LEARN TO FOCUS ON YOUR HOPES AND GOALS

MOVING IN THE SPIRIT – A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP

September 2, 2022

HOW TO CLAIM A NEW OPPORTUNITY BY FAITH (PART 1 OF 3)

September 5, 2022

4th SEPTEMBER 2022

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7

We all do have various expectations in life. Some are fulfilled, some are half fulfilled, and still, some are never fulfilled. Our hopes are those things we so much desire to acquire, into which we have deployed our mental, emotional and psychological attention, as well as manpower and other resources. Some of our wishes include owning a home, or a car, getting a high paid job, getting married or building a relationship, owning or getting funding for a business, etc. Should we really be disappointed if our expectations are not met? I think, not at all. The reason is that getting worried or disappointed does not solve any problem, rather, it complicates it, and makes us lose focus on the main object.

The foundation of our fulfilment is God. Therefore, bring God into your plans. God will show you the way to move to hit your goals. When you key into the plan of God for your life, then you are on the path to great success. This is because the plans of God don’t fail.  Psalm 33:11, says, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”  Therefore, God will cause the desire of your heart to succeed if you lean on Him. (Psalm 20:4)

Therefore, endeavour to manage your expectations, and think deeply before placing trust in anybody, or anything at all. Placing total trust in human elements alone does not help all the time. But placing trust first in God, then in your abilities to succeed, take us several miles into the realm of fulfilment. Therefore, give God a central position in your decision-making.

Aside from leaning on God, avoid other several reasons responsible for us not being able to fulfil our expectations:

·        FEAR: Don’t be afraid to start a project. Don’t be afraid of failure. Experts say that failure is a part of success. Failure actually moves you forward in your business.  Failure gives us the strength and knowledge to move forward to success.

·        Wrong Assumptions: We will have problems if our expectations are built on wrong assumptions or projections.  Therefore, always base your expectations on expert opinion.

·        Acting without proper guidance from those who have made it on the same path you are treading.

·        Acting without focus is not good for any endeavour. Do not be distracted from pursuing your set objectives and goals. Keep up the race, and keep moving no matter how difficult it is.  DON’T QUIT!

·        Be consistent in your daily endeavour. Do not find reasons or excuses to lie behind. Move with the tides and pray for success all the time.

To successfully manage our expectations, first, we have to bring our desires to a reasonable proportion, to what our faith can reasonably accommodate, while still looking to God to enlarge our faith to accommodate greater and bigger things. God work with us in accordance with our faith! If you have faith in a big dream, God moves through your faith to actualize your goals.

When we are unable to put our faith in God concerning our goals, we easily fall prey to evil manipulations of gullible persons, and if caution is not taken, we can be derailed completely or lured into ungodly practices. Therefore, please be very careful about the steps you take to actualize your goals.

The word of God is telling us today to invite God into all our ventures, and let Him rule over our choices.  Each of our expectations which come from God usually falls in line with His promises, and He usually does not disappoint in seeing us through them. God tells us in His word that His wish for us is that we may prosper and be of good health (3 John 1:2) Therefore, all our expectations concerning prosperity and good health would normally be fulfilled. All that is required from us is to focus on God and diligently allow God to the people and the places where we will achieve our goals in God’s own way.

PRAYER

Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I submit to your divine direction today, and I declare all my expectations are sanctified by thy spirit. Lord, I declare, that your grace makes me strong in every area of my life requiring your special touch. Thank you, father, AMEN.

FURTHER READING:  2 Corinthians 1:20; Proverbs 19:21; Proverbs 21:5; Hebrews 10:35-36.

Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi

Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi was born in Nigeria to Patrick Abuda Obeakemhe and Juliana Fatimatu Obeakemhe, both from Ogbona Town. With a master’s degree in law, she was called to the bar at the age of twenty-two, and she is currently the principle partner of the law firm Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi & Associates. She is also the founder of two philanthropic organizations: the Living Waters Mission and the Rose Croix Foundation. In addition to law, Lawrence-Dokpesi was drawn to spiritual pursuits at an early age, having begun studying philosophy, theology, chaplaincy, and spirit therapy by the age of eighteen. Inspired by her spiritual calling, she has produced ten intensively researched manuscripts on spiritual matters. Although Understanding the Spiritual was the last to be written, it is the first to be published. Lawrence-Dokpesi is a mother and a wife living in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.