Raising My Expectation

3 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

² And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

³ Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

⁴ And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

⁵ And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

⁶ Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk

And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

⁸ And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

¹⁰ And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

¹¹ And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

¹² And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Acts 3

 

I know many have read this section from the scripture. It is an amazing account of healing and deliverance but I saw something the other day in the record that has blown my mind and I want to share it with you.

Growing up I was taught this simple phrase, “needs and wants must be parallel” in order to receive from God. This statement is simple, precise, and clear, in my opinion. What I recently realized is that I had taken this statement and turned it into lack, not abundance. What do I mean? Well, stick around and I’ll show you.

If you hear the word “Need” what do you think? Well, I have always seen it as just the basics. Need is not abundance, it is just enough to get by. Is that how the word is defined?

Websters defines it as:

Noun: circumstances in which something is necessary, or that require some course of action.

Verb: require (something) because it is essential or very important.

This doesn’t seem to be just enough to get by, it says “essential and necessary” it is very important. So, why do I relate the word to just enough? You know how dictionaries use the word in a sentence? The sentence that went along with this definition is a great indicator of why I have related the word
“need” to almost a begging statement.

“the basic human need for food”

I am learning that there are many things I want to unlearn and learn better. This sentence is just that. Need is not lacking. It is necessary.

The man at the pool was laid there every day. He asked alms, every day. Now the gate Beautiful was a place where people would go to ask for help. He had been doing this for his lifetime. This was his only way of supporting himself. He “wanted” alms. His level of want was set very low because he thought that was all that was available. It is all he had ever seen.

So, here is where I ask myself, “Is my want LOW?”

Culturally I have been taught that is it selfish to “dream too big” or “want too much”. Well, did this man want big enough? Nope, not at first! His want was money to get by but what he really needed was a “Big Dream” to have his legs work! I then asked myself, “Kalyn, have you set your wants really low because you think they should balance with really low needs?”

YES! Yes, I have!

I made up this idea in my head that if my wants and needs are to be parallel, I have to lower my wants cause needs are only the basics and there is nothing too high in needs, “so keep it low girl.”  But, what did that man need? He needed working legs…is that a small, little thing?  No, it’s huge. Peter and John not only taught this man that he “needed” the Spirit of God to flow in his life, but they also taught us too.

The Spirit of God is not a small, lacking, “just the basics”, just getting by kind of power. It flows with abundance. It thrives. When we walk in power we flow with abundance, we thrive!

The moment this man’s legs worked, he was flowing in abundance!  He was thriving.  “Walking and LEAPING and PRAISING God!”

 

Psalms 92:12 Holman

“The righteous thrive like a palm tree
and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.”

Psalms 11:10 Holma

“When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices,

God did not design me to live in survival mode all of my life.  The man at the gate was living in survival mode but God had a much great plan in mind. When he was healed he went from survive to thrive! It’s time to raise my expectations. Not on people, let’s be clear.

Our expectation is never (I don’t use never very often but I’m using it here) to be on people.

It’s time to raise our expectations from survive mode to thrive mode!

 

Psalms 62:5 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

The truth is this.

It is God in Christ In Me.

He is in me, with me, and moves through me.

He is All-knowing….so I expect to glean from that today.

He is All-powerful…so I expect to bring that into manifestation today.

He is Everywhere present…so I expect to See Him in you every day.  Show the world, God, through you!

 

My need is to live and move and have my being in that God in Christ in me. Peter stood up and asked the people “why they were marveling at this miracle?”  Well, duh, it was a miracle. But his point was this, the God in Christ in him moved this man from a state of lack and survival to a state of  abundance and thriveing.  That God-In-Christ in me can do the sam thing fro me and then for others.

I started a list of HIGH EXPCECTATION NEEDS for myself soI’ll share them with you:

I need to hear His voice….I want to hear His voice.

I need to walk in light, love, and balance…I want to walk in light, love, and balance.

I need to thrive in being honest with myself….I want to thrive in being honest with myself.

I need to bring forth His power within me….I want to bring forth His power within me.

I need to love myself and then love others….I want to love myself and then love others.

I need to live at a level pf peace that can not be shook by circumstances…..I want to live at a levee of peace that can not be shook by circumstance.

I need to raise my expectation on Him…I want to raise my expectation on Him.

I need to raise my exception of myself and who I am to be for Him….I want to raise my expectation of myself and who I and to be for Him.

Psalms 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure an rest in the shadow of the Almighty {whose power no enemy can withstand}”

I need to expect to “rest in His shadow”…..I want to rest in His shadow.

Psalms 91:5. “You will not be afraid of the terror of night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day.”

I need to live fearlessly……I want to live fearlessly.

Act 6 showed me something new about myself.  It showed me where I was living in a lack state of thinking.  Needs and wants parallel is a beatify truth but I simplified it to a place of below par living.  My being is supposed to prosper and be in health becseu my soul is to prosper and be in health and this is where I am choosing to live now.

II John 2. “Beloved I wish above all things that though mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers.”