Monday, January 16

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READ: Luke 24:13-35

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. Luke 24:31 (CSB)

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I first heard about “The Secret” years ago when I was a youth pastor. The Secret was a popularization of the idea of manifestation–that we can manifest certain experiences and even material possessions through the power of our thoughts.

The creators and curators of The Secret quoted manifestation grandaddy, Bob Proctor’s line, “If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand.”

Back when the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne came out, Christians freaked right out. What was this new false gospel?

I did some work at the time reassuring parents and peers that this was just a reinvention of an old worldview, dismissed it wholesale, and didn’t think about it much again until I started my business.

In the business world, the number of manifestation believers is incredible. And the craziest thing is that I now see a place for it… but differently, than you might imagine.

For example, I don’t believe in this deist or pantheistic idea that the universe is somehow personal and able to materialize things in our lives.

What I do believe though is that our expectations create and reinforce our experiences.

To a degree, I’ve always believed that. I used to tell parents that if you call a kid a liar that will become part of his identity and will only become more deceptive.

Did you manifest the deception?

Actually… kind of.

A friend of mine recently told me that I never considered failing in my business. I reflected on that and realized he was right. I didn’t and don’t have an exit plan – I’m confident that I will continue to grow my business. Did I manifest success, or did I expect to succeed?

I’ve written this before, but another thing that shocked me when I started out is that people are nice, and they don’t really care that I’m a Christian. I had been taught that I should expect hostility from people who aren’t Christians and that I should expect to be rejected and possibly persecuted for my beliefs.

Nothing has been further from the truth. The people I have worked with and for, and those I’ve interacted with have been lovely and haven’t rejected me at all – even when their worldview has been dramatically different from mine.

I was actually shocked.

(When you think about it, the underlying assumption there is even more deadly than you realize at first. What is unstated, but assumed, is that if you don’t experience hostility and rejection, you probably aren’t living faithfully.)

Now undoubtedly there are people out there who are hostile to Christianity and Christians – I just haven’t met them.

Not one.

It’s almost as if when you expect hostility in people, you will find it, and that the opposite is also true; when you expect beauty and generosity in people, you will find THAT.

Now, did I create that reality? Did I manifest it?

Not really, but expectations do play a big role.

Have you ever noticed that when you are thinking of buying a new car you begin to see that make and model everywhere you look? I liken this expectant way of living to something like that.

When I look for beauty, I find it. When I assume ugliness… I find that.

One of my favourite stories in Luke is of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Do you see how their expectations hid Jesus from them? To us, it seems unbelievable that they would have not only missed all the prophetic indicators in scripture pointing to Jesus’ resurrection and victory but also that He was walking and talking with them! But people don’t come back from the dead. That’s not just an assumption, it’s a biological fact.

But this is the power of expectation!

So, here’s a question for you, where will you expect Jesus to show up today? If you assume that He is distant, or that you are abandoned and rejected, then I’m not sure you will see much of Him today.

But if you expect that Jesus is with you right now through the Holy Spirit and that He is currently advocating for you before the Father, then you will begin to see that. You aren’t manifesting His presence; you are recognizing it.

And that will change everything.

“You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (CSB)

Or “You will seek me and find me when you expect me to be where I have always been. Right beside you.”