The Expectation of the Righteous – Proverbs 23:17-18.(How it won’t be cut short)

Do not envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this, your hope will not be disappointed. –

Proverbs 23:17-18 NLT

I am writing today’s blog post from a place of great expectations and believe for you and I even as the year 2020 wraps up. I am so convinced that the Lord has amazing things to unveil for us still in this year 2020. In this moment I am reminded of this hilarious tweet I saw from a lady sometime last year or the year before. She was like and I am paraphrasing, ” baba God, so many people have written this current year off and have moved on to the next year already. But I have not written this year off just yet. Now that traffic to heaven for this year has reduced, it is me and you God, please surprise me!”.

Thinking about it and writing it made me laugh all over again. As hilarious as it may seem, the lady did have an expectation from the Lord. She believed in the God who does not need the whole year to change a situation around or deliver that new package. He is the God who sprung up water from a rock, He is the God who changed the lot of His children close to the red sea overnight – Exodus 14 , He is the God who changes seasons overnight . In summary, what I am trying to say is that God is not limited by time.

But it is not enough for us to just say, God is a way maker, we must first thoroughly believe the things that we confess. The above scripture says that “your hope” will not be disappointed. This signifies that there is something that is being hoped for, there is some element of believe and faith in the mix somewhere.

Dear friend, if you have given up hope, just retract that exhaustion and begin to hope in the Lord, begin to picture that thing you are trusting Him for and have absolute faith in Him.

Now the first part of the scripture says that we should not be envious of sinners but continue to fear the Lord, I LOVE how the Message bible puts Proverbs 23:17-18. It says, Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels;
    soak yourself in the Fear-of-God—
That’s where your future lies.
    Then you won’t be left with an armload of nothing.

Therefore, dears as you go through the rest of the days, hours and minutes in this year 2020:

Do not Harbor Envy anywhere in your heart: Do not ever say to yourself but I pray so much, but I am a faithful servant of the Lord, but I have a budding relationship with God, but I live a blameless life, but I have determined not to defile myself with filth from this world, but I have told the truth always and why does it seem like others moving are breaking grounds and I am not? Let those thoughts be canceled now! Let those thoughts leave your mind now! Because that’s how subtle jealousy springs, then it leads to envy which God does not approve of. Envy actually is the breeding ground of the devil, it gives him fuel to thrive in one’s life. Therefore, get rid of any form of envy that may exist in your heart or mind. Admit to yourself that you are envious of the next person, then confess it to God and ask Him to help you with it. He definitely will in Jesus’ name.

Soak in the fear of God: The fear of God does not necessarily mean to be afraid of God, it means to know God & reverence Him. It means to love Him and constantly desire to make Him happy. With that said, the word of the Lord is telling us to soak in the fear of God. This means to allow the fear of God to consume us, to live inside us, and allow ourselves to be drenched in the fear of the Lord. The most practical example I can give right now is to listen to & study God’s word. Thanks to technology now, we can listen to the bible on the move, while we shower, while we do house chores, and so on. We can plug our ears with God’s word and let it soak into our souls, spirits, and body. More so, we can listen to sermons of valid men of God. And the very one I find easiest is to soak in worship music! How beautiful it is to just soak and be in God’s wonders as worship songs play in the background or in your ears!

Try them if you do not already, these are helpful tips that I personally utilize.

There is a future in Soaking in the fear of God: The word of God tells us a lot about the future of soaking in the fear of God. In Proverbs 14:27 says that the fear of God is a spring of living water, so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells. Proverbs 10:27 says that the fear of God expands your life, Proverbs 14:26 says that the fear of God builds confidence and makes a world safe for your children. Proverbs 15:33 says that the fear of God is a school in skilled living- first you learn humility, then you experience glory.

And the list goes on and on, the Holy Bible is filled with so many men and women of faith that feared the Lord and had testimonies.

There is definitely a future, a future of good, not of evil for men and women who soak in the fear of God. Ask Him today to help you soak in the experiential knowledge of Him.

Your Hope will not be Disappointed: Having expectations from God starts from

1. having a relationship with Him. I would not expect gifts from people who I am not friends with, If it comes as a surprise, fantastic! But having expectations from one who I am not friends with is so unrealistic and inappropriate in my opinion. Therefore, if you are not friends with Jesus yet, you still have some time to make Him your friend TODAY and start to build a relationship with Him. You can say the prayers here, and find a valid bible believing church to fellowship.
2. Having Expectations that align with God’s will for your life: God who created us and put us here on earth has His specific purposes for our lives. They may vary for every individual and at different times but everything God has planned for us ultimately brings Him glory. Therefore, as we have our expectations for the rest of the year, let us ask ourselves questions like: how does this expectation of mine fit into God’s picture for my life? Does God really want this for me now? Will this thing push me closer to God or pull me away? Do my expectations align with God’s word? If all your answers are satisfactory according to God’s standard, then please by all means set those expectations, have them, believe them, and hope in them through Christ Jesus
3. And finally, if not most important Pray earnestly about these expectations. The Bible tells us about a man called Elijah who prayed earnestly for rain after it had not rained for three years. The Bible describes to us how it went down in I Kings 18:41:45. First Elijah had an expectation of rain, he told his servant- Ahab that there was a sound of heavy rain when in reality there was no trace of rain. But Elijah had faith, perhaps pictured how the sounds of the raindrops would trickle down from the skies, hence his statement. Once he had said those words, the bible tells us he climbed up mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees, and prayed.

And each time he prayed which I perceive lasted for a good moment, he told Gehazi to go down to check if there were any traces of rain. He did this seven good times until Ahab saw a small cloud of rain from afar off. I believe that climbing up the mount symbolized withdrawing from everyone to be just by Himself with God on the mountain while He prayed in a different manner and persistently until He got what He wanted.

My dear, I encourage you to live a life void of envy, soak in the fear of the Lord, and set days apart in this season to be by yourself, to pray earnestly for the things you expect God to do for you before the end of this year. And I join my faith with yours and I trust that your expectations will come through in Jesus’ name.