings the promises of God with it.

So walk in this day with an attitude of expectancy and find your hope in God.

Scripture: Acts 1:3-14

Have you ever anticipated an exciting event or moment? 

Perhaps going on a family vacation, celebrating a birthday, or awaiting a surprise. 

Expectation filled the air with every breath inhaled. Excitement increased awareness and brightened up the world. Walking faster with a bounce in your steps, all seemed right in the world. It is easy to have a great attitude in those moments. 

How did this expectancy build? It happened because the date was approaching on the calendar. You remembered the past moments and knew that what was coming would be great. This is exactly where the disciples found themselves in Acts 1: 3-14. They were in a moment of great expectancy.

How can we develop an attitude of expectancy?

Realize that an attitude of expectancy starts and ends with JESUS! Focusing on His goodness creates an attitude of expectancy.

When Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives to His throne in glory, He left His church in an attitude of expectancy. He told them to wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit! But, what exactly did they expect? Remember, the disciples had came out of one of the darkest moments in history. Jesus had been crucified, and it had looked hopeless. Many had lost heart and ran away. They probably feared for their own lives. BUT, then Jesus arose from the dead and he appeared to them! He had kept his promise to never leave or forsake them and he had come through for them. As a result, expectancy abounded! An attitude of expectancy starts by looking at the promises and goodness of God. What has he already done in our life? When we focus on what he has done in us and through us an eager expectation is the natural result.

Wait with expectancy! Rest in Him and Wait!

For years, Jesus spent time investing in the disciples and preparing them for the mission before them. He challenged them to live for a bigger cause, and left them with what seemed like an impossible mission. After appearing to them, he told them to WAIT for the Holy Spirit and to receive power to carry out this mission.

The secret to waiting is expectancy. When you believe God will do what He says, you will not give up waiting for His timing.

Expectancy flourishes when our priorities are in order.

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8

We live in a time where “expectancy” has almost become a buzz word. Whether it’s in our careers or everyday life, we hear the word “expectation” or “expectancy” quite often.

A few weeks ago, I was at my church for a worship practice. Before every session we always have a brief time of prayer before getting lost in the music. One of the words we brought up together was the word “expectation”. My pastor began to talk about how many hours we get to serve at church each week. He said that if those 10-12 hours we spend volunteering each week are the only hours that we spend in God’s presence, then we are missing out on so much more. My mind immediately went to Galatians 6:7, the law of sowing and reaping.

Expectation without investment is just a wish. 

I think a lot of times we are so expectant of things to come, and that is a great thing! But, I think there is a difference between expectancy and wishing. In our spiritual lives, in our business, and even in our marriages we so often expect a change but are simply not willing to invest what is necessary to see a change. You see, every person on this planet would say “I want to see breakthrough in my relationship with God” or “I want to have my biggest year financially”. But, very few people dare to say “I am willing to do WHATEVER it takes to see breakthrough in these areas of my life”. 

I want to be a “whatever it takes” kind of man. I want to be the kind of man who is always expectant, knowing that because I have sown, I can see the promises of God take over in my life.

Sometimes I think we forget that the law of sowing and reaping is a promise of God. It’s not some get-rich-quick formula or something you would hear at a motivational seminar, it is a promise! We need to walk as victors in every situation in life. With our head held high and expectant because we are invested! 

You want to see change? Invest, take action and watch how God changes your Life!

Scriptures: Psalms 62:5, Psalms 37:4-5

Attitude – Implying an action or mental state.

Expectancy – The feeling that something exciting or pleasant is going to happen.

An Attitude of Expectancy is an outlook of hope.

The attitude that you have while waiting for something is a very important key. An attitude of expectancy is contagious because it can create an atmosphere of expectancy. It is important that while we wait for God’s plans, we continue to create the atmosphere.

Run and not grow weary.

Walk and not faint.

Patiently wait on the Lord.

My hope is in God, the hope of glory. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We do not move God, our faith moves God.

I refuse to allow my attitude to go backwards, or to go up or down.

The word says to speak the tongues of angels. Making giant strides in the realm of the spirit, we can open our mouths and preach the gospel, commissioned to speak life and not death.

Our attitudes must move us upwards and forwards only. The Lord is good and his mercies endure forever. He knows the beginning from the end and we are right in the middle of Christ!

Another important piece would be surrounding yourself by the right people. Your realm of influence can and will affect your attitude. Do you have people around you that are always dragging you down, or do you have people that are around you, lifting you up? Will they hold your hand? Pray with you? Fight for you? Who do you allow to speak into your life?

Positive attitude will bring forth positive results. Having an attitude of expectancy builds the foundation for something good to happen.

What type of foundation are you building?

Scripture: Psalms 5:3

It’s important that we keep ourselves plugged into the word of God, in order to ensure that our expectations will align with what He says. 

In Psalm 5:3, David asks God to listen to him while he prays during the morning. David, who was so great yet so flawed, knew that he needed to remain plugged in. He knew that the reason for his successes in the past are because of his willingness to keep God at the forefront of everything that he did. And so, David had a habit of meeting with God each and every morning, to ensure that he was of a positive mindset. Every day, David woke up early, got himself out of bed, and spoke to the Lord. 

It didn’t matter what he had to do. 

It didn’t matter how he felt. 

It didn’t matter how tired he was. 

He got up and did it. 

So many of us go by our temporary feelings. We don’t follow the path that God lays before us because we don’t feel like it. We allow our attitude and our feelings to dictate our day, when we should be dictating our attitude and our feelings! 

Attitude is the predecessor that feelings will follow! 

I EXPECT an encounter with God each and every day. Like David, I make it a habit to meet with God in the mornings. God honors appointments with us when they are made in faith. This is why you see so many Pastors and Preachers who talk about the importance of prayer! 

Understand that prayer itself, by definition, is an act of expectancy. Prayer has the power to change situations and obstacles. When we as Christians pray, we expect an answer, and we receive it accordingly. Prayer has the power to change darkness into light, and defeats into victories. When you pray, pray with an attitude of expectancy. Pray with a positive mindset. During your daily meeting with God, listen to what He has to say. 

And, when He tells you to do something that you may not understand, have the attitude of expectancy that there is a reason!