As faith-filled Bible believing Christians, we are instructed to stand fixed, immovable and steadfast for the fruit or fulfillment of the promise. But unless the promise was very specific, don’t allow your expectation to be fixed on something very specific.
For example: Abram was asked by God to “leave your father’s house and nation and I will.”, The full contract of which can be found in Genesis 12:1.
Even though Abram, which later became Abraham, became very rich and powerful and the land of Canaan, (from the Nile to the Euphrates), became his, God’s provision never actually met Abrahams expectation, because of presumption. God gave Abraham the Promised Land but Abraham never actually received it, because he had something different in mind. And therefore, for the rest of his life, he lived like an alien on the very land that God gave to him.
God promised him something in general (Macro), but because of his presumption, Abraham refused to budge from his specific expectation (Micro). And, the presumption was passed down to Isaac and Jacob.
So, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob missed it because God’s broad promise didn’t exactly meet their specific expectations. God told Abram that it was his, but he didn’t receive it, acting like a guest in his own house. God officially, ceremonially gave it to him by covenant giving him actual boundaries, but he still didn’t receive it. Isaac didn’t receive it. Jacob didn’t receive it. After 430 years in Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, the millions of descendents of Jacob (Israel) didn’t receive it! Finally, reluctantly they crossed the Jordan and had to take possession of the land that God GAVE them by force – piece by piece.
So, what is the lesson here?
We know as faith filled believing Christians that we’re to stand and believe in good faith that we will receive whatever God has promised us. But, when you read or heard the promise that was offered did you read or hear specifically what was promised, or was it more broad or general than you presumed?
Could it be that your expectation of what was offered was more specific than what was actually offered?
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were searching and believing their entire life spans for a non-existent well placed walled city that had been built by God Himself, whereas what God had offered and gave them was all the land they walked upon and could see while they were out looking for that city. And the whole time, they could have built their own well placed walled cities anywhere they chose within that land.
Most contract disputes are caused by one or more of the parties’ expectations exceeding what was actually offered in the contract because of presumption. And since every relationship of any kind is actually a contract, relational disputes are often caused by the same thing – unfulfilled expectations due to presumption.
I believe that the devil would like nothing better than to sow seeds of doubt and unbelief in your heart and mind through the process of influencing you to believe and steadfastly stand for something that God has not specifically even offered you, much less entered into a contract with you for.
I’m sorry, I have heard preachers with my own ears, convince audiences that they should believe for something that the Bible just didn’t say. Now whether that was just them parroting what they had heard some other preacher say or an act of manipulation, I won’t judge. But, regardless of who tells you what God has promised you, it is your personal responsibility to read, with your own two eyes, what God has actually said and then, and only then, convert that offer into a contract between you and God and then, and only then, Stand fixed, immovable and steadfast for the fruit or fulfillment of that promise. And then, fully expect the fruit of that contract to be fulfilled.
Now if you know God like I do, then you know already that he always gives over and above whatever is asked or promised. But, your reasonable expectation should always be limited to the extent of that which was actually offered, and then just be grateful for anything added above and beyond.