| Raise Your Expectations of God |
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| By Rick Warren — May 19, 2015 |
“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
God works in people’s hearts when we expect him to do so.
Before each service at Saddleback Church, I pray, “God, it would be a waste of time to go out there and talk to those people without expecting you to do something. So I’m going to thank you in advance for changing lives. I expect it to happen in faith. Not because of who I am, but because of who you are.” That is the faith that God uses to change lives.
Very few people come to Jesus Christ the first time they hear the Good News. They’ve got to think about it and take the time to make the right decision.
Never give up on anybody. Nobody’s hopeless! You have to trust God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (NIV).
Some of you have been praying for some time for your boyfriend or your child or a close friend to become a believer. You’ve been praying for years, and yet you don’t see any evidence that they’re any closer in their journey to God than they were five years ago or two years ago or last year.
What do you need to do? You need to start praying in faith, expecting God to act. Faith is certain of what we do not see. You need to say to God, “I don’t see them warming up to you at all. But I’m going to pray and expect that you’re working in their lives, even when I can’t see it.”
Remember the story in the Bible of the four guys who had a friend who was paralyzed? They believed Jesus could heal their friend, so they put him on a mat and took him to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20b), and he healed the man.
Jesus healed the paralyzed man on the basis of the friends’ faith, not the guy who was sick. Sometimes you have to believe in faith for other people and expect God to act. Put a little faith in a big God, and you’ll get big results.
Talk It Over
- For whom have you been praying to become a believer? How do you need to change your expectations or the way you’ve been praying for that person?
- What do you want God to accomplish through your life? How can you show God your gratefulness in advance for how he will work in your life?
- What are the things that you cannot see that you need assurance for today?
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Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
John 12:1-3
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You know, there are few better examples of what a true worshipper looks like than Mary of Bethany. Her dedication and love for Christ is such an inspiration to me.
Mary was a living testimony to what Paul talks about in the verse we looked at earlier this week, Romans 12:1, which says to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Mary came with all that she had and with all that she was to worship Christ.
She was so focused on Him and centered on Him that she paid no attention to the many distractions around her. She absolutely and recklessly abandoned herself and she generously and extravagantly gave all of herself in worship to Christ!
Friend, that’s how we’re to worship Him each and every day.
As a believer, is there anything that’s distracting you from worshipping the Lord? If so, I urge you to confess it to God and ask Him to help you refocus on what’s truly important…becoming a true worshipper of Him!
GIVE ALL OF YOURSELF IN TRUE WORSHIP OF GOD
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