A hope-filled expectation

One of the reasons that a lot of people struggle in life is because they have the wrong perspective.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the 

worldyou will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NKJV

Yes – bad things may happen to you and challenging circumstances may come but you can be of good cheer through it all. Jesus has overcome the world and we are in Him, therefore we are

ultimately winners. We may feel overcome in this life, but as Christians, we are ultimately overcomers. We may experience some setbacks in this life but we ultimately win. One of the first steps to living in victory is to see yourself as victorious and not as a victim.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV

Through Jesus we’ve been given victory (over the world, over the devil, over sin and death) as a gift; we are not fighting for victory but we’re fighting from a place of victory. Because of Jesus, you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). You may feel like you’re being conquered, but you need to see yourself as God sees you. You need to develop the attitude of a victor and lose the victim mentality.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 NKJV

It’s important to note right up front here that this verse does not say that God causes all things but that He works all things that happen. We must not accept everything in our lives as if it is from God. Some things are demonic in origin and their purpose is to destroy us, not to bless us (see John 10:10; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8).

So many people wrongly believe that all things work together for good, or that everything works out in the end. No, it doesn’t. It’s a tragedy if an unbeliever gets sick and dies. Some good might come out of it but not for the person who died. This scripture states that there are some conditions for all things to work together for good. Firstly, it’s for those who love God (believers) and secondly, for those who are called according to His purposes. I like how the Living Bible puts this verse:

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.”
Romans 8:28 TLB

When we’re walking in God’s plans and purposes as believers, all things in our lives are able to work together for our good. We should develop and maintain an attitude in accordance with scripture. When bad things happen and challenges come we can (and should) choose to be expectant of good things to happen for us. As those who love God and who are walking in His purposes, the worst thing that can happen to us in a negative circumstance is that God could bring something good out of it.

In the midst of negative circumstances, you can have a hope-filled expectation that God will work to bring something good out of it.