I watch other people mess up their lives and the lives of the people around them and a big part of the problem is the attitude.  I have to admit that my own attitude has gotten in the way more than once.  A bad attitude is one of the worst things that a person can have and with all of the negative influences in the world, it is easier than ever to have a bad attitude.  I have noticed in my own life, that a lot of times my attitude is directly related to my expectations.  What I expect, I usually get!

Our expectations will either limit us and hold us back or empower us and propel us forward!  It really is pretty simple:  If you expect to get the short-end of the stick, then you will get stuck in mediocrity and you won’t be a very happy person!  If you expect to live blessed and highly favored, then you will see God work in and through you in amazing ways and be happy about what God is doing in and through your life!

Here is an amazing truth of God’s Word:  God meets us as the level of our expectations!  You get, live in and live with what you expect!  So many of the  problems and challenges of life can be faced, fought and won right here!  Get your expectation right and you will get your life right!

We need to raise our level of expectation!  We need to get up singing:  “I just feel like something good is about to happen!”  Expectation is faith at work!  Faith is what allows God to bring things to pass in our life.  Expectation and faith work in either direction!  Expect bad and you will be drawn to and draw to yourself bad.  Expect good and you will be drawn to and draw to yourself good.

In Matthew 9:29 Jesus said:  “According to your faith will it be done to you!”  What are you expecting in life?  It’s easy to expect the worse, especially in this world that we live in.  But we are children of the Most High God, we need to expect the best!

Expect God’s favor!  Expect good things to happen!  Expect God to turn around the negatives into positives!  Expect to overcome!  Expect victory!  Expect the supernatural!  Remember:  Expectation releases faith!  You live in reverse, neutral or drive!  Reverse will take you backward and the bad things you expect will become a reality.  Neutral will not keep you where you are for a time, but will eventually slip into reverse and your messed up and limited faith will take you backward into the negative.  Drive will take you forward to claim and live in the power of the promises of God, which is exactly where God created you to live!

Expectation is powerful!  Fix your expectation today and be amazed at how God will honor and reward your faith!  You can do this, you need to do this and when you do this – you will be glad you did!

Some people don’t want to be happy!  You can’t change people.  Do what you can to help them, but don’t let them keep you from having joy.  Some people have to be loved from a distance.  People that are always negative and bring out the worst in you still need to be loved, but you have to be careful in how much time you spend with them and how you spend time with them.  They don’t have power to steal your joy, unless you give it to them!  So be wise and make good choices.

What you feed is going to grow!  You decide everyday where you are going to live your life:  Are you going to live your life in joy or desperation?  Are you going to be happy, sad or mad?  Are you going to be influenced by others or are you going to influence others?  You make the choice and your choice influences in a negative or positive way!

God created you to live a life filled with joy.  The devil is going to attack this life and do everything he can to keep you from experiencing this life, but don’t fall into his traps and don’t give him even an inch.  God has you exactly where He wants you and will take you into joy, if you will trust Him.

John 15:11 says:  “I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.”  God has given you joy, don’t let anyone take it from you, but share it with everyone you can!  You will be glad you did!

Lord, help me not to be shaken by the bad news given by men, but help me to be shaken by the Good News provided by my Lord.  I choose to believe You and Your unlimited Word over the limited word of man.  Bad news does not faze me, because I am learning to trust in You and believe Your Word even in the midst of the most challenging circumstances.

Help me to learn to live independent and separate of the circumstances.  Your Word says that “by Jesus’ stripes I was healed” and this is the news – I choose to believe.  I appreciate what the Doctors have to say, but I choose to believe what you say:  I am healed!  I am not denying that sickness does not exist in my body, but I do deny sickness the right to continue to exist in my body.  I do not care what my body says; I say according to the Word of God that I am healed and I choose to believe it and that settles the matter.

The word of man can never change the Word of God, but the Word of God is continually changing the Word of man.  I don’t deny what the Doctor says, but I do deny that this is the final word, because God’s Word supersedes the word of men.  I choose to believe the Good News of God that teaches me that Jesus paid for my healing over 2000 years ago.  God’s Word says that the law of life in Jesus Christ has set me free for the law of sin and death.  I claim the healing and health that God’s Word says are my right and privilege as a child of the most High God!

Now Lord help me to live Philippians 4:8  “Finally brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”