Speaker: Sis. Techie Rodriguez, Elder, The Lord's Flock Catholic Charismatic Community

“Raising our Level of Expectancy”

A disciple must have an enlarged vision of what the Lord wants him to do. He should see with eyes of faith.

Re-programming our Mind

In order to raise our level of expectancy, we must re-program our mind as written in Romans 12:2 “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Knowing the Will of God

Our mind must know and accept the will and plans of God:

•  The plans of God for us are good, not bad [for our welfare, not for woe]. (Jeremiah 29:11).

•  We will successfully attain our goal. God is with us wherever we go. (Joshua 1:8-9).

•  We should “think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” (Colossians 3:2).

•  We should “trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and live secure.” (Psalms 37:3).

•  We should “dwell in the Lord's house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord's beauty, to visit his temple.” (Psalms 27:4).

Everyday is a day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice during the entire day. (Psalms 118:24).

Every morning, let us set our mind in the right direction – towards heavenly things. God's glory, mercy, and favors surround us. Let us expect favors from God who will do something for us. Let us expect favors from people who will help us. Let us raise our level of expectancy. Let us get excited about God's surprises for us!

A few words of caution. Expect the devil to tempt you not to trust God. Expect the enemy to tempt you to focus on earthly things and look at defeat, failure, discouragement. Do not listen to the lies of Satan!

Knowing the Word of God

In order to know the will of God, we should also know the Word of God. We cannot know God's will without knowing about God. We should be renewed in the knowledge of God – filling our minds with the Word of God. (Colossians 3:9). Let us study diligently the Word of God - the Holy Bible [ imparting the word of truth without deviation ] (2 Timothy 2:15 ).

Deepening our Understanding about Faith

Now that our minds have been re-programmed towards the will of God, we can now deepen our understanding about faith.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6).

What we are hoping for may be mere dreams, without any substance, not tangible. Faith gives substance to what we are hoping for. What we are hoping for eventually materializes because of our faith.

With faith, what is unseen by our physical eyes, is seen by our eyes of faith. What we believe in what our senses perceive is not faith; when we believe what is not seen by our eyes – that is faith!

Because of faith, what is hoped for that is unseen becomes a realization!

The Holy Bible abounds with stories of great people of faith – from Abraham who believed in becoming the father of many nations, to Joseph the Dreamer, to Moses, to David, to Virgin Mary, to Paul and to many others.

Sometimes, we expect to have faith only upon being presented with evidence to support the existence of what we believe in. We believe only what our senses tell us, e.g. what we see, hear, or feel, instead of what the Lord says. This should not be the case.

O ur faith should be the evidence or realization of what is unseen. With such faith, we can enlarge our vision using eyes of faith. We can look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). We can also walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

“F aith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” ( Romans 10:17).

T he Word of God is the unseen “evidence” of faith. This word, this promise of God, is the unseen that our eyes of faith must see. With God himself who promised (and God keeps his promises – Psalms 12:7, Jeremiah 1:12 ) this unseen “evidence” turns into realization!

L et us raise our level of expectancy about the Word of God, about the promises of God, about receiving favors from our Lord, about our prayers being answered, and about everything heavenly!

L et us be inspired by God's Word. Let us be obey his commands. Let us claim his promises.

•  “G od is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:24).

•  “Y our word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” (Psalms 119:105).

•  “B lessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” (Ephesians 1:3).

•  “P ut to death parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5). “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12).

•  “B ut without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

•  “A nd we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14).