A lot of times we have faith in the future. We believe that one day things will get better, one day we will feel better, and one day the challenges will turn around which is good. However, if we are not careful we will only believe in the future and not in the now! Faith is getting the result now; (Hebrews 11:1). God is called "The great I am" and not "The great I will be" (Exodus 3:14). He wants to show you His goodness, His favour, and His mercy, now!
If your desired result is to happen now, having faith in the future is contradictory! You have to believe; "My time is now". "Now is the moment for my health to improve". "Now is the moment I get the phone call I have been waiting for". There has to be an expectancy that something good will happen now.
The expectancy should not be for next week or next year. No, "it has to be now! I can be promoted now " I can meet the person of my dreams now". When you have this expectancy and the faith to get it done now, then God will do things suddenly! Suddenly, you will get the favour you needed, you will feel better and your lost years restored!
The scripture says, "Now is the time for God's favour" (2 Corinthians 6:2). God want to do something amazing in your life now. Some Christians believe that God is going to do something amazing for them one day; One day they will meet the right person. One day they will get that miracle; that's fine.
However, I'm asking you to come out of a "one-day" mentality and come over to a "now" mentality. If God can do it one day, He can do it "now". If He can do it in the future, it's just as easy as doing it "now".
Someone may want to ask me about the role of God's timing in all of this... I have even written a subject about God's timing on this website; My response is what if the reason we are not getting it done now is because we're not releasing our faith for now?
When you have this attitude; "My time is now. God, I believe, now you are at work in my life. Now you are lining up the right people. Now you are making my crooked places straight. Now you're fighting my battles for me". When you have this "now faith", "that is when you will see "The Great I Am" show up and do amazing things.
Too many people live with this "One day" mentality. The challenge with one day is that it will always be in the future. What if God wants to answer your prayer and you say, "Okay, one day I know God will do it"? Next month comes, and you say God will do it "one day". Next year comes, God will do it "one day". Twenty years from now comes and it's still the "one day" God will do it syndrome!
Brethren, one day never comes; It's always tomorrow. Why don't you have the boldness to say, "God, I believe now is my day. I receive your favour now. This challenge is turning around now. The right person is coming my way now".
Have you ever asked God to do something for you now, to show you His favour? Or you are saying "I wouldn't be that bold, that is presumptuous. The scripture says, "We do not have because we ask not". (James 4:2-3)
THE GOD OF NOW MIRACLE!
There was a man in the scripture that was crippled. He had been lying by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years. Whenever an angel stirred the waters the first person that got in would be healed. I can imagine the first week he was there he was very excited, thinking, "Today is my day. I'm going to be the one to get healed". A month goes by nothing happens. A year goes by still nothing! He gets a little more discouraged. Then five years later, well, he was finally convinced that it was not going to happen.
One day Jesus shows up and says to the man, "Do you want to get well"? Instead of saying Of course I do want to get well, he started making excuses. The crippled man said I have been here for a long time. I don't have anybody to help me get into the water. Here is the son of God, Jesus, who stands before him; the one that has the power to make him whole but the man is so focused on all the reasons why it's not going to happen. (John 5:1-15)
You can be at the right place in the wrong frame of mind and miss what God wants to do. You may have been praying, and believing about a situation for many years. You don't see anything changing. You could easily talk yourself out of it.
I believe, like with this man, God is passing by now, the word of God has come to you now; You're at the right place so receive your heart's desire right now.
The scripture says, "God is longing to be good to you". God wants to show you His favour, but there is a requirement. God is going to be good, not a must for everyone. The rest of the verse tells us who. "Blessed are those who look for, who long for, who expect His goodness, His favour, His victory". God is going to be good to the people that are looking for His goodness, people that are expecting His favour. (Isaiah 30:18)
Now my question is; What are you looking for? What are you expecting? To barely get by this year? Or are you expecting an abundance of rain now? Do you think your situation will never change or do you know that now is the time for God's favour? "
If you're not looking for God's goodness, if you don't develop this attitude that, "My time is now," then even though God is longing to increase His goodness in your life, He will back off and put His blessings on hold... You wouldn't want that to happen!
Faith causes God to act. Your expectancy, believing that things are changing, saying, "Lord, I receive my favour now. I receive my healing now. I receive my restoration now". That's not just being positive. That's your faith being released. That's what causes the Creator of the universe to go to work in your life.
And I have heard the saying, "Don't expect too much that way when it doesn't happen you won't feel disappointed". That's no way to live. God meets you at the level of your expectations. If you expect this to be an ordinary year it will be an ordinary year.
Also, If you expect the challenges to get worse it will get worse. If you expect the sickness, the lack, and the depression to continue it will continue. You need to have the right expectations. God wants to help you experience the increase of His goodness in your life but He is waiting for you to start looking for His goodness. "So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 24:14
Our attitude should be, "I'm expecting this year to be better than last year. I'm expecting a miracle to chase us down and overtake us. I'm expecting divine connections and the right people to show up. I'm expecting our children to be mighty in the land, and to excel in school.
I'm expecting us to live debt-free, to lend and not borrow, to be the head and not the tail. I'm expecting to overcome every challenge, that no weapon formed against us will prosper" and suddenly I live a life of abundance and overflow.
Start expecting new doors of opportunity, favour in your career, favour in your health, favour in your finances. God is longing to be good to you. He is looking down from the heavens right now. But you have to be in position. What's the position? Expectancy. Believing that "my time is now. Something good is going to happen to me now".
THE FAITH TO RECEIVE IT NOW!
The scripture tells us about a lady who displayed the "now faith"! She had been sick for twelve years with a bleeding disorder. She spent all she had on the sickness, she went to many doctors but no cure!
The lady could have gotten discouraged and thought, "Well, it just wasn't meant to be. I guess that's it". Her attitude was, my time is now. I may not see how it can work out, but Lord, my healing is now.
She heard that Jesus was travelling through her city. She thought, "If I could just touch Him I know I will be healed". She had this expectancy. She knew God could suddenly turn it around. She pressed her way through the crowd. I can hear her saying, "Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, but my time is now; Things are about to change in my life".
She reached out and touched the edge of Jesus' garment and instantly she was healed. Jesus stopped, and said to the disciples, "Who touched me"? They said, "Jesus. Everybody is touching you. It's crowded around here".
Jesus said, "No, somebody touched me with such faith and expectancy, that the miraculous working power came out of me". About that time, Jesus saw this woman and said, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole". (Mark 5:25-34)
Notice this, it wasn't God's faith that healed the woman. God has all the faith in the world but when you believe, your faith can cause God to do it instantly. Your expectancy can cause the Creator of the universe to do amazing things in your life.
My question is, are you expecting your desired result now? Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now is the time for things to turn around! Don't have a "one day" God will do it kind of faith. Reach out to God now with your faith and receive your desired result!
Prayer
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace (Amen) Numbers 6:24-26
God bless you!