Expect a Progressive Miracle

God is continuing to deal with me in this area of expectation. In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell talks about the “The Law of the Lid” that states Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness. In other words, those who follow you cannot advance any farther than you, and therefore, you as a leader must constantly be developing yourself. The results of not developing yourself are that those who follow you become discouraged, complacent, or rebellious.

I believe there is a “law of the lid” in our expectation of God. Because of challenges and disappointments in life we lower our level of expectation, resulting in discouragement, complacency, or rebellion against God. God has no lid. He is limitless in every way. Yet, we allow circumstances to lower our expectation of Him.

The area that God has been dealing with me in is to clearly define my expectations of Him based on His Word and expect to see a progressive miracle in my life. Jesus said in Mark 11:22-24, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

In this verse we focus on the faith and speaking, but there is also the aspect of being specific in what we speak. When blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus until he had Jesus’ attention, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus knew what Bartimaeus needed but he wanted him to clearly articulate what he expected. In the same way, we need to clearly articulate to God what we expect from Him and be prepared to respond in obedience to what He tells us to do.

Like most things in life, restoration is often a process, a plan and a series of steps we must take. God’s miracles are often progressive because God desires to mature and develop us through the process. Expectation is what keeps us on track toward the goal. Expectation keeps us in the race and causes us to fight a good fight of faith to receive the prize that God has for us.

Do not let people and circumstances lower your expectation. Don’t spend your life wandering around the wilderness of mediocrity. Be willing to fight the good fight, take on the giants, armies, and walled cities to enter into the promises that God has for you. “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:24)

Andy Clark

Results of Expectation

1. Expectation causes us to seek God with persistence.

Psalms 123:2 “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”

2. Expectation causes us to believe God fervently.

Matt 17:20 “For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

3. Expectation causes us to yield to God.

John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”

The problem is that we want to bring God into the limitations of our lives. We expect God to do things in a certain way within the limitations of human thinking, understanding, and ability. We often want to maintain control. Do things our way. The only way to get out of our box into a limitless God is to totally yield to Him. When you get on a plane, you lose all control. If you are afraid to give up control, you will never fly.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Let God do far above or beyond what you could ask or think by the power that works in you.

Andy Clark

Expecting From God (part one)

What do you expect? As we go through life, challenges and disappointments can diminish our expectations. Part of the reason for disappointments we face is that our expectations are in the wrong place. Our expectations are in people and things of this world that often fail us rather than putting our full expectations on God and His word.

Hebrews 11:11 says, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Sarah’s expectation was not focused on the promise but on the faithfulness of the One who had given the promise. Here are four areas of expectation that God spoke to me about:

1. EXPECT TO BE REWARDED AS YOU DILIGENTLY SEEK THE LORD. “God is a rewarded of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6). Are you in hot pursuit of God? Above the noise of the crowd blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus until Jesus heard and responded. How desperate are you for God to intervene in your life? Jesus exhorted us to ask, seek, and knock.

2. EXPECT TO SEE EVIDENCE OF A PROGRESSIVE MIRACLE IN YOUR LIFE.  “With God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)  We need to be clear in our expectation of God. Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” What exactly do you want from God? Be responsive to what God asks you to do. Restoration is often a process, a plan. Step by step God’s work in us is a progressive work.

3. EXPECT GOD TO KEEP HIS PROMISES. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Num 23:19

"God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

4. EXPECT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BE ALWAYS IN HIS TEMPLE. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”. (John 14:15-18)

Get into God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your expectations. Allow Him to pray through you and empower you to walk out the abundant life that God has for you.

Andy Clark

Look for part two of this teaching next week, Results of Expectation.

Orphan Heart

John 14:15-18

"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

When I lived in Haiti, I had a missionary friend who took into his home an orphan boy off the street. Even though the refrigerator and cupboards in my friend’s home were full of food and there were three meals a day and food to snack on any time, this orphan boy would save part of his meals and hide them in different places in his home for fear the day would come that there would be no food.

We as Christians sometimes behave like this orphan boy. Even though we know as children of God we are joint heirs with Christ and everything that is God’s belong to us, we continue to have the heart, mind, and attitude of an orphan. We are independent-minded, self-made, self-reliant individuals who depend on our skills and abilities to make it through life. We strive for the praise, approval, and acceptance of others. Our lives revolve around personal achievement and success. When we fail, we become insecure, frustrated, fearful, discouraged or depressed.

But Jesus said that He would not leave us as orphans who are trying to make it on our own. He promised to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who would dwell in us and be with us 24/7 forever. The Holy Spirit is the fullness of God the creator who lives in us, loves us, and is there to aid us in every aspect of life. There is full joy, love, peace and acceptance in Him. His cupboards are full of everything we need for a godly, fulfilling life.

Romans 8:12-17 says, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

In the midst of a world that has lost its identity, moral and spiritual bearings, we can walk with confidence in our identity in Christ. We have received the Spirit of adoption, which bears witness that we are children of God. Our security, success, and fulfillment are in Christ, the author of life. He wants to hang out with you today and be part of your everyday life. Rejoice, you are not on your own!

Andy Clark

God's Pans

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” NKJV

I love the Old Testament stories because they reveal God’s character and how He works with people. There are many stories that illustrate the above verse that God does not operate anything like we do.  However, today I want to look at the story of Abraham and draw out some important life principles.

We know that God called Abraham to leave his country, family, friends, lifestyle and go to a land he knew not. He called Abraham to move from the known to the unknown, from a place of security to a place that was not secure. Upon God’s word Abraham makes this total illogical move. God then gives and outrageous promise to  Abraham that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars in the heaven and sand on the sea shore, that all of Canaan would be his, and that his descendents would be a blessing to all the earth. When Abraham receives this promise, he is a nomad in a strange land, owns no property, and to stack the odds against him, his wife is barren. God’s ways are not our ways!

Part of the key of Abraham’s and Sarah’s ability to believe God’s promises and follow God’s plan against insurmountable odds is in Hebrews 11:11-12. “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude — innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.” NKJV

Abraham and Sarah judged or counted Him faithful who had promised. The focus is not on the promise or the plan, but on God's faithfulness. God’s promise or plan is like a mountain. From the distance it looks like a single mountain. But as you journey closer you find it is a series of hills and valleys leading to the mountain. Because the timing of the promise or the way it is fulfilled is different than we expected, we can become disillusioned, discouraged and give up. It is like you have climbed over several hills and gone through several valleys, and you come to the top of another hill. There is another valley, and you seem no closer to the peak of the mountain than you were before. In fact, the closer you get to the peak, the bigger are the hills and valleys are. We become so focused on the destination or the promise that we fail to enjoy the journey with God.

The second thing is God’s promise or plan is much greater than each of us. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were each part of the fulfillment of God’s promise and plan. Upon this journey to God’s promise, God has people on the way on those hills and in those valleys that he has ordained to be part of our journey. They are part of God’s plan, and they hold keys to the promise. When we become so bent on reaching the peak, we fail to take the time to engage the very people God has ordained on the journey.

Like Abraham, though the promise of the peak of the mountain may challenge and inspire us, the joy of the journey is our walk with God and those God brings into our life. With every hill and valley that you walk through and arriving at the peak, the joy is looking back on the faithfulness of God through the journey. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

Andy

Hearing God's Voice

Hearing God’s voice is essential to walking with God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28) How can we follow Jesus if we do not hear His voice? Security, peace, and salvation come in hearing the voice of God and following Him. We live in the information age, and voices are bombarding us through the media and social media. In the midst of all the noise we need to be able to take time to quiet our spirit and learn to hear the voice of Christ in our daily lives if we are going to survive in these last days.

Millions have converted to Christ because one man heard His voice. Saul “fell to the ground, and heard a voice.” (Acts 9:4) Paul, as he became known, touched the lives of thousands of people in his day and wrote most of the New Testament, which continues to impact our lives. Acts 10:9,13 says, “Peter went up upon the housetop to pray….and there came a voice to him.” As a result of Peter taking the time to hear Christ’s voice and obeying, the entire Gentile race was welcomed into the kingdom along with the entire house of Cornelius. What could God do today if Christians would learn to hear and obey God’s voice!

In this time of shaking, fear, deception and uncertainty, we need to hear God’s voice more than ever. Hebrews 12:25-27 warns us, “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they (the Israelites at Mt. Sinai) did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven."  Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

Hearing God’s voice is birthed out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them.” Personal relationships are developed by spending time with people. Going to church and spending time with Christians who talk about the things of God are crucial. But even more important is spending time with God through personal time in His word and talking with Him in prayer to learn to hear His voice for yourself. As you learn to hear Him in your quiet time, you will begin to recognize that quiet prompting of the Holy Spirit in your daily activities. This will bring direction and purpose to your life, peace, and joy, and allow you to speak into the lives of others whom God brings across your path.

To the last church, the Laodicean church, the Lord cries, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'" (Revelations 3:20-22)

Andy Clark

United We Stand

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalms 34:3

It is through togetherness that we magnify and exalt the name of the Lord.  Jesus prayed in John 17:21-23, “That all of them (referring to us) may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me.” Jesus is calling us into the same oneness as He has with the Father. This is achieved because He has placed His glory or very nature in us. The result of this unity with Christ and with each other is that the world will see Jesus in us.

This unity was demonstrated in the early church. Acts 2:44 says, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” The results were signs and wonders, they enjoyed the favor of all the people, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47) When Peter and John were threatened by the religious leadership, then released, Acts 4:24 and 31 says, “When they (the church) heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God…. After they prayed, the place they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

The early church’s ability not only to stand but also to prosper in the midst of adversity was born out of their relationship with the Father and each other. With the growing opposition we are facing in the world today, we cannot afford to walk and minister in isolation. We need to take heed to the example of Christ himself and the early church, which grew in the midst of intense persecution. Our ability to penetrate the darkness relies on our relationship with Christ and each other. Together we need to take on the forces of darkness.  When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer, and when one part rejoices, we all rejoice. We need to pray for one another, encourage one another, and work together.

In Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, the first prophetic word was that the bones were to come together so that flesh could come on to the bones. The second prophetic word was for breath to come into the bodies that they might live and become a vast army. I believe the prophetic word at this hour is that we come together in a greater way, believer with believer, church with church, until we impact our communities with the Gospel of Christ. It is only as a united body that we will stand and the glory of the Lord can be revealed through us to the nations.

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”

Andy Clark